Kenneth Möllersten and Lars Zetterberg at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Hanna-Mari Ahonen at Perspectives Climate Research explain the main issues around the draft âNordic Code of Best Practice for Voluntary Compensation of GHGâ, published for consultation in June, which synthesises the most ambitious best practices for the voluntary use of carbon credits, including for offsetting. Focussing on non-state actors, the Nordic Code … [Read more...]
Interpreting the Paris Agreement: the 1.5C and 2C targets are not two different options
Carl-Friedrich Schleussner and Gaurav Ganti at Humboldt University of Berlin, writing for Carbon Brief, want to clear up confusion over the 1.5C and 2C pathways. Their concern is that some people are interpreting the Paris Agreementâs wording as two separate targets, one simply better than the other. But they should not be seen as two different options. The objective of âwell below 2Câ must be seen by modellers and policy-makers as a clear … [Read more...]
Hydrogen is also a greenhouse gas, so leaks must be minimised
Even leaked hydrogen can warm the climate. How serious is it as a greenhouse gas? How easy is it to minimise leaks? Thomas Koch Blank, Raghav Muralidharan, Kaitlyn Ramirez, Alexandra Wall and Tessa Weiss at RMI answer these important questions as the hydrogen ramp up begins. The first observation is that hydrogen is much less damaging than natural gas, even with minimal hydrogen leakage regulation. Nevertheless, the roll-out of this new energy … [Read more...]
Using captured Methane to make all the worldâs fishmeal: a profitable revenue stream?
If the cost of capturing methane (or CO2, or anything) can be folded into the cost of making something that can be sold at a profit, methane capture will take off. Rob Jordan at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment explains how research there shows captured methane can be turned into fishmeal at the same price as commercial fishmeal. In some cases it can be done much more cheaply. Commercial fishmeal, used to feed farmed fish, is … [Read more...]
Can Carbon Offset loopholes be fixed with better evaluation and rules?
Carbon offset programmes rightly get a lot of criticism. Thereâs plenty of evidence of offsets not delivering all the GHG emissions reductions they are credited for. Though still on the international agenda, should they be ditched? Or can they be improved with better analysis and evaluation, and making that a pre-condition for creating carbon offset credits, asks Meredith Fowlie at the Energy Institute at Haas. She starts by looking at those … [Read more...]
Methane emissions underestimated by 25-40%, says new study
The methane in our atmosphere comes from natural biogenic (plants, animals) and fossil sources. By telling the difference we can know how much we humans are responsible for. It matters because methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to CO2. Previous âbottom-upâ estimates came from multiplying the number of sources (livestock, natural gas operations, landfills) by their likely emissions. Robert McSweeney at Carbon Brief describes a new … [Read more...]
Creating a market to trade excess wind/solar between states (without outsourcing your emissions!)
How do you get neighbouring states, with different renewables mixes, and different emissions targets and penalties, to trade their surplus energy? Itâs one of the biggest challenges to face the rapid growth of intermittent wind and solar. Meredith Fowlie at the Energy Institute at Haas describes how an âEnergy Imbalance Marketâ (EIM) is operating across eight states in the west of the U.S. Bidding for your neighbourâs excess renewable energy is … [Read more...]
Why coordinated Dutch-German climate action is critical for Europe
Both the Netherlands and Germany are about to propose major new national climate measures. If the proposals become law, they will enforce some of the most stringent national targets for GHG reductions in the world. Itâs why, on 22 August, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will host a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her âclimate cabinetâ. Coordinated Dutch-German climate action can make these neighbouring countries role models for … [Read more...]
NDC reporting: making the Paris Agreement Transparency Framework work
For the system of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be effective, every countryâs reporting processes need to be appropriate to their economic level, honest and accurate. That means the Paris Agreementâs Transparency Framework, including the Common Reporting Tables (CRT) for greenhouse gas inventories, and Common Tabular Formats (CTF) to track progress on their NDCs, needs to be finalised and agreed upon, and fast, says the IDDRIâs … [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...]
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...]
UK: Despite progress, 100% low-carbon is still a long way off
The UK transition is often cited as a success story. Coalâs contribution has dropped from 40% to 6%. Wind, solar and hydroelectric now generates more electricity than nuclear. Demand for electricity has also fallen. The carbon intensity of Britainâs electricity has almost halved, from over 500g of COâ per kilowatt-hour in 2006 to under 270g in 2018. The National Grid now expects to be able to operate a zero-carbon electricity system by 2025. But … [Read more...]
Should electric vehicle drivers pay a mileage tax?
In the U.S., EV drivers donât pay tax when they buy gasoline. That means EVs have reduced U.S. gasoline tax revenues by $250m annually. Itâs only 1% of the total, but thatâs because EVs are less than 1% of the vehicle stock. Clearly, as EV numbers increase, so will that lost revenue. As a result, several states are considering imposing a mileage tax on electric vehicle drivers to make up for it. And why not?! EVs are not carbon-zero (most … [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...]
Recent Comments