Study urges 10 climate actions to curb warming, lift GDP
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The most influential climate change papers of alltime
Carbon Brief surveys IPCC scientists to find out what theythink is the most influential climate change paper of all time.Through the diverse range of responses emerged one clear winner…
Chance of a UK very cold winter falls to less than1% by 2100, new study suggests
A Met Office office study suggests that cold winters and wetsummers will become less likely due to climate change.
Climate and energy news
Study urges 10 climate actions to curb warming,lift GDP
A study from the New Climate Economy has recommended tenglobal actions that could enable up to 96% of the cuts needed by2030 to keep global warming below 2C. Chaired by former Mexicanpresident Felipe Calderon, the report highlights the key roles ofcities, energy efficiency and forestry, among otheractions. The Guardian, The FinancialTimesand RTCCalso have the story.
Met Office experts believe hot summers will becomethe norm in Britain
Climate change means that UK summers will become hotter,while the chance of wet summers and very cold winters will dwindle,according to Met Office research. The study says that the chancesof having a colder than average winter in the UK will drop fromaround 20% in 2020 to 4% in 2100. At the same time, the chance ofexperiencing blazing hot summers of the kind seen once in 20 yearsrises to 90%. The Guardianand The Timesalso have the story,and Carbon Briefcovered the research.
‘Perfect storm’ threatens $280bn of gas projects,study finds
A new report from Carbon Tracker says that more than $280billion of possible liquified natural gas projects may be abandonedas “uneconomic” if the world acts to keep global warming below 2C.While there is some room for growth, expansion is “not anywherenear as much as the industry projects”, the reportsays. Bloombergalso has the story.
Nobel Laureates Issue A Call To Action On ClimateChange
At a German conference of Nobel Laureates, 36 of the prizewinning scientists signed a new declaration on climate change, witha focus on the UN climate talks in Paris this December. Here, thenations of the world must take “decisive action to limit futureglobal emissions”, the declaration reads. Some Laureates said theywere uncomfortable with the declaration, however.
Australian state could change mining approvalrules, impact Rio Tinto project
The Australian government in New South Wales has proposedaltering mining approval policy in the region to focus on “carefuldeliberation of environmental, economic and social issues”, ratherthan prioritising the extraction of resources. This could threatencolliery expansion planned by Rio Tinto – a project that mayrequire the small town of Bulga to be relocated. The Guardianwrites about the “hugerelief” of Bulga residents at the proposed amendment.
Climate change is a matter of human rights, agreesUN
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution onclimate change, affirming that it is a human right for all toaddress the adverse impacts of rising temperatures. The resolutionasks the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report onthe subject. Attempts to get a similar resolution failed last year.Success this time around could have an impact at the UN climatetalks this December in Paris.
New Hinkley Point nuclear plant faces legalchallenge from Austria
Austria has launched a lawsuit against UK government plansto subsidise the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant inSomerset. The government has agreed to pay EDF subsidies for up to35 years, but Austria says that this is in breach of European lawand risks distorting the energy market. Andrae Rupprechter, theAustrian environment minister, said: “Instead of funding unsafe andcostly energy forms that are outdated, we have to support Europe’senergy turnaround with the expansion of renewableenergies.” The Guardianalso carries thestory.
No plan B if Paris climate summit ends in failure,says EU climate chief
In an interview with the Guardian, EU climate commissionerMiguel Cañete sets out his latest thinking on the forthcoming UNclimate conference. The EU will not accept a deal that is notambitious enough in cutting emissions, he says. His “tough talk”marks a new approach for the EU, says the Guardian.
Climate and energy comment
Germany – decision means the coal industry liveson
NickButler, The Financial Times
Nick Butler looks at the winners and losers from a recentdecision in Germany on the future of coal. The compromise, whichinvolved dropping a proposed coal levy completely, could be a”political calculation” in light of Germany’s election in 2017, asit avoids heavy job losses in the coal industry. Suppliers ofnatural gas – the losers in the deal – are all foreigners with novotes in Germany, he points out.
How BP’s $18.7-Billion Oil Spill Settlement CouldHelp the Gulf of Mexico
Naturevia Scientific American, Richard Monastersky
Nature runs a Q&A with marine scientist Don Boesch aboutthe $18.7 billion settlement that BP agreed to pay earlier thismonth relating to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He speaksabout how this money could be used for meaningful environmentalrestoration in the Gulf of Mexico.
Why don’t Marshallese people leave theirclimate-threatened islands?
Marshallese poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner looks at the culturalconnection that keeps her people tied to their island nation,despite the extreme threats of climate change. Indigenous peopleneed to be given a meaningful role in the conversation aroundclimate change, she writes, in order to remind people of theimportance of the land.
Osborne’s chance to make sense of muddled UKclimate taxes
PaulJohnson, The Financial Times
Unstable and incoherent is how Paul Johnson, director of theInstitute for Fiscal Studies, describes the UK’s “alphabet soup ofgreen levies”. As George Osborne prepares to deliver his budget,Johnson writes that he should reform the UK’s piecemeal carbon taxthat is applied consistently across different users and differentsources of emissions.
New climate science
Autonomous taxis could greatly reducegreenhouse-gas emissions of USlight-
Highly efficient, shared electric cars designed to drivethemselves without any human intervention could reduce greenhousegas emissions in 2030 by 87-94% per mile compared to currentconventionally driven vehicles, according to new research. Withthese savings, so-called “autonomous taxis” could see emissions inthe sector fall even if average speed and vehicle size increasedsubstantially, say the authors.
Exposure of coastal built assets in the SouthPacific to climate risks
A new study looking at 12 low-lying Pacific island countriesfinds that Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu areparticularly vulnerable to climate change, with over 95% of theirbuilt infrastructure located within 500 m of their coastlines. Intotal, the researchers found that 57% of the assessed builtinfrastructure in all 12 Pacific island countries is located within500 m of their coastlines, amounting to a potential replacementcost of US$21.9 billion.
Other stories
- GOP climate activist gives $500K to senator’scampaign (The Hill)
- China climate targets prompt fears over surge indam construction (The Financial Times)
- Electric ‘robocabs’ would reduce US greenhouseemissions by 94% – study (The Guardian)
- Koch Industries spent 0.5m lobbying EU onenvironmental protection (The Guardian)
- ‘Historic’ Toronto climate march calls for neweconomic vision (The Guardian)
- RWE: brown is not the newblack (The Financial Times)