Government figures reveal huge leap in renewable generation & 'most' US Republicans back action on climate
News
Latest government figures reveal huge leap in renewable generation
Renewables met almost a quarter of UK electricity needs in the third quarter of 2015, according to new government figures. A jump in solar and wind power capacity, along with greater use of biomass at Drax, was behind the increase. Scotland has all but met a target to get the equivalent of half its power from renewables, reports the Financial Times, while the Times says renewables are Scotland’s largest generator of electricity, above nuclear or fossil fuels. This is a first, according to the Daily Record. Carbon Pulse says UK power sector emissions are likely to fall 10% in 2015 while Energy Live News points to a 23% reduction over two years.
After Paris accord, most U.S. Republicans back action on climate
More than half of Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll said they approved of US efforts to work with others on climate change, while 40% would support a presidential candidate who did so, Reuters reports. The Hill reports comments from Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, who says he would pull the US out of the Paris climate deal. Separately, Reuters and the Hill say cities are moving to defend the US Clean Power Plan from legal attacks.
Oil and gas company Total fined more than £1m over North Sea leak
French firm Total has been fined £1.125m over a 2012 gas leak at the Elgin field in the North Sea. The leak released an estimated 6,000 tonnes of gas, the largest yet in the North Sea. The platform, which was closed for a year after the accident, accounted for 3% of UK gas production.
Nations urged to improve climate pledges by April 2017
Researchers are calling for countries to submit improved climate pledges by 2017, even before an officially-agreed stocktake takes place in 2018, reports Climate Home. The Dutch researchers were involved in drafting some of the pledges and say there is “a lot of room for realistic and feasible improvements”. This would help maintain political momentum post-Paris, they argue.
Exxon’s Oil Industry Peers Knew About Climate Dangers in the 1970s, Too
Shell, Texaco and Exxon were on an American Petroleum Institute task force on climate research between 1979 and 1983, reports InsideClimate News. It says this suggests other oil firms, not just Exxon alone, were aware of the possible impacts of warming. In his Dot Earth blog, Andy Revkin suggests the “new revelations” be followed by a “vigorous new burst of research” funded by oil firms to find ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Japan considering cap and trade under climate deal
Japan is looking at an emissions trading scheme as a way to meet its climate pledge to the UN, says the Hill. Japan will develop a new climate policy by early next year, reports Carbon Pulse. Though this will look at carbon trading the country is unlikely to introduce a market soon, says Carbon Pulse, citing government sources.
Nigeria budget signals shift away from oil dependence
Africa’s largest economy has signalled a shift away from dependence on oil, reports Climate Home. In his first budget as president, Muhammadu Buhari indicated attempts to diversify the Nigerian economy, which has lost revenue as a result of falling oil prices.
Abbot Point coal port open to challenge over tugboat harbour left out of EIS
The just-approved Abbot Point coal terminal expansion in Queensland faces a possible court challenge, says the Guardian. Conservationists fear the expansion, designed to export coal from the giant Carmichael mine, could affect the Great Barrier Reef. Climate Home notes the expansion was approved despite Australian support for a 1.5C warming limit.
Comment
Warning: your festive meal could be more damaging than a long-haul flight
A kilo of beef or lamb protein from a British hill farm can cause more greenhouse gas emissions than flying to New York, says George Monbiot in the Guardian. “The figures were so astounding that I refused to believe them”, he writes. “the very features we have been led to see as virtuous (animals wandering freely across the mountains…) generate astonishing impacts.”
Science
North by north-west: climate change and directions of density shifts in birds
Examining bird species in Finland between the 1970s and 2012, a new study finds 128 species shifted their ranges on average 37km to the north in response to changing temperatures. Climatic conditions once found in the north of the country have moved out entirely, the paper says. The complicated patterns the researchers saw suggest climate change wasn’t the only driver of density shifts, however, with land use practices playing a role too.
Observations, inferences and mechanisms of Atlantic MOC variability: a review
A new review paper looks at the nature, variability and controlling mechanisms behind the Atlantic Meridional Circulation (AMOC) – a current system that is responsible for the relative warmth of the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere. Alongside satellites and the the ARGO system of floating buoys, more than 10 years of AMOC observations are inspiring efforts to develop decadal predictability systems, the paper concludes.
Other stories
- Dirtier energy mix pushes up Australia’s GHG emissions (Carbon Pulse)
- Desert tower raises Chile’s solar power ambition to new heights (The Guardian)
- Three problems with transitioning to renewable energy (and how to fix them) (EnergyDesk)
- Aerosols from burning fossil fuels may protect some regions from climate change (Mail Online)
- Aerosols are causing global warming on JUPITER: ‘Fluffy’ haze of particles is found to be heating the gas planet’s atmosphere (Mail Online)