Kingdom built on oil foresees fossil fuel phase-out this century
News
Satellites reveal rapid acceleration of Antarctic
glacier ice loss
Thinning of glaciers in one of the most vulnerable parts of
Antarctica has accelerated at a “remarkable rate” since 2009, a new
study finds. Stable through the 2000s, the glaciers began losing
large quantities of ice within just a year or two, the lead author
tells Carbon Brief. This shows the surprising speed with which
Antarctica’s glaciers can react to rising ocean temperatures, and
without warning, he says.
Limiting global warming to 1.5C is still possible
say scientists
It’s still technically possible to limit global warming to
below 1.5C this century, according to new research, using negative
emissions technologies such as biomass with carbon capture and
storage and afforestation. But as the scale of these technologies
implied by the scenarios is very large, what does ‘possible’
actually mean? Carbon Brief puts the new study’s findings in
context.
Mismatched graph creates confusion in Canada’s UN
climate pledge
Updated: we’ve tried to make sense of further verdicts
coming in on Canada’s confusing UN contribution. Conflicting views
of Canada’s 2030 target show the complex nature of INDCs in
general: issues such as different baselines, target years and
accounting rules for land use and forestry mean that it will be
difficult to assess the aggregate impacts of national contributions
to the UN’s climate deal.
Climate and energy news
Kingdom built on oil foresees fossil fuel
phase-out this century
Pillita Clark, Financial
Times
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, could
phase out the use of fossil fuels by the middle of this century,
the kingdom’s oil minister said yesterday. He told a conference in
Paris: “In Saudi Arabia, we recognise that eventually, one of these
days, we are not going to need fossil fuels. I don’t know when, in
2040, 2050 or thereafter.” Instead, Saudi Arabia plans to become a
“global power in solar and wind energy”. The statement represents a
“stunning admission” by a nation whose wealth and influence in the
world are predicated on its vast reserves of crude oil, the
Financial Times writes. Bloomberg Newsalso reported the story.
Business leaders prepare for limited UN climate
deal in Paris
Guardian Sustainable Business
Blog
More than 1,000 business leaders attended a business summit
on tackling climate change in Paris this week. They called on
policymakers to agree on carbon pricing mechanisms, closer
collaboration between business and government on climate policies
and a joint public and private sector fund for investing in
low-carbon technology. The private sector could help close the
expected shortfall in emissions reductions necessary to stop 2C of
global warming warming, suggested Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Glencore Tony Hayward calledfor an end to fossil fuel
subsidies, but also rejectedsuggestions that solar
could replace coal. The heads of fossil fuel giants Statoil,
Glencore and Total, dismissed the idea that their assets are
dangerous RTCCreports. “We are going to
produce oil and gas for a long time and I see no scenarios where
that is not the case,” said Statoil’s Eldar Saetre.
Antarctic Peninsula in ‘dramatic’ ice
loss
Satellites have seen a sudden dramatic change in the
behaviour of glaciers on the Antarctica Peninsula, according to a
study led by the University of Bristol. The ice streams were
broadly stable up until 2009, since when they have been losing
around 56 billion tonnes of ice a year to the ocean. Warm waters
from the deep sea may be driving the changes, the UK-based team
says. Scientific American, the Guardianand the Daily Mailalso have the story.
Read Carbon Brief’s coverage of the study here.
UN climate fund gears up to deploy cash after
Japan inks pledge
The UN’s Green Climate Fund can start deciding where to
deploy its cash following the signing of an agreement with the
Japanese government that means it will have enough money to begin
operating. Japan and the United States did not meet that deadline
for contributions, leaving the fund short. But Japan’s move to firm
up its $1.5 billion pledge on Thursday brings the total covered by
signed agreements to $5.47 billion, above the 50 percent threshold.
The GCF aims to help developing countries limit their greenhouse
gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Fox Newsalso covered the story.
1.5C climate goal still in reach, say
scientists
Odds are long on the planet pinning down temperatures below
a 1.5C rise on pre-industrial levels by the end of the century –
but it still remains “feasible”, according to a report published
yesterday, albeit with radical conditions. The world must embrace
deeper emissions cuts, biofuels and carbon storage the study says.
Read Carbon Brief’s analysis of the study here.
Republican Jeb Bush criticizes ‘arrogance’ in
climate change debate
Republican Jeb Bush rejected on Thursday what he called an
arrogant view that anyone who questions how much climate change is
a result of human activity is considered “Neanderthal”, Reuters
reports. “My views are that the idea that science has established
what percentage of climate change is human-derived and what is
natural, it’s not finished. It’s not determined,” said Bush, who is
exploring a November 2016 presidential run.
Brazil’s ditching of climate change targets may
not signal policy shift
The President’s reneging on a plan to limit CO2 emissions
had many fearing the worst. But rather than signalling a shift in
policy, the sudden appearance and disappearance of the country’s
CO2 reduction goals appears to have more to do with diplomatic
mistakes, realpolitik priorities and the greater importance of the
US than China, the Guardian has learned. June’s summit with the US
may simply mean a delayed announcement.
Green departments face early spending cuts, as
Osborne demands Whitehall
savings
George Osborne yesterday called on Whitehall departments to
take early action to deliver the £13bn of departmental spending
cuts that form part of his ongoing deficit reduction plan. The move
is likely to have significant implications for unprotected
Whitehall departments, which include all the departments with
environmental remits: DECC, DEFRA, BIS, DfT and DCLG, BusinessGreen
reports. The precise scale and timing of spending cuts for ‘green’
departments is yet to be determined, but there have been reports
suggesting that the Department of Energy and Climate Change could
face steeper cuts than it felt following the last election.
Climate and energy comment
Wealthy nations overlook the dangers of climate
change
Do rich countries care more about the environment that
poorer ones? A recent study by the author found that’s not
necessarily the case. The reason comes down to danger: poorer
nations are more worried about environmental risks like flooding,
so are more concerned about factors that might increase these
risks, such as climate change. Although other studies have found
that public support for environmental protection increases with
wealth, the same citizens feel more secure about changes in
environmental conditions, he argues.
The High Cost of Dirty
Fuels
There is no good reason for governments to sustain
“outdated” fossil fuel subsidies that cause millions of deaths
every year, and wreak havoc on the environment, the New York Times
writes. And while it’s “naïve” to expect most governments to
completely eliminate energy subsidies, there are reasons to be
hopeful that public officials are becoming more willing to
discourage the use of fossil fuels.
New climate science
Sustained growth of the Southern Ocean carbon
storage in a warming climate
A new study suggests the amount of carbon taken up and
stored in the Southern Ocean is likely to increase as the climate
warms. More intense winds shifting poleward strengthen circulation
patterns in the upper ocean, leading to an increase in the amount
of carbon taken up. Other processes act to decrease carbon uptake
but overall, it’s expected to grow.
Scenarios of large mammal loss in Europe for the
21st century
European large mammals could lose up to 25% of their habitat
by 2050 due to a combination of land use change and climate change,
according to new research. Changing our consumption patterns can
substantially improve conservation but not enough to reduce
extinction risk if species cannot adapt locally to climate change
or disperse, the paper notes.
Other stories
- Coal and gas power dying out in Europe, says
energy chief (Financial Times) - Global news organisations agree to share climate
change content (Guardian) - European energy market membership ‘essential’ for
UK, says National Grid boss (The Telegraph) - The Guardian view on climate change: keep it in
the ground (The Guardian) - Dolphin Deaths Linked To 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil
Spill (Scientific American) - ()