Trucks in 2040 fossil free
Europe’s truck manufacturers have concluded that by 2040 all new trucks sold need to be fossil free in order to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050. It will be possible to meet this target provided the right charging/refuelling infrastructure is built and a coherent policy framework is put into place, including comprehensive CO2 pricing to drive the transition.
ACEA
Electric vehicles’ dirty secret
The race is on to find a steady source of lithium, a key component in rechargeable electric car batteries. But while the EU focuses on emissions, the lithium gold rush threatens environmental damage on an industrial scale
The Guardian
Beleggers draaien van fossiel naar groen
Beleggers in de energiesector kiezen op steeds grotere schaal voor bedrijven met een groen profiel.
De druk op fossiele bedrijven om hun CO₂-uitstoot te beperken, heet inmiddels een ‘beleggingsrisico’.
Bovendien presteren de niet-fossiele energiebedrijven over de afgelopen vijf jaar structureel beter.
FD
Shell en Exxon azen op groene miljardensubsidies
Vier multinationals die het broeikasgas CO₂ in een leeg gasveld voor de Nederlandse kust willen opslaan, gaan daar eind deze maand subsidie voor aanvragen. Volgens schattingen kan die subsidie op zo’n €1,5 mrd uitkomen.
FD
Bezos makes first donations from $10 billion Earth Fund for fighting climate change
Jeff Bezos said Monday he is giving $791 million to 16 groups fighting climate change, the first grants from his Earth Fund, saying the money is “just the beginning of my $10 billion commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, and others.”
The Washington Post
Sunrise Movement helped Biden win. Now its wants him to fix climate crisis
This youth group helped reach 3.5m voters in swing states and are determined to hold the president-elect to his promisess
The Guardian
Studenten presenteren Luca ‘afvalauto’ van hergebruikt afval
Om te demonstreren dat je afval op een nuttige manier kunt hergebruiken, presenteert het studententeam TU/ecomotive van de TU Eindhoven een auto die vrijwel volledig uit afval bestaat. Het resultaat is een sportief uitziende, elektrische auto genaamd Luca met als basis een onderstel van vlas en gerecycled plastic, waarvan een groot deel zelfs is opgevist uit de oceaan.
TU Eindhoven
Bioasfalt openbare weg Vlissingen
Vanaf vrijdag is de weg in het havengebied van Vlissingen gemaakt van bioasfalt. Het asfalt vervangt de helft van het bitumen (een teerachtige fossiele stof) door lignine, een restproduct uit de papierindustrie. Mede dankzij deze vervanging kan het asfalt ook op een lagere temperatuur aangelegd worden. Zo wordt op twee manieren CO2-uitstoot bespaard. Door de biomassa ,lignine een hoogwaardige toepassing te geven en het niet te verbranden, is het nog beter voor het milieu.
Duurzaam Bedrijfsleven
Rapid rise in battery innovation key role in clean energy transition
Between 2005 and 2018, patenting activity in batteries and other electricity storage technologies grew at an average annual rate of 14% worldwide, four times faster than the average of all technology fields, according to a joint study published today by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
EPO
Jobs and green economy at heart of French Covid recovery plan
France’s prime minister, Jean Castex has stressed the importance of getting the country back on its feet within 18 months and “transforming” the French economy with a green makeover as he unveiled a €100bn (£89bn) coronavirus recovery plan. One third of the €100bn will be used to make the economy greener, including investment in ecological transition, hydrogen and renewable energy, as well as the renovation of homes and buildings to make them more energy efficient.
The Guardian
Destruction of forests ‘will unleash more pandemics’
Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of farming and the building of mines in remote regions – as well as the exploitation of wild animals as sources of food, traditional medicines and exotic pets – are creating a “perfect storm” for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people.
The Guardian
Wildlife and forest protection costs 2% of the estimated $11.5tn costs of Covid-19 to the world economy
Spending of about $260bn (£200bn) over 10 years would substantially reduce the risks of another pandemic on the scale of the coronavirus outbreak, the researchers estimate, which is just 2% of the estimated $11.5tn costs of Covid-19 to the world economy. Furthermore, the spending on wildlife and forest protection would be almost cancelled out by another benefit of the action: cutting the carbon dioxide emissions driving the climate crisis.
The Guardian
Trump ignores biggest crisis of all
On Monday, president Trump defended at the RNC the continued exploitation of fossil fuels such as coal and oil as an economic good and dismissed calls for greater of use of renewable wind and solar energy as “very heavily expensive.”
Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for vice president on the contrary tweeted the same day “California is in the middle of a climate disaster with devastating wildfires happening across our state. There’s no denying that climate change is here and we must boldly and rapidly address it. Our future depends on it.”
The Washington Post
Joe Biden ambitious climate plan
Biden has framed his climate plan as a jobs program, making clear that he is prepared to pour unprecedented resources into transitioning the United States away from fossil fuels as part of the effort to boost an economy battered by the pandemic. The result is an extensive plan that called for the elimination of carbon pollution from the electric sector by 2035, rejoining the international Paris climate accord and spending $2 trillion over four years to boost renewables and create incentives for more energy-efficient cars, homes and commercial buildings.
The Washington Post
Arnhem redraws its layout to prepare for global heating effects
The Dutch city of Arnhem is digging up asphalt roads and creating shady areas around busy shopping districts after concluding that the consequences of global heating are unavoidable
The Guardian
IEA Green recovery from coronavirus crisis
Next week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) will host an online summit for the world’s biggest economies as well as developing countries, covering 80% of global emissions. It aims to set out plans for boosting renewable energy, energy efficiency and other emissions-cutting projects that would generate tens of millions of “shovel-ready” green jobs around the world to replace those lost in the pandemic.
The Guardian
Coffee to go: Paper coffee cups are an eco disaster
With only one in 400 cups recycled, and even those barely ‘green’, the hunt is on for an alternative
The Guardian
‘Bicycles are the new toilet paper’
Bike sales boom as coronavirus lockdown residents crave exercise. Australia’s peak representative body for cyclists has called on governments to transform roads into cycleways to ease traffic on bike paths, for a second rush of customers once social distancing measures are eased, consisting of those who have to start commuting to work again but don’t want to risk catching public transport.
The Guardian
How is the coronavirus affecting global air traffic?
Before the coronavirus crisis unfolded, airlines pushed for average emissions in the years 2019 and 2020 to be used as the baseline by which future emissions would be judged.However, with the disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic, this baseline looks set to be drastically lower than anticipated. Thus, if the scheme goes ahead without changes, Corsia’s future carbon targets will be much tougher than envisaged.
The Guardian
Will coronavirus kill oil industry and help save the climate?
Analysts say the coronavirus and a savage price war means the oil and gas sector will never be the same again.A key question is whether this will permanently alter the course of the climate crisis. Many experts think it might well do so, pulling forward the date at which demand for oil and gas peaks, never to recover, and allowing the atmosphere to gradually heal.
The Guardian
The fastest way to cut carbon emissions is a ‘fee’ and a dividend
A group of prominent politicians, economists and corporate executives is renewing its push in Congress for a plan that would tax carbon and refund all the money to Americans in payments of approximately $2,000 a year for a family of four.
the Washington Post
