California becomes first US state to mandate solar on homes
News
California becomes first US state to mandate solar on homes
California has become the first US state to mandate solar panels on new homes and low-rise apartments built after 2020. The California Energy Commission unanimously approved the plan, which is the state’s latest step to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Associated Press reports. “Adoption of these standards represents a quantum leap in statewide building standards,” Robert Raymer, technical director for the California Building Industry Association, told AP. “You can bet every other of the 49 states will be watching closely to see what happens.” The decision came despite estimates it would raise the up-front cost of a new home by nearly $10,000, Reuters reports. The Commission estimated the standards will add about $40 to monthly mortgage payments but will compensate for that by saving residents $80 a month on energy bills. The Independent, the Hill and InsideClimate News also have the story.
UN climate stalemate sees extra week of talks added
UN negotiations in Bonn are set to end in stalemate today as delegates have become “bogged down” in technical arguments about the Paris Agreement, BBC News reports. Poorer countries say they are fed up with delays from richer countries on securing finance and slashing emissions, according to BBC News. “The developed world has to lead,” Amjad Abdulla, the lead negotiator for the Maldives told BBC News. “We have a huge void – the action (by rich countries) on cutting carbon before 2020 we haven’t really fulfilled that – and we are already embarking on rules for post 2020, that’s unfair.” Climate Home Newsthat rich nations are also facing questions over who will replace the cash promised by the US before President Donald Trump announced his intentions to leave the Paris Agreement. The US is withholding $2bn pledged to the UN’s Green Climate Fund, Climate Home News reports.
Britain lobbies for right to host 2020 climate meeting
The government is lobbying for the right to host the world’s 2020 climate talks, the Financial Times reports. Energy and climate minister Claire Perry said on Wednesday that the UK planned to make a bid for the UN’s climate change conference, according to the FT. “I think it would be a marvellous opportunity for the UK to host it,” she said, in the first public indication of the UK’s interest in hosting the event.
Tidal lagoon ‘would need large subsidy’ to cut costs
Swansea’s Tidal Lagoon would need significantly higher subsidies than the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to become operational, the project’s developer has said. Developer Mark Shorrock came under scrutiny over the project’s costs as he appeared before Welsh MPs yesterday. The proposed £1.3bn project aims to build a six-mile breakwater in Swansea Bay with turbines that would harness tide power. Shorrock told MPs he would need financial support of £89.50 for every mega-watt of electricity produced to build the lagoon, the Telegraphreports.
Comment
Global warming is melting Antarctic ice from below
“When we think of ice melting, we may think of it melting from above, as the ice is heated from the air, from sunlight, or from infrared energy from the atmosphere. But in truth, a lot of the melting comes from below,” writes John Abraham, a professor of thermal sciences, in the Guardian. In Antarctica, Abraham explains, ice shelves extend from the land out over the water. “The bottom of the ice shelf is exposed to the ocean,” he writes. “If the ocean warms up, it can melt the underside of the shelf and cause it to thin or break off into the ocean.”
Welcome to the all-new BusinessGreen…
James Murray, the editor of BusinessGreen, introduces the new-look website in a letter to readers: “A decade on from the launch of BusinessGreen it remains the case that the scale, pace and urgency of the biggest and fastest economic and industrial revolution in history remains tragically under-reported. The Mission of the new-look BusinessGreen is to shine a light on this era-defining sector, to embrace our journalistic responsibilities, and provide you with the information and tools you need to make a difference. It is not hyperbole to suggest the future of the 21st century rests on the ability of green businesses to change the world. And in telling the story of the planetary scale mission you are embarked on, we at BusinessGreen are here to help.” Among the first new features on the website is an interview with Sir Richard Branson. Elsewhere, BusinessGreen introducesits new Mission Statement and brand identity.
Our energy revolution needs the Government’s spark
“We stand on the point of a genuine energy revolution,” writes Ian Funnell, managing director of ABB UK, the UK branch of the multinational technologies cooperation, in The Telegraph. The revolution has come about thanks to advances in electric vehicle development and carbon capture and storage, as well as the rapid growth of renewable energy, he writes. “The common thread for all of us must be to keep innovating, developing and introducing new technologies,” he says. “And we need government to come to the party too, creating an environment that incentivises the critical industry investment needed to ensure that the UK is going to not just survive but thrive in this new era.”
Science
An analysis of the prevalence of heat waves in the United States between 1948 and 2015
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
There has been a “strong increase” in the prevalence of heat waves in the US between the mid-1970s and 2015, a new study finds. Analysis of observed data show that increases in heatwave frequency are similar for both daytime and nighttime, but largest in summer. Looking at different regions, the findings suggest the biggest heatwave increases have occurred in the west and southwest, while the Pacific Coast was most likely to experience daytime and nighttime heatwaves simultaneously.
Consequences of 1.5 C and 2 C global warming levels for temperature and precipitation changes over Central Africa
Environmental Research Letters
New research explores the likely changes in temperature and rainfall changes over Central Africa at 1.5C and 2C of warming above pre-industrial levels. Based on a collection of 25 regional climate model simulations, the findings suggest the region will warm at a faster pace than the global average, with “a tendency towards decreasing seasonal precipitation in March–May, and a reduction of consecutive wet days”. As a result, “there are obvious advantages to reduce global warming to 1.5 C relative to 2 C in regard of the reduced frequency and magnitude of precipitation extremes”, the researchers conclude.
Integrating carbon dioxide removal into EU climate policy: Prospects for a paradigm shift
A new paper explores the political dimensions and policy implications of deploying negative emissions technologies in the European Union. Options for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – especially Bio‐Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) – present “significant challenges to the EU’s dominant climate policy paradigm and low‐carbon policy experience”, the authors say. As a result, widespread implementation of CDR in the EU is “unrealistic”, the authors say, but there are possible pathways for a more limited introduction.
Other stories
- Americans who believe in conspiracy theories about 9/11 and Princess Diana’s death more likely to doubt climate change (The Independent )
- Climate change will affect developing countries more than rich ones – Daily chart (The Economist )
- ‘Allergy explosion’ across much of the country linked to climate change (NBC News )
- Calculating the carbon footprint of research is not a solution to climate change (Times Higher Education )
- Russia shows off Arctic military might as it debuts fighting snowmobile at Red Square parade (The Telegraph )
- Mapped: Revolving Doors between UK Government and the Energy Industry (DeSmogUK )
- ‘No follow up’ from Trump over staying in climate pact: U.N. (Reuters )
- China is building a huge weather-control machine – will it work? (New Scientist )
- Confusion over financial backing for nuclear project (The Times)
- A radical way to cut emissions – ration everyone’s flights (The Guardian )
- Development banks ‘not aligned’ with Paris Agreement goals: report (Climate Home)