Puerto Rico Just Declared a State of Emergency Over Its Dying Coral Reefs
Emergency money will be applied to the growing crisis in the country’s reefs, but it’s unlikely to be enough to halt the march of stony coral tissue loss disease.
The disease, stony coral tissue loss disease, was first identified in Florida in 2014, but has traveled south, possibly on boats, to the far reaches of the Caribbean Sea since then. It was first spotted on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico in 2019, according to the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Organization, and has since spread from the small islands east of Puerto Rico to the northern and southern shores of the big island.
The disease “poses a particularly significant threat to Caribbean reefs” because it affects some 20 species of hard coral and its mortality rate can be anywhere between 66 and 100 percent, the Reef Resilience Network said. Because it spreads among coral colonies by water circulation, it creates an explosion of infections that lead to mass mortality, making it very difficult to keep at bay. It takes hundreds of years for the colonies to regrow.
[...]
So far, marine biologists have not identified which pathogen, likely a bacterium, causes the erosion of coral tissue. There is no reliable way to stop the disease from spreading to new patches of hard coral, according to Melina Soto at the Healthy Reefs Initiative who spoke recently with VICE World News about the disease.
[...]
Pierluisi also emphasized the importance of the reefs for protection from the effects of climate change, namely stronger and more frequent hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/akg9bz/puerto-rico-just-declared-a-state-of-emergency-over-its-dying-coral-reefs
@BlackoutDaily
Emergency money will be applied to the growing crisis in the country’s reefs, but it’s unlikely to be enough to halt the march of stony coral tissue loss disease.
The disease, stony coral tissue loss disease, was first identified in Florida in 2014, but has traveled south, possibly on boats, to the far reaches of the Caribbean Sea since then. It was first spotted on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico in 2019, according to the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Organization, and has since spread from the small islands east of Puerto Rico to the northern and southern shores of the big island.
The disease “poses a particularly significant threat to Caribbean reefs” because it affects some 20 species of hard coral and its mortality rate can be anywhere between 66 and 100 percent, the Reef Resilience Network said. Because it spreads among coral colonies by water circulation, it creates an explosion of infections that lead to mass mortality, making it very difficult to keep at bay. It takes hundreds of years for the colonies to regrow.
[...]
So far, marine biologists have not identified which pathogen, likely a bacterium, causes the erosion of coral tissue. There is no reliable way to stop the disease from spreading to new patches of hard coral, according to Melina Soto at the Healthy Reefs Initiative who spoke recently with VICE World News about the disease.
[...]
Pierluisi also emphasized the importance of the reefs for protection from the effects of climate change, namely stronger and more frequent hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/akg9bz/puerto-rico-just-declared-a-state-of-emergency-over-its-dying-coral-reefs
@BlackoutDaily
Vice
Puerto Rico Just Declared a State of Emergency Over Its Dying Coral Reefs
Emergency money will be applied to the growing crisis in the country’s reefs, but it’s unlikely to be enough to halt the march of stony coral tissue loss disease.
How Sweden Delivered The World’s First Fossil Fuel-Free Steel
Sweden has delivered the world’s first shipment of steel produced without the use of fossil fuels, a major milestone on the road towards cutting carbon emissions from industry.
A shipment of the steel was delivered to Swedish truck maker Volvo AB, but industrial quantities of the stuff won’t be available until 2026.
[...]
While much emphasis has been placed on the role of fossil fuels in electricity generation, research published by Carbon Brief shows that just 553 conventional steel plants worldwide are responsible for 9% of all carbon dioxide emissions, owing to the large quantities of fossil fuels—in particular coking coal—used to produce the alloy.
[...]
A technology dubbed HYBRIT—a contraction of Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology—replaces fossil fuels both in the production of the iron pellets that are the key ingredient of steel, and in the removal of oxygen from the iron by replacing carbon and coke with green hydrogen.
[...]
While this project might be the first to deliver, it’s far from the only project working on the challenge to create “green steel.” Other Swedes are racing to be the first to create industrial quantities, with H2 Green Steel claiming it will be up and running by 2024.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2021/08/19/how-sweden-delivered-the-worlds-first-fossil-fuel-free-steel/
@BlackoutDaily
Sweden has delivered the world’s first shipment of steel produced without the use of fossil fuels, a major milestone on the road towards cutting carbon emissions from industry.
A shipment of the steel was delivered to Swedish truck maker Volvo AB, but industrial quantities of the stuff won’t be available until 2026.
[...]
While much emphasis has been placed on the role of fossil fuels in electricity generation, research published by Carbon Brief shows that just 553 conventional steel plants worldwide are responsible for 9% of all carbon dioxide emissions, owing to the large quantities of fossil fuels—in particular coking coal—used to produce the alloy.
[...]
A technology dubbed HYBRIT—a contraction of Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology—replaces fossil fuels both in the production of the iron pellets that are the key ingredient of steel, and in the removal of oxygen from the iron by replacing carbon and coke with green hydrogen.
[...]
While this project might be the first to deliver, it’s far from the only project working on the challenge to create “green steel.” Other Swedes are racing to be the first to create industrial quantities, with H2 Green Steel claiming it will be up and running by 2024.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2021/08/19/how-sweden-delivered-the-worlds-first-fossil-fuel-free-steel/
@BlackoutDaily
Forbes
How Sweden Delivered The World’s First Fossil Fuel-Free Steel
Sweden has delivered the world’s first shipment of steel produced without the use of fossil fuels. That's big news for the effort to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate action cannot wait for pandemic to end, medical journals warn
Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on climate change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday.
"Health is already being harmed by global temperature increases and the destruction of the natural world," read an editorial published in more than 220 leading journals ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in November.
Since the pre-industrial era, temperatures have risen around 1.1 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit).
[...]
"In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people older than 65 years has increased by more than 50 percent," it read.
"Higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality."
It also pointed to the decline in agricultural production, "hampering efforts to reduce undernutrition."
These effects, which hit those most vulnerable like minorities, children and poorer communities hardest, are just the beginning, it warned.
[...]
"Despite the world's necessary preoccupation with Covid-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions."
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210906-climate-action-cannot-wait-for-pandemic-to-end-medical-journals-warn
@BlackoutDaily
Global warming is already affecting people's health so much that emergency action on climate change cannot be put on hold while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, medical journals across the globe warned on Monday.
"Health is already being harmed by global temperature increases and the destruction of the natural world," read an editorial published in more than 220 leading journals ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in November.
Since the pre-industrial era, temperatures have risen around 1.1 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit).
[...]
"In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people older than 65 years has increased by more than 50 percent," it read.
"Higher temperatures have brought increased dehydration and renal function loss, dermatological malignancies, tropical infections, adverse mental health outcomes, pregnancy complications, allergies, and cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality."
It also pointed to the decline in agricultural production, "hampering efforts to reduce undernutrition."
These effects, which hit those most vulnerable like minorities, children and poorer communities hardest, are just the beginning, it warned.
[...]
"Despite the world's necessary preoccupation with Covid-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions."
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210906-climate-action-cannot-wait-for-pandemic-to-end-medical-journals-warn
@BlackoutDaily
France 24
Climate action cannot wait for pandemic to end, medical journals warn
Climate action cannot wait for pandemic to end, medical journals warn
U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches
The Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that 22 animals and one plant native to the United States are now extinct and should be removed from the endangered species list after exhausting efforts to find evidence that they are still alive.
[...]
The big picture: 54 species, including the bald eagle and humpback whales, have been taken off the endangered list after recovering, and another 56 species have been downgraded from endangered to threatened.
However, the Fish and Wildlife Service currently categorizes more than 1,000 animals and plants as threatened or endangered.
https://www.axios.com/us-23-extinct-species-endangered-species-list-0555df01-b298-4df0-bc24-466d79530f2d.html
@BlackoutDaily
The Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that 22 animals and one plant native to the United States are now extinct and should be removed from the endangered species list after exhausting efforts to find evidence that they are still alive.
[...]
The big picture: 54 species, including the bald eagle and humpback whales, have been taken off the endangered list after recovering, and another 56 species have been downgraded from endangered to threatened.
However, the Fish and Wildlife Service currently categorizes more than 1,000 animals and plants as threatened or endangered.
https://www.axios.com/us-23-extinct-species-endangered-species-list-0555df01-b298-4df0-bc24-466d79530f2d.html
@BlackoutDaily
Axios
U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches
11 birds, eight freshwater mussels, two fish, a bat and a plant were declared extinct Wednesday.
LG Energy Solution’s six-year deal ‘signals importance of securing lithium supply’ for ESS industry
Sigma Lithium and LG Energy Solution have signed a deal for battery grade sustainable lithium concentrate to support the large-scale production of lithium-ion batteries.
Last week, Sigma announced the signing of the binding off-take term sheet with LG Energy Solution (LGES) for the supply of lithium concentrate through to the end of 2027, beginning commercial delivery next year. The South Korean battery system and electric mobility company will purchase an initial 60,000 tonnes from 2022 – 2023, with the amount increasing to 100,000 tonnes per year from 2024 to 2027.
[...]
“Sigma Lithium’s production process is 100% powered by clean energy, does not utilise hazardous chemicals, recirculates 100% of the water and dry stacks 100% of its tailings. We believe that sustainable, scalable and reliable production of high-quality lithium will be essential to meeting demand from sustainable energy leaders like LGES,” Cabral-Gardner said.
[...]
Lithium supply is one of the main concerns for the growth of the energy storage industry over the next few years. Clean Energy Associates’ current market projections suggest that lithium supply may fall below combined demand from the electric vehicle and energy storage segments as early as the next two years, even accounting for new lithium production capacity coming online.
[...]
This move, by one of the major ESS equipment suppliers, signals the importance of securing lithium supply and the importance of ESG.
Energy storage has drawn fire in some circles for the potential impacts of lithium extraction and the growing concern by investment funds with ESG mandates is clearly being taken seriously.
https://www.energy-storage.news/lg-energy-solutions-six-year-deal-signals-importance-of-securing-lithium-supply-for-ess-industry/
@BlackoutDaily
Sigma Lithium and LG Energy Solution have signed a deal for battery grade sustainable lithium concentrate to support the large-scale production of lithium-ion batteries.
Last week, Sigma announced the signing of the binding off-take term sheet with LG Energy Solution (LGES) for the supply of lithium concentrate through to the end of 2027, beginning commercial delivery next year. The South Korean battery system and electric mobility company will purchase an initial 60,000 tonnes from 2022 – 2023, with the amount increasing to 100,000 tonnes per year from 2024 to 2027.
[...]
“Sigma Lithium’s production process is 100% powered by clean energy, does not utilise hazardous chemicals, recirculates 100% of the water and dry stacks 100% of its tailings. We believe that sustainable, scalable and reliable production of high-quality lithium will be essential to meeting demand from sustainable energy leaders like LGES,” Cabral-Gardner said.
[...]
Lithium supply is one of the main concerns for the growth of the energy storage industry over the next few years. Clean Energy Associates’ current market projections suggest that lithium supply may fall below combined demand from the electric vehicle and energy storage segments as early as the next two years, even accounting for new lithium production capacity coming online.
[...]
This move, by one of the major ESS equipment suppliers, signals the importance of securing lithium supply and the importance of ESG.
Energy storage has drawn fire in some circles for the potential impacts of lithium extraction and the growing concern by investment funds with ESG mandates is clearly being taken seriously.
https://www.energy-storage.news/lg-energy-solutions-six-year-deal-signals-importance-of-securing-lithium-supply-for-ess-industry/
@BlackoutDaily
Energy Storage News
LG Energy Solution’s six-year deal ‘signals importance of securing lithium supply’ for ESS industry
A six-year lithium off-take contract signed by LG Energy Solution and supplier Sigma Lithium “signals the importance of securing lithium supply and the importance of ESG,” an industry supply chain expert has said.
COP26: Document leak reveals nations lobbying to change key climate report
The leak reveals Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia are among countries asking the UN to play down the need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels.
[...]
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, requests the UN scientists delete their conclusion that "the focus of decarbonisation efforts in the energy systems sector needs to be on rapidly shifting to zero-carbon sources and actively phasing out fossil fuels".
Argentina, Norway and Opec also take issue with the statement. Norway argues the UN scientists should allow the possibility of CCS as a potential tool for reducing emissions from fossil fuels.
The draft report accepts CCS could play a role in the future but says there are uncertainties about its feasibility. It says "there is large ambiguity in the extent to which fossil fuels with CCS would be compatible with the 2C and 1.5C targets" as set out by the Paris Agreement.
[...]
Brazil and Argentina, two of the biggest producers of beef products and animal feed crops in the world, argue strongly against evidence in the draft report that reducing meat consumption is necessary to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58982445
@BlackoutDaily
The leak reveals Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia are among countries asking the UN to play down the need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels.
[...]
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, requests the UN scientists delete their conclusion that "the focus of decarbonisation efforts in the energy systems sector needs to be on rapidly shifting to zero-carbon sources and actively phasing out fossil fuels".
Argentina, Norway and Opec also take issue with the statement. Norway argues the UN scientists should allow the possibility of CCS as a potential tool for reducing emissions from fossil fuels.
The draft report accepts CCS could play a role in the future but says there are uncertainties about its feasibility. It says "there is large ambiguity in the extent to which fossil fuels with CCS would be compatible with the 2C and 1.5C targets" as set out by the Paris Agreement.
[...]
Brazil and Argentina, two of the biggest producers of beef products and animal feed crops in the world, argue strongly against evidence in the draft report that reducing meat consumption is necessary to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58982445
@BlackoutDaily
BBC News
COP26: Document leak reveals nations lobbying to change key climate report
Countries are asking the UN to play down the need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels.
Antarctic marine conservation park thwarted by China, Russia
An international effort to create enormous marine sanctuaries around Antarctica has failed for the eighth year in a row. The project aimed to counter climate change and protect fragile ecosystems.
The two major world powers have consistently blocked the scheme since Australia and the EU first suggested it in 2010. They scaled the proposals back in 2017 in an effort to get China and Russia on board.
[...]
"With a growing loss of biodiversity and threats from climate change, it's disheartening that CCAMLR has failed to protect east Antarctic waters for the eighth consecutive year," said Andrea Kavanagh, director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean work at The Pew Charitable Trusts.
"Scientists have been clear that marine protection areas are needed to make a warming and acidifying ocean more resilient," she added.
The marine parks would have covered around 3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles). The area is home to penguins, seals, toothfish and whales, among others.
https://www.dw.com/en/antarctic-marine-conservation-park-thwarted-by-china-russia/a-51089527
@BlackoutDaily
An international effort to create enormous marine sanctuaries around Antarctica has failed for the eighth year in a row. The project aimed to counter climate change and protect fragile ecosystems.
The two major world powers have consistently blocked the scheme since Australia and the EU first suggested it in 2010. They scaled the proposals back in 2017 in an effort to get China and Russia on board.
[...]
"With a growing loss of biodiversity and threats from climate change, it's disheartening that CCAMLR has failed to protect east Antarctic waters for the eighth consecutive year," said Andrea Kavanagh, director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean work at The Pew Charitable Trusts.
"Scientists have been clear that marine protection areas are needed to make a warming and acidifying ocean more resilient," she added.
The marine parks would have covered around 3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles). The area is home to penguins, seals, toothfish and whales, among others.
https://www.dw.com/en/antarctic-marine-conservation-park-thwarted-by-china-russia/a-51089527
@BlackoutDaily
DW.COM
Antarctic marine conservation park talks break down
An international effort to create enormous marine sanctuaries around Antarctica has failed for the eighth year in a row. The project aimed to counter climate change and protect fragile ecosystems.
China to supercharge uranium race with 150 new nuclear reactors
China has reported overnight to be planning 150 new nuclear reactors over the next 15 years — more than have been built around the world since 1980 — a signal that uranium production needs to be stepped up, fast and soon.
[...]
The cost of China’s new nuclear ambition has been estimated at US$440 billion (A$589 billion) and will, if executed, mean that country leaping ahead of the US as the world’s largest nuclear energy generator.
[...]
China has, at present, 2,990 coal fired power stations and it will require a huge lift in nuclear capacity to allow Beijing to retire a meaningful number of those thermal generating plants to meet its emission reduction commitments.
https://smallcaps.com.au/china-supercharge-uranium-race-150-new-nuclear-reactors/
@BlackoutDaily
China has reported overnight to be planning 150 new nuclear reactors over the next 15 years — more than have been built around the world since 1980 — a signal that uranium production needs to be stepped up, fast and soon.
[...]
The cost of China’s new nuclear ambition has been estimated at US$440 billion (A$589 billion) and will, if executed, mean that country leaping ahead of the US as the world’s largest nuclear energy generator.
[...]
China has, at present, 2,990 coal fired power stations and it will require a huge lift in nuclear capacity to allow Beijing to retire a meaningful number of those thermal generating plants to meet its emission reduction commitments.
https://smallcaps.com.au/china-supercharge-uranium-race-150-new-nuclear-reactors/
@BlackoutDaily
Small Caps
China to supercharge uranium race with 150 new nuclear reactors
It is the news that the uranium players have been waiting for: a potential new, huge surge in demand that will reward mining companies ready to go into
EV batteries: Cheaper way to recycle material developed in Japan
Sumitomo Metal's method promises more reliable supply of cobalt, lithium and copper
TOKYO -- Sumitomo Metal Mining will start recycling cobalt, lithium and other key materials from used electric vehicle batteries, employing a cost-competitive proprietary process to extract high-grade metals.
[...]
Sumitomo Metal plans to bring a recycling facility online in Japan by 2023. It will have the capacity to process 7,000 tons of crushed batteries a year -- enough to extract 200 tons of cobalt, sufficient for 20,000 EVs, out of batteries using nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes.
[...]
The company said its method will remain competitive even if mined lithium falls to around $5 or $6 per kilogram, or if nickel and cobalt prices return to past lulls.
EV-related demand has sent prices for these materials surging, and sourcing them has become increasingly challenging for businesses worldwide. Lithium has more than doubled over a year to nearly $30 per kilogram, while cobalt has risen about 80% to around $60,000 per ton.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Commodities/EV-batteries-Cheaper-way-to-recycle-material-developed-in-Japan
@BlackoutDaily
Sumitomo Metal's method promises more reliable supply of cobalt, lithium and copper
TOKYO -- Sumitomo Metal Mining will start recycling cobalt, lithium and other key materials from used electric vehicle batteries, employing a cost-competitive proprietary process to extract high-grade metals.
[...]
Sumitomo Metal plans to bring a recycling facility online in Japan by 2023. It will have the capacity to process 7,000 tons of crushed batteries a year -- enough to extract 200 tons of cobalt, sufficient for 20,000 EVs, out of batteries using nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes.
[...]
The company said its method will remain competitive even if mined lithium falls to around $5 or $6 per kilogram, or if nickel and cobalt prices return to past lulls.
EV-related demand has sent prices for these materials surging, and sourcing them has become increasingly challenging for businesses worldwide. Lithium has more than doubled over a year to nearly $30 per kilogram, while cobalt has risen about 80% to around $60,000 per ton.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Commodities/EV-batteries-Cheaper-way-to-recycle-material-developed-in-Japan
@BlackoutDaily
Nikkei Asia
EV batteries: Cheaper way to recycle material developed in Japan
Sumitomo Metal's method promises more reliable supply of cobalt, lithium and copper
After almost a year of no posts, this channel will be active again moving forward (I hope)
The goal is to return back to a 3-posts-per-week schedule, and slowly expand the scope of the project from there. More info on that will be coming soon.
Some of the upcoming posts may be less recent, as there are stories from the last year that I consider worth highlighting. If an article is older than a month, the month and year it was published will be included before the headline, to keep things as transparent as possible.
Expect a name change of the channel and a follow up announcement soon-ish.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck around until now!
@BlackoutDaily
The goal is to return back to a 3-posts-per-week schedule, and slowly expand the scope of the project from there. More info on that will be coming soon.
Some of the upcoming posts may be less recent, as there are stories from the last year that I consider worth highlighting. If an article is older than a month, the month and year it was published will be included before the headline, to keep things as transparent as possible.
Expect a name change of the channel and a follow up announcement soon-ish.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck around until now!
@BlackoutDaily
Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate disappearance of an estimated 1 billion crabs
In a major blow to America's seafood industry, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has, for the first time in state history, canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea due to their falling numbers. While restaurant menus will suffer, scientists worry what the sudden population plunge means for the health of the Arctic ecosystem.
An estimated one billion crabs have mysteriously disappeared in two years, state officials said. It marks a 90% drop in their population.
[...]
He also points to climate change. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska is the fastest warming state in the country, and is losing billions of tons of ice each year — critical for crabs that need cold water to survive.
"Environmental conditions are changing rapidly," Daly said. "We've seen warm conditions in the Bering Sea the last couple of years, and we're seeing a response in a cold adapted species, so it's pretty obvious this is connected. It is a canary in a coal mine for other species that need cold water."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fishing-alaska-snow-crab-season-canceled-investigation-climate-change/
@BlackoutDaily
In a major blow to America's seafood industry, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has, for the first time in state history, canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea due to their falling numbers. While restaurant menus will suffer, scientists worry what the sudden population plunge means for the health of the Arctic ecosystem.
An estimated one billion crabs have mysteriously disappeared in two years, state officials said. It marks a 90% drop in their population.
[...]
He also points to climate change. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska is the fastest warming state in the country, and is losing billions of tons of ice each year — critical for crabs that need cold water to survive.
"Environmental conditions are changing rapidly," Daly said. "We've seen warm conditions in the Bering Sea the last couple of years, and we're seeing a response in a cold adapted species, so it's pretty obvious this is connected. It is a canary in a coal mine for other species that need cold water."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fishing-alaska-snow-crab-season-canceled-investigation-climate-change/
@BlackoutDaily
CBS News
Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate disappearance of an estimated 1 billion crabs
An estimated 1 billion crabs have mysteriously disappeared from Alaskan waters in two years, officials said.
The Climate Crisis Is Driving Poorer Nations to Desperate Measures
Heavily indebted nations’ threat to stop payment on debts is a last-ditch effort to get rich countries to pay attention to their plight.
As the United States and the world lurch toward a recession, the poorest and most vulnerable countries face a seemingly impossible set of circumstances. The group of 58 climate-vulnerable countries known as the V20 have lost 20 percent of their combined gross domestic product this century due to climate damages, according to a recent report.
[...]
The numbers are stark: Fifty-five V20 countries are due to pay back $435.8 billion over the next six years, researchers at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center have found. The IMF has warned that 60 percent of low-income countries overall are now either in or at high risk of debt distress. Troublingly, the institution also recently predicted that “the worst is yet to come” for the global economy. A separate IMF working paper found that just seven of 29 low-income countries in need of additional financing for climate adaptation have the necessary fiscal space to make those investments.
[...]
After World Bank Secretary David Malpass drew fire last month for seeming to reject the scientific consensus on climate change, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged the World Bank to develop a clear, holistic climate plan by the end of the year. “There are instruments out there. It’s just a matter of deploying them at speed, scale and ensuring that the quality of finance delivers resilience,” Ahmed said. “One thing we learned from the pandemic and climate-fueled risk is that the system and infrastructure we have isn’t quite resilient.”
https://newrepublic.com/article/168178/climate-crisis-debt-relief-maldives-v20
@BlackoutDaily
Heavily indebted nations’ threat to stop payment on debts is a last-ditch effort to get rich countries to pay attention to their plight.
As the United States and the world lurch toward a recession, the poorest and most vulnerable countries face a seemingly impossible set of circumstances. The group of 58 climate-vulnerable countries known as the V20 have lost 20 percent of their combined gross domestic product this century due to climate damages, according to a recent report.
[...]
The numbers are stark: Fifty-five V20 countries are due to pay back $435.8 billion over the next six years, researchers at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center have found. The IMF has warned that 60 percent of low-income countries overall are now either in or at high risk of debt distress. Troublingly, the institution also recently predicted that “the worst is yet to come” for the global economy. A separate IMF working paper found that just seven of 29 low-income countries in need of additional financing for climate adaptation have the necessary fiscal space to make those investments.
[...]
After World Bank Secretary David Malpass drew fire last month for seeming to reject the scientific consensus on climate change, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged the World Bank to develop a clear, holistic climate plan by the end of the year. “There are instruments out there. It’s just a matter of deploying them at speed, scale and ensuring that the quality of finance delivers resilience,” Ahmed said. “One thing we learned from the pandemic and climate-fueled risk is that the system and infrastructure we have isn’t quite resilient.”
https://newrepublic.com/article/168178/climate-crisis-debt-relief-maldives-v20
@BlackoutDaily
The New Republic
The Climate Crisis Is Driving Poorer Nations to Desperate Measures
Heavily indebted nations’ threat to stop payment on debts is a last-ditch effort to get rich countries to pay attention to their plight.
Gigafactories are recycling old EV batteries into new ones
It is a further step towards circular manufacturing
The factory in Vasteras belongs to Northvolt, a Swedish battery-maker set up by a pair of ex-Tesla executives. [...] It is capable of making every part of an EV battery, unlike some others, which buy in components such as electrodes. The factory develops battery cells for new vehicles that are being developed, in turn, by its customers. These include Volvo Cars, BMW and the Volkswagen Group.
[...]
It is aiming for a combined annual output of 150GWh by 2030. That is enough battery power to make more than 2m EVs. What is even more striking, though, is that by then these factories should be obtaining half their raw materials, including valuable substances such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, from recycled batteries. If Northvolt succeeds in meeting this ambitious target, that will be a big step towards circular manufacturing, a long-held dream in which firms make new products by recycling their old ones, thus greatly reducing their environmental footprints.
[...]
Although there are clear financial and environmental benefits from “greening” batteries by circular manufacturing, it is a road that carmakers and their suppliers may well be forced to take anyway, as legislators are starting to take action. From July 2024 the carbon footprint of batteries in EVs sold in the European Union will need to be declared. And by 2030 those batteries will have to contain minimum levels of recycled material.
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/10/26/gigafactories-are-recycling-old-ev-batteries-into-new-ones
Webarchive Link
@BlackoutDaily
It is a further step towards circular manufacturing
The factory in Vasteras belongs to Northvolt, a Swedish battery-maker set up by a pair of ex-Tesla executives. [...] It is capable of making every part of an EV battery, unlike some others, which buy in components such as electrodes. The factory develops battery cells for new vehicles that are being developed, in turn, by its customers. These include Volvo Cars, BMW and the Volkswagen Group.
[...]
It is aiming for a combined annual output of 150GWh by 2030. That is enough battery power to make more than 2m EVs. What is even more striking, though, is that by then these factories should be obtaining half their raw materials, including valuable substances such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, from recycled batteries. If Northvolt succeeds in meeting this ambitious target, that will be a big step towards circular manufacturing, a long-held dream in which firms make new products by recycling their old ones, thus greatly reducing their environmental footprints.
[...]
Although there are clear financial and environmental benefits from “greening” batteries by circular manufacturing, it is a road that carmakers and their suppliers may well be forced to take anyway, as legislators are starting to take action. From July 2024 the carbon footprint of batteries in EVs sold in the European Union will need to be declared. And by 2030 those batteries will have to contain minimum levels of recycled material.
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/10/26/gigafactories-are-recycling-old-ev-batteries-into-new-ones
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The Economist
Gigafactories are recycling old EV batteries into new ones
It is a further step towards circular manufacturing
The world is going to miss the totemic 1.5°C climate target
It needs to face up to the fact
The demise of 1.5°C does not mean that the fundamental policy implication of the Paris agreement is changed. The world needs to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse-gas levels by massively reducing its emissions and by gaining the ability to reabsorb those emissions that it cannot abate. And doing so more quickly is better. For some, a global temperature target never made sense in the first place. Dr Schrag at Harvard points out that the climate system as a whole mostly operates on a sliding scale, where higher global temperatures bring greater impacts and risks. “1.5°C is not safe and 2.2°C is not the end of the world,” he says.
Scientists do know, though, as the IPCC showed in 2018, that the less the temperature rises, the better. 1.6°C is better than 1.7°C: 1.7°C is better than 1.8°C. As a new mantra has it, “every fraction of a degree matters”. To Dr Schrag, it is never too late. “It is always the case that reducing the severity of climate change is a worthy investment. If we were at four degrees, keeping it from going to six is a noble thing to do.”
https://www.economist.com/interactive/briefing/2022/11/05/the-world-is-going-to-miss-the-totemic-1-5c-climate-target
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It needs to face up to the fact
The demise of 1.5°C does not mean that the fundamental policy implication of the Paris agreement is changed. The world needs to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse-gas levels by massively reducing its emissions and by gaining the ability to reabsorb those emissions that it cannot abate. And doing so more quickly is better. For some, a global temperature target never made sense in the first place. Dr Schrag at Harvard points out that the climate system as a whole mostly operates on a sliding scale, where higher global temperatures bring greater impacts and risks. “1.5°C is not safe and 2.2°C is not the end of the world,” he says.
Scientists do know, though, as the IPCC showed in 2018, that the less the temperature rises, the better. 1.6°C is better than 1.7°C: 1.7°C is better than 1.8°C. As a new mantra has it, “every fraction of a degree matters”. To Dr Schrag, it is never too late. “It is always the case that reducing the severity of climate change is a worthy investment. If we were at four degrees, keeping it from going to six is a noble thing to do.”
https://www.economist.com/interactive/briefing/2022/11/05/the-world-is-going-to-miss-the-totemic-1-5c-climate-target
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Study touting hydrogen — a technology favored by gas firms — was funded by gas interests, e-mails show
Several prominent scientists say the UMass Lowell study’s conclusions largely dismiss a body of research that has found risks associated with running hydrogen through ordinary gas pipes, and that the process of producing it requires so much energy that making it on a mass scale wouldn’t be viable for heating homes. Some researchers have even concluded that hydrogen, though it has no carbon, could actually accelerate global warming.
[...]
E-mails sent among the study’s principals and their funders reveal that specialists at natural gas giant National Grid and a business lobbyist with ties to the industry were allowed to review and suggest changes before the study was released. Some of the study’s recommendations were substantially written by the lobbyist.
[...]
The UMass study appears to be part of a trend in which researchers who receive funding from the gas industry have concluded that hydrogen can be used in home heating, while independent studies have not.
[...]
“That’s all a really bad look for academic integrity,” said Nathan Phillips, a professor in the Earth and Environment department at Boston University and a climate activist. “This to me is a subtle but clear reflection of how fossil fuel industry funding influences academic research to neutralize and water it down.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/16/science/study-touting-hydrogen-technology-favored-by-gas-firms-was-funded-by-gas-interests-e-mails-show
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Several prominent scientists say the UMass Lowell study’s conclusions largely dismiss a body of research that has found risks associated with running hydrogen through ordinary gas pipes, and that the process of producing it requires so much energy that making it on a mass scale wouldn’t be viable for heating homes. Some researchers have even concluded that hydrogen, though it has no carbon, could actually accelerate global warming.
[...]
E-mails sent among the study’s principals and their funders reveal that specialists at natural gas giant National Grid and a business lobbyist with ties to the industry were allowed to review and suggest changes before the study was released. Some of the study’s recommendations were substantially written by the lobbyist.
[...]
The UMass study appears to be part of a trend in which researchers who receive funding from the gas industry have concluded that hydrogen can be used in home heating, while independent studies have not.
[...]
“That’s all a really bad look for academic integrity,” said Nathan Phillips, a professor in the Earth and Environment department at Boston University and a climate activist. “This to me is a subtle but clear reflection of how fossil fuel industry funding influences academic research to neutralize and water it down.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/16/science/study-touting-hydrogen-technology-favored-by-gas-firms-was-funded-by-gas-interests-e-mails-show
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The Boston Globe
Study touting hydrogen — a technology favored by gas firms — was funded by gas interests, e-mails show
A study by researchers at UMass Lowell on hydrogen’s potential seemed innocuous enough. But hundreds of pages of e-mail correspondence now raise questions about the influence the gas industry may have had on the report.
Vanguard quits net zero climate effort, citing need for independence
Top investors including Pennsylvania-based Vanguard, face mounting pressure from Republican U.S. politicians over their use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in picking and managing securities.
One focus of criticism has been the effort known as the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, launched in late 2020 to encourage fund firms to reach net zero emission targets by 2050 and limit the rise in global temperatures. As of Nov. 9, NZAM counted 291 signatories representing some $66 trillion in assets under management.
The exit from the initiative of Vanguard, which manages about $7 trillion in assets, is a blow to efforts to organize industries to move away from fossil fuels even though the fund manager insisted it "will not affect our commitment to helping our investors navigate the risks that climate change can pose to their long-term returns."
https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/vanguard-quits-net-zero-climate-alliance-2022-12-07/
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Top investors including Pennsylvania-based Vanguard, face mounting pressure from Republican U.S. politicians over their use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in picking and managing securities.
One focus of criticism has been the effort known as the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, launched in late 2020 to encourage fund firms to reach net zero emission targets by 2050 and limit the rise in global temperatures. As of Nov. 9, NZAM counted 291 signatories representing some $66 trillion in assets under management.
The exit from the initiative of Vanguard, which manages about $7 trillion in assets, is a blow to efforts to organize industries to move away from fossil fuels even though the fund manager insisted it "will not affect our commitment to helping our investors navigate the risks that climate change can pose to their long-term returns."
https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/vanguard-quits-net-zero-climate-alliance-2022-12-07/
@BlackoutDaily
Reuters
Vanguard quits net zero climate effort, citing need for independence
Vanguard Group Inc is pulling out of a major investment-industry initiative on tackling climate change, the world's biggest mutual fund manager said on Wednesday, explaining it wants to demonstrate independence and clarify its views for investors.
What Does 30 Years of Global Deforestation Look Like?
Estimates say deforestation practices need to be thwarted by 75% by 2030, in order to effectively manage rising global average temperatures. But when looking at deforestation data over the last 30 years, it’s clear we’ve gone in the opposite direction.
[...]
Approximately 4% of the world’s forests have been lost since the 1990s. This is equivalent to 177.5 million hectares or 685,000 square miles, and greater than the total land area of 179 countries in the world.
[...]
A silver lining here is that in the most recent decade that’s passed we’ve seen a reduction in the amount of deforestation. Compared to the late 1990s, the decade between 2010 and 2020 has seen yearly deforestation reduce by 3.1 million hectares from 7.8 million to 4.7 million.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/what-does-30-years-of-global-deforestation-look-like/
@BlackoutDaily
Estimates say deforestation practices need to be thwarted by 75% by 2030, in order to effectively manage rising global average temperatures. But when looking at deforestation data over the last 30 years, it’s clear we’ve gone in the opposite direction.
[...]
Approximately 4% of the world’s forests have been lost since the 1990s. This is equivalent to 177.5 million hectares or 685,000 square miles, and greater than the total land area of 179 countries in the world.
[...]
A silver lining here is that in the most recent decade that’s passed we’ve seen a reduction in the amount of deforestation. Compared to the late 1990s, the decade between 2010 and 2020 has seen yearly deforestation reduce by 3.1 million hectares from 7.8 million to 4.7 million.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/what-does-30-years-of-global-deforestation-look-like/
@BlackoutDaily
Visual Capitalist
What Does 30 Years of Global Deforestation Look Like?
Deforestation has led to a 177.5 million hectare reduction in world’s forests. How does this impact climate change progress?
Vestas unveils circularity solution to end landfill for turbine blades
Turbine blades have previously been challenging to recycle due to the chemical properties of epoxy resin, a resilient substance that was believed to be impossible to break down into re-usable components. This has led to many technology leaders attempting to replace or modify epoxy resin with alternatives that can be more easily treated. Vestas’ solution is enabled by a novel chemical process that can chemically break down epoxy resin into virgin-grade materials.
[...]
The newly discovered chemical process shows that epoxy-based turbine blades, whether in operation or sitting in landfill, can be turned into a source of raw material to potentially build new turbine blades. As the chemical process relies on widely available chemicals, it is highly compatible for industrialisation, and can therefore be scaled up quickly.
[...]
For several decades, producing wind turbine blades manufactured with epoxy-based resin has been standard practice in the wind industry. In the most mature markets for wind energy, the first turbines are reaching the end of their operational life and this will increase over the coming years. WindEurope expects around 25,000 tonnes of blades to reach the end of their operational life annually by 2025.
Once mature, the new solution will provide Vestas with the opportunity to produce new turbine blades made from re-used blade material. In the future, the new solution also signals the possibility to make all epoxy-based composite material a source of raw material for a broader circular economy, potentially encompassing industries beyond wind energy.
https://www.vestas.com/en/media/company-news/2023/vestas-unveils-circularity-solution-to-end-landfill-for-c3710818
@BlackoutDaily
Turbine blades have previously been challenging to recycle due to the chemical properties of epoxy resin, a resilient substance that was believed to be impossible to break down into re-usable components. This has led to many technology leaders attempting to replace or modify epoxy resin with alternatives that can be more easily treated. Vestas’ solution is enabled by a novel chemical process that can chemically break down epoxy resin into virgin-grade materials.
[...]
The newly discovered chemical process shows that epoxy-based turbine blades, whether in operation or sitting in landfill, can be turned into a source of raw material to potentially build new turbine blades. As the chemical process relies on widely available chemicals, it is highly compatible for industrialisation, and can therefore be scaled up quickly.
[...]
For several decades, producing wind turbine blades manufactured with epoxy-based resin has been standard practice in the wind industry. In the most mature markets for wind energy, the first turbines are reaching the end of their operational life and this will increase over the coming years. WindEurope expects around 25,000 tonnes of blades to reach the end of their operational life annually by 2025.
Once mature, the new solution will provide Vestas with the opportunity to produce new turbine blades made from re-used blade material. In the future, the new solution also signals the possibility to make all epoxy-based composite material a source of raw material for a broader circular economy, potentially encompassing industries beyond wind energy.
https://www.vestas.com/en/media/company-news/2023/vestas-unveils-circularity-solution-to-end-landfill-for-c3710818
@BlackoutDaily
Vestas
Vestas unveils circularity solution to end landfill for turbine blades
Nevada battery recycler wins $2B loan from Energy Department
Redwood Materials, a recycling venture founded by the former chief technology officer at Tesla Inc., secured the conditional loan from the Energy Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which helped Tesla more than a decade ago.
[...]
Battery recycling will help the U.S. establish its own electric-vehicle supply chain, a major goal of the Biden administration as it seeks to move away from gas-powered cars in the larger fight against climate change. Biden also has promoted domestic production of critical minerals used in EVs and other electronics, as part of the climate fight and to counter China’s longtime dominance in the supply chain.
[...]
The company says it can recover more than 95% of the elements in a spent battery, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper. The metals are then used to make anode and cathode components for new battery cells.
[...]
Redwood Materials is expected to create about 3,400 construction jobs and employ about 1,600 full-time workers, the department said.
https://apnews.com/article/technology-nevada-south-carolina-carson-city-climate-and-environment-430b1bf8f90e40f7effccbc6248bde98
@BlackoutDaily
Redwood Materials, a recycling venture founded by the former chief technology officer at Tesla Inc., secured the conditional loan from the Energy Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which helped Tesla more than a decade ago.
[...]
Battery recycling will help the U.S. establish its own electric-vehicle supply chain, a major goal of the Biden administration as it seeks to move away from gas-powered cars in the larger fight against climate change. Biden also has promoted domestic production of critical minerals used in EVs and other electronics, as part of the climate fight and to counter China’s longtime dominance in the supply chain.
[...]
The company says it can recover more than 95% of the elements in a spent battery, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper. The metals are then used to make anode and cathode components for new battery cells.
[...]
Redwood Materials is expected to create about 3,400 construction jobs and employ about 1,600 full-time workers, the department said.
https://apnews.com/article/technology-nevada-south-carolina-carson-city-climate-and-environment-430b1bf8f90e40f7effccbc6248bde98
@BlackoutDaily
AP News
Nevada battery recycler wins $2B loan from Energy Department
A Nevada company that recycles batteries for electric vehicles has won a $2 billion green energy loan from the Biden administration.