Hinkley subsidy quintuples to £30bn, Rudd appointed Home Secretary, TTIP challenges G20 climate pledge, & more
News
Subsidy for Hinkley nuclear power station quintuples to £30bn
Consumers will pay almost five times more subsidising a proposed nuclear power station at Hinkley Point that originally estimated, according to new projections from the National Audit Office. The rise is due to a fall in the long-term forecasts for the cost of electricity, the Financial Times reports. Under a deal in 2013 EDF was guaranteed a price of £92.50 per megawatt hour to help pay for the cost of construction – far higher than the current price of $45 per MWh. The Times and the Telegraph also carry the story.
TTIP proposal casts doubt on G20 climate pledge, leaked EU draft shows
Negotiators in Brussels are proposing new loopholes in a G20 pledge to phase out fossil fuel subsidies within the next ten years, the Guardian reports, providing new ammunition to critics of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal. A leaked draft proposal also “appears to draw an equivalence between the need to prevent trade distortions and the fight against climate change”. Inefficient fossil fuel subsidies are currently given at a rate of £7.5m a minute.
Rudd landed with the toughest posting in Whitehall
The former energy secretary Amber Rudd has been made home secretary in Theresa May’s new cabinet. At the time of writing her replacement was yet to be announced. The BBC also has the story.
Theresa May must step up efforts to green the UK’s energy supply, says UN
Theresa May’s government must increase its commitment to generating electricity from renewable sources despite the disruption caused by the Brexit vote, the top energy official of the United Nations has argued. Rachel Kyte said that generating more energy from greener sources would benefit jobs and the economy in a time of uncertainty, and particularly helping the poor.
Number of Americans ‘Alarmed’ by Climate Change Rises in Latest Poll
More Americans say they will vote for candidates who support climate action, but the gulf between those who are concerned about the issue and those who are dismissive has grown larger, a new study has found. The poll of US voter preferences shows that more people are “alarmed” about climate change, up to 17% from 12% last year, InsideClimate reports.
Royal Dutch Shell braced for North Sea strike
Shell is preparing for strike action on seven of its North Sea platforms in the biggest industrial dispute to to hit the area for a decade. Workers are protesting against changes to conditions, and pay cuts of up to 30%, the Times reports. The oil giant does not expect immediate disruption to production. Low oil prices are expected to lead to the loss of around 120,000 jobs in the sector this year.
Comment
Brexit watch: Scientists grapple with the fallout
Xenophobia, mobility fears, and a reduction in offers of collaboration from other European countries are among the issues facing scientists in a post-Brexit UK writes Daniel Cressey, in a feature summarising how the EU referendum is likely to affect researchers working in the UK.
Why coal is back in black
Coal is now cheaper in the US, on an energy equivalent basis, than natural gas, as China’s excess mining capacity makes an impact on prices. But how long will these higher prices last, asks Alan Livsey, in the FT’s short view.
Science
On the link between tropical cyclones and daily rainfall extremes derived from global satellite observations
Tropical cyclones can be the cause of almost 100% of daily rainfall extremes in some parts of the world, a new study says. Using satellite data from 1998 to 2012, researchers evaluate the contribution of tropical cyclones to daily rainfall extremes (where rainfall is above four inches per day) over land. The study finds that while cyclones account for an average of 4% of the total number of rainy days in areas affected by cyclones, they represent 13-31% of daily extremes – and can account for over 70% of them in some regions, or even almost all.
Predictability of Arctic annual minimum sea ice patterns
While rising temperatures in the Arctic are causing sea ice cover to decline, natural variability in the climate means sea ice extent isn’t necessarily smaller year-on-year. A new study identifies the principal natural fluctuations that affect the annual Arctic sea ice minimum at the end of each summer, and incorporates them into a predictive model. The most important source of variability is the natural cycle called the Arctic Oscillation, the researchers find, followed by the Indian and East Asian summer monsoons, and finally, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. The study’s model “exhibits great skill” at predicting the size and variations of the Arctic sea ice summer minimum, the researchers conclude.
Other stories
- US shale is lowest-cost oil prospect (The Financial Times)
- California to Extend Cap-and-Trade System to 2050 (Scientific American)
- Is it too late to hit 2050 emissions target? (Energy Live News)
- ‘The extraordinary years have become the normal years’: Scientists survey radical melt in the Arctic (The Washington Post)
- Overnight Energy: House GOP ratchets up Exxon climate fight (The Hill)
- The New Attack On Climate Scientists: Drain Their Funds With Frivolous Lawsuits (DeSmog)
- Solar plane flies over Egypt pyramids on globe-circling trip (Associated Press)
- Three held over murder of another environmental activist in Honduras (Reuters)
- What phony op-eds about climate change have in common (Columbia Journalism Review)