Wind and solar benchmarks for a 1.5°C world
This report presents a detailed methodology for determining the amount of wind and solar capacity that is required for a country to align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal. While the focus
Germany
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High Winds Kill Eight, Cut Power In Central Europe
Gale-force winds hammered Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic on Saturday, killing at least eight people, snarling transport networks and cutting power lines. In Germany, trains were delayed by uprooted trees and an intercity express collided with a fallen tree between the cities of Cologne and Koblenz, injuring the driver. Nearly 130 flights to or from Frankfurt airport were either cancelled or diverted, a spokesman said. Officials said air traffic in Austria and the Czech Republic was also briefly interrupted when the storm, packing winds of between 155 kph (96 miles) and 180 kph (110 mph) lashed parts of central Europe. The storms left a mounting death toll across the region. Austrian media reported that four people had died as a result of the storm, three of them foreigners on holiday. Two people died when uprooted trees smashed into their cars in Lower Austria province, near Vienna, and Tyrol province in the northwest, police and rescue services quoted by national news agency APA said. One of the two was identified as a 77-year-old German tourist. A 69-year-old German tourist was killed by a falling tree at a Tyrol campground. The fourth, believed to be a British tourist, died when a boulder loosened by high winds struck the taxi he was riding in through a mountain valley near Salzburg. A 72-year-old motorcyclist in Bavaria, Germany, was killed when a gust blew him into advancing traffic, police said. Another man, aged 58, was crushed in his car by a falling pine near to Betzdorf in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Several others in Germany were injured when the storm damaged buildings. In the Czech Republic, an 11-year-old girl was killed by a falling tree north of Prague, and flying metal sheets struck and killed an 80-year-old priest in a town east of the central European country's capital, news agency CTK said. Falling trees and other debris blocked transport routes and cut power in some parts of the region. A fallen high-voltage grid pylon halted traffic on a highway north of the Czech capital, Prague. Several other roads were closed and rail services were interrupted in many areas, Czech Radio reported. In Austria, APA news agency said downed trees had also blocked and interrupted train travel. Power cuts hit tens of thousands of households in Austria; and the high winds also disrupted power supplies to around 150,000 people in Bavaria, utility E.ON Bayern said. (Reporting by Mark Heinrich in Vienna, Jan Lopatka in Prague and Dave Graham in Berlin; Editing by Sami Aboudi) REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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Hypertension and exposure to noise near airports: the HYENA Study
An increasing number of people are exposed to aircraft and road traffic noise. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and even a small contribution in risk from environmental factors may have a major impact on public health. The HYENA (Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports) study aimed to assess the relations between noise from aircraft or road traffic near airports and the risk of hypertension. March 2008
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Transport and energy - The challenge of climate change
For transport, a major contributor to greenhouse gases, the challenge to reduce emissions is immense, particularly as most forecasts see transport activity doubling or tripling in the next 30 years. Fortunately, governments in the OECD area (which is where most greenhouse gases come from) are starting to act, though much more needs to be done. That is why the first International Transport Forum, to be held in Leipzig, Germany, from 28-30 May 2008, will be devoted to the theme
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Making sense of the voluntary carbon market: a comparison of carbon offset standards
This report discusses the role of the voluntary carbon offset market and provides an overview and guide to the most important currently available voluntary carbon offset standards using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a benchmark .The report compares the standards side-by-side and outlines the most pertinent aspects of each.
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Lignite - Expensive and unsustainable
Germany continues to invest in brown coal mining, despite ambitious climate targets. Requirements for carbon capture and storage could eventually make the fuel unprofitable. March 2008
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Proposed binding rules weaken current target
The aim of the proposed new legislation from the European Commission is to limit the average emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from new cars sold within the Union to 120 g/km by 2012. But carmakers will only be responsible for an average of 130 g/km, with the last 10 g/km to be made up by other measures for which legislation will be proposed by the Commission later this year. March 2008
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Novartis painkiller ordered out
Philippines recently ordered Novartis to pull out its anti-arthritis painkiller from the country. It is feared that the drug lumiracoxib, also sold as prexige, causes liver damage. The Bureau of Food
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Mining Sets Off Earthquake in West Germany
A mild earthquake caused by coal mining shook the western German state of Saarland on Saturday, causing damage to buildings but no injuries. A police spokesman in the Saarlouis region on the French border said the earthquake measured 4.0 on the Richter scale, the strongest on record in the area, and had knocked over chimneys and caused electricity outages. After the quake, roughly 1,000 demonstrators gathered near the epicentre in Saarwellingen, police said, to demand an end to mining work which has sparked dozens of small tremors this year alone. (Writing by Noah Barkin) REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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Repower agrees to sell 1,900 mw in wind turbines
Repower SystemsAG, the German wind-power company taken over by India's Suzlon Energy Ltd, signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver wind turbines with a capacity of as much as 1,900 mw to RWEAG. RWE's Innogy unit will make a final decision on the purchase by the end of this year at the late stand the plants will be delivered from 2010Hamburg-based Repower said in a statement. The company plans to deliver as many as 450 turbines in the deal.