Capturing carbon could cut bills, EU critiquing nuclear deals, and reef madness
News
Carbon capture backed to cut energybills
Climate and energynews:
Nuclear setback as EC attacks Hinkley Pointsubsidy deal
The European Commission has published a “damning critique”of the UK’s new nuclear deal. It says the new Hinkley Point plantcould be profitable without government support, potentially makingthe subsidy unnecessary.
Sellafield nuclear plant given the all-clear after’elevated levels of radioactivity’detected
The Sellafield nuclear plant has been given the all-clearafter “elevated levels of radioactivity” were detected on Fridaymorning. A perimeter alarm was triggered at the north of the site,leading to buildings being checked by safety staff, but it waslater discovered the higher than normal levels were due to”naturally occurring background radon”. Guardian energy editorTerry Macalister saysgreater transparency aboutnuclear safety risks will be essential as the UK expands itsnuclear capacity.
Keystone report raises pressure on Obama toapprove pipeline
Pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the KeystoneXL pipeline between Canada and the US increased after a StateDepartment report played down the impact the project would have onclimate change. The Guardian features a useful Q&Aon the project as wellas commentfrom climate scientistMichael Mann, who warns the project will set the wrong precedentfor the US’s future energy use.
January was England’s wettest winter month inalmost 250 years
Last month’s seasonal total was higher than any since 1767and three timestheaverage level. The bad weather isn’t over yet: meteorologistsobserve a weather system stuck over the Atlantic from which manymore storms are expected.
The communication of uncertainty is hinderingclimate change action
The longer the climate discourse is mired in the intricaciesof uncertainty, the less likely a transformation will take place,writes communication expert Adam Corner. Communicators shouldreframe the issue as one of risk, he says. However, sciencecommunication often fails to get over an important truth: humanaction is the most important uncertainty in the climate system. Ifwe continue to burn fossil fuels as we are, climate change will bemuch worse than if we cut emissions significantly.
UK shale gas viability check will take five years,says Cuadrilla boss
It will take five years and the drilling of 20 to 40fracking wells to judge whether the UK has a viable shale gasindustry, says Lord Browne of Madingley, former chief of BP and nowchairman of Cuadrilla. But he says the work must be done, becauseexploiting shale gas is “a national imperative”.
Climate and energycomment:
Five takeaways from State Department’s review ofthe Keystone XL pipeline
The US State Department has concluded Keystone XL will notsubstantially affect emissions because Canadian oil is likely to beexported through other means. But the report is not an OK from theUS government – just the beginning of a new round oflobbying.
Flooding: too little defence, too late, as thewaters rise
Government advisors are increasingly frustrated at what theysee as a failure to take the threat of flooding seriously.Scientific projections predict worsening floods, yet the governmentis doing little to build the link between climate change andextreme weather into flood planning, they say.
Reef madness: the Abbot Point decision makes nosense
The Australian government has approved the expansion ofAbbott Point – a port that from which Australia exports much of itscoal. It’s just near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a spectacularribbon of corals under severe threat from climate change. Thiscolumn explores the irony of the port’s proximity to one of themost climate-vulnerable ecosystems in the world.
Arctic city hopes to cash in as melting ice opensnew sea route to China
The Russian city of Nadym is expected to become the hub of anew ‘silk route’ linking countries such as Russia, China and Norwayto the natural resources of the Arctic. This article explores theeconomic and geopolitical ramifications of the region’s melting seaice.
New climate science:
Arctic amplification dominated by temperaturefeedbacks
Often thought to be the main reason why temperatures arerising twice as fast in the Arctic as elsewhere, the rate of seaice loss is only the second biggest contributor, according to a newstudy. Coming top is how the vertical structure of the warmingvaries between high and low latitudes.