Before you upgrade your next iPhone, you may want to consider a $29 battery instead. Not only will the choice save you money, it could help save the planet. A new study from researchers at McMaster University published in the Journal of Cleaner Production analyzed the carbon impact of the whole Information and Communication Industry (ICT) from around 2010-2020, including … [Read more...]
Putting a positive spin on climate mitigation
To generate effective, universal action that will solve the problem of climate change, the global community needs to abandon the “wussy” language of climate mitigation and rethink the “negative” sports and war metaphors that are pervasive in discussions about the issue. This was the advice offered by American environmentalist, author and activist Paul Hawken at the recent … [Read more...]
Climate disruption has officially ended the era of stable climate
A study recently published in the journal Nature brings grim news: anthropogenic climate disruption (ACD) has officially ended the era of stable climate that has made possible the development of modern civilization. The world we live in today, based on industrial-scale agriculture capable of feeding billions of people and sustaining these vast numbers of humans, is only … [Read more...]
Germany unveils zero-emissions train that only emits steam
Alstom is making progress on its Coradia iLint train, the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train, expected to launch in Germany this year. The train, which emits no carbon and is capable of operating in near-silence, could be set to revolutionise the future of rolling stock while improving air quality. As the world looks to curb carbon emissions, rail operators’ … [Read more...]
Time is running out to curb energy use in buildings & construction
Time is running out to reform the buildings and construction sector’s energy performance and keep the Paris Agreement on track, with the energy intensity per square metre of buildings needing to improve 30 per cent by 2030, according to new research released in Paris on Monday. The Global Status Report 2017, from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, found that … [Read more...]
Natural gas emissions will blow Europe’s carbon budget at current levels
Governments have drastically underestimated methane emissions from natural gas and will miss the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 2C unless they urgently scale down its use, a major new study has found. Continuing natural gas emissions at present levels will add 0.6C to global warming and, with other fossil fuel use, exhaust Europe’s carbon budget – the … [Read more...]
Livestock methane emissions underestimated according to new study
Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock are larger than previously thought, posing an additional challenge in the fight to curb global warming, scientists said Friday. Revised calculations of methane produced per head of cattle show that global livestock emissions in 2011 were 11 percent higher than estimates based on data from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel … [Read more...]
Climate and water threatening Thabametsi coal plant still on the cards
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) could be giving the go-ahead for what will be one of the most greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensive coal-fired power stations, not only in South Africa, but in the world. Its GHG emissions are likely to be 60% higher than Eskom’s new Medupi and Kusile coal plants. This is apparent from the final climate change impact assessment … [Read more...]
Climate change could push staple food prices up 130%
Climate change could lead to shortages and punishing 130% price rises in staple foods within our lifetime, raising the spectre of riots and civil unrest, a new study warned today. The report, by the International Food Policy Research Institute, warned that warming of even one degree by 2050 could play havoc with food production – with hotter, wetter temperatures cutting crop … [Read more...]
Drought is the new normal, says Mayor De Lille
The following speech was delivered by the City of Cape Town’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille (top photograph), at the full Council meeting on 27 July 2017: I would like to welcome all councillors back from the mid-year recess. I trust that we are ready to continue taking service delivery to the next level. Let me start with the drought crisis and yes, despite the … [Read more...]
UN demands more ambition as US weighs climate pullout
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to raise its ambition in implementing the Paris climate agreement as the United States weighed pulling out of the landmark emissions-cutting deal. Making his first address on climate since taking the UN helm five months ago, Guterres said it was "absolutely essential" the world implements the 2015 agreement "with … [Read more...]
Quick action vital for GHG emission reporting regulations
On 3 April 2017, the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs Ms Bomo Edith Edna Molewa gazetted the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Reporting Regulations under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act. According to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the GHG Emission Reporting Regulations aim to introduce a single national reporting … [Read more...]
First SA climate change ruling – minister guilty of not considering impact
In South Africa’s first climate change litigation the court’s key finding was that Earthlife Africa (ELA) was correct in claiming that the Minister should have considered the new power station’s climate change impacts before deciding whether to authorise it. On 8 March 2017, the North Gauteng High Court handed down a landmark ruling in Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s (ELA) … [Read more...]
