No. 3 October 2022
EU must step up energy shift
Paris Agreement compatible scenarios need the EU to do much more to reduce emissions and increase renewables and energy savings.
Editorial: The EU can and must take stronger climate action
With the sustained heat, drought and forest fires that are wreaking havoc across Europe, one would think European countries would be incentivised to increase action to tackle climate change.
Keys to meet the 1.5°C target
Climate Action Network International (CAN) has issued several statements and articles in 2022 outlining how the UN should act on science policy in reviewing the long-term goal of the Climate Convention at COP 27.
European Union prepares for winter
In September, the European Parliament voted on several proposals to address the energy crisis. Meanwhile the EU Commission proposed a new law to manage energy prices.
Scientists agree: 100% renewable energy is possible
An increasing number of research studies show that an energy system based solely on renewable energy sources is possible by or before 2050.
Corporate leadership? Few businesses pledge to reduce their flying
Whilst corporate leaders pledge to reduce the climate impact of their businesses, too few go the extra mile and tackle the problem of air travel emissions.
Denmark aims to build world’s first energy island
An artificial island, with wind power and installations to convert excess energy into fuel, is planned in the North Sea. When completed it may provide electricity for 10 million households.
Member states are struggling to meet NEC directive
In 2020, less than half of member states met all their national emission reduction commitments. Only two of them are already in line with their 2030 commitments.
Improve communication on air quality research
More than half of Europeans do not feel well informed about their local air quality, according to a 2019 EU Commission survey.
Condensable aerosols contribute to inconsistent reporting
Condensable primary organic aerosol emissions, described from here on as condensables, are organic compounds that occur in the gas (vapour) phase at the chimney stack, but as the stack air is cooled and diluted, they can undergo both condensation and evaporation processes.
Wind technologies for cleaner shipping
A large ongoing EU project demonstrates that the expansion of direct wind propulsion technologies for ships will be an important and impactful step towards cleaner shipping.
Towards a Latin American agenda for a just socio-ecological transition
Climate Action Network Latin America hosted a series of regional dialogues during 2021 on how to jointly advance the climate, biodiversity and human rights agendas.
Ireland intends to cut farm emissions by a quarter by 2030
Greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland’s farming sector must drop by 25 per cent by 2030.
Navigating nitrogen
“The less fossil-fuel-based fertilisers we use, the less dependent we are on fossil fuel imports, ”Ursula von der Leyen stated in a response to one of the group leaders’ interventions just after her “State of the European Union” speech in the European Parliament on 14 September 2022.1
How iron and steel emissions can be cut
The huge emissions from the steel industry can be virtually eliminated by using hydrogen from green power, or from other electric processes. CCS is not used, not needed and not likely to be a mitigation option.
Particles from electric vehicles
Electric cars cause more wear and tear on road and tyres due to the extra weight of the battery. Nevertheless they have lower net particle emissions than normal cars.
Climate change is everywhere – so is marine litter
As heavy rains and storms become more frequent more litter will be transported to the sea. Marine litter is projected to triple by 2040.
Failure or success of air pollution policies in Delhi?
The severe air pollution events in Delhi due to sharp economic and population growth have been widely reported.
Call for loss and damage and climate finance
The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is urging support for the adoption of loss and damage response finance at COP27 in Egypt in November 2022.
Cleaner air in Beijing and London
It is no longer news that urban residents around the world are breathing unhealthy levels of pollution.
Electryfing vehicle fleet could save 45 billion euro in external costs
What would happen to pollutants and their external costs if we replaced diesel-fuelled vehicles with a different technology?
“Cost of clean shipping is negligible” says case study
Transport & Environment has assessed “…the likely cost increase in seaborne transport in a hypothetical fully decarbonized scenario”. More specifically, the assessment investigated a substantial ...
Ten African mayors sign a clean air declaration
C40 is a network of mayors from nearly 100 world-leading cities that has promised to deliver the action needed to reduce the climate crisis.
Haarlem bans meat ads
The Dutch city of Haarlem has decided to ban adverts for meat in public spaces by 2024.
EU must cut livestock numbers to deliver on methane
The European Union is unlikely to deliver on its pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 without cutting livestock numbers, reveals a report released in June.
Only 11 European cities have clean air
In July, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its updated European City Air Quality Viewer report, which covers over 340 cities.
Zero emission zones the next step for clean cities
A Clean Cities Campaign analysis of the most comprehensive database..
Global ammonia emissions underestimated
Satellite observations show that global ammonia emissions are higher than reported by bottom-up inventories.
Atmospheric CO2 and sea levels hit record highs in 2021
AFP news agency reports that the Earth’s concentration of greenhouse gases and sea levels hit new highs in 2021, according to a US government report published in summer 2022, showing that climate change keeps surging ahead despite efforts to curb emissions.
July infringements of EU air quality law
The European Commission recently announced decisions it had made in its July Infringements package.
Loopholes in EU shipping proposal criticised
The European Commission has proposed to include the shipping industry in the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS).
Low and ultra-low emission zones proven to be effective
In spring 2019, London implemented an ultra-low emission zone (uLEZ) to tackle road transport air pollution.
Efficiency standards for Indian buses and trucks
In July, the Indian government proposed fuel consumption standards for heavy-duty vehicles in a draft notification issued by the road transport ministry.
Climate action has stalled
Climate Action Tracker said in a mid-year report for 2022 that climate action has stalled.