Shale oil plans rejected
News
Germany, UK and Poland top ‘dirty 30’ list of EUcoal-fired power stations
The UK and Germany lead a list of the EU’s most pollutingcoal-fired power stations compiled by environmental campaigners,both with nine of the co called “dirty 30” power stations. Wecovered the new research here.
Climate and energy news
Global warming ISN’T slowing down, researchshows
The Mail writes up research from the weekend which explainedwhy the fact that most climate models didn’t predict the timing ofthe current period of sluggish surface warming isn’t reason toquestion their projections for how much warming we can expect inthe long term. Though slightly confusingly explained in the Mailarticle, the paper showed that models which happened to be exactlyin sync with natural variability – though they are not designed todo so – did a good job of simulating the current slowdown insurface warming.
Dispute over ‘bonkers’ EU energy savingsplan
EU commissioners are meeting today to agree an energysavings target for 2030. After difficult negotiations, the EU couldpropose a 27 per cent increase in energy efficiency but examined arange of higher efficiency targets up to 40 per cent. Campaignersand industry have described reluctance to embrace ambitious savingsgoals as “bonkers” but there’s concern higher efficiency targetswould damage the Emissions Trading Scheme – the EU’s flagshipcarbon-cutting scheme.
Britain sticks with tough carbon target despiteopposition
Speculation that the UK’s post-2020 emission reductiontargets may be watered down ended yesterday with the governmentconfirming it will be making no changes to the fourth carbonbudget. The Guardianhails the decision asa “defeat” for chancellor George Osborne, who opposed the target onthe grounds it would make UK businesses less competitive in Europe.Energy secretary Ed Davey saidyesterday that keeping thebudget – which commits the UK to halving its greenhouse gasemissions by 2027 compared to 1990 levels – “provides certainty forbusinesses and investors by demonstrating Government’s commitmentto our long-term decarbonisation goals”. Davey’s decision will”delight green campaigners”, says the The Financial Times. The Committee onClimate Change also welcomed yesterday’s decision but last weekwarned it would be hard to meet the targets without stronger andmore ambitious policies, reports the Daily Mail.
Fracking: blow for hopes of UK shale energy boomas council throws out drilling plans
The government’s hopes of a UK shale boom were dealt a blowyesterday as a fracking firm’s plans to explore for shale oil inWest Sussex were unanimously rejected by the council. Campaignerssaid the decision was a landmark first in the UK, driven by fierceopposition from residents about lorries passing through the village24 times a day. Celtique Energie has said it will appeal thedecision. The Guardianand BusinessGreenalso have thestory.
You’re paying too much for your energy bill,Government admits
Ministers have urged energy companies to pass on extrasavings in the region of £23 per year to customers, after admittingsuppliers will save more money than expected from changes to aninsulation scheme. in December, the Big Six agreed to pass onsavings of £50 to consumers in return for changes to levies onbills. Many are sceptical that that merely “inviting” companies tomake philanthropic gestures will be enough to see savings passed onto consumers, the Telegraph reports.
UK Prepares For EU Ruling On Energy StateAid
The European Commission is expected to announce its rulingtoday after several months examining contracts for difference – aform of subsidy guaranteeing long-term prices to companies forsupplying renewable energy sources. The EU has previously signalledprojects involving significant subsidies could constitute unfairstate support. A separate ruling on subsidies for the UK nuclearsector is expected later this year.
Is Antarctic sea ice really expanding as quicklyas scientists claimed? Data error found in key climate changedata
New research suggests Antarctic sea ice may not be expandingas rapidly previously thought – with much of the increasepotentially down to a data error, reports the Mail. Andy Revkin’sDot Earth blog says the new research raises important questionsabout whether Antarctic sea ice growth is “an illusion created byflawed analysis of data collected by a series of satellites.”. Wesked other polar scientists what they think of the newresearch here.
Climate and energy comment
The EU’s nuclear links withRussia
Following the loss of the Malaysian airliner last week,European leaders are wrestling with the question of how to respondto Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. If the EU getstough, it could easily end up doing itself a lot of economic harmif Russia were to respond by turning down the gas, says AndrewWalker. Europe is braced for any gas crisis as Russia sanctionsescalate, says The Telegraph.
Is a Tea Party movement about to kick off inBritain?
Beware the self-pity of the governing classes – a fallengovernment minister who fought the ‘green blob’ seems to becontemplating a US-style insurgency, says George Monbiot. He saysOwen Paterson, the former environment secretary, “can speakdirectly, and he now lambasts the ‘green blob’ against which henobly fought and lost”.
New climate science
A temporary hiatus in warming of extremetemperatures is not unusual, nor inconsistent with modelsimulations of human-induced climatechange
Environmental Research Letters
A new perspective in Environmental Research Letters findsshort periods of localised decreases in extremely hot days and coldnights are not unusual, and are fully consistent with climatemodels. Apaperon Sunday reported a similarconclusion for periods of slower globally averaged surface warming,like the one we’re experiencing now.