El Niño arrives later and weaker than expected
News
El Niño arrives later and weaker than
expected
The long-awaited Pacific weather phenomenon has finally arrived –
but will have not have a major impact on global weather patterns,
forecasters say. “This Niño is weak in strength, and it’s also
quite late,” the deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction
Center told Nature. It therefore is unlikely to alleviate
California’s drought, reportsTime. However, if even a weak El Niño persists
through to summer, 2015 is likely to top 2014 as the hottest year
on record, saysClimate Progress. El Niños usually develop in
the latter part of the year and peak from December to April, and
are often associated with warmer temperatures and changing
precipitation patterns.Climate central,Scientific Americanand theNew York Timesalso covered the story.
Climate and energy news
Ed Davey: ‘Crazy’ Conservatives would ‘frack every
bit of croquet lawn’
Ed Davey has called parts of the Conservative Party “crazy”
because they want to “frack every bit of croquet lawn” in Britain,
says the Telegraph, covering an interview byCarbon Brief. The Lib Dem energy secretary
also referred to the Tory MPs who believed shale gas was a “silver
bullet” as the “frack-baby-frackers”.
Arctic sea ice is getting thinner faster than
expected
Sea ice is not only covering less of the planet, it’s also getting
significantly thinner, a new study has found. Data compiled from a
range of sources for the first time finds sea ice thickness down
65% since 1975 because of global warming – much faster than models
have estimated.
EU offers 100m to connect energy
networks
The European Commission has launched a 100 million (£72.3m) pot
for projects aimed at connecting energy networks across the EU. It
is inviting companies to bid for a share of the cash to “end energy
isolation, eliminate energy bottlenecks and complete the European
energy market”, Energy Live News reports.
Solar closes in on cost of coal-fired power –
Deutsche Bank
The cost of roof-top solar power is nearing that of coal-fired
power, heralding growing competition with conventional energy
utilities and commodities, according to Deutsche Bank analysts.
Prices could fall by as much as 40% by 2020, reports RTCC.
Residential solar power is already cheaper than residential power
prices in many markets worldwide, and is closing in on much lower
wholesale power prices.
UK trade deal finances ‘dirty energy’ projects in
Mexico, says Greenpeace
The UK government has become embroiled in a row over financial
support for fossil fuel companies after announcing a £660m funding
package involving Pemex, the Mexican state oil group. The credit
scheme runs against government commitments to fighting climate
change, say activists.
Green energy investor returns rise as carbon
bubble looms
Falling costs of renewables, green bonds growth, a growing coal
divestment movement and prospect of UN climate deal driving
confidence in clean energy sector, reports RTCC. “Because of the
growing costs of emissions, low-carbon activities such as renewable
energy and green buildings are a safer bet than many carbon-
intensive ones,” said the head of the Investor Group on Climate
Change Australia and New Zealand, “the prospect of unburnable
fossil-fuel reserves makes many new coal and tar-sands projects too
risky to invest in.”
UN warns of escalating cost of climate
disasters
New report reveals global economic cost of disasters has reached
an average of $250bn to $300bn a year. The UN has urged governments
and businesses to step up investment in climate resilience
measures, and warns that without urgent action climate change
impacts will result in increased costs in the future.
Climate and energy comment
Adding up INDCs: what country commitments could
mean for climate change
The outcome of the Paris climate talks in December will depend a
lot on countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or
INDCs. But what if all the plans don’t add up to a two degrees
temperature rise, but to far more significant impacts? There’s hope
that INDCs could kickstart an upward spiral of climate ambition –
but no certainty, says Robin Webster.
New climate science
Unusually Loud Ambient Noise in Tidewater Glacier
Fjords: A Signal of Ice Melt
A new study finds that melting glaciers are the noisiest places in
the ocean. When glaciers in narrow sea inlets melt into the
saltwater, bubbles that were once trapped in the ice gush to the
surface. The researchers say the findings raise questions about how
the underwater noise in the fjords will affect animals as climate
change first increases the rate at which glaciers melt into the
ocean water, and then stops the process altogether as the glaciers
shrink and retreat onto land.
Other stories
- What are world leaders saying about a Paris
climate agreement? (Responding to Climate Change) - CO2 Levels for February Eclipsed Prehistoric
Highs (Scientific American) - The oceans may be lulling us into a false sense of
climate security (Guardian Environment) - US solar giant launches zero-cost plan in
UK (Energy Live News) - “Second wave” of climate pledges to UN deal
expected in September (Responding to Climate Change) - Here’s What Gas Would Have To Cost To Account For
Health And Environmental Impacts (Climate Progress) - When it comes to coal production, China has now
caught up to the Britain of 1850 (Carbon Counter) - ()