FtF News #197 – 21st February 2024
Climate politics, record January heat, and a look at the fossil fuel-funded world of ‘cleantech’
Hello again. With elections building, there’s a definite sense of a shift in the political waters. The EU seems torn between pushing through new climate targets and appeasing right-leaning voters, whilst India is rushing through new solar power initiatives. Meanwhile, the UK government looks to be trying to tear down anything and anyone it can, from dismantling climate measures to harassing migrants and trans folks.
Amidst this chaotic climate, it was therefore surprising (in a good way!) to see an opinion piece in the New York Times calling for banning fossil fuels entirely. Whilst one piece alone won’t shift the Overton window much, the fact that such a previously radical stance has made it to a mainstream publication suggests that maybe, just maybe, stronger climate policies are not so far away after all.
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
Last month was the hottest January on record, with global temperatures 1.66°C above the pre-industrial average. It is the eighth consecutive month with record-high monthly temperatures.
After a hot January, Copernicus Climate Service has announced that climate change has warmed the Earth beyond 1.5°C for an entire year for the first time.
Australia has now warmed by 1.5°C since 1910, according to the country’s Bureau of Meteorology.
The average UK winter has become 1°C warmer and 15% wetter over the past century, with the trend set to continue.
California continues to feel the impacts of a major atmospheric river that has dumped huge amounts of rain, triggering significant flooding and mudslides.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
The UN has released a new landmark report looking at migratory species, finding that of the ~1,200 species assessed, one in five face extinction, with 97% of fish species analysed at risk.
Another study has found that the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean may be nearing a devastating tipping point. It’s still not clear when it might collapse, but the impacts will be massive and extremely rapid, and essentially irreversible.
A new study has called for a ‘Category 6’ rating for hurricanes, after more and more of the storms are reaching previously unheard-of levels of intensity.
A survey has found that nearly 15% of people in the US still don’t believe that climate change is real, with denialism highest in the central and southern US.
New data shows that a rise in emissions from wood-burning stoves has largely cancelled out a fall in particulates from road and energy sources in the UK.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
The European Commission has called for a 90% cut in EU emissions by 2040, with a huge new climate plan, though currently the EU is off-track for its 2030 goals.
France has reduced its EV bonus scheme for the richest half of households as it tries to balance budget concerns ahead of elections this year.
Germany’s ruling coalition has decided to abstain on a vote on what would be the EU’s strictest ESG law to date, which has led other countries to follow suit.
India has announced a $9bn/750bn rupee policy to boost rooftop solar as elections loom in the country, in a boost to the weakest part of the country’s renewables industry.
The US EPA has finalised new standards for PM2.5 after a long period of analysis and decision, which it estimates will prevent around 4,500 premature deaths per year.
Keir Starmer, the UK Labour party leader, has scaled back their headline £28bn green investment plan amidst clashes over the party’s direction. The move has already drawn strong criticism.
England has introduced widely-praised biodiversity rules that would force builders to compensate for any loss of nature they cause. However, enforcement remains a massive open question.
Money makes the world go around
The machinations of climate finance
A new study suggests that investment in renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa needs to increase 5-fold to $100bn a year by 2030 to meet the COP28 global goal of tripling renewables capacity.
The New York Common Retirement Fund is to restrict its investments in eight major oil companies, including a partial divestment from Exxon Mobil.
Haha, Business!
Climate happenings in the corporate world
Investor-State Dispute Settlements are a notorious mechanism for companies to sue states, and with the system firmly tipped in favour of corporations, some companies are suing countries for tens or hundreds of billions after they enact climate legislation, in what has been dubbed ‘litigation terrorism’.
The Future is Electric
EVs and all things electrification
With the EV market booming, companies are finally starting to settle on standards for wireless electric charging. Low charging rates mean they may not be used domestically any time soon, but buses and other commercial use-cases are already a success.
Trains are a huge win for the climate, but with climate effects increasing, they too are vulnerable to climate impacts, from heat to flooding and more, meaning further funding will be necessary to keep this vital transport option viable.
Clean Green Energy Machine
Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system
Solar installations on US farms have jumped by 30% in five years, although wind turbine installations have slowed significantly in recent years.
Breakthroughs
New inventions to inspire hope
Researchers have created ‘beef rice’ in the lab – growing strains of rice with beef and cow fat cells inside them. The rice is slightly meaty in taste, and has higher protein than normal rice, offering another option for lowering meat consumption.
Climate Inequity
A hard look at the inequities of the climate crisis
A new study finds that environmental charities in the UK lag other sectors in racial diversity, with the sector consistently remaining white and middle class.
Migrants are often the subject of hate and fear, and (climate) migration is a common bogeyman for right-leaning politicians, but research shows that well-integrated migrants are more likely than locals to participate in activities that enrich the community, such as creating community gardens.
Speaking truths
Efforts in activism and awareness
11 student climate activists in Uganda have faced beatings and jail time after protesting against the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, after being charged under a notorious colonial-era anti-dissident offence.
The case against Greta Thunberg and other protesters arrested in London has been thrown out by the judge, who said the government had so little evidence it was impossible to tell if the protesters had done anything wrong.
Leading climate scientist Dr Michael Mann has won a defamation lawsuit against two right-wing writers who insulted him and compared his research to a paedophilia case repeatedly back in 2012.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
Football clubs might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to climate impact, but big teams have a serious footprint. However, from reducing flying to lower impact stadia, there’s plenty they can do to make the sport greener.
The massive farmer protests in the EU have been consistently linked to climate policies in the media, but is that actually true? Carbon Brief looks deeper, and finds that whilst some demands are climate-linked, there’s a lot more nuance.
‘Cleantech’ is a weird space, consisting of tech evangelists keen to solve big problems with radical tech. However, the urgency and true impact of climate change often seems absent, which might relate to some of the biggest funders – Big Oil.
“the BPs and Aramcos of the world are hooked on cleantech not because they're genuinely interested in solutions, but because they want a profitable side business that looks good on their balance sheet while they continue to pump more oil”
The ski industry faces an interesting dilemma – as the climate warms, it must turn to snow-making to survive, but that in itself also has a massive impact. Increasingly, resorts are trying to green their snow-making to avoid accelerating their own demise.