This overview sets the scene for the various modules in the Renewables 2024 Global Status Report Collection. It provides high-level trends on the status of renewables in the wider fossil fuel-dominated energy system in the context of global challenges such as climate change, development goals and the geopolitical landscape. Urgent …
The cement industry is setting new goals for energy efficiency, writes V Rishi Kumar This is a high energy consumption industry that singularly accounts for 5 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. During production of one tonne of material, it requires as much as 4. 7 million BTU …
Reusing plastic and metal could help keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and allow the EU to go emission free by 2050, according to new research on the burgeoning circular economy. Upping the ante on circular economy efforts by increasing recycling could more than halve the EU’s industrial emissions, …
This report aims to show how the transition to a low-carbon society through the decarbonization of energy systems can bring social and economic benefits and foster countries’ economic competitiveness. It notably evaluates the inter-linkages between decarbonization and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emphasizes the need for carbon pricing and climate …
After three unprecedented consecutive years of decline, early estimates have brought the bad news that China’s energy-related CO2 emissions appear to have risen in 2017. Very preliminary estimates for the months passed of 2018 suggest that this trend is continuing. Is it time to give up hope that CO2 emissions …
The time has come to get serious about decarbonising the emission-intensive materials sector. The production of basic materials (cement, iron and steel, paper and board, aluminium and chemicals and petrochemicals) accounted for around 25% of global CO2 emissions in 2014 (Figure 1). As non-OECD countries are developing infrastructure and housing …
India could reach 11% market share in EVs by 2030 The International Energy Agency has said there will be a net increase in carbon emissions due to electric vehicles when considering life-cycle emissions in countries, like India and China, which have a carbon-intensive power generation mix. In its report on …
Limiting global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, as per the UN Paris Agreement, would stop dengue spreading to areas where incidence is currently low, say researchers. Dengue is the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease across the world today, causing nearly 400 million infections every year. According to the World Health Organization …
Global warming could bring a serious problem for the two billion people on the planet who depend on one grain for their staple diet: less nutritious rice to sustain them. Scientists have found that rice grown at higher levels of carbon dioxide has an overall lower nutritional value. The grain …
China’s carbon emissions are on track to rise at their fastest pace in more than seven years during 2018, casting further doubt on the ability of the Paris climate change agreement to curb dangerous greenhouse gas increases, according to a Greenpeace analysis based on Beijing’s own data. Carbon emissions in …
The number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars on the world’s roads exceeded 3 million in 2017, a 54% increase compared with 2016, according to the latest edition of the International Energy Agency’s Global Electric Vehicles Outlook. China remained by far the largest electric car market in the world, accounting …
Many banks face a climate data gap in identifying the energy technology exposure of the companies in their lending portfolios. That’s pretty serious, as in the next five years, carbon-intensive firms in those portfolios plan to produce more internal-combustion engines and coal-fired power than the maximum the International Energy Agency …
The Dutch government has launched a bid to overturn a landmark climate ruling, arguing that judges in The Hague “sidelined democracy” when they ordered a 25% cut in carbon emissions by 2020. Government plans for a lesser 17% cut in CO2 pollution were deemed unlawful three years ago, in the …
In a bid to overcome factors like fossil fuels contributing pollution in capital, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain on Saturday reviewed the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). The broad focus of action plan in Delhi is on promoting low-carbon energy sources and technologies, promoting energy conservation and efficiency …
CAPE TOWN, May 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana knows how much cash going green can save. Four years ago, after signing up for "My Green Home" – an effort by the Green Building Council of South Africa to make buildings more energy efficient – her family saw their …
Independent experts advising the Turnbull government have called for changes to the Coalition’s Direct Action climate policy to prevent tens of millions of dollars of public money going to projects that would have gone ahead anyway. The recommendation is in a review of the $2.55bn emissions reduction fund, the central …
The EEA's 'Annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2016 and inventory report 2018' shows a 0.4 % decrease in the total EU greenhouse gas emissions in 2016, compared with 2015. From 1990 to 2016, the EU has reduced its net greenhouse gas emissions by 22.4 %, surpassing its 20 % …
As CO2 rises due to the burning of fossil fuels, rice will lose some of its protein and vitamin content, putting millions of people at risk of malnutrition, As carbon dioxide rises due to the burning of fossil fuels, rice will lose some of its protein and vitamin content, putting …
Degrading air quality in metro cities is a matter of concern for public health. Massive tree plantation drives are often conducted in order to provide oxygen to choking cities. But trees, much like humans, also are severely affected by pollutants in the air. In such a situation, knowledge about trees …
The climate justice movement highlights the fact that rich nations are overwhelmingly to blame for causing climate change, but t The climate justice movement highlights the fact that rich nations are overwhelmingly to blame for causing climate change, but that poor ones have been the first to cope with its …
A new report by UNCTAD, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, describes natural gas as a useful “bridge fuel” for States aiming to move towards more environmentally-friendly renewable power sources. But it has disadvantages too, not least the fact that its main component is methane gas, which has a …
