Of the 45 energy technologies and sectors assessed in the IEAâs latest Tracking Clean Energy Progress (TCEP) report, only 7 are on track with the IEAâs Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS). Itâs their latest and most comprehensive assessment of clean energy transitions. âOn trackâ includes energy storage, EVs and solar PV. But buildings, car, flaring and methane emissions are still rising. This yearâs TCEP puts much greater emphasis on … [Read more...]
Chinaâs industry: Deep decarbonisation progress and challenges
Across the world, industry is regarded as a hard-to-decarbonise sector, and an emissions priority. In China itâs responsible for over 65% of its energy consumption and 70% of carbon emissions. Ji Chen and Shuyi Li of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) look at the highlights of Chinaâs efforts, and reference them against the RMIâs Reinventing Fire: China analysis. Efficiency, electrification, CCUS, hydrogen and ârecycle and reuseâ all play an … [Read more...]
EU plans first satellite fleet to monitor CO2 in every country
The speed and policies required for a successful transition depend on our ability to measure emissions accurately and globally. Thatâs why Europe is readying a new fleet of three satellites to monitor CO2 emissions at every point on earth, creating the first worldwide system capable of measuring at city and even power plant level in close to real time, reports Karl Mathiesen at Climate Home News. It will mean, for example, a city can measure how … [Read more...]
EU Elections: stakes are high for energy and climate policy
Voters across the EU head to the polls between 23 and 26 May to elect a new European Parliament. Itâs one of three major European institutions â along with the European Commission and Council â due for elections or leadership change this year. Reporting for Clean Energy Wire, Rachel Waldholz, based in Berlin, interprets how the results will shape future EU climate and energy policy, with major ramifications for Germany, Europe, and the global … [Read more...]
UK oil & gas keeps rising. Clean Energy blueprint can reverse it
In the UK the ÂŁ2.3bn (=$2.9bn / âŹ2.6bn) in new oil and gas subsidies introduced since 2014 will state-fund the addition of twice as much carbon as its coal phaseout saves, says a new report âSea Change: Climate Emergency, Jobs and Managing the Phase-out of UK Oil and Gas Extractionâ. Can the UK call itself a climate leader if its existing policies push it over its emissions limits? It can, if you consider this: the UK took 16 years to become the … [Read more...]
Net Zero UK: chance for Parliament to restore international leadership credentials
The UK may be in turmoil politically thanks to Brexit, but it has revived its efforts to take a leadership position on climate change, after the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) recommended that the government adopt a new target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, a tightening of the current goal to cut emissions by 80% from 1990 levels. Mike Scott reports for Energy Post … [Read more...]
Thereâs a limit to raising CO2 taxes. Re-focus on energy innovations to reverse emissions
Stop obsessing about raising CO2 taxes, says Severin Borenstein at the Energy Institute at Haas. Itâs good, but not enough. Why? Textbook economics says if you tax something bad, innovators are incentivised and rewarded for coming up with something better. Thatâs true for cigarettes (vaping), plastic wrapping (recyclables, biodegradables), traffic (public transport). But thereâs a limit with CO2 taxes, says the author. In developing countries … [Read more...]
World Bank fossil fuel funding still exceeds renewables
The World Bank is being criticised for still lending far more money to fossil fuels projects than renewables. Energy equals development, but this goes against their commitment to supporting clean energy in the developing world. The World Bank has disputed the magnitude of the difference. Their record needs to be made clear before COP25 in Santiago, Chile this December when the World Bank and other development banks must present their plans for … [Read more...]
Children today must emit eight times less CO2 than their grandparents
No wonder young people have taken the reins of the climate demonstrations away from the adults. Zeke Hausfather at Carbon Brief shows that the global budget for avoiding warming of 1.5C or 2C has already been mostly used up. To put that in numbers, if children emit like their parents theyâll exhaust their carbon budget in just 9 years. Itâs why emissions must peak in the next few years and then rapidly decline to hit the Paris targets. Thatâs … [Read more...]
Less politically centralised, can the EU remain a transition leader?
As a region the EU is a transition leader. Its primary energy consumption increased by only 0.2% in 2018 (globally it rose by 2.6%) and its CO2 emissions dropped by 1.7% (globally, up 1.7%). But the EUâs move towards greater âsubsidiarityâ and devolution of power, to counterbalance too much centralisation, has made it harder for the EU to act quickly and act big, says Lucien Chabason, Senior Advisor at the IDDRI. One example: how easily can … [Read more...]
1.5°C: IEAâs scenarios will fail, need urgent review says letter from experts, business leaders
The letterâs signatories â experts, business leaders, politicians and more - call on the IEA to make the 1.5°C target the central scenario in its highly influential annual World Energy Outlook. At present, its âNew Policies Scenarioâ puts us on track for between 2.7°C and 3.3°C. That's a problem, because too many energy decision-makers cite it as an acceptable guide, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even the âSustainable Development … [Read more...]
Global âsectoralâ treaties, legally binding corporate targets can turn around emissions rise
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change started with a top-down legally binding Kyoto Protocol and ended up with a bottom-up âself-determinedâ voluntary Paris Agreement, says Chandra Bhushan. As a result, nobody has the tools to drive global collective action to combat climate change. The author says thatâs why emissions are at record levels. He recommends international âsectoralâ treaties to achieve real transition in energy, … [Read more...]
Whatâs next for the geopolitics of energy transformation?
Januaryâs IRENA report âA New Worldâ has kick-started the debate on how the accelerating deployment of renewables will affect and alter the global distribution of political and economic power. Jan Frederik Braun and Daniel Scholten review its findings and build on the list of issues that must be faced. For example, although the IRENA report focuses on electrification the authors say power-to-gas is likely to play a major role, and we must face up … [Read more...]
âEnergy Charter Treaty review should end protection for fossil fuelsâ
In her previous article Sarah Keay-Bright said the outdated Energy Charter Treaty protects old world fossil fuel investments over the wide range of new green investments now being made. The treaty is being reviewed by its signatories this year. In a concluding article, she and Steivan Defilla warn that the terms of reference for the ECT review donât even mention the need to align the treaty with the Paris Agreement. They say the revised ECT must … [Read more...]
European Commissionâs decision to approve Polandâs capacity mechanism challenged
Electricity generators can pitch for awards from governments operating capacity markets. Capacity markets establish a price (at auctions) for back-up power which may, or may not, be needed. Either way, the operator of the power plant gets paid for guaranteeing security of supply to the grid. Last year, the European Commission approved the Polish capacity market and, according to CAN Europe, in its first auction the Polish government awarded 22,4 … [Read more...]
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