FtF News #212 – 29th September 2024
Wild weather, nuclear-powered data centres and a hiatus for FtF
Whilst taking a week away, I’ve spent some time thinking about the future of the newsletter. I originally started FtF to both bring together a review of climate news, but also to dive deeper into particular areas and offer opinions. I used to do more of this, but the extra time has become harder and harder to find, especially on a regular basis.
Putting these newsletters together takes a significant amount of time and energy, and I want to make sure it’s worthwhile. In the time since I began FtF, the landscape of climate news has changed significantly, and there are a lot more options out there, and I think the awareness of climate change has increased as well. For those that just want climate news, there are some excellent and much more well-resourced efforts out there. I’d like to return to climate deep dives and opinion pieces at some point, but currently I am the co-founder of a climate startup, and along with other climate projects and some significant personal challenges, I don’t have much left in the tank to spare!
Another aspect of covering the climate news for the past few years is that the same patterns keep arising. Climate change is a big, complex problem, and whilst shifts are happening, they’re not happening fast enough. There’s a lack of political will, an unwillingness to make tough decisions, not enough incentives for longer-term solutions, and on the business side, a heavy focus on short-term profits. It’s unclear whether a growth-centric, capitalist approach will ever be compatible with an equitable, healthy planet, but certainly the current system is very resistant to change. Inequality is rising, and as climate change impacts intensify, the world is going to face a major reckoning.
One part of this newsletter’s vision, perhaps the most ephemeral and least realised, was trying to build a vision of a world to look forward to. I still have ideas, hopes and dreams in that regard, but I don't know if this is the place to talk about them. I want to take some time and space to figure out what I want to say, and whether I want to say it here, elsewhere, or not at all.
As a result of all of this, I’ve decided to put the newsletter on indefinite hiatus. Thank you to everyone who’s read FtF, whether you’ve read for a week, or since the very beginning – your support has been the reason I've kept doing this as long as I have. If you've got any thoughts or final comments, I'd love to hear them. I may do a final follow-up in the coming weeks with some recommendations of other good climate news sources and my thoughts on them – if you have any suggestions, please do let me know!
Anyhow, without further ado, onto the last FtF News for a while:
Wild Weather
Mother nature’s reactions to the ever-warming world
Floods continue to cause devastating impacts across Africa, with impacts reaching from Guinea in the west all the way across to the Central African Republic. Around 1,000 people have been killed, and at least 4m affected, in a region already suffering from severe hunger issues.
Central Europe saw massive flooding from Storm Boris, with 21 killed across Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Austria. The rains were made at least twice as likely by climate change.
Rain has also caused flooding in Ishikawa, Japan, with six killed while the prefecture was still recovering from a massive earthquake at the start of the year.
Shanghai was struck by Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm it has seen in 75 years, which brought the city to standstill during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
Super Typhoon Yagi has killed more than 60 people across Vietnam and southern China.
Over in the Americas, Hurricane Helene has caused catastrophic flooding in the southeast US, with at least 50 people killed, whilst Hurricane John came ashore in Mexico as a category 3 storm.
Three firefighters have been killed fighting one of dozens of wildfires in Portugal, along with at least four others.
Wildfires continue to rage across Western US states, and fires have caused Bolivia to declare a national emergency.
Rivers in the Amazon have reached record lows as the region’s drought continues to intensify. Bogotá is tightening water controls as the expected rains have failed to materialise.
It’s Science!
The latest from in climate research and analysis
A study has found that coral bred using IVF had a much higher survival rate in marine heatwaves than older corals.
Many cities get more rain than their outlying regions, suggesting there may be an ‘urban wet island’ effect, similar to the better-known ‘urban heat island’ dynamic.
Green bonds aren’t driving new climate action in the US, with only 2% of proceeds going to unique climate projects.
Research has found that consumers were more drawn to misshapen fruit and veg if they have personality, suggesting googly eyes might help reduce food waste.
It has been discovered that Antarctic krill store at least 20m tonnes of carbon a year, equal to all mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds put together.
The first report on the expansion of London’s ULEZ has found significant pollution drops in and around the city. A related study also found that school children within the region are now much more likely to take active routes to school.
Party Political Broadcast
Climate politics are a special creature indeed
Western nations say that a coalition of oil-rich countries are making a concerted effort to slow moves to end the use of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, campaigners say that the G20 nations are failing their pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, after the target was left out of resolutions from recent talks.
The UK has brought back the post of climate envoy after it was axed by the previous government, and will also appoint a nature envoy for the first time.
The Hague has become the first city in the world to ban fossil fuel-related ads, including fuels, aviation and cruises.
California is suing Exxon Mobil over its role in the plastic pollution crisis, in a first-of-a kind legal case.
Money makes the world go around
The machinations of climate finance
More than $650bn a year in public subsidies go to fossil fuel companies, intensive agriculture and other climate-harming industries in the developing world.
Relatedly, a new study has found that rich countries could raise $5tn a year through straight-forward measures such as ending harmful subsidies, windfall taxes on fossil fuels and a wealth tax on billionaires.
If the UK is to meet one of its headline climate pledges, it must nearly double its climate finance for nature conservation spending over the next two years.
Haha, Business!
Climate happenings in the corporate world
Data centre emissions may be as much as 662% higher than tech companies claim, thanks to creative carbon accounting and vague data.
Microsoft, however, has a solution – it’s paying to re-open Three Mile Island, and will buy the plant’s electricity for 20 years to power its data centres.
De Havilland of Canada is restarting production of the Canadair fire-fighting aircraft after 9 years, after a flurry of new orders prompted by growth in wildfires.
Amazon’s US delivery emissions have gone up 194% since the company signed its Climate Pledge, thanks in part to an increased reliance on air freight.
Major oil firms have heavily promoted carbon capture and storage as a climate solution, but internal documents show that they believe the tech has little future, and isn’t particularly effective.
The Future is Electric
EVs and all things electrification
The EU is to slightly lower its proposed tariffs on certain EVs from China, after further negotiations and additional disclosures from certain companies.
Many car manufacturers are walking back their electrification targets, despite continued growth of EVs across the globe.
One of Europe’s biggest carmaker lobbies is pushing for delays in the EU’s emissions rules, claiming it will be too hard to meet the standards.
USPS has finally received the first of its new electric delivery vehicles, after a long fight to force the service to electrify more than it initially planned.
Norway now has more registered EVs than petrol cars – the first country in the world to hit this major milestone.
Clean Green Energy Machine
Renewables versus coal – a look at the changing energy system
UK gas power plants are at their lowest utilisation level since 2017, as the grid is powered by renewables and imports from France and Norway. Power generated from fossil fuels fell to just 3.6TWh in August, the lowest level in over a century, with fossil fuels coming in below nuclear and renewables for an entire month for the first time.
With the UK closing its last coal power plant on October 1st, it will become the first G7 nation to phase out coal power, after 142 years burning the fuel.
France has opened its second largest offshore wind farm – the 496MW Saint-Brieuc project.
The Australian government has approved three coal mines to continue operations for another 30-40 years, in a blow to the country’s climate credentials.
Breakthroughs
New inventions to inspire hope
A French startup has completed its first transatlantic voyage with the world’s largest wind-powered cargo ship, carrying 1,000 tons of goods.
A US startup is using digital control of HVAC systems to improve efficiency along with dynamically managing grid load, saving power and money.
Climate Inequity
A hard look at the inequities of the climate crisis
A report by the Earth Commission says that consumerism and the climate crisis threaten an equitable future for humanity, with a wealthy minority of ultra-consumers preventing nations from developing without threatening the planet.
A new study has found that both the rich and the poor underestimate the carbon footprint of the richest in society, and overestimate the impacts of the poorest.
At the recent UN climate summit in New York, developing nations have accused rich countries of paying lip service to helping them adapt to climate change.
Speaking truths
Efforts in activism and awareness
A new report finds that wealthy, democratic countries in the global north are using draconian measures to crack down on climate protests, whilst criticising similar tactics in the global south.
Earth Uprisings is a remarkable effort in France to unite otherwise disconnected climate groups, which saw a savage response by the French state, but which could prove a valuable model for similar coalitions in other countries.
Long Reads
Interesting deep-dives into climate-related topics
Future sea level rise is highly dependent on the Greenland ice sheet melting, but scientists’ understanding of the dynamics around the glaciers that control this is still limited, though a new expedition aims to investigate further.
Pakistan is suffering under heavy debt load from major power plants, driving electricity prices up. Wealthier consumers are reacting by shifting to cheap Chinese solar, which pushes the cost increases onto the poorest in society.