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 …
record temperatures are being forecasted for the start of the next millenium. According to experts, high temperatures will increase the risk of natural disasters. Phil Jones of the Climatic Research Unit at University of East Anglia, usa , has predicted hurricanes in Mexico and storms in California, Peru and Ecuador. …
one of the most prominent measures proposed by the European Union ( eu ) countries to meet climate commitments has been introducing carbon/energy taxes. However, the 15-member eu is yet to agree on a carbon policy unanimously. Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden have taken the lead in implementing some …
Bacteria thrive beneath glaciers where their activity can erode rocks, say Canadian and British geologists. Martin Sharp of the University of Alberta in the UK and his colleagues found colonies of bacteria growing and producing carbon dioxide under two Swiss glaciers. Once dissolved in water, the gas weathers the rocks …
THE Bharalu river in Assam once provided potable water to thousands of people living on its banks. It was also a source of variety of fish and other aquatic flora and fauna for the people. The river is now so badly polluted that scientists have warned that unless measures are …
A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( noaa ) shows that 1998 was likely to be the warmest year in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 1,200 years. Scientists also believe that the heat wave was due to carbon dioxide and emissions from the burning of fossil …
TREES have always been our best friends. Now, researchers have found how these silent friends can help tackle one of this century's biggest problems: increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) that subsequently lead to global warming. According to latest reports, Europe's forests are absorbing up to a third of the …
GERMAN scientists have warned that the Earth's ozone layer, which filters radiation from space, is regenerating itself at a slower pace than originally predicted. "Even if international agreements on the protection of the atmosphere are strictly followed, the size of the ozone hole 20 years from now will be the …
THIS century's biggest - and worst - contribution to environmental degradation has definitely been global warming: the much-debated and discussed phenomenon arising from build-up of "greenhouse" gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap heat and consequently lead to an increase in global temperatures. So far, those concerned by …
WATCH out Don Quixote. The windmills are staging a comeback in Europe. Wind energy is the best alternative to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. By using windmills, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) believes that Europe will be able to churn out 4,000 mega watts (MW) of energy …
GLOBAL warming. The most talked about phenomenon of the new century, merely means that increasing concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and several others are trapping the heat radiated by the Earth, leading to a warmer planet. This can have many unpredictable outcomes, and climate change is …
German automobile giant Daimler-Benz has developed a new method of casting aluminium engine blocks that cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 36 per cent. Traditionally, the block is cast in a sand mould, cooled so that the sand can be removed from the cylinders, and reheated to 530oC to harden the …
THE Kyoto Protocol, forged in December 1997, appears only to advocate planting and conserving forests (afforestation and reforestation) in order to create carbon sinks in trees and also in soils. Little is said about using trees and other forms of biomass as an energy source to substitute the use of …
As Parties to the Climate Convention EU Member States have opted for a joint fulfilment of post-2000 greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations. No agreement could be reached on a joint EU target before the distribution of the burden of emission reductions among Member States had been agreed upon. This paper …
Yields from the rice-wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic plain are declining despite the increasing use of chemical fertilizers. Crop residues are important components of soil fertility management, but are burnt in some areas such as Punjab state. Not only does this mean a loss of nutrients but also causes …
THE issue of land use change and forestry (LUCF), and its treatment as "sinks", has always loomed large in climate change negotiations in the past. It was among the hotly-debated subjects in the lead-up to the Kyoto meeting in December, 1997, and was subsequently addressed in Articles 3.3 and 3.4 …
IN DECEMBER 1997, the Kyoto Protocol on the Climate Change Convention was adopted merely five years after the adoption of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). The rapidity with which these treaties have been negotiated and adopted and the number of countries involved (more than 173 countries have ratified …
THE Kyoto Protocol is only a first step - that too a timid one - to stabilise the atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a non-dangerous level. The protocol stipulates GHG reduction of 5.2 per cent in the industrialised world. As relevant reductions have already been achieved through the economic …
The Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention is the first step towards defining the emissions reduction targets of industralised countries. However, as a first step it falls short of expectations." Under the protocol, between the years 2008 and 2012, industralised countries are expected to cut their overall carbon emissions …
