No. 4 Dec 2023
Countries are not on track to achieve the 1.5°C target
Discussions about new 2035 and 2040 climate targets have started in the European Union.
Editorial: Canada not happy with EU Deforestation Regulation
EU Member States and the European Parliament recently agreed on the Regulation on deforestation-free products, which aims to promote the consumption of forest-friendly products and reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation.
Five key global 2030 targets aligned with 1.5°C
The IPCC’s sixth assessment report (AR6) provides crucial information on how to tackle climate change, in particular identifying pathways that limit warming to 1.5°C with zero or limited overshoot.
Crowdfunding and energy communities take centre stage
Poorer areas of the EU are exploring funding approaches such as crowdfunding and citizen-driven energy communities for the green transition.
Green governance innovation curbs climate impact from public canteens
In 2022 Aarhus introduced an internal climate tax. In the first year, it resulted in a 40 per cent reduction of beef consumption and a 12 per cent overall decrease in food-related emissions.
Car-free city improves health
Car-free cities is an opportunity to reduce the health burden in cities. Society need to keep their eyes on the goal and make science-based decisions to get there.
Ban fossil industry funding in medical research
Leading experts are asking medical researchers to ban financial interference between research individuals and institutions and the fossil fuel industry.
India reaches record levels of dirty air … again
A mix of factors, including vehicular, agricultural and industrial emissions, dust and weather patterns, make Delhi the world’s most polluted capital.
Targeting two pollutants at a single stroke
Farming contributes to both ammonia and methane emissions. A recent guidance document maps the synergies and trade-offs in mitigating these two gases.
2023 from the corals’ perspective: heatwaves and backlashes
Mass bleaching of corals have become a global phenomenon. Among the best-known coral reefs is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which has suffered from mass bleaching events for more than two decades. But mass bleaching events have increasingly turned more widespread over the globe, including also reefs in the northern hemisphere.
Action to triple renewable power and double energy efficiency
A rapid, sustained and concerted action is needed limit temperature rise to less than 1.5°C. A new report by IRENA, GRA, and the COP28 Presidency analyses renewable energy targets, highlights current gaps and identifies key enablers. Launched during Pre-COP, the report sets the stage for global climate summit negotiations.
The importance of Electricity Market Design trilogues and recommendations
Lawmakers in the European Parliament agreed on their negotiating positionon 14 September to reform the EU’s electricity market to avoid a repetition of the soaring prices witnessed in 2021 and 2022.
Phasing out coal in the EU by 2030 at the latest
What happened to coal power amidst Europe’s winter crisis of 2022/2023, and what lessons can we learn for this winter.
Northern forests and climate change project
AirClim’s Northern Forests and Climate Change project aims to increase the visibility of Northern forests in the international climate debate.
Flora and fauna of the Siberian forest
The most important factor influencing plants and wildlife distribution is climate. At the northern limit of tree distribution in the forest tundra of Siberia the mean annual soil temperature is -1 to -3°C. Around a hundred days a year have air temperatures above +5°C, and only 57–70 days are above +10°C.
Forests are especially valuable natural resources in Georgia
They occupy about 40 per cent of the territory of the country and have exceptional importance at the national, regional, and global levels. 95–98 per cent of the Georgian forests have natural origin. 60 per cent of the forest belongs to the Black Sea and 40 per cent to the Caspian Sea basins.
Great success in London for ULEZ
During the first month of operation the number of highly polluting vehicles has already fallen by almost half, taking almost 80,000 older cars off the roads...
Environmental effects of in-situ oil burning studied
Researchers at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research at Crete, Greece, have installed an ambitious experimental infrastructure to study the effects of in-situ oil burning in the marine environment.
Development funders should clear the air
A new report from the Clean Air Fund analyses how much funding from international development funders goes to projects aimed at reducing air pollution.
Less acid rain led to biological recovery
At the end of the twentieth century acidification was a serious problem in Europe, thanks to international cooperation. The success of the Air Convention led to dramatic decreases in sulphur dioxide which has improved chemical conditions in freshwaters and a biological recovery of acid-sensitive organisms.
Mitigation and adaptation measures for the Himalayan region
The Himalayan region is facing an urgent environmental crisis that demands immediate action concludes a new policy briefing1 by Climate Action Network South Asia. The estimated cost of climate mitigation and adaptation in the six Himalayan countries is staggering, with 1,085 billion needed for mitigation and 270 billion US dollars for adaptation.
The risks of offshore carbon capture and storage
A new report by the Center for International Environmental Law1 explores the risks associated with sub-seabed carbon dioxide storage and reveals the global increase in proposals to pool CO₂ waste in offshore hubs.
Study reveals hazards of ship emissions to the marine environment
A recent study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden highlights environmental risks due to the combined emissions of metals and other contaminants into the marine environment.
Armenia is a lightly forested country with rich biodiversity
According to the last forest inventory of 1993, forest land makes up 459,900 ha, of which over 73 per cent or 334,100 ha is covered with forest. Overall, the inventory showed forest coverage of 11.2 percent for the country. However, the inventory was done before the economic turmoil of the 1990s and there have been notable changes in the forest cover since then. International organisations have made more recent estimates of the forest cover in the country and they have given much lower estimates – approximately 7–8 per cent.
Harmful Energy Charter Treaty plans expansion
The remaining participants in the Energy Charter Treaty are seeking to broaden its scope by bringing in more members of “petroleum-exporting countries”, as disclosed in notes from the recent Energy Charter Treaty Conference held on 20 November.
Lack of ambition for farming in national climate plans
In a recent report titled “Much Ado About Nothing”, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) evaluates nine draft updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), revealing a lack of ambitious measures and long-term strategies for tackling greenhouse gas emissions from the farming sector.
Natural Climate Solutions must embrace multiple perspectives
To limit global warming to well below 2°C, immediate emissions reductions must be coupled with active removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
At what temperature would melting become irreversible?
One of the biggest contributors to the increasing speed of sea level rise of 3.4 millimetres a year is the Greenland ice cap
Denmark's action plan for plant-based foods
The Danish government has recently launched the world’s first national action plan for plant-based foods. This comprehensive initiative, spanning the entire plant-based value chain from farm to table, aims to underscore Denmark’s leadership in green foods on a global scale. Stemming from the 2021 Agreement on Green Transformation of Danish Agriculture, the action plan is the result of a dedicated year and a half of collaborative efforts.