North Sea oil and gas to reverse decline & climate change could cut global electricity output by disrupting water
News
North Sea oil and gas production to reverse 15 years of decline
A 15-year trend of falling oil and gas production in North Sea has been reversed, according to Oil & Gas UK, the UK energy industry trade body. Output from the UK continental shelf in 2015 rose 8.6% compared with the previous year, the Guardian reports, helped by new facilities coming on stream, such as Cladhan field off Shetland. But experts say this rare increase in production will be likely to be short-lived, the Herald reports. Britain’s oil and gas output has more than halved in the last 15 years as accessible sources ran low and investment in new fields failed to keep up with demand. The story was covered widely, also featuring in the Times, Reuters and the BBC.
Climate change could cut global electricity output by disrupting water
Shifts in water temperatures, or the availability of fresh water due to climate change, could lead to reductions in electricity production capacity in more than two thirds of the world’s power plants between 2040 and 2069, according to new research. “Power plants are not only causing climate change, but they might also be affected in major ways by climate”, said Keywan Riahi, of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, speaking to Reuters. Hydropower stations and thermoelectric plants, which depend on water to generate energy, together contribute about 98% of the world’s electricity production. Carbon Brief, Climate Home and the MailOnline also covered the research.
What scientists just discovered in Greenland could be making sea-level rise even worse
Rising global temperatures may be affecting the Greenland ice sheet in more serious ways that scientists imagined. A new study has found that the found the compacted snowy frosting on the ice cap, called firn, is losing its ability to absorb meltwater, the MailOnline reports, due to the formation of ‘ice lenses’ beneath the surface. This means that more melting ice may be running off into the ocean than previously thought. The Greenland Ice Sheet has the potential to significantly raise sea levels as it runs into the ocean, and NASA estimates that the Greenland ice sheet is losing about 287 billion tons of ice every year.
Wind power shatters energy generation records
Press Association via MailOnline
Onshore and offshore wind generated a record 11% of the UK’s electricity in 2015, up from 9.5% the year before, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 8.25 million homes. A new monthly record was set in December 2015, when 17% of demand was met by wind. BusinessGreen also has the story.
UK expected to face more power emergencies
The UK’s electricity supply is at its tightest for a decade and emergency measures are likely to be needed several more times this winter to keep Britain’s lights on, National Grid has warned. The margin of supply above demand at peak times will continue at historically low levels for three years says Cordi O’Hara, the National Grid’s director of market operations. The Financial Times has also published an accompanying look into the National Grid, the organisation that runs the UK’s electricity network.
Calif. well could leak methane for months
A methane leak at a natural gas storage well in California could be months away from being plugged, the Hill reports. The leak has been belching thousands of tons of methane into the air every week since it was discovered in October, causing health and climate concerns, according toInsideClimate News.
Comment
Green energy: How one power plant chips away at the UK’s carbon footprint
Steve Connor, science editor at the Independent, muses on Drax’s transformation from a coal-fired power station to one that burns wood. The big question for 2016 is whether the Government will continue to invest in Britain’s biggest decarbonisation project, Connor writes, and the signs so far are “not looking good”.
Dealing with flooding
The floods battering northern Britain are the result of “no ordinary weather”, says an editorial in the Times. “Whether induced by climate change or not, the patterns are unmistakeable…governments must come to terms with the realisation that these conditions are likely to be with us for the foreseeable future.” Britain needs to adopt a planning strategy that looks many years ahead, the Times argues.
Science
Greenland meltwater storage in firn limited by near-surface ice formation
The Greenland ice sheet might retain less of its meltwater than previously assumed, new research suggests. The near-surface layers of the Greenland ice sheet are made up of snow that is gradually being converted into ice. The air gaps in this layer can hold meltwater that has percolated down from the surface. However, the new study finds that changes to the layer caused by atmospheric warming means that meltwater is being released faster than previously anticipated.
Climate-sensitive northern lakes and ponds are critical components of methane release
An increase of 20 ice-free days per year in northern high latitudes could see annual emissions of methane from lakes and ponds increase by 20–54% before the end of the century, a new study suggests. Lakes and ponds represent one of the largest natural sources of the methane, the study says. Using methane measurements from 733 lakes and new estimates from inland waters across the northern hemisphere, the researchers find that lakes formed from melted glaciers are a principal source of methane from water bodies.
The potential for land sparing to offset greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
Land sparing has the potential to make significant reductions to net greenhouse gas emissions from farming, a new study says. Land sparing combines increasing agricultural yields and reducing farmland area to allow restoration of natural habitats on the land reclaimed. These reinstated habitats can sequester carbon to offset agricultural emissions, the researchers say. The approach could be combined with reducing meat consumption and food waste to make further emissions savings, the study adds.
Other stories
- Greening the military (Politico)
- E.ON completes split of fossil fuel and renewable operations (Guardian Environment Network)
- Insurers paid out $27bn for natural disaster claims in 2015 (Reuters via The Guardian)
- 95% consensus of expert economists: cut carbon pollution (The Guardian)
- Arctic winter methane emissions higher than expected (Energy Live News)
- El Niño declining, to return to neutral by second quarter: Australia (Reuters)
- Study Shows Larger Effect of Clouds on El Niño (The New York Times)
- Here’s how scientific misinformation, such as climate doubt, spreads through social media (The Washington Post)
- Climate Change Is Taking A Toll On Farmers’ Mental Health (Climate Progress)
- Solar capacity in Scotland soars by over a quarter (BusinessGreen)
- Climate’s top gear (The Sun)
- Are the BBC climate change deniers? (Roger Harrabin, Facebook post)