FtF News #195 – 10th January 2024
BYD takes the EV crown, the Panama Canal is running out of water, and 2023 continues to set records
Well, here we are in 2024, and by most predictions, it’s looking to be a wild one. The reports are still coming in of just how intense the weather became last year, and there are a few scientists starting to suggest that climate change might even be accelerating. Even if that worrying hypothesis doesn’t prove correct, it is definitely the case that for almost everyone on the planet, climate change is here, now. Hopefully that increased awareness will feed into faster and more extensive action over the coming months and years!
A quick admin note – there won’t be a newsletter in two weeks, as I’m taking a break away, so FtF will next be with you in early February. This week’s newsletter is also a little shorter than usual, as the news cycle ramps up after the holiday period. I’m sure there’ll be plenty to report before long!
As always, if you spot any stories you’d like to share, you can submit them here.
Wild Weather
Mother nature’s reactions to the ever-warming world
Analysis suggests that last year may have been the hottest in as long as 125,000 years.
2023 has been confirmed as the second warmest year on record in the UK, coming within just 0.06°C of the record.
Major flash floods in South Africa have killed six people, with still more missing.
The US is experiencing a series of major winter storms that come as the latest part of a far from usual winter. Whether this is mostly due to the effects of El Niño or climate change is hard to say yet.
Whilst not specifically events of this week, this recap of last year’s extraordinary weather in Antarctica is a reminder of just how unusual the weather was there last year, and its impacts on our coldest continent.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
Researchers using AI to track vessels at sea say that 75% of industrial fishing vessels are ‘dark’ and not publicly tracked, along with a quarter of transport and energy vessels. Overall, much of the industrial activity that happens at sea is largely invisible, as shipping activity still remains difficult to accurately monitor.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is coming under criticism for failing to appoint a new chair for the Climate Change Committee – the official body that advises the government on the climate. The previous head stepped down 18 months ago, and advisors have warned that the failure to appoint a replacement is hurting climate policy, and will damage the UK’s reputation as a climate leader.
The UK chancellor was also criticised by the CCC for misrepresenting their position on oil and gas to defend the government’s new oil and gas bill, which will allow further drilling in the North Sea. The interim head of the body publicly chastised Jeremy Hunt for his comments.
The UK Labour party is considering scaling back its green plans still further, as it worries that its £28bn/year policies for investment into green jobs and industry will leave it open to attack from the incumbent Conservatives in this year’s general election.
Switzerland’s Young Socialists are planning a referendum on a tax on the wealthy to cover climate change impacts, which they say could raise up to 6bn francs a year.
The Future is Electric
EVs and all things electrification
Tesla is no longer the world’s biggest EV maker, having been dethroned by BYD, which surpassed it in quarterly sales at the end of 2023. The company’s wide range of often affordable cars also sees it growing in regions like Europe and Latin America, where Tesla models are either not available or sit firmly at the premium end of the market.
E-bikes are starting to take off in the US after years of false starts, with sales growing by 269% between 2019-22.
China is continuing its trend of becoming a world leader in green technologies, planning to supply over half the world’s ‘clean fuel’ ships by 2025. The country already dominates ship building, and wants to leverage that to take over the emerging market in ships powered by green methanol or LNG.
Clean Green Energy Machine
Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system
Construction has begun on a massive renewables project in Shanxi, China totalling 6GW of wind and solar alongside 3.4GWh of energy storage. The site, built on a derelict coal mine, is expected to cost ¥55bn/$7.7bn, and will come online by the end of 2025.
The amount of UK electricity generated with fossil fuels fell to its lowest level since 1957, falling 22% year on year, thanks to a near phase-out of coal, more renewables, and a significant drop in demand.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
The Panama Canal is one of the world’s most vital shipping routes, and a vital pillar of the Panamanian economy, but is struggling to manage drought which is limiting ship traffic heavily. There are plans to mitigate this through dams and other infrastructure work, but the work would take years, cost billions, and displace large swathes of the local populace. Even then, such changes will only buy a temporary respite from the issues facing the canal.
Whilst carbon offset schemes are usually derided as ineffective, a scheme running in Juneau, Alaska offers another route. Money paid to the scheme by emitters pays directly for heat pumps in the local community, allowing tourist impacts to effectively offset local emissions. However, adoption is still low, and the scheme will be hard to scale beyond the micro scale.
In Northeast Nigeria, the desert is encroaching into communities at an alarming rate, advancing up to 600m each year. As the vegetation dies out, rainfall decreases, and with a growing population also increasing deforestation, the situation only looks likely to continue.