@Table_Media
Table.Media
26 w
The energy transition partnership JETP between several developed countries and Indonesia has serious problems: The schedule is delayed, it lacks correct data and transparency, and the goals are apparently too ambitious. Now, even money intended for green investments could flow into coal power. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/PeDL1 The project was launched almost a year ago as one of the beacons of the international energy transition. But the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Indonesia and the donors of the International Partners Group (IPG) is struggling with problems: The program is delayed, lacks transparency and suffers from calculation errors, while important sectors are not covered by the JETP. This could also lead to new investments in coal being labeled as green capital. Experts see the problems as a reminder to better prepare energy transition partnerships in the future. Indonesia and donor countries under the International Partners Group (IPG), led by the US and Japan, launched the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) during the G20 Bali Summit in November 2022 with a commitment to provide 20 billion US dollars (about 310 trillion Indonesian rupiah), half from public and half from private funds. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) will coordinate the funding. Indonesia agreed to: - Peak its carbon emissions in the power sector by 2030. They are then expected to be at 290 million tonnes of CO2. That would be seven years earlier than planned and with a peak well below the previously planned 357 million tons. - Achieve net zero in the power sector by 2050. - Cover 34 percent of the total energy demand from renewables by 2030, instead of only 16 percent as previously planned. - Not to build any new coal-fired power plants. Now, the project is delayed. The joint statement states that a JETP investment and policy plan would be made public six months after the launch. However, the six-month countdown began when the JETP Secretariat was launched in February 2023, moving the date to August 2023. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/PeDL1
Table.Media
26 w
Diplomats and climate politicians fear the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip could jeopardize the upcoming climate negotiations. There is also apparently talk of postponing or canceling the conference should the situation escalate further. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/0DLit What could negatively influence the COP? - The time and attention of the most important actors are occupied by the war and possible mediation efforts. In many countries, as is now the case in Germany, the foreign ministry leads the climate negotiations. The political leaders in many countries are currently busy with the Gaza crisis. US political consultant Kalee Kreider told Axios: “This war will affect the overall mindshare that can go into the talks.” Especially at this critical time in the last weeks before the COP, the political elites are now otherwise engaged. - The conflict could also dominate the matter of funding. Arms support and refugee aid programs require scarce resources in all countries. In the Western developed countries, military aid for Ukraine and the arms build-up since the Russian attack already tie up billions that could not be used for climate financing, for example. But without far-reaching financial aid pledges, COP28 will hardly be a success. - Unlike the Ukraine war, the Gaza conflict does not involve two traditional UN members. However, after a period of observer status, Palestine joined the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2016. In 2020, it chaired the G77/China group. Whether and how the Palestinian delegation will use this position on developing countries in the current conflict at COP28 remains unclear at this stage. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/0DLit
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26 w
Terrorism is triky its unpredictable for safety in middleast
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I think the Middle Eastern conflict should certainly be discussed and we come up with ways to stop the tensions from escalating and loss of lives.
Table.Media
26 w
Late Monday evening this week, another front emerged for the next climate conference in Dubai in late November: The position of the EU countries for COP28 abandoned the use of CCS technology in the energy sector. They now aim for an “energy sector predominantly free of fossil fuels well before 2050.” Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/y6oBZ However, the COP presidency, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), relies on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to continue producing and selling oil and gas. The oil and gas countries only want to “phase out emissions,” as COP President Sultan Al Jaber emphasizes. India, the United States and other countries are also building on CCS. However, as the International Energy Agency writes, the technology has not fulfilled expectations in the past. Hardly any contribution to reducing CO2 in the short term According to the latest IEA calculations, to achieve net zero by 2050, emissions from the energy sector must fall by 35 percent by 2030 and 65 percent by 2035 compared to 2022. However, CCS technology, i.e., carbon capture in coal- and gas-fired power plants, will only be able to make a very minor contribution to reducing emissions in this short period. Numerous technological and economic hurdles prevent the large-scale use of the technology. The IEA says that by 2030, CCS plants capable of capturing 1 billion tons of CO2 per year would have to be installed worldwide. At present, however, the annual capacity is only 50 million tons. IEA forecasts indicate that if all planned projects are implemented, around 400 million tons of CO2 could be captured by 2030. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/y6oBZ
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26 w
Well it being a hot topic really depicts of its importance
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26 w
I think carbon capture has it's pros and we certainly should take advantage of them
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26 w
Interesting.. thanks for sharing about this "hot" topic
Table.Media
27 w
The EU enters the COP28 negotiations in Dubai in late November with a change of course on a key detail: The Europeans are pushing for the expansion of renewables, energy efficiency and rapid decarbonization of the economy. To achieve this, they refuse to use the controversial CCS technology in the energy sector in general – something they still had called for in the spring. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/Odn3S The EU environment ministers defined, among other things, the following negotiating positions for COP28: - Tripling renewables to 11 TW by 2030 - Doubling the pace of energy efficiency improvements by 2030 - A global phase-out of the use of unabated fossil fuels in this decade - Peaking fossil fuel consumption this decade - Abolishing fossil fuel subsidies as quickly as possible - Increased mobilization of funding from all sources to support climate action, including for loss & damage The word “unabated” caused the biggest dispute in the internal EU negotiations. It is about the role of CO2 capture technologies (CCS) in decarbonization. On the one hand, the EU wants to accept them when it comes to a global phase-out of unabated fossil fuels. This is because the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also suggest that it is necessary to use CCS in sectors that are otherwise difficult to decarbonize in order to achieve climate targets. The picture is different in the energy sector. Here, the EU now wants to focus globally on a “largely fossil-free energy system well before 2050,″ explicitly without the use of carbon capture. However, large-scale use of CCS in the energy sector is the position of the COP host United Arab Emirates and other oil states. And the EU had agreed on a similar position in the spring. At that time, the Europeans only called for an “energy system free of unabated fossil fuels.” The new position vis-à-vis the oil states is now stricter again, because it reverses the EU position from March, when CCS was also considered for the energy sector. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/Odn3S
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This will be interesting to follow during COP28! I wonder if the EU will manage to get its agenda all the way through
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27 w
EU's commitment to tripling renewables, doubling energy efficiency, and phasing out unabated fossil fuels is commendable
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27 w
We must work concurrently to develop solutions that will result in full economy-wide decarbonization.
Table.Media
27 w
Poland’s electricity generation emits more emissions than that of any other European country. In 2021, it emitted more than 750 kilograms of CO2 per megawatt hour generated. The EU average is less than 300 kilograms. Should the balance of power shift, Poland’s position on the energy transition could also change. https://go.table.media/glBhd For years, strict regulation made the expansion of wind power almost impossible. One example of this is the so-called 10H regulation introduced in 2016. According to the regulation, the distance between new wind turbines and houses had to be ten times the height of the wind turbine. In practice, this is around 2 kilometers for modern turbines. The 10H regulation made 98 percent of Poland’s territory off-limits for constructing new onshore wind turbines. The regulation was loosened in early 2023, and now the distance must only be 700 meters. While renewables have been suppressed for a long time, the PiS continues to stick to coal production. The claim is that it guarantees Poland’s energy sovereignty. The last coal mine is only to be closed in 2049. The country then aims to reach its net-zero target in 2050. So far, about 85 percent of energy consumption originates from fossil fuels, with coal accounting for 45 percent. The elections could contribute to the energy transition is through the EU’s recovery aid. The EU has frozen around 36 billion euros because Poland’s judicial system is no longer independent after its reform. Changed majorities could help these funds finally flow and thus also benefit the expansion of renewables. https://go.table.media/glBhd
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26 w
Leading in emissions is really not a good sign at all
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27 w
I hope that the political shift in Poland will lead to a more ambitious energy transition plan.
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Poland's potential political shift towards loosening regulations on renewables and moving away from coal could be a game-changer for the country's energy transition. With one of the highest CO2 emissions per megawatt hour in Europe, Poland's energy landscape needs transformation. The easing of the 10H regulation in 2023 is a positive sign for wind power development.
Table.Media
28 w
Last year, only 71 locally transmitted cases of dengue fever were reported in Europe. But this calm could be deceptive. Experts warn that Europe is unprepared for a possible wave of tropical disease infections. The European Environment Agency (EEA) warns that awareness of such health risks posed by climate change is only slowly emerging. https://go.table.media/6mF8A These “infectious diseases have epidemic potential,” Jan Semenza told Table.Media. Until recently, Semenza worked at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm and has researched the connection between climate change and infectious diseases for decades. In the event of an outbreak, the number of cases could explode at a rapid rate. “Obviously, we are not doing enough in Europe to prevent this, as the COVID pandemic has shown,” Semenza adds. Yet several aspects of climate change cause infectious diseases to spread faster, Vanuytrecht from the EAA told Table.Media. The main factors are: Increased temperatures cause pathogens to become more active and spread to new regions. Increased humidity can help bacteria spread faster. Floods offer breeding grounds for the spread of diseases. “Climate change alone is not responsible for more diseases, but rather the interplay of various aspects,” says expert Vanuytrecht. Social factors and behavioral patterns, such as hygiene and travel behavior, also play a role. https://go.table.media/6mF8A
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28 w
They need better preparation techniques
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28 w
They need not just be prepared but to work smart to prevent future climate-related epidemics.
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28 w
This is not too surprising but pretty worrying to get it confirmed by experts...
Table.Media
29 w
China has so far refused to make its own contributions to the financing of climate action, adaptation or climate damage reduction within the UN framework. According to UN definitions, the world’s second-largest economy and by far the largest CO2 emitter is classified as a so-called Non-Annex-I country – mostly developing countries. https://go.table.media/9ejKU This classification was made by the UN in 1992. According to UN statutes, China is not required to participate in international climate financing, even though the country has since experienced an unprecedented economic boom: Per capita, economic power is 34 times higher than in 1992, and the state has accumulated trillions in currency reserves. What China contributes to climate financing is, therefore, voluntary and is distributed through channels controlled by China. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), led by China, announced at the end of September that it would triple its climate financing to at least 7 billion dollars annually by 2030. However, experts criticize China for not keeping its promises. While there have been bold announcements, only relatively small amounts have been paid out so far, and the payments are marked by significant opacity. Furthermore, China, like some Western countries, announces more than it actually pays. In 2015, the People’s Republic pledged 3.1 billion dollars for the “China South-South Climate Cooperation Fund”. According to E3G research, less than ten percent of this money, 286 million dollars, had been disbursed by the end of 2022. If China were to participate in climate financing within the UN framework, the country would have to accept greater transparency and would have less control over the use of the funds. “The main reason why China does not participate in UN climate funds is likely to be a fundamental one: For China, it is a strategic priority not to lose its status as a ‘developing country,’” says Martin Voß, climate diplomacy and cooperation officer at the environmental and development organization Germanwatch. https://go.table.media/9ejKU
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28 w
Worrying! Let's push for China to act on their pledges
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29 w
Pledges should be turned into actions.
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29 w
Our hope is that all the promises will soon be turned into actions Coz that's what we need right now
Table.Media
29 w
Power lines are turning into a bottleneck for the energy transition. Without a modern power grid, green energy won’t reach electric steel mills, EVs and heat pumps that make up a green economy. According to the think tank Bloomberg NEF, global power grids need to be expanded to 152 million kilometers by 2050 to achieve climate goals – twice the existing length. https://go.table.media/ljkHy This expansion would require 21 trillion dollars in global investments by 2050, with more than a third of these investments needed in China and the United States. If these two countries do not expedite their grid expansions, the energy transition could be seriously threatened, warn experts. The US power grid could become one of the biggest bottlenecks in the country’s energy transition. According to a Princeton University study, the grid would have to be expanded twice as fast as in the last decade for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the billion-euro program for the green transformation of the United States, to achieve its full effect. The study says that if expansion is not ramped up, more than 80 percent of the potential emissions reductions from IRA measures could be lost. China is expected to invest slightly more than 80 billion euros in expanding its power grid this year. While this is a substantial sum, it falls short of what is needed. Investments should be increased to match the record-high investments in renewable power generation, says Run Zhang, China Project Manager at Agora Energiewende. “The imbalance between record-high investment in renewable generation and relatively low investment in the power grid may be a barrier to accelerating China’s clean energy transition,” says Kevin Tu of Agora Energiewende. https://go.table.media/ljkHy
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28 w
Unplug the AC adapter https://snake-game.io
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29 w
This is very interesting, we had a discussion on this at Climate Week NYC and learned a lot
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29 w
Grids should only be approved if they're taking into account green energy and major companies in towns or cities to help such places get access to clean energy
Table.Media
29 w
A changed climate: The coalition partners disagree on the path to a global phase-out of fossil fuels. As the government could not find a common position on whether such a phase-out should be demanded with or without carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCU), Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to sign a corresponding declaration by the High Ambition Coalition (HAC). Usually, Germany is one of the most important and progressive countries in the HAC on the international stage. https://go.table.media/PzLqr According to information from Table.Media, there had previously been disagreement between the Green-led Foreign Office and the FDP-led Federal Ministry of Finance during the internal coordination within the government. While Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has repeatedly urged that the upcoming COP28 in Dubai must agree to end the use of all fossil fuels, the ministry led by Finance Minister Christian Lindner favors “technology openness” – and that also means the use of CCS/CCU in the energy sector. Sources in the Ministry of Finance say that the “overall economic development must be kept in mind.” A “renunciation of the addition of ‘unabated’ would have massive economic effects, as operating certain industries where fossil energy cannot be easily replaced would no longer be possible. This would only lead to migration tendencies, but not serve climate action as a whole.” This reasoning, it emphasizes, has “already found its way into the position of the federal government as a whole in various places.” Lindner’s ministry is not alone in this demand. COP President-elect Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry of the United Arab Emirates and CEO of the state-owned oil and gas company Adnoc, also advocates the end of unabated fossil fuels. Globally, oil and gas producing countries mainly oppose the demand to leave fossil fuels in the ground. Read the full article: https://go.table.media/PzLqr
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29 w
I think its time to have interest of others first and put political/personal differences apart.
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29 w
This will be interesting to follow and see if it has consequences on the COP negotiations!
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29 w
I think Germany's climate policies should remain unchanged by the government's infighting as it's what the citizens want
Table.Media
30 w
With 70 days to go before COP28, it’s becoming clear what ideas and strategies countries advocating for more climate action intend to present. At the “Climate Ambition Summit“, part of the UN General Assembly UNGA78 convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the main points are emerging. https://go.table.media/62697 The Secretary-General Antonio Guteress (r.) with Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister, State of Kuwait. Guterres made it clear that he would only allow government leaders to speak if they presented new and far-reaching climate action proposals. From over 100 applications for the three-minute speaking slots, his team, after lengthy internal discussions, compiled a list of 34 states and seven non-state actors at the last minute. It was also noteworthy who was not on the list: neither major polluters like the USA, China, Russia, Indonesia, Japan nor traditional pioneering countries like the UK, Norway and Sweden. Guterres reiterated his calls for a global “solidarity pact” and an “acceleration agenda” for global climate action. Industrialized countries should become climate-neutral by 2040 and provide more funding to help poorer countries with the necessary transition. This includes measures such as a coal phase-out by 2030 in industrialized countries, an end to fossil fuel subsidies and no new gas and oil projects. Despite all the agreement, it’s clear that the front of pioneers is not united. A statement from the “High Ambition Coalition” (HAC), which called for a rapid exit from fossil fuels, a rapid expansion of renewables and “solidarity” in mobilizing “trillions” for climate financing the day before, received support from only 17 government leaders, including those from France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Palau and Kenya. Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not sign the document, even though Germany has traditionally been a significant supporter of the HAC. Read the full article: https://go.table.media/62697
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29 w
The global solidarity pact is very important, sad to see big countries are not 100% devoted.
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30 w
The absence of high polluters in such high level discussions speaks volumes about their commitment to accelerate climate change actions.
Table.Media
31 w
The German “Climate Adaptation Week” aims to make it clear: The effects of the climate crisis are also clearly felt in Germany. In today’s special interview, German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke demands that authorities and planners anchor adaptation in everyday life. And she calls for a reorienting agricultural policy, which has worked “against nature for centuries.” Read the full interview here: https://go.table.media/IWgjq Ms Lemke, it is only the second time there has been a Climate Adaptation Week in Germany, and since July, there has also been a draft law on the subject. But we have been aware of climate damage for much longer. Why has it taken so long to engage with this issue seriously? Steffi Lemke: It has been ignored for far too long that the consequences of the climate crisis are also clearly felt in Germany. And many still think that this problem only concerns island nations, where sea levels are rising, or Southern Europe when droughts hit the south of France and Spain. But the climate crisis is also affecting us in Germany. The increasing number of extreme weather events in Germany shows that we must act and prepare for such risks. The German government has now passed the first nationwide climate adaptation law. It creates a binding framework for the federal, state and local governments for the first time. Public attention to the issue was very high, especially after the flood in the Ahr Valley in 2021. Does it take such a catastrophe first before we act? The flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021 changed many things. It was a terrible event that claimed many lives and destroyed the property of many families. This disaster is not solely the result of climate change. For decades, we have often built our cities close to the water without keeping the holistic system of a river in mind. The consequences can be dire if a heavy rainfall event occurs in a narrow valley. And this disaster was also an example of how unprepared we are for such events. Flood Desaster in Ahr Valley in Germany: 135 people died. (IMAGO / blickwinkel) Do we need to prepare for the next disaster? There have been devastating events in various places in Europe and around the world this summer: floods in Slovenia, in Austria, in south-eastern Europe, in Libya; wildfires in Greece or Canada – the list goes on. And we know that the climate will continue to change, that temperatures here are warmer than they used to be – and that they will only get warmer. This summer was the warmest since weather records began. We have had the drought of 2018 and other dry summers in subsequent years. There have been flood disasters heavy rainfall – all events that have been at least massively intensified by the climate crisis. Therefore, We must reduce our carbon emissions to contain the climate crisis. At the same time, however, we must adapt to the climate changes that can no longer be prevented. The latter is only now entering the political and public discourse. Read the full interview here: https://go.table.media/IWgjq
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30 w
CLimate adaptation has to be at the centre of development policy, otherwise it just doesn't make sens. We should be planning for the future!
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31 w
Yes planning for the upcoming risks is a good way to overcome the crisis
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31 w
Prevention is always better!
Table.Media
31 w
It is the first official interim review of global climate efforts, an outlook on developments in the coming years and the basis for one of the most important decisions at COP28. But the Global Stocktake (GST) report published last week has received little public attention so far. Yet UN countries and non-state actors demand in the report decisive action, a disruptive transformation of energy systems, a change in global financial structures and significantly more aid money for the world’s vulnerable regions. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/DfPJ5
Global Stocktake: The details hold surprises • Climate.Table
It is the first official interim review of global climate efforts, an outlook on developments in the coming years and the basis for one of the most important decisions at COP28. But the Global Stocktake (GST) report published last week has received little public attention so far. Yet UN countries and non-state actors demand in […]
https://go.table.media/DfPJ5
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31 w
Say no to oil and no to greenwashing
Table.Media
32 w
Modernization and decarbonization go hand in hand, emphasizes Ursula von der Leyen, heralding the next phase of the Green Deal. This is based on dialogs with industry and farmers as well as a wind power package. However, she did not reveal details. Read the full analysis here: https://go.table.media/yWySR
Future of the Green Deal: 'Wind power package' and dialog with industry and farmers • Climate.Table
The Green Deal remains Europe’s strong answer to climate change. That was certainly the key statement on European climate and environmental policy in Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the EU address. Observers had hoped for such a renewed commitment to the green agenda after von der Leyen’s own party family in the EU Parliament […]
https://go.table.media/yWySR
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32 w
To decarbonise we have to get new ways to curb our carbon footprints
Table.Media
32 w
A global methane emissions reduction target is currently emerging as a potential key outcome of COP28, and COP president-elect Sultan al Jaber has mentioned the issue in numerous speeches over the past few months. Al Jaber, who is also the minister of industry for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and head of the state-owned energy company Adnoc, is calling for a gradual phase-out of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 2030. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/WeGOr Many Western negotiators will welcome this demand. US climate negotiator John Kerry is pushing the methane issue and is receiving a lot of backing from US President Joe Biden. The EU wants to regulate the sector more. And even China approached the US on methane at the last climate conference. International organizations such as the IEA and UNEP have been calling for more haste for some time. Sultan al Jaber is COP28 President-Designate and UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change (Foto: IMAGO / Bernd Elmenthaler) UAE: no transparency, little commitment But the UAE itself is not doing much to lower its methane emissions. A Guardian investigation shows that the Emirates do not report their emissions to the UN. In fact, the UN has required a methane report every two years since 2014. However, unlike other oil states in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, the UAE has yet to present a report. The lack of transparency shows: The UAE is a poor role model for other states. In addition, the Emirates is one of the countries with high methane emissions from oil and gas production. According to a study, the sector’s methane emissions are 3.3 percent – that is, 3.3 percent of the natural gas extracted during oil and gas production escapes into the atmosphere instead of being put on the market. Oil production in the Emirates thus generates particularly high methane emissions. Although emissions in the Emirates are only slightly higher than those from US oil and gas fields, they are far higher than those from Saudi Arabia (0.14 percent) or Qatar (0.06 percent). This article first appeared in Climate.Table, a product of Table.Media - Professional Briefings. Register for a free trial here.
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29 w
The blind cannot lead others who have a vision. We need to be better with our decision making
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32 w
Transparency is the key in all sectors
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Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/WeGOr
Table.Media
33 w
Climate summit: Africa calls for carbon price, fair financial system, renewables • Climate.Table
Africa’s heads of state and government have agreed on common positions on climate policy. Above all, they call for a new global finance architecture fit to address the climate crisis and spur climate-compatible growth across the continent. This is the central result of the first African climate summit in Nairobi, jointly hosted by Kenya and […]
https://go.table.media/PmGlF
Africa’s heads of state and government have agreed on common positions on climate policy. Above all, they call for a new global finance architecture fit to address the climate crisis and spur climate-compatible growth across the continent. This is the central result of the first Africa climate summit in Nairobi, jointly hosted by Kenya and the African Union this week. The Nairobi Declaration formulates the African position for negotiators at the UN General Assembly in New York in September and at COP28 in Dubai in December. African leaders called for “concrete, time-bound action” to reform the international financial system but noted that reforms alone are “not sufficient to provide the scale of climate financing the world needs.” In addition, they urged world leaders to “rally behind the proposal for a global carbon taxation regime” to provide climate finance at scale. This could include a carbon tax on fossil fuel trade, shipping and aviation, as well as a global financial transaction tax. This is in line with proposals put forward by Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change and has championed a new global finance architecture for climate action. Ruto billed the summit as a moment to shift the narrative about Africa away from victimhood to positioning the continent as a hub for climate solutions. To tap into its potential and support global decarbonization efforts, Africa needs cheap, long-term financing at a scale that is easy to access. The international financial system has so far failed to provide this adequately. Access to capital is expensive, interest rates are high, and limited concessional funding has hamstrung African countries’ ability to invest in sustainable development and contributed to debt. Ruto called for a paradigm shift to ensure developing countries can access financing “in a way that doesn’t punish us.” This article first appeared in Climate.Table, a product of Table.Media - Professional Briefings. Register for a free trial here. Full article: https://go.table.media/PmGlF
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Waiting to see if World Bank and IMF will need such calls
Table.Media
33 w
Climate change is intensifying wildfires, especially in northern regions, says fire researcher Thomas Hickler. If the Paris climate targets were met, humanity could probably “still adapt quite well in fighting forest fires.” But above the two-degree limit, things will become problematic. Mr Hickler, do you still have an overview of where forests are currently burning? Satellite observation data, for example, from ESA’s Copernicus program or NASA’s fire observation system, provide a good overview. Copernicus, for instance, has closely monitored the blazes in eastern Russia, the fires in Greece, Algeria, Italy and Canada. I have kept track of some regional fires, but not all of them. Interesting statistics on these often only emerge after some delay. Are we in a new age of wildfires? Or do the fires only seem to be getting worse because we are looking more closely? Data show: From a global perspective, the area of forest fires has been increasing since the turn of the millennium. However, the trend is not very strong so far, and there are significant regional differences. There are not more fires everywhere. So, I would not speak of a new era. Until recently, the area of fires in Europe actually tended to decrease, but due to climate change, forest fires are now also occurring in northern regions, where they were hardly ever so intense before. In Germany, too, there were more fires a few decades ago than today. But since the very dry summer of 2018, we have had three years in which considerably more forests have burned than in previous years. What dimensions are we talking about here? Last year, more than 3,000 hectares of forest burned in Germany. That is a lot by local standards. But in Southern Europe, the burnt areas are much larger. In Portugal, for example, more than 86,000 hectares burned in 2022, in Romania more than 150,000 and in Spain more than 280,000, and in all of Europe more than 700,000 hectares burned – more than ever before since measurements began. But in Canada, almost 14 million hectares of forest have burned so far this year. These are entirely different dimensions. How much is climate change contributing to fires? Global warming increases the risk of fire, especially in northern latitudes, because it results in drier and hotter weather conditions in which fires can ignite more easily and spread faster. The warmer it gets, the more frequent we will have such weather conditions in the future. The EU also recognizes this in its climate change adaptation strategy. But whether there is a fire or not, and how great the destruction caused by the fire is, depends above all on humans. This interview first appeared in Climate.Table, a product of Table.Media - Professional Briefings. Register for a free trial here. Read the full article here: https://go.table.media/hJdx4
Table.Media
33 w
IMF: Subsidy reduction creates climate targets • Climate.Table
A new report by the International Monetary Fund shows that government subsidies for fossil fuels reached a new record in 2022.
https://go.table.media/qkK60
As part of the international debate on a phase-out of fossil fuels, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington presented new figures on government subsidies for fossil fuels. In 2022, direct and indirect subsidies from taxpayers’ money for oil, coal and gas amounted to a total of seven trillion US dollars worldwide, or 7.1 percent of global economic output. According to the IMF working paper, a reform of the system could cut global carbon emissions by a total of 43 percent by 2030 and thus help meet the 2-degree limit of the Paris Agreement. Like other IMF studies, the report examines direct and indirect subsidies for fossil fuels. A majority of the subsidies from state funds (82 percent) are “implicit” subsidies, because the ecological and medical consequences of fossil fuels are not attributed to the polluters, but are borne by the general public. “Explicit”, i.e. direct, price subsidies account for only 18 percent of the total amount. Specifically: - Explicit subsidies surged between 2020 and 2022, from 0.5 to 1.3 trillion US dollars, following the price shock caused by the Ukraine war. However, the IMF expects these subsidies to fall again. - There is a large gap between “efficient” prices and market prices for fossil fuels. Efficient prices reflect the costs associated with fuels through their procurement, environmental damage and tax levies. More than 80 percent of the world’s coal is sold at less than half its efficient price. - A “full reform” of this system (removing all subsidies and imposing a carbon tax) would cut greenhouse gas emissions to levels approaching the Paris climate targets: Minus 43 percent by 2030, which comes close to “halving emissions by 2030,” which would make limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees by 2100 realistic. This would also prevent 1.6 million statistically calculated premature deaths annually due to air pollution from fossil fuels. - Even “second-best efficient combinations” (carbon price and local air emission regulations) would still yield a reduction of about 20 percent – and prevent about 1.2 million premature deaths each year. - 60 percent of the “underpricing,” i.e., prices that the IMF considers too low, relates to the uncharged damage caused by climate change and air pollution. 35 percent is due to uncharged damage to infrastructure, including roads and economic losses caused by traffic congestion and 5 percent is due to lost revenue for public coffers. The IMF’s calculations are based on a theoretical carbon price that starts at 60 US dollars per metric ton of CO2 in 2020 and increases by 1.5 US dollars every year. This is a moderate calculation, considering that the “social cost of carbon” in the USA, for example, is estimated at between 50 and just under 200 US dollars. - Reforming subsidies is “in countries’ own interest, even when excluding climate benefits.” Countries would then have revenues at their disposal, totaling 3.6 percent of global economic output. These could be used to reduce labor costs, fund “productive investments,” or reduce debt levels. This article first appeared in Climate.Table, a product of Table.Media - Professional Briefings. Register for a free trial here. Full article: https://go.table.media/qkK60
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This sounds almost too good to be true. Let's communicate this as a top solution to cut GHG emissions.
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To stop fossil fuel subsidies is a no brainer and has to be implemented as soon as possible
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Ecuador decides to leave oil in the ground • Climate.Table
Ecuador has become the first country in the world to decide in a referendum to end oil drilling in an Amazon national park ahead of schedule.
https://go.table.media/sn50L
Last Sunday, more than 5.2 million people in Ecuador voted to stop crude oil drilling in ITT Block 43 of the Yasuní National Park in the Amazon region. The referendum was held in parallel with the presidential elections and has far-reaching implications. Its result is binding, regardless of who heads the country’s government. However, it must be legally implemented first – and how that is done depends very much on the next government. In the first round of the presidential elections, left-wing candidate Luisa González received 33 percent of the votes. The liberal entrepreneur Daniel Noboa received 24 percent. The runoff election is on October 15. Before the referendum, Noboa already declared his support for halting oil production. González did not make a clear statement on Yasuní, but emphasized the importance of the oil industry for the economy and jobs. The referendum was held under the question, “Do you agree that the Ecuadorian government should keep the ITT oil fields, known as Block 43, indefinitely underground?” 59 percent answered yes. This means that oil production in the Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini regions of Block 43 will end. The acronym ITT is derived from the names. Environmental organizations around the world consider the result a success for the climate and biodiversity. For the first time, a referendum forces a government to leave oil in the ground and dismantle fossil fuel infrastructure. The region is home to isolated indigenous peoples. The biodiversity there is high. Meanwhile, the ITT oil fields have long been the scene of global conflict between energy companies and climate activists. This Article first appeared in Climate.Table, a product of Table.Media - Professional Briefings. Register for a free trial here. https://go.table.media/sn50L
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kudos
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Such a fantastic decision! One proof that if we ask people they will leave the oil in the ground
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Canada: Forest fires intensify contrasts in climate policy • Climate.Table
Canada is ravaged by the worst wildfires in its history. This has far-reaching consequences for the political and economic situation.
https://go.table.media/hVnii
Canada is currently experiencing the worst wildfire season in its history. But the devastation is hardly affecting the political landscape: The Conservative Party continues to campaign against a CO2 tax, while the ruling Liberal Party announces its climate adaptation program as the fires rage. And many people do not believe the government’s climate policy can do anything about the crisis. Like West Kelowna, a small town in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Thick yellow smoke hangs over the once-picturesque town known for its sandy beaches and wineries. It now lies in ruins after an aggressive forest fire raged through the area. It is one of 377 active forest fires in British Columbia that led the province to declare a state of emergency over the weekend. Now, all eyes are turning to Yellowknife as multiple fast-spreading wildfires take hold in the capital of the Northwest Territories. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from the city in the north. Some rain on Monday has given people hope, but the mayor warned that “the city is still under a threat.” Forests have been burning across Canada since early May. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 15.3 million hectares of land have been destroyed so far. Crops have withered, tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, and toxic smoke plumes continue to pollute the air quality from coast to coast. According to World Weather Attribution, a website that analyzes data to determine how climate change affects the intensity and likelihood of extreme weather events, the early summer from May to June has been the warmest since 1940. These conditions formed the basis for the most impactful wildfire season in Canada’s history. It was fueled by strong winds, drought, and heat, and provides a glimpse of the country’s future. https://go.table.media/hVnii
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These fires are so frequent these days. I hope this problem will be solved soon.
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Although climate action is on the official agenda at the current meeting of the BRICS countries in South Africa, it is overshadowed by other current issues. Global warming has reached a new record this year and is not stopping at BRICS countries. China and India have been hit by heat waves and heavy rain, wildfires in Siberia are out of control, and Brazil is expecting an “eccentric winter” with extreme rain. But there are other more pressing issues for the five largest emerging economies at their meeting in South Africa, as became apparent at the start of the summit on Tuesday: For instance, the admission of new members, the economic cooperation between the countries in the Global South, and the design of the new BRICS bank. The host country South Africa places the transition to a post-fossil economy at the core of its climate efforts at this summit. However, Pretoria’s “Just Energy Transition Partnership” (JETP) is not a project with the BRICS countries, but with the countries of the Global North. The BRICS alliance traditionally opposes the dominance of the “West” on the international stage. The EU, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France have already pledged 8.5 billion US dollars for South Africa’s JETP. The country is dealing with a severe energy crisis caused by its aging fleet of coal-fired power plants and corruption at the state-owned energy company Eskom. In the meantime, however, South Africa’s government wants to put the phase-out of old coal-fired power plants necessary for the JETP on hold. Overall, the BRICS summit will debate familiar climate policy issues: - Climate finance by developed countries: The failure to deliver on the promised 100 billion US dollars in 2020. - Climate justice: Developed countries must act first and more than poor countries - Rejection of climate action tariffs such as CBAM. Urgent calls to reduce emissions, expand renewables, or even a fossil fuel phase-out remain absent from the BRICS demands so far. Read more: https://go.table.media/IxFFg
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It's urgent for these countries to join the fight against climate change but it's not really like the other main economies are leading by example...
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'We need to break up the old blocs in climate policy' • Climate.Table
The Foreign Minister's aborted trip to Oceania was intended to bind the important island states more closely to the EU in climate and security policy.
https://go.table.media/0ta7l
The Foreign Minister’s aborted trip to Oceania was intended to bind the Pacific states more closely to the EU in climate and security policy. Annalena Baerbock nevertheless wants to stick to her strategy, she tells Table.Media: Offer the island states alternatives to Beijing, keep promises, put more countries financially under obligation and limit the use of CCS technology as much as possible at COP28. https://go.table.media/0ta7l
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How could this be such a failure? This is scary....
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The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Indonesia and its donor countries, while initially promising, faces serious issues such as delays, lack of transparency, and ambitious goals. These challenges may inadvertently pave the way for investments in coal to be labeled as green capital, a concerning setback in the fight against climate change. It underscores the need for better preparation and oversight in energy transition partnerships, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that funds intended for green initiatives are directed towards genuinely sustainable solutions. Read the full article for detailed insights. 🌍🌿 #ClimateAction #Sustainability
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This is bad... We need international agreements on green capital, so a (strict) definition can be set!