emissions

‘As The Coal Age Ends’: UK Announces Ban On New Mines

November 18, 2024 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. Educate! climate crisis, Coal, emissions, False Solutions, Mining, net zero, United Kingdom (UK)

In a landmark decision, the United Kingdom’s energy secretary Ed Miliband has announced the banning of new coal mines in Britain, as part of the country’s drive to reach net zero. The UK government has committed to introducing legislation to restrict the licensing of future coal mines by amending 1994’s Coal Industry Act, a press release from the UK Government said. “Coal mining powered this country for over 140 years and we owe a huge debt to workers who kept the lights on for homes and businesses across the country. Now the UK is in prime position to lead the way in phasing out coal power around the world, which remains the single largest contributor to global emissions,” said Energy Minister Michael Shanks in the press release.

‘Fossil Fuels Are Still Winning’ As Carbon Emissions Reach Record Highs

November 14, 2024 Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch. Educate! Carbon Dioxide, climate crisis, emissions, Environment, Fossil Fuels

The most recent Global Carbon Budget report has found that the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels reached a record high in 2024, pushing the planet further off track from avoiding the most destructive impacts of global heating. The 2024 Global Carbon Budget — produced by the Global Carbon Project team of 120-plus scientists from around the world — projects that emissions from fossil carbon dioxide will reach 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024, an increase of 0.8 percent over the previous year, according to a press release from the Global Carbon Project.

Big Ag’s Road To Brazil

September 24, 2024 Rachel Sherrington and Hazel Healy, DeSmog. Educate! Big Ag, Brazil, climate crisis, COP30, emissions, Energy, Food and Agriculture, G20, New York (NY)

This week, as business and government leaders, investors and campaigners gather for New York Climate Week, DeSmog is relaunching its big agriculture series, which will scrutinise the power of food and farming companies. Agriculture used to play second fiddle to energy when it came to global warming, considered as a nice-to-have. But as global heating continues apace, emissions associated with food are rising fast. Nitrous oxide – a planet-heating gas nearly 300 times as potent as CO2 when measured over 100 years – is accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere at unprecedented levels. Levels of methane – another powerful greenhouse gas critical to reducing emissions – have soared since the start of the decade and are showing “no hint of decline”.

London Saw A Surprising Benefit To Fining High-Polluting Cars

September 24, 2024 Syris Valentine, Next City. Create! Car-Free Community, Cars, Children, emissions, England, Environment, Europe, London, pollution, Transportation, United Kingdom (UK)

Restricting the volume of high-emitting vehicles roaming city streets carries many benefits, from clearing the air to quieting the urban din and beyond. Recognition of this simple fact has led to the proliferation of clean air zones, designated regions within a city where vehicles must meet strict pollution standards or pay a fee to operate within it. At last count, over 300 such areas had been established across Europe. In London, which boasts the largest ultra-low emissions zone in the world, a study has found a secondary benefit: Kids started walking and biking to school more. In 2018 — the year before London’s rule took effect in the center of the city, and five years before the zone encompassed its entirety — researchers at the University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University saw in the impending policy an opportunity to conduct a natural experiment.

Fertiliser Giant Yara Must Tackle Massive Emissions, Shareholders Say

May 25, 2024 Clare Carlile, DeSmog. Resist! carbon footprint, climate crisis, emissions, Fertilizers, Food and Agriculture, greenhouse gases, Shareholder activism

Investors are calling for Yara, Europe’s largest fertiliser manufacturer, to make deep cuts to polluting emissions of greenhouse gases. Five shareholders in the company have filed a vote calling for Yara to strengthen its climate targets at its AGM later this month (28 May). If successful, the motion would see the corporation forced to set climate targets in line with a 1.5C warmed world – the vital internationally agreed goal for limiting temperature rise. The Norwegian chemical giant is the largest natural gas user in the EU. At almost 63 tonnes a year, its carbon footprint is equivalent to the annual emissions of over 16 coal-fired power plants – according to sustainable finance organisation ShareAction, the group behind the investor call.

Natural Gas Rush Drives A Global Rise In Fossil Fuel Emissions

December 6, 2019 By Nicholas Kusnetz, Insideclimatenews.org Educate! emissions, Fossil Fuels, pollution

A surge in natural gas has helped drive down coal burning across the United States and Europe, but it isn't displacing other fossil fuels on a global scale. Instead, booming gas use is fueling the global growth in greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University and other institutions. In fact, natural gas use is growing so fast, its carbon dioxide emissions over the past six years actually eclipsed the decline in emissions from the falling use of coal, the researchers found.

Under Cap & Trade California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase

November 18, 2019 By Lisa Song, Propublica.org Educate! California, Climate Change, emissions, greenhouse gases, Oil, pollution

Gov. Jerry Brown took the podium at a July 2017 press conference to lingering applause after a steady stream of politicians praised him for helping to extend California’s signature climate policy for another decade. Brown, flanked by the U.S. and California flags, with a backdrop of the gleaming San Francisco Bay, credited the hard work of the VIPs seated in the crowd. “It’s people in industry, and they’re here!” he said. “Shall we mention them? People representing oil, agriculture, business, Chamber of Commerce, food processing. … Plus, we have environmentalists. ...”

Names And Locations Of The Top 100 People Killing The Planet

May 7, 2019 Staff, Decolonialatlas.wordpress.com Educate! Climate Change, emissions, greenhouse gases, Ruling Class

Just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. The guys who run those companies – and they are mostly guys – have gotten rich on the backs of literally all life on Earth. Their business model relies on the destruction of the only home humanity has ever known. Meanwhile, we misdirect our outrage at our neighbors, friends, and family for using plastic straws or not recycling. If there is anyone who deserves the outrage of all 7.5 billion of us, it’s these 100 people right here.

In First, New York Caps Climate Emissions From Buildings

April 25, 2019 By Sebastien Malo, News.trust.org Create! Climate Change, emissions, New York City (NYC)

NEW YORK, April 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - New York's skyline is getting a green makeover under a bill adopted on Thursday that imposes massive cuts to the planet-warming greenhouse gases the city's high rises and other large buildings emit. If signed into law by the mayor of the United States' largest city, the measure will mandate that buildings over 25,000 square feet (2,300 square meters) cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, relative to 2005 levels. Buildings are New York's top emitter of greenhouse gases, according to a 2016 mayoral report, accounting for more than 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming.

Global Carbon Emissions Reached New High In 2018, Scientists Say

December 7, 2018 Lydia O’Connor, Huffingtonpost.com Educate! Carbon, Climate Change, emissions, Science

Global carbon emissions are expected to reach a record high this year, dashing hopes that such pollution could finally be coming to a standstill, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The report by the Global Carbon Project, which comes as world leaders gather in Poland for the 24th annual United Nations climate conference, projects there will be a 2.7 percent rise in global carbon emissions this year compared with a 1.6 percent increase last year. In the three years prior to that, emissions had remained steady, giving researchers hope that the pattern might continue. Now, they aren’t so sure.

Study Reveals Natural Solutions To Combat Climate Change

November 26, 2018 Matt Hayes, Cals.cornell.edu Strategize! Climate Change, emissions, Investigation

Annual greenhouse gas emissions from all U.S. vehicles could be absorbed by forests, wetlands and agricultural lands – erasing a fifth of all greenhouse gas pollution, according to new research exploring natural climate solutions for the United States. Peter Woodbury ’87, M.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’02, senior research associate in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is a co-author on research published Nov. 14 in Science Advances. The researchers analyzed 21 natural ways to mitigate climate change. They found that adjusting those natural management practices to increase carbon storage and avoid greenhouse emissions could equal 21 percent of the nation’s current net annual emissions.

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