No. 3 October 2019
Not even 1.5°C is good enough
The international community is still far from agreeing on a clearly defined maximum limit for global warming. Yet, parts of marine ecosystems face catastrophic risks already at current levels of warming.
Editorial: IPCC Ocean and Cryosphere report is a powerful diplomatic asset
The IPCC’s Special Report on The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and its summary for policymakers provide scary reading about ongoing changes and risks, as well as projected risks.
Capacity is no longer a reason for subsidies to fossil power
Check the national regulation regarding extreme power shortage situations, and educate either the regulator or the balance responsible power companies. Do not accept capacity arguments for subsidies to fossil fuels.
Increasing renewable energy targets for the EU
The new European Commission needs to sprint towards climate action to be in line with the Paris Agreement. There is growing support for at least 55% emission reductions by 2030.
EU law instrumental for cleaning up power plants
The EU Large Combustion Plants Directive was the main driver behind the significant air pollutant emission cuts in this sector from 2004 to 2015, according to a new EEA report.
Achieving a sustainable food future
Feeding the world while staying below 1.5°C by 2050 will require increased productivity, shifts in consumption, new technology and massive reforestation, according to a new report.
Prompt climate action needed to ensure food supplies
IPCC report says that climate change increases pressure on land, meanwhile land use causes almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental impacts of ship scrubbers
Untreated wash water from open-loop scrubbers contains heavy metals, aromatic hydrocarbons and soot particles, and scientific tests have shown harmful effects on marine organisms.
Ship emissions debate continues
While slightly stricter energy efficiency targets for certain types of ships were agreed by the IMO in May, there was still no progress on introducing effective short-term measures to cut ships’ carbon emissions.
Six countries still breach binding air pollution limits
In 2017, the national emission ceilings for ammonia were still violated by five member states and total emissions have now increased by more than three per cent over the last four years, preliminary data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows.
Global SO2 air pollution hotspots mapped
The Norilsk smelter complex in Russia continues to be the largest sulphur dioxide emission hotspot in the world.
Swedish refinery at crossroads: 2X fossil future contested
The Preem oil refinery in Sweden wants to expand, greatly increasing its CO2 emissions and those of Sweden. It may wreck Sweden’s climate target. It may also help the Norwegian fossil industry’s effort to pitch CCS. What happens now is up to the government.
Hydrogen choices
Hydrogen has for several decades been touted as the fuel of the future. It is in fact a big commodity today, and heading for fast growth in a low-carbon future. If it is produced from fossil fuels, which is what Preem plans for, it is not part of the solution, but a big source of CO2.
Bulgaria & Spain face EU Court over air pollution
On 25 July, the European Commission sent Bulgaria and Spain to court for repeatedly breaching EU air quality standards and failing to guarantee citizens’ right to clean air.
Thousands of childhood asthma cases preventable by tackling air pollution
If the 18 countries covered by a recent study were to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for PM2.5, 67,000 new cases of childhood asthma, accounting for 11 per cent of new diagnoses ...
Amended Gothenburg Protocol now in force
The amended Gothenburg Protocol under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) came into force on 7 October, after the eighteenth ratification, by Luxembourg in July.
Climate impact from seafood
Pelagic species such as sprat, herring and mackerel are preferable choices from a nutritional and climate perspective, according to a recent Swedish study.
RWE to close coal-fired power plant in Wales
The German energy company RWE has announced the closure of its 1.56 gigawatt Aberthaw B power plant in Wales, UK, due to challenging market conditions for coal-fired power capacity in Britain.
MENA region one of the most threatened by climate heating
Droughts, sandstorms and flash flooding: In the southern Moroccan oasis M'Hamid El Ghizlane, the effects that global warming is likely to have on the Mediterranean region can already be observed today.
Russia formally joins Paris climate agreement
The world’s fourth largest emitter, Russia, has formally adopted the Paris Agreement.
Action needed to cut PM from tyres and brakes
A recent report from the UK Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) warns about the increasing importance of non-exhaust emissions (NEE) from road traffic.
Call for moratorium on ship scrubbers
In May, ten international non-governmental organisations sent a letter to the IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim, calling for an immediate moratorium on the shipping industry’s use of scrubber technology ...
REMPEC considering a Mediterranean ECA
On 11–13 June, the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) met in Malta, to address negative effects on human health and ecosystems of maritime activities.
The world’s largest electric ferry
On 15 August, the world’s largest all-electric ferry, Ellen, made its maiden voyage connecting the small island of Aerø to the port of Fynshav on Als in Denmark.
Cruise ships poison the air
Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2) around European coasts than did all 260 million EU passenger cars in 2017 ...
CO2 standards for trucks
On 13 June 2019, the Council adopted the EU’s first-ever carbon dioxide emission standards for trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles. Under the new rules, which entered into force on 14 August, manufacturers will be required to cut CO2 emissions ...
IMO and ICAO fail to implement the Paris Agreement
International shipping emissions are not included in national targets, and, like international aviation, are the responsibility of the specialised UN agencies IMO and ICAO.
Ammonia pollution damaging more than 60% of UK land
Over 60 per cent of the United Kingdom land area currently receives ammonia concentrations above the critical level set to protect lichens and bryophytes (1μg m-3).
In brief
UK aims for zero-emission ships by 2025
By 2050, the UK shipping sector must be emission-free, and starting 2025, new ships built for UK waters should be able to sail without emitting any greenhouse gases, according to the Clean Maritime Plan from the British government, published on 11 July. The plan is also exploring the possibilities of subsidizing the transition toward a zero-emission shipping sector.
Link to the plan: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-maritime-plan-maritime-...
10,000 EU staff call for coal phase-out by 2025
EU Staff 4 Climate is a bottom-up initiative led by EU staff in their individual/private capacity. It brings together colleagues from across the EU institutions who are deeply concerned about the climate, ecological and social crises facing our planet. The inititaive launched in March in solidarity with the global Youth for Climate movement. So far more than 10,000 staff have sigend the petition.
Court rulings on air pollution
On 26 June, the European Court of Justice ruled that citizens have the right to challenge the air pollution monitoring systems in their cities and that the competent courts (in this case the Brussels court) must enforce EU rules to make sure monitoring stations are located where the highest concentrations of air pollution occur. Average values across a whole zone or city are insufficient as they may underestimate the actual exposure to polluted air.
The ruling follows a case brought against the Brussels government by ClientEarth and five Brussels residents for failure to meet EU air quality limits. The case will now return to the Brussels court for the concluding judgment.
On 25 June, France lost a landmark court case brought by a mother and her daughter to hold the French government responsible for failing to tackle air pollution.
The LIFE Project “Legal Actions – Right to Clean Air”, led by Environmental Action Germany (DUH), recently updated its English background information and added new examples of legal actions around several European countries (link below).
Sources: T&E and ClientEarth press releases, 26 June 2019. Link: https://www.right-to-clean-air.eu/en/library/
Climate change and the Andean cryosphere
Glaciers of the tropical Andes are strongly threatened by global climate change, as revealed by a new report from FARN – Fundacion Ambiente y Recursos Naturales – with support from AirClim. The Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world, extending for more than 7,000 km from Venezuela in the north to Argentina in the south.
Glaciers are retreating along the entire length of the Andes, with some glaciers having lost two-thirds or more of their mass. Glacial meltwater is a critical water source for millions of people living in the Andean highlands.