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 uk has prepared a draft bill, to be tabled in parliament, which will make carbon emissions mandatory. The domestic targets have been pegged at 26-32 per cent by 2020 and 60 per cent by 2050, over 1990 levels, with a provision for independent audits every five years. The importance …
This report explores ways to incorporate international aviation and maritime shipping in a climate policy regime. Currently, emissions from international transport are not included in climate policy targets under the Kyoto Protocol. One of the reasons is that it is not clear which country should be held accountable for which …
US Steel sues EC Slovakia's steel major US Steel Kosice, filed a complaint against the European Commission in the second week of February complaining about the reduced limits of carbon dioxide emissions for Slovakia. The company considers that the reduction of the emissions limit unjust, as does the Slovakian government. …
Only 16 of the uk's top 100 firms met government guidelines on reporting greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, says a Christian Aid report. It says emissions of 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than the annual emissions of Pakistan and Greece, vanished from annual reports of ftse 100 firms. "The …
Researchers at the University of Leicester and the British Geological Survey have a new plan to find ways to do away with carbon dioxide: store it in huge underground reservoirs. The study, published in the journal Planet Earth, looks at ways of containing carbon dioxide as a hydrate at cool …
gas-guzzlers in London's Borough of Richmond, in southwest London, will now have to pay hefty parking charges. The Richmond council cleared a plan to introduce emission-based parking charges in the first week of February. The council becomes the first local authority to implement a controlled parking zones scheme. As per …
china is set to establish the developing world's first carbon-credit exchange in Beijing later this year. The move is part of the Chinese government's new programme,
At the Oscars, apart from Martin Scorsese, among those most feted was Al Gore for his documentary feature titled An Inconvenient Truth that focussed on the dangers of global warming. Deservedly so and no one would grudge Gore if he uses the adulation to take another shot at the US …
Environment: "Geo-engineering" is the direct use of technology to counteract climate change. The idea is highly controversial IF MAN is inadvertently capable of heating the entire planet, surely it is not beyond his wit to cool it down as well? Although most climate scientists do not like to talk about …
Climate change is real. The sheen of industrial revolution is wearing off >> The cat is out of the bag. Since its last report in 2001, IPCC has a wider range of data, and more accurate analysis of global climate. It has compared existing carbon levels with data from ice …
Lawsuit over CO2 cap The Slovak government has decided to file a lawsuit against the European Commission (EC) over its demand that Slovakia cut its annual carbon dioxide emissions from 2008-2012. In a statement, Slovak environment minister Jaroslav Izak said the CO2 cap, which EC had ruled in November, was …
Three major British airlines have recently flayed the European Commission's proposed air passenger tax. The scheme is a "poor environmental tax' and a wrong way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they said in a statement. In a meeting with the parliamentarians, the airways
on february 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) released its much awaited Fourth Assessment Report. With an unprecedented confidence of 90 per cent, it asserted that climate change is result of human activities. The panel's 2001 Third Assessment Report had put the probability of climate change resulting from …
Or not Europe shows how complex the diesel predicament can get if fuel economy regulations and local pollution abatement strategies are not equally stringent. The car industry in Europe agreed to meet a stringent voluntary CO2 reduction target for the vehicle fleet (140 gm/km on a fleet wide basis) by …
Cannibalising offspring A study reveals that male fish are more likely to eat their offspring when they have been cuckolded during spawning. Moreover, the more males that are present during spawning, the more likely it is that a male will try to eat the eggs when they are laid. "The …
a case on global warming, a first in the history of the us Supreme Court, was recently taken up for oral arguments. This, despite inaction by the government and a highly polarised court. The case, Massachusetts vs Environmental Protection Agency (epa) concerns the federal environmental agency's refusal to regulate carbon …
In yet another innovative effort to go green, the UK government has come up with a Code for Sustainable Homes. It sets out a schedule for achieving a zero-carbon target and was announced in the recent budget report. The code aims to achieve zero-carbon trading within the next decade by …
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) estimates that the range of stabilised atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by 2050 will be between 450 parts per million (ppm) and 550 ppm. A paper published in the journal Current Science (Vol 90, No 12) argues that these concentration levels have not been …
in what can be called a positive step towards fighting climate change, the European Commission has demanded sweeping cuts in emission rights from its member states. The commission announced an average cut of almost seven per cent of the allowance, below 2005 levels, recently, when it decided on the National …
