FtF News #198 – 6th March 2024
Oil profiteering, February is already getting toasty, and nearly everyone supports climate action
Hello again. Being based in the UK, it feels like a strange time to be covering the climate. With impacts on the rise across the world, and temperature records falling globally, the consequences of a warming world feel clearer than ever, and yet our politicians are afraid to act, concerned that the costs of tackling this ever-more-pressing issue might come back to bite them. This despite the clear economic benefits and surveys showing near universal support for action!
It feels like a case where the inherently short-term nature of political terms in most western democracies is firmly clashing against the need for sustained long-term action – without a near universal belief in the need for climate action, politicians will inevitably take the short-term cost saving over the long-term cooler, more stable climate. It’s almost an echo of the focus on quarterly profits in most large corporations over long-term value creation – why preserve for later what could be profited from today?
I can’t help but wonder (and not for the first time) if we would not do better to look to Indigenous peoples for a role model, many of whom not only treasure the world around them as much as they do people, but also think in a multi-generational, stewardship mindset.
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
February is on course to break an unprecedented number of heat records, as El Niño continues to drive up temperatures worldwide, and 140 countries have registered monthly heat records.
Japan is facing a record winter heat wave, with one expert calling it ‘the most extreme event in 150 years of Japanese climatic history’.
Nigeria is also suffering a prolonged heatwave, with temperatures of 39-41°C predicted across the country.
Cambodia is similarly sweltering, with temperatures expected to reach 37°C.
Western Australia has seen record hot nights as well as scorching daytime temperatures, reaching up to 47°C in some regional areas.
Texas is battling what has grown to be the state’s largest ever wildfire, and the second largest in US history, that has burned over 1.1 million acres so far.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
A study has found that there is near universal public support globally for climate action, but people systematically underestimate the commitment of those around them.
“Humans are (what behavioral scientists call) “conditional cooperators”. They contribute more to the public good if they believe that others contribute as well. For this reason, pessimism about others’ contributions is harmful”
A study looking at how people respond to various environmental interventions has found that almost everyone responds differently, with there being no hard-and-fast rule that apply to everyone in all countries.
Yet another piece of evidence highlights the impact of reducing meat in diets, finding that sometimes, dropping one item of beef from a diet can halve dietary impact.
The transition to EVs could have a massive positive impact on children’s health in the US, avoiding hundreds of infant deaths and nearly 3m asthma attacks.
Sea ice extent around Antarctica has dropped below 2m square km for the third year in a row – a level which had never been reached prior to 2022.
Analysis of a ‘warming hole’ in the SE US has found that mass reforestation has caused a cooling effect of 1-2 °C a year across the entire region.
Research has found that policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts when deciding on wind farms.
US cardboard recycling rates are abysmal, with 56% of all paper and cardboard waste landfilled in 2019, accelerated by the rise of e-commerce and the associated packaging.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
The Biden administration is thought to be planning to relax some elements of its plan to limit tailpipe emissions, one of its most powerful climate strategies, in a bid to appeal to car makers and labour unions ahead of this year’s elections.
A group of leading Islamic scholars have created ‘Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth’, which calls on Islamic nations to decarbonise and move away from fossil fuels. The document has been compared to a similar call made by Pope Francis to Catholics.
Indonesia’s elections look set to have complex implications for the climate, with the likely winner likely to boost production of key battery metals, but also coal power.
The UK has joined France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands in quitting the energy charter treaty (ECT), a notorious piece of legislation that allowed oil companies to sue countries that enacted climate legislation.
The EU is planning to call for the fossil fuel industry to help pay for fighting climate change in poorer countries as part of its negotiating position ahead of COP29.
The UK government is considering ignoring its climate watchdog and carrying over a ‘carbon surplus’ that would allow it to actively increase emissions, potentially dooming future UK climate goals.
Money makes the world go around
The machinations of climate finance
The UK’s net zero economy grew by 9% in 2023, versus a 0.1% growth in the wider economy, although this clean boom is at risk due to climate policy uncertainty in the country.
On a similar note, the UK spends the least of any major European economy on low-carbon energy policy, both in total and on a per-capita basis, despite strong evidence showing it would lower bills and increase economic growth.
As the US and Europe look to diversify their clean supply chains from China, a new study finds that the energy transition would cost 20% more without relying on Chinese tech.
Haha, Business!
Climate happenings in the corporate world
The world’s largest oil companies have made $281bn in profit since the invasion of Ukraine, with almost all now focusing on investing into more oil and gas, alongside dividends and share buy-backs.
A new report shows that plastics producers have known about recycling not being viable for decades, and that they obscured the evidence and outright lied to promote recycling as a suitable end-of-life solution.
Illegal deforestation is rising in the Brazilian Cerrado, driven largely by cattle ranching linked to the biggest meatpackers in the country – JBS, Marfrig and Minerva.
Drax, the controversial coal-turned-biomass power station in the UK that has earned billions in government subsidies, has been found to be cutting down thousands of tonnes of primary-growth forest in Canada to fuel its plant.
Shell has launched an apparent ‘climate tech’ startup using green branding to advertise oil and gas jobs in what has been dubbed a ‘Trojan horse of legitimacy’.
The Future is Electric
EVs and all things electrification
China is seeing a major uptick in sales of plug-in hybrids, as the vehicles appeal far more to those outside of major cities.
South Africa has announced a major tax break for investments in EV and hydrogen vehicle production in a bid to build its own EV industry.
Clean Green Energy Machine
Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system
China’s energy CO2 emissions increased 5.2% in 2023, meaning that it will need a record fall of 4-6% by 2025 to reach its own carbon intensity goals.
Korea is looking to nuclear power to reach its net zero goals, potentially obtaining up to 40-45% of its total power needs from nuclear by 2050.
Heat pumps are continuing to out-sell gas furnaces in the US, with consumers buying 21% more of the cleaner tech, despite an overall dip in the market.
Many wind farms in Europe are approaching the end of their life, and owners are approaching a crucial decision point – do they take them down, repair them, or repower them with newer, more powerful machines? The decisions could shift the level of renewable power across Europe significantly.
Breakthroughs
New inventions to inspire hope
A Chinese firm has just unveiled wind turbines with 131m long blades, the largest ever created for on-shore wind farms, as turbines continue to grow ever larger.
Japan is to launch a wooden satellite in a test of new technology aimed at reducing the problem of space waste and pollution.
Climate Inequity
A hard look at the inequities of the climate crisis
A new study has found that climate change will cut African GDPs by an average of 7.1%, driving 200 million Africans into severe hunger.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
The Vaal Triangle in South Africa is one of the most polluted regions on Earth, but the tension between the massive plants polluting the region and the much-needed jobs they provide highlights the tricky balance needed to ensure an equitable clean transition.
Drilled dives deep into the history of how corporations took over media newsrooms, and how bringing back real journalism is in many ways a climate solution.
A lot of climate reporting leans heavily on science, but many struggle to connect directly to scientific findings. Could comedy be a route to help people relate?
After research showed that huge amounts of wildlife was being killed by roads, the Netherlands has created nearly 3,000 wildlife crossings, bridging the islands of habitat created by roads and railways in one of the densest countries in the world.