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Daily Briefing |

TODAY'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY HEADLINES

Briefing date 07.04.2017
Dangerously powerful flight turbulence ‘could become twice as common due to global warming’, UN research: World adds record new renewables capacity at lower cost, & more

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News.

Dangerously powerful flight turbulence 'could become twice as common due to global warming'
The Mirror Read Article

Aircraft turbulence strong enough to lift unbuckled passengers out of their seats could become twice as common due to climate change, according to a new study that has been widely reported. The research, by scientists at Reading University, found light turbulence could increase by 59% and severe turbulence by 149%, the Mirror reports. The new study is the most detailed yet of how aircraft turbulence will respond to climate change, says author Dr Paul Williams, quoted by the Independent. It found fuel and maintenance costs for airlines could rise as a result of increased turbulence, reports the Washington Post, which notes that the study relates to changes in the jet stream over the North Atlantic flight corridor. The Press Association, Mail Online, Evening Standard, Quartz, Wired and Express all cover the research. Study author Williams describes the work in his own words in a Carbon Brief guest post.

UN research: World adds record new renewables capacity at lower cost
BusinessGreen Read Article

The cost of wind and solar fell by more than 10% last year, allowing record amounts of capacity to be added even as investment fell by almost a quarter, says BusinessGreen, reporting widely covered research from the UN Environment Programme and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The 138.5 gigawatts of clean energy capacity added last year was up 8% from the year before, says the Press Association. This capacity made up 55% of the global total added last year, adds InsideCilmate News, with renewables additions roughly double those for coal and gas. Clean energy investment is still short of what is required to meet the goals of the Paris accord, says the BBC, quoting one of the study’s authors. Large utilities claimed a larger share of renewable investment last year, says Bloomberg, as the sector “goes mainstream”. Further articles from Climate Progress, AFP and Bloomberg also cover the new findings. Carbon Brief‘s coverage charted some of the key results.

National Grid may pay power plants to reduce output
Financial Times Read Article

The UK’s National Grid may need to pay power plants to reduce output this summer, because of falling demand and a proliferation of solar, says the Financial Times. National Grid’s annual summer outlook report, published yesterday, says the move may be needed to keep the network stable, the paper adds. The minimum demand on the UK’s high-voltage grid is expected to fall to a record low this summer, reports the Times. Grid demand has been steadily falling in recent years, in part because of the growth of solar, reports the Telegraph.

Green Climate Fund urged to aid poorest amid Ethiopia drought row
Thomson Reuters Foundation Read Article

The UN’s Green Climate Fund, set up to channel billions to help poor countries tackle climate change, has come under fire over its choice of which projects to back, reports Thomson Reuters Foundation. At a meeting over the past three days in South Korea, the fund’s board approved $755m funding for eight projects, but these did not include a $100m drought resilience proposal for Ethiopia, where more than a fifth are currently facing water shortages. The fund is becoming a “laughing stock”, according to poor countries, says Climate Home.

Most Americans Oppose Climate Science Cuts
ClimateWire via Scientific American Read Article

Some 59% of voters want the US to do more to address global warming, reports ClimateWire, with the “vast majority” opposed to the deep cuts in climate science set out in president Trump’s budget proposal. Some 65% believe climate change is caused by human activity, ClimateWire adds. Separately, the US Bureau of Land Management has given its homepage a new image, with a “wall of coal” replacing a picture of hiking, reports Reuters. Meanwhile an Associated Press feature explores how Trump is attempting to boost coal “as China takes the lead on climate change”. A second Associated Press article reports on a Californian court ruling upholding the state’s emissions trading market rules. Reuters also has the story.

Comment.

The Trump era of climate policy will bring a few huge surprises. Let’s try to predict them.
Brad Plumer, Vox Read Article

Coverage of the impact of president Trump on climate change has often failed to wrestle with the deep uncertainty surrounding predictions of future change, writes Brad Plumer at Vox. He sets out six scenarios that could surprise during Trump’s presidency, from the advent of new energy technology through to an unexpected court ruling, India surpassing clean energy expectations or even Trump changing his mind on climate.

Science.

Circumpolar dynamics of a marine top-predator track ocean warming rates
Global Change Biology Read Article

The response of ecosystems to a period of abrupt warming can be very different to a period of slow or moderate warming, explains a new paper. Data from 556 colonies of black-legged kittiwakes show an abrupt warming of sea surface temperature in the 1990s coincided with a steep decline in the population, while moderate warming does not seem to affect dynamics. Marine top predators may be more sensitive to the rate of ocean warming than the warming itself, the paper concludes.

Greater role for Atlantic inflows on sea-ice loss in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean
Science Read Article

Scientists have described an effect they call the “Atlantification” of the Eurasian Basin. Loss of sea ice ice has increased vertical mixing in the eastern Eurasian Basin, says a new paper, making it structurally similar to that of the western Eurasian Basin. With the release of heat from the ocean, in turn, driving sea ice loss in the eastern Eurasian Basin, the authors say the changes represent an essential step toward a new Arctic climate state.

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