No. 4 December 2019
The ten best climate measures
NGOs from northern Europe propose which climate policy measures to present for national climate plans.
Editorial: The fossil fuel industry must be shut down
Annual global emissions of carbon dioxide are still more than 40 billion tonnes. To stay within a 1.5 °C global temperature rise with a 50 per cent chance ...
The Dutch nitrogen crisis
A court ruling has forced the Netherlands to promptly deal with its high nitrogen emissions. The government has decided to cut speed limits and farmers have rallied in the streets to protest against reducing livestock numbers.
European transboundary air pollution is slowly shrinking
For most European countries the biggest share of depositions of sulphur and nitrogen emanate from outside their own territory, and a significant share of the depositions originate from international shipping.
Global solar PV market set for dramatic growth over next 5 years
The installation of solar PV systems on homes, commercial buildings and industrial facilities is set to take off over the next five years ...
LNG no solution for truck emissions
Heavy goods vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) can emit up to five times as much nitrogen oxides as the latest diesel models ...
Post-Euro 6 car emissions standards
A new ICCT report highlights the limitations of current EU car emissions standards and provides detailed recommendations for how to overcome them.
The Cry of the Cryosphere
Summer snow cover in the Arctic has decreased by 2.5 million km2 in fifty years. The changes for animals and human livelihoods in the affected regions are dramatic.
Modelling a shift to sustainable diets
Peer pressure was found to be the most important driver for people to adopt a plant-based diet, when researchers integrated psychological theories into a computer model.
Money quarrels delay a CAP with diluted climate ambition
EU member states have deeply divided opinions on the CAP budget, but agree on weakening the environmental and climate baseline.
Climate change threat to European farming
Yields from non-irrigated crops, such as wheat, corn and sugar beet, are projected to decrease in southern Europe by up to 50 per cent by 2050 ...
Deforestation must decrease by 95 per cent in a 1.5 °C world
Measures within the land sector could contribute about 30 per cent, or 15 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) per year ...
Cutting air pollution will save lives
Europe’s air is slowly getting cleaner, but air pollution remains the largest environmental health risk and is still responsible for about 400,000 premature deaths every year.
EU climate policies reviewed
EU reduces CO2 emissions by 2 per cent, risks failing to meet sustainable energy targets, and gives green light to new fossil gas projects.
40 years of partnership for clean air
The Air Convention has developed and applied new tools resulting in cost-effective, effect-based strategies to tackle air pollution.
World Energy Outlook faces increasing criticism
The World Energy Outlook (WEO) from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the self-acclaimed “gold standard of long-term energy analysis”, is increasingly being questioned for pointing in the wrong direction.
Backlash for US air pollution levels
After a seven-year stretch of improvement, between 2016 and 2018 the amount of particulate matter air pollution rose ...
New Delhi declares public health emergency
Authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi declared a public health emergency on 1 November and closed schools and all construction activity for a week ...
New Clean Air Fund launched
First announced at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in September, the Clean Air Fund has received USD 50 million in initial funding ...
France found guilty of breaching NO2 limits
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that France “systematically and persistently” breached EU limits for nitrogen dioxide ...
Death of corals on the Great Barrier Reef
Increasingly frequent marine heatwaves can lead to the almost instant death of corals, scientists working on the Great Barrier Reef have found.
More vegetarian options increase sales
Increasing the share of vegetarian meals on the menu seems to be an effective way to nudge diners to choose a vegetarian option.
Poland develops offshore wind energy
Poland’s ministry of energy has prepared a draft bill to support the development of offshore wind energy off the northern European country’s coast.
Scientists calls for urgent action on nitrogen
In an open letter to UN secretary general António Guterres more than 150 scientists from 35 countries are calling for “urgent action on nitrogen pollution ...
Record big wind turbines planned off UK coast
The largest-ever wind turbines will be used at the Dogger Bank offshore windfarm in the North Sea over the next few years ...
Amazon rainforest “close to irreversible tipping point”
The Amazon rainforest is dangerously close to an irreversible “tipping point” within two years according to a new report, the Guardian writes.
Ship scrubbers could render UK ports unusable
According to The Independent, the global shipping industry has spent more than USD 12bn on installing scrubbers on more than 3,700 ships worldwide ...
Big benefits of reducing ship speeds
The large positive effect that reduced speeds can have on ship GHG emissions is well known, but less attention has been given to other positive impacts on nature and human health.
Germany starts up new 1.1 GW coal power station
Energy company Uniper has announced that its highly controversial Datteln 4 coal-powered plant will go online in January 2020, thus ignoring ...
Electric cars could be charged in 10 minutes
New battery technology could give electric cars more than 200 miles of charge in as little as 10 minutes, according to new research.
Ocean acidification can cause the mass extinction
Carbon emissions make seas more acidic and wiped out 75 per cent of marine species around 66 million years ago, reports a new study according to the Guardian.
Nuclear power should not be part of climate-friendly energy mix
The debate on effective climate protection is heating up in Germany and the rest of the world. Nuclear energy is being touted as “clean” energy.
UK air is cleaner but challenges remain
Policies to improve air quality in the UK over the past 40 years have led to significant reductions in pollution and associated mortality rates, a new study has found.
In brief
EU Commission promotes air pollution benefits of climate policy
The European Commission’s science and knowledge service explains on its website how climate policy improves air quality and saves lives. It says that “an integrated policy perspective will prevent technological lock-in and will maximise gains for global climate and local health. In December 2015, 196 parties gathered at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and signed the Paris Agreement, a joint commitment to address climate change.”
Concerning energy system transformation, it says “With our energy use as key driver of greenhouse gas emissions, the ambitious climate goals set forward in the Paris Agreement demand a fundamental rethink of energy systems across the world.
Climate policies also lead to cleaner air by transforming the energy systems across the world. A more efficient use of energy and a shift from fossil fuels to renewables are key elements in achieving co-benefits for climate and air quality.”
In addition to greenhouse gas emissions the Commission says that “energy is a key source of local air pollutants, such as particulate matter. Therefore, the transformation of energy systems needed to reach climate goals is a unique opportunity to improve air quality at the same time. Globally, avoided premature mortality by 2030 in a 2 °C scenario versus a reference scenario is estimated at 346,000 avoided premature deaths. By 2050, the number of avoided premature deaths in India would be 511,000 and in China 537,000. The website does not present the co-benefits of a 1.5 °C scenario.
Reinhold Pape
Link: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/geco/climate-policy-and-air-quality
Stop EU fossil tax subsidies to shipping
According to a new study by Transport & Environment (T&E), the EU gives more than EUR 24 billion per year in subsidies to the maritime sector in the form of fossil fuel tax exemptions under the European Energy Tax Directive (ETD) and national tax legislation. This is estimated based on national tax rates applicable to road diesel – used by trucks – in EU member states.
Including shipping in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) would generate over EUR 3.6 billion/year in revenues, which can be reinvested into greening the EU economy, including the maritime sector. The price impact of the ETS on consumer goods will be insignificant, measured at a few euro cents, says T&E.
Source: T&E, 25 September 2019. The study: https://www.transportenvironment.org/publications/eu-shippings-€24bn-y...
Malaysia bans open-loop ship scrubbers
In a notice issued on 12 November to the shipping industry, Malaysia’s maritime department said ships are now prohibited from discharging wash water from open-loop scrubbers while operating in Malaysian waters.
Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, both major marine refuelling hubs, have banned the use of open-loop scrubbers from the start of next year. China is also set to extend a ban on scrubber discharge to more coastal regions.
Source: Reuters, 18 November 2019
London’s ULEZ cuts NO2
Since the introduction of an Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in London have been cut by a third, according to a City Hall report. Quarterly averages reveal that levels of NO2 on roadside monitors have fallen by 36 per cent, from 89 μg/m3 in January to March 2017 to 57 μg/m3 in July to September 2019. Levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have fallen only slightly, with the report saying that over half of London’s PM2.5 is blown into the capital from outside sources.
The London Mayor Sadiq Khan plans to expand the zone’s boundary in 2021 should he be re-elected next year.
Source: Car Lines, No 9, 2019