FtF News #211 – 8th September 2024
FtF News #211 – 8th September 2024
Toasty temperatures, renewables continue to hit records, and the complex dynamics of the Chinese EV industry
The climate news runs in cycles, and we’re just starting to see the ramp-up to the annual COP summit, often seen as the peak of new political climate commitment. Having covered these cycles for five or so years now, it is interesting to see how much has changed whilst so much also remains the same.
The growth in renewables and the massive dominance of China in clean energy and EV supply and roll-out is very notable, but equally so is the posturing of countries like the US, where despite many thousands of lines of eager news coverage, little has really changed politically. Mired in political stalemate at home, they look to attack others’ progress rather than shape that change by contributing themselves. I see little sign of that shifting soon, which is a shame, as if everyone was racing to decarbonise the world would stand a much better chance of reaching net zero much faster.
A quick side-note – the next newsletter will be in three weeks, on the 28th September, as I am taking a short break. 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
Weeks of flooding in Nigeria have left at least 170 dead, with over 200,000 displaced. Over 100,000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed in the floods.
Mali has declared a state of national disaster over its own flooding that has killed 30 people and affected over 47,000 others.
Meanwhile, monsoon rains have killed at least 33 people in southern India and 5 children in Pakistan, with entire houses being swept away in some areas.
Australia has experienced its hottest August on record, with many parts of the country seeing summer-like temperatures of 40°C or more.
China has just had its hottest summer ever, with more than a fifth of Chinese cities and counties experiencing temperatures over 40°C.
Wildfires in the Amazon are up 38% from the 10 year average, with smoke reaching Brasilia and São Paulo, and heading towards Argentina and Paraguay.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
The UN has released two major reports on rising sea levels and their outsize impacts on South Pacific island nations, despite these countries’ minimal contribution to global emissions.
Shifting towards a diet that reduces overconsumption of meat and dairy could cut food emissions globally by 17% annually, whilst reducing inequality and increasing food security.
A new report by the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that heat-related deaths in the US have risen by 177% since 1999.
New research shows that China’s efforts to rein in its air pollution have added two years to average lifespans, with pollution down 41% over a decade.
In a similar vein, a series of ‘climate stripe’ diagrams demonstrate how air quality has changed in a range of countries since 1850, showing the differing dynamics across the world.
A new paper suggests that the potential for gigatonne-scale carbon storage has been vastly overestimated.
Heatwaves in the US Midwest are being exacerbated by ‘corn sweats’, where crops release moisture at high temperatures, pushing up the humidity and dew point.
A UK government-backed project to give those with poor mental health access to nature has found that the measures overwhelmingly helped.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
The US climate envoy John Podesta is visiting China for three days to discuss climate issues, though few expect any significant breakthroughs from the trip.
England’s nature-friendly farming budget is to be cut by £100m as part of wider efforts to reduce government spending, which will mean losing 239,000 hectares of preserved farmland.
The UK government has decided not to defend legal challenges against two planned oil fields off the coast of Scotland, in a victory for campaigners.
Money makes the world go around
The machinations of climate finance
Chinese president Xi Jinping has offered up to $51bn in funding to Africa over three years at the 3-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit.
The announcement comes as research shows that African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP per year due to climate change.
The Future is Electric
EVs and all things electrification
With more and more countries putting heavy tariffs on Chinese EV imports, Carbon Brief took an in-depth look at the Chinese EV industry and the role of subsidies in its growth.
BYD has put its plans for a Mexican factory on hold at least until after the US election, with both US parties determined to keep Chinese EVs out of the country.
A new report suggests that green hydrogen should be focused on specific areas like ammonia and aviation to be effective, and using it in areas like energy, vehicles or heating could actually make climate impacts worse.
Clean Green Energy Machine
Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system
Solar power continues to grow at a massive pace – 428GW was installed last year, more than the previous two years combined.
Germany has massively cut bureaucracy around deploying renewables in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and now is seeing a significant uptick in projects.
The latest UK renewable energy auction has attracted £1.5bn in bids for 131 new projects, which if built will supply power for up to 11 million homes.
Singapore has increased its target for importing clean energy to 6GW by 2035, up 50% from previous plans, as it tries to move away from natural gas.
China’s massive solar oversupply may soon end, as the country’s solar market is shedding smaller firms and closing excess factories.
Just 15 countries account for 98% of new coal power development, with India and China dominating the numbers.
India’s power emissions must peak by 2026 for it to hit net zero by the middle of the century, according to new BNEF analysis, which seems unlikely given current trends.
For the first time, Australia generated less than half of its power from coal, as wind power boosted renewables output over the last week.
The UK’s last remaining coal power plant has received its final delivery of coal, with the plant to shut down completely at the end of September.
A US geothermal power startup has signed an agreement with Meta to supply 150MW of power, alongside plans to use geothermal to store power like a battery.
Breakthroughs
New inventions to inspire hope
San Bernardino has launched the US’ first hydrogen-powered passenger train, though only time will tell if this is more than an expensive boondoggle.
Researchers at NREL have developed a wind turbine blade made from a plant-based material that, unlike current blades, is possible to recycle, and is a drop-in replacement.
Climate Inequity
A hard look at the inequities of the climate crisis
A study has found that poorer groups tend to be disproportionately affected by heatwaves, due to poorer quality housing, worse access to healthcare, and jobs that have higher heat exposure.
Speaking truths
Efforts in activism and awareness
South Korea’s constitutional court has ruled that the country must add more legally binding emissions targets beyond 2030, after four years of legal battles.
Delivery workers are often exposed to the worst of extreme weather whilst lacking most typical job guarantees, but worker advocacy groups are now winning support for worker hubs and other protections.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
Japan, despite lacking natural gas resources of its own, has made itself a cornerstone of the global gas industry, supplying everything from ships to turbines to engineers, helping lock the world into the fuel.
Amitav Ghosh, in his writing, examines how climate change has roots tied deeply into both capitalism and colonialism, and how understanding these is essential to figuring out how to tackle the climate crisis more effectively.
Louisiana is a US state both extremely impacted by climate change, but also at the forefront of the expansion of the US LNG industry and efforts at carbon capture, so finds itself at a unique juncture as climate pressures intensify.