SEATTLE—Amazon has attracted new allies for The Climate Pledge that founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced last September.
Indian information technology consulting giant Infosys, U.S. wireless market share leader Verizon and U.K. consumer goods manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB) signed the pledge, which calls on companies to eliminate or offset all greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
The three large companies, based on three continents and in three very different industries, illustrate the range of challenges and corporate approaches to the climate emergency, which continues amid widespread protests against systemic racism and a global pandemic — both adding urgency and complexity to the climate response.
Through these unprecedented challenges, Amazon has “stayed the course” on the pledge, according to Kara Hurst, Amazon vice-president and head of worldwide sustainability. Each Amazon business unit is developing internal goals to decarbonize, she said via email. Business leaders are given emissions information “so they can incorporate that into their decision-making.”
The addition of new signatories to The Climate Pledge “will drive a new wave of investments and development of innovative low carbon products and services that will be required to meet their commitments,” Hurst said in a corporate blog post.
But even as more companies join — Amazon says several more announcements are in the offing — activists question the adequacy of The Climate Pledge target, touted by Bezos as a decade earlier than the Paris Agreement’s emission reductions that scientists say preserve a chance of limiting global warming to 2 C (3.6 F) above pre-industrial levels.
“Amazon’s Climate Pledge raises more questions than it answers about how major companies will successfully decarbonize their operations. Science has shown the next ten years matter the most to slow the climate emergency — 2040 may be too late,” Elizabeth Jardim, senior corporate campaigner with Greenpeace USA, said in a statement after Amazon announced the new signatories to The Climate Pledge.
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, whose pressure campaign in late 2018 and 2019 preceded Bezos’ Climate Pledge announcement, want the company to reach zero emissions by 2030.
Each of the three companies comes to The Climate Pledge with some goals already in place — including some surpassing the pledge targets — and challenges and opportunities specific to their businesses.
Infosys, for example, began reporting its greenhouse gas emissions, largely from diesel generators at corporate campuses, electricity use and business travel, in 2008 — a step Amazon took for the first time last year, disclosing 2018 emissions of 44.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
Infosys pledged in 2011 to be carbon neutral in 2018, and set an internal price on carbon emissions in 2017. It pushed the carbon neutral goal back to 2020 and has again delayed it, until 2021, citing in its latest corporate sustainability report “the unprecedented COVID-19 scenario and the resulting uncertainties.”
Infosys reported fiscal year 2020 direct and indirect emissions (such as fuel combustion for operations and emissions from purchased electricity) of 139,407 tons of CO2e. The company reported an additional 151,502 tons of CO2e from emissions generated by activities up and down the supply chain but outside of a company’s direct control.
In addition to focusing on its own operations, Infosys has invested heavily in emissions offsets — payments to third parties for practices expected to avoid emissions or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as switching to more efficient cook stoves or planting trees. The company reports a portfolio of offset credits sufficient to cancel out 461,626 tons of CO2e, from projects to bring biogas systems and stoves that don’t use firewood to people in rural villages.
Verizon has, in the last 18 months, accelerated efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, said James Gowen, the company’s chief sustainability officer and vice-president of supply chain operations.
“Earlier this year, our CEO reiterated our commitment to the Paris Agreement,” Gowen said in an email. “So when Jeff and his team reached out about The Climate Pledge, we saw this as the perfect way to continue to expand the breadth and boldness of our program.”
In 2018, Verizon’s direct and indirect emissions were just over 4.4 million tons of CO2e. It also accounted for 98,188 tons of CO2e from business travel.
Some 91 per cent of the company’s direct and indirect emissions came from electricity used to power its networks, providing a relatively straightforward pathway to decarbonization through improving cooling systems and testing higher operating temperatures in network facilities, and purchases of wind and solar energy. The company last year pledged to be carbon neutral by 2035.
Verizon in February announced plans to purchase more renewable energy, drawing on a $1 billion (U.S.) bond issue devoted to emissions reductions, but it ranks last among the four largest U.S. wireless providers in clean energy usage, according to a report released Tuesday by Green America, a non-profit pursuing social justice and environmental health through consumer-driven economic changes, and based on corporate disclosures of 2018 energy use.
T-Mobile ranked first with a commitment to reach 100 per cent renewable energy next year.
RB, which makes a range of consumer products under brand names including Lysol, Clearasil and Woolite, announced it was accelerating its climate mitigation plans earlier this month.
The company reports emissions in 2019 totalled 36.4 million tons of CO2e. More than three-quarters of its reported emissions are related to consumer use. In addition to moving to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and investing in efficiency improvements at its factories, the company is trying to drive changes in consumer behaviour.
Critics of corporate climate pronouncements call out their reliance on emissions offsets to reach the goal.
There is broad agreement that it’s important to incentivize these practices, including the natural climate solutions such as reforestation and wetlands preservation that one widely cited study estimates could account for more than a third of emissions reductions needed by 2030. But their use to balance out ongoing corporate emissions from things with no immediate zero-carbon alternative, such as air transportation and steel production, continues to draw skepticism.
Amazon declined to say how much of its 2040 greenhouse-gas footprint it anticipates “neutralizing” through the use of offset credits, nor would it specify requirements, if any, embedded in The Climate Pledge.
Each company that signs the pledge “will have its own needs and will map out its own journey to become net zero, and offsets should only be the last piece of the puzzle for any remaining emissions,” Hurst said, adding that offsets must be “additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial.”
“For Amazon’s Climate Pledge to be a credible effort we need far more transparency than simply reporting emissions data,” Greenpeace’s Jardim said. “We need concrete plans for how companies will transition off fossil fuels in the next decade, as well as commitments to prioritize deep decarbonization pathways over carbon offsetting.”
Temperatures in the Arctic Circle are likely to have hit an all-time record, reaching a scorching 38 degrees Celsius in Verkhoyansk, a Siberian town.
The record still needs to be verified, but it appears to have been 18°C higher than the average maximum daily temperature in June.
BBC News reports hot summer weather is not uncommon in the Arctic Circle, but recent months have seen abnormally high temperatures.
The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average.
Verkhoyansk, home to about 1300 people, sits just inside the Arctic Circle, in remote Siberia.
It has an extreme climate with temperatures plunging in January to an average maximum of -42°C and then surging in June to 20°C.
However, a persistent heatwave this year in the Arctic Circle has worried meteorologists.
Climate Change service reported that the average temperature was around 10°C above normal.
BBC News reports earlier in June, parts of Siberia recorded 30°C, while in May, Khatanga in Russia, situated in the Arctic Circle at 72 degrees north, set a new May temperature record of 25.4°C.
“Year-on-year temperature records are being broken around the world, but the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth,” said Dr Dann Mitchell, associate professor in atmospheric science at the University of Bristol.
“So, it is unsurprising to see records being broken in this region. We will see more of this in the near future.”
Heatwaves in the Arctic are not unusual.
Weather patterns around the world can align in such a way that hot air is transported quite far northward and colder air from the poles southward.
Over the last few months a large area of high pressure in eastern Russia has been dominant.
This has led to southerly winds bringing warmer air from near the tropics, leading to higher than average temperatures.
However, the persistence of this weather pattern has led to a longevity and scale of heat that is worrying.
BBC News reports this is consistent with what climatologists believe will happen in the Arctic with climate change.
Most scientists agree that over the past 30 years, the Arctic has warmed at a rate of twice the global average.
The graphic below shows that across the globe, through the period 1960-2019, average air temperature has generally increased by around 1.0°C.
However, heading closer to the North Pole, latitude 90°, the reds become darker. This shows how the temperature has increased here more than anywhere else, by around 4.0°C.
Warming in the Arctic is leading to the thawing of once permanently frozen permafrost below ground.
This is alarming scientists because as permafrost thaws, carbon dioxide and methane previously locked up below ground is released.
These greenhouse gases can cause further warming, and further thawing of the permafrost, in a vicious cycle known as positive feedback.
The higher temperatures also cause land ice in the Arctic to melt at a faster rate, leading to greater run-off into the ocean where it contributes to sea-level rise.
There is also an element of positive feedback here, says BBC Weather, because the loss of highly reflective white ice means that the ground and sea absorb more heat.
A study has reported an estimate of 2,183,500 tonnes of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood and dairy products is wasted each year due to breaks and deficiencies in the cold food chain.
A report prepared for Refrigerants Australia and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has shown that poor temperature management is the greatest risk for perishable food. During transportation and handling between mobile and stationary refrigeration points, there are sometimes huge temperature variations between truck or trailer, loading docks and storage facilities. This results in significant amounts of food waste before items get to the supermarket or restaurant.
Preliminary and conservative estimates put the cost of food waste within the cold food chain at $3.8 billion at farm gate values in 2018. This is comprised of:
• 25% (1,930,000 tonnes) of annual production of fruit and vegetables worth $3 billion
• 3.5% of annual production of meat (155,000 tonnes) worth $670 million, and seafood (8,500 tonnes) worth $90 million
• 1% (90,000 tonnes) of annual dairy production valued at $70 million
The greenhouse gas emissions from food waste, attributed to sub-par refrigeration technology, practices and processes in the cold food chain, are estimated at 7.0 Mt CO2-e in Australia. Globally, if wasted food was viewed as a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet.
The transportation and storage of food in this country is big business. In 2018, more than 23 million tonnes of foodstuffs, worth $42 billion based on farm gate values, passed through the Australian cold food chain. This number is predicated to get bigger with production and transport of food and is projected to grow strongly in Australia over the next 20 years as export capacities expand.
Dr Greg Picker, Executive Director of Refrigerants Australia, says whilst industry was aware there was a problem, the report shows the true size and the implications this has on business and the environment.
“The numbers in this report are truly astonishing,” said Picker. “We always thought there were issues, which has now been confirmed for us in a big way. And it’s alarming as the faults are mainly behavioural which could be changed through educating those involved. Leaving food on the loading dock for too long, not closing truck doors, incorrectly stacked crates, these are small things that are resulting in temperature changes and food being spoiled.
“The cold food chain in Australia is long and complicated, and innocently each company, each link in that chain, would think a little bit of waste at their point wouldn’t matter. However, when you collate that waste across the entire chain the end figure is mind blowing.
“There is also the environmental consequence to consider. Think of all the water that would get used to grow and produce this food, or the emissions emitted during the farming, packaging and transporting of this food that gets tossed out. There are far too many people hungry people in Australia and starving across the world for this amount to be wasted unnecessarily,” said Picker.
Mr Mark Mitchell, Chairman of the Australian Cold Food Chain Council, forecasts that Australia will need to adopt training and education programs so that those responsible for moving food and pharmaceuticals around the country can get the best out of available technology.
“The best way for Australian food and refrigerated transport businesses to celebrate World Refrigeration Day would be to promise to do a great deal more to limit horrific food waste through better management of their refrigerated spaces and transport processes,” said Mitchell.
“While this is an opportunity to remind the world of the great benefits and opportunities provided by refrigeration, it also provides us with an opportunity to call to account those industry sectors in Australia that are misusing refrigeration through abuse of temperature controls and poor food handling processes in refrigerated transports, loading docks and cold rooms.
“Due to the vast distances in this country, food transport is a series of refrigerated events, in the hands of a range of stake holders, many of whom don’t understand how it all works. As an example, mangoes picked in the Northern Territory may be handled through stationary and mobile refrigerated spaces as many as 14 times by multiple owners on a 3,400 km journey to Melbourne. If temperature abuse through poor refrigeration practices occurs in just one of those spaces, the losses at the consumer end are compounded, and shelf life can be either drastically reduced, or result in the whole load being sent to landfill,” said Mitchell.
Kylie Farrelley, General Manager of Refrigerants Reclaim Australia, says this report highlights how the refrigeration industry and those organisations involved in the food cold chain can make improvements to reduce waste.
“The refrigeration industry is a crucial part of the cold food chain which, considering the volume of food that moves through it, has been extraordinarily successful,” said Farrelley. “However, there is room for improvement, both in how refrigeration technology is used and improved practices in the cold food chain. If everyone in the cold food chain works together, we can reduce the amount of food that is wasted, which will have positive impacts on everyone involved, from farmers, to the end consumer and the environment.
“While there are many and varied causes of food loss and waste, this study identifies many simple practices that would cost-effectively reduce perishable food waste, which would be of benefit to the whole community,” said Farrelley.
David Appel, President of Refrigeration Carrier (Global), of which Carrier Transicold is a sub brand, says the cold chain is in greater demand now more than ever.
“Carrier technology plays a leading role in the safe transport of medicine and the global effort to reduce food loss and waste, and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Appel. “COVID-19 shines an even brighter spotlight on the cold chain and getting food and medicine to those most in need. Cold chain system resiliency has proven to be an essential element to supply availability. We see that in the life sciences segment, monitoring strict temperature compliance is mission-critical to the delivery of diagnostic test kits, clinical-trial materials and vaccines.
“Greater connectivity is an essential piece of the future for the entire cold chain. We envision and are working to build an end-to-end cold chain that will reduce cost and waste in today’s cold chain network,” said Appel.
Ferries using ‘electric hydrofoil propulsion’ technology and capable of carrying 350 passengers to be developed in Belfast Harbour
A Belfast-based project to develop zero emission, high-speed ferries in Northern Ireland was among the winners of over £400m in green research and development funding announced by the UK government today.
The 13-partner syndicate – which includes Artemis Technologies, Bombardier and local universities – has secured a £33m grant to help develop zero emission ships in Belfast Harbour capable of carrying 350 passengers.
The consortium said the ferries would be among the most environmentally-friendly in the world, using up to 90 per cent less energy by relying on a “totally unique” electric hydrofoil propulsion system.
The grant, which announced today as part of a major funding round from the government’s Research and Innovation Strength in Places Fund, will help fund the project for four years. Overall, the project secured £63m in funding from the programme, which pools government investment with funding from private firms and research institutions.
First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster praised the project, which she said would support local economic growth while also furthering the development of greener transport globally. “We are all proud of Belfast’s maritime and shipbuilding heritage,” she said. “However, it is even more exciting to look towards a future which can see Northern Ireland once again leading the way with world-class manufacturing and cutting-edge technology.”
Project lead Artemis Technologies – a spin-off off from professional sailing team Artemis Racing – estimated the project would create 125 research and development jobs in the shorter term and more than 1,000 jobs across the region over the next decade.
Artemis Technologies CEO Iain Percy, a double Olympic gold medallist in sailing, said: “For years, we’ve been designing low energy, high performance solutions for some of the fastest yachts on the planet, and we will now utilise that knowledge, and along with our partners, apply it to build the world’s most environmentally friendly high-speed ferries.”
The project was one of seven R&D initiatives to secure support in the latest £400m funding round from the UK Research and Innovation’s ‘Strength in Places Fund’ today, which supports projects aimed at driving regional economic growth. The funding includes £186m of government investment, backed by a further £230m from private firms and research institutions.
Other projects to secure support today include a consortium investigating smart packaging to cut food waste, which won a £33m funding, and a Cardiff University-led effort that has gained £44m funding to develop autonomous and electric vehicles in South Wales.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the latest funding announced today would help ensure “some of our country’s most promising R&D projects get the investment they need to take off and thrive”.
“Working with the private sector our world-class universities, we’re backing new and innovative ideas that will create jobs and boost skills in every part of the UK for years to come,” he said.
Ahead of London Climate Action Week, Mayor urges businesses and politicians to ensure momentum is maintained in run up to delayed COP26 Summit
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is preparing to kick off the second annual London Climate Action Week from next week with a stark warning for business and political leaders to step up efforts to tackle the looming “climate emergency”.
The series of events that make up London Climate Action Week have switched to virtual platforms in response to the pandemic and Khan said he was “proud to see that it’s back in 2020, despite the huge challenges posed by Coronavirus”.
“The climate emergency remains one of the biggest threats we face,” he added. “As we recover from Covid-19, we can’t replace one health emergency with another – we need to come out of this crisis embracing a new normal which puts tackling the climate emergency at the heart of everything we do.”
He also stressed that there was an urgent need for businesses and policymakers to work together to further bolster the UK’s reputation for climate action ahead of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, which has been delayed by a year until autumn 2021
“With the delay to COP 26 we can’t lose the momentum on climate action, so I’m pleased to see that London organisations are leading the way, showing once again that the capital is a driving force for action nationally and globally,” Khan said.
The comments come amidst growing fears that the UK may struggle to submit its updated climate action plan to the UN by the end of this year, as agreed under the Paris Agreement.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) yesterday published a wide-ranging report on the UK’s decarbonisation efforts, which warned progress remained too slow on a number of fronts and urged Ministers to deliver a green recovery that can accelerate emissions reductions across the economy.
Next week’s series of virtual events are expected to both showcase some of London’s world-leading climate projects and provide forums for leading experts from across government, finance, business, and civil society to discuss how to accelerate the next phase of decarbonisation.
Specifically, the events are set to focus on how to mobilise green investment to rebuild economies; enhance international collaboration to address the climate crisis; and develop and deploy solutions that boost climate adaptation and resilience.
“The Covid-19 crisis and the shift of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow to 2021 threatens to take momentum out of global climate action at the very time when huge decisions are being made on economic recovery which will shape our future world,” said Nick Mabey, Chief Executive of think tank E3G. “Actions over the next 18 months will determine whether the world moves onto a path that will keep 1.5C within reach. London Climate Action Week is an opportunity for London’s cutting-edge climate organisations to re-energise the climate debate by working with colleagues worldwide to find innovative solutions.”
His comments were echoed by Fiona Reynolds, chief executive at the Principles for Responsible Investment, who argued that “with COP26 postponed due to Covid-19 London Climate Action Week is more important than ever”.
“We must keep momentum and focus on the transition to a net-zero world,” she added. “We really are in the race of our lives.”
Nigel Topping, High Level Climate Action Champion for COP26, said the hope was that the event would advance one of the top priorities for the climate summit – building support for, and momentum around, the net zero transition.
“What I’d like to see on climate action is for every business, every investor, every city, every country to commit to get to net zero carbon as soon as possible,” he said. “And for them to lay out the practical steps they’re going to take in the next five years to put them on track for that goal.”
The week is scheduled to include more than 60 events hosted by a raft of organisations, including the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, Chatham House, HSBC, climate charity Ashden, and think tank Carbon Tracker.
Decarbonization is becoming a higher priority. Here is how it can be done—and how much it might cost.
The power sector is undergoing a global transformation. Over the past decade, the costs of renewables have dropped substantially—solar power by as much as 80 percent and wind power by about 40 percent—making them economically competitive with conventional fuels, such as coal and natural gas, in the vast majority of global markets. As a result, renewables are growing fast: they accounted for the majority of new power-generation capacity in 2018. In most markets, they are now the least expensive option to add marginal capacity. In addition, renewables make up an essential element of any country’s plan to cut greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.
It is not possible to control when the sun shines or the wind blows, however. Therefore, 24/7 matching of the supply of wind and solar power to demand cannot occur the way that baseload-generating plants fueled by coal, natural gas, or nuclear power can. That creates a conundrum. Utilities, municipalities, states, and nations want low-cost, reliable electricity. Many have also set goals to decarbonize1 their power systems. How can they do both?
Few utilities or governments have yet compiled a detailed, quantitative pathway to decarbonizing the power sector substantially.
Flexibility—the ability to manage the intermittency of nondispatchable power, such as wind and solar power—is crucial to integrating significant levels of clean power. There are different ways to ensure the real-time matching of supply and demand.2 For example, gas and coal plants can adjust production up or down to smooth out fluctuations in the output of wind and solar power. Transmission lines can balance production across geographies. Well-designed incentives can encourage users to modify their consumption via demand-side management programs. Battery storage can act on the power system as both a generator when discharging and a consumption point (or “load”) when charging. These approaches all exist and have been well documented. Even so, few utilities or governments have yet compiled a detailed, quantitative pathway to decarbonizing the power sector substantially.
No two markets are identical. Even so, some principles apply widely, depending on the desired level of decarbonization. And in every decarbonization scenario, managing the intermittency of wind and solar power will be crucial. In this article, we describe, in general terms, how integrated power systems—across bulk-generation, transmission-and-distribution, and direct-customer offerings—can achieve up to 100 percent decarbonization by 20403 and the approximate costs.4 Then we consider possible pathways in four types of markets.5 Finally, we suggest how technological breakthroughs could affect these pathways.
On the basis of our research, we conclude that getting to 50 to 60 percent decarbonization is not that difficult technically and is often the most economic option. Getting from there to 90 percent decarbonization is generally technically feasible but sometimes costs more. And getting to 100 percent is likely to be difficult, both technically and economically.
Potential pathways
Reaching 50 to 60 percent decarbonization of the power system by 2040
In most markets, reaching 50 to 60 percent decarbonization can be done with little or no investment beyond that determined by purely rational economic behavior. The costs of solar and wind power and storage—three important elements in all deep-decarbonization scenarios—have fallen so far and so fast that decarbonizing is often the lowest-cost option.
Wind and solar power tend to be complementary, with wind blowing more strongly at night and in the winter, when solar energy is weaker.
The daily cycle of the sun fits well with midrange (four- to eight-hour) storage. The energy stored during the day can be released at night, ensuring a steady supply of power—thus, “solar-plus storage” (the same cannot be said of “wind-plus storage,” because wind is not as predictable). In fact, wind and solar power tend to be complementary, with wind blowing more strongly at night and in the winter, when solar energy is weaker. Markets that have both solar and wind resources are therefore better positioned to manage intermittency.
Achieving this level of decarbonization generally would not materially affect the performance of the power system. Almost all the power created would be used; we estimate curtailment6 of 2 to 5 percent. The utilization level—meaning the percentage of time a plant produces power—of individual fossil-fuel plants would also not be significantly affected, staying at 50 to 60 percent. Some of these assets would be retired, though, displaced as cheaper renewables come on line. Little to no new transmission would be needed. In short, the power system would not need to change much to get to 50 to 60 percent decarbonization.
Reaching 80 to 90 percent decarbonization of the power system by 2040
Getting to 80 to 90 percent decarbonization will generally be more expensive, more complicated,7 and require more market-specific actions. Although no new technologies are required, storage would have to be used for longer periods, and demand might need to be managed more tightly, including through active management of building heating and cooling and industrial-load shifting. Some markets may need new transmission interconnections to pool renewable assets and to share baseload resources across a larger geographic area.
At this level of decarbonization, the system would look noticeably different from how it looks now. We estimate curtailment of 7 to 10 percent because there is so much renewable power being produced to meet demand during lower-production periods. As renewables become more prominent, fossil-fuel plants are utilized less (20 to 35 percent), but many are kept available as backup to cover periods when renewables cannot meet demand.
Getting to 80 to 90 percent decarbonization will generally be more expensive, more complicated, and require more market-specific actions.
At the 80 to 90 percent level, the costs of decarbonization vary widely. In markets with above-average costs of power, there might be a modest decline (1 to 2 percent a year) in total system costs. Other, lower-cost markets might see increases.
Reaching 100 percent decarbonization of the power system by 2040
The path to 100 percent decarbonization gets even more complex, and the lowest-cost options will vary, depending on the market. Most geographies will need to rely on newer technologies to match supply and demand when wind- and solar-power production are depressed. While reaching this level is technically feasible, it could cost up to 25 percent more than the lowest-cost option.8 The path to complete decarbonization of the power sector is fundamentally about filling longer-duration gaps. Accordingly, the cost to decarbonize the last 10 percent of a power system could be significant.
Here are some existing technologies that could help markets close the gap and build a 100 percent decarbonized power system:
The path to complete decarbonization of the power sector is fundamentally about filling longer-duration gaps.
Biofuels. Biofuels, such as landfill gas and biomethane, are net-zero-carbon renewables. But they are expensive, and their supply is limited, so they can only serve as part of the solution, in most cases.
Carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS). CCUS refers to capturing the GHG emissions produced by burning fossil fuels and then either using the CO2 for other processes, such as enhanced oil recovery, or storing it somewhere safe, such as in deep-rock formations. CCUS has been proven to work but is expensive. Reducing its cost will require finding and making technological improvements and achieving scale efficiencies. Moreover, CCUS cannot capture every carbon molecule, so other technologies will still be needed to get to 100 percent decarbonization. CCUS will likely work best in highly interconnected markets, where space for renewables is at a premium, clean power has value across a larger geography, and CCUS plants can be run at or near full utilization.
Bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS). BECCS is a technology in which carbon-neutral biomass, such as wood pellets and agricultural waste, is burned for fuel, with capture or storage of the resulting CO2 emissions. The net result is negative emissions—meaning that the GHGs are removed from the atmosphere. It is not clear to what extent biomass can be scaled up, and the technology itself is relatively new. One advantage is that retired coal plants can be converted into BECCS plants, lowering capital costs and taking advantage of existing interconnections.
Power to gas to power (P2G2P). P2G2P technology involves using excess electricity to produce hydrogen that can be stored in the gas network and later converted into power again. The “clean gas” created through P2G2P technology enables storage of extremely long duration—weeks or even months. But it is also expensive and inefficient. Ten megawatt-hours of generated power in the beginning makes about three megawatt-hours of usable power by the time it is reconverted back to electricity for consumption. If there is demand for clean gas outside the power sector, however, the flexibility provided by P2G2P technology could go a long way toward integrating intermittent renewables.
Direct air capture (DAC). DAC separates CO2 from the air. It is another negative-emission technology that could be used to eliminate the last few percentage points of carbon-intensive power. The technology has been demonstrated but tremendous amounts of energy are needed to capture, separate, and then sequester the CO2. And doing so is very expensive. Therefore, our findings generally suggest it is not part of the solution for 100 percent decarbonization.
Compared with the scenario for 80 to 90 percent decarbonization, fossil-fuel-plant utilization would need to fall sharply (down to 4 to 6 percent) to decarbonize the power sector entirely. Each market would also need to net its carbon emissions, likely via biofuels, P2G2P technology, or by finding additional offsets. Curtailment would be about the same.
Decarbonization pathways in four types of power markets
Given differences in climate, natural resources, and infrastructure, different markets will need to take different pathways to decarbonize their power systems (exhibit). We have analyzed four types of markets. We selected these markets because they capture most of the globally relevant salient features, including transmission potential, quality of clean resources (both intermittent solar and wind energy and dispatchable hydro and nuclear energy), the starting point of a market’s carbon intensity, and the potential for the distributed network to provide flexibility.
Source: McKinsey & Company
Source: McKinsey & Company
‘Islanded’ markets
“Islanded” markets, as the name implies, refer to islands, such as Hawaii, as well as to places that are unusually remote or isolated. These markets are expensive because they usually must import fuel and lack interconnections. But many islanded markets also get a lot of sun. Because of the falling costs of solar power and the high prices of conventional fuels, most islanded markets do not need incentives or targets to decarbonize. In fact, we estimate that they can get up to 82 percent decarbonization just by transitioning to the lowest-cost power mix available.
Pathway to 90 percent. Ninety percent decarbonization can be attained in islanded markets mostly through a combination of solar-plus storage and wind. Relying so much on intermittent sources, however, would lead to a fairly high level of curtailment (10 percent) and to underutilized fossil plants (9 percent), which would function mostly as stopgaps when renewable generation falls short. Given the relative prices of wind, solar, and fuel imports, this pathway likely represents a substantial decline in costs over the period to 2040.
Pathway from 90 to 100 percent. Unlocking the final 10 percent of decarbonization in islanded markets requires finding carbon-free, dispatchable generation to manage periods of low sun or wind. We believe the best solution for this market archetype is P2G2P. Despite a high marginal cost, P2G2P technology is the cost-effective option for providing dispatchable generation in instances when it is infrequently required. Because the technology can use excess solar or wind power to generate clean fuel, curtailment could drop to 6 percent and power-plant utilization to 4 percent. We estimate that moving from 90 percent to 100 percent decarbonization would increase total system costs 3 to 5 percent by 2040.
Thermal-heavy, mature markets
Thermal-heavy, mature markets typically have large populations, good interconnections, and significant fossil-fuel assets. Their power systems are reliable and accustomed to managing significant load. Germany and the PJM Interconnection, the largest regional transmission organization in the United States,9 are two examples of such markets.
Pathway to 90 percent. Reaching the level of 90 percent decarbonization can likely occur in thermal-heavy, mature markets by building more wind capacity, complemented by significant storage. Curtailment rates should be low (1 percent), while thermal utilization of the remaining plants will likely fall to 20 to 25 percent. The downside, however, is the cost of the transition. Because these markets have substantial existing thermal infrastructure, unwinding the asset base means they are also likely to incur the highest cost of decarbonization of the four market types.
Pathway from 90 to 100 percent. Reaching the level of 100 percent decarbonization in heavy-thermal, mature markets probably means investing in CCUS,10 which is an effective technology when it can run continuously, or nearly so. But the associated capital costs are high. In markets with insufficient physical space to support enough renewable power, CCUS technology may be able to provide a large fraction of baseload power needs. In this approach, thermal-plant utilization would hold steady, around 48 percent, and curtailment would be negligible. But because CCUS plants are so expensive to build, moving from 90 percent to 100 percent decarbonization could increase total system costs 12 to 16 percent by 2040.
Baseload clean markets
Baseload clean markets are those that already have significant zero-carbon baseload power—such as France, with its vast nuclear assets, and Brazil and the Nordic region, with their hydroelectric resources. This gives them a structural advantage. Given their foundation of dispatchable, clean power, they can choose additional generation from lower-cost resources. As a result, these markets are likely to be able to pursue significant decarbonization at little or no cost.
Pathway to 90 percent. Given the availability of clean, dispatchable power, progress toward decarbonization should be relatively inexpensive in baseload clean markets. This archetype builds the most cost-effective source of decarbonized generation—in this case, wind—to reach 90 percent decarbonization. Because of the system’s inherent flexibility, curtailment would be only about 1 percent, and thermal utilization would be 12 percent. The cost of power would rise less than 1 percent over the period to 2040 as wind power replaces some existing thermal capacity.
Pathway from 90 to 100 percent. Unlocking the final 10 percent of decarbonization can be done in baseload clean markets by investing in negative-emission technologies as offsets11 to a small amount of peaking gas capacity that is dispatched when wind production is low and baseload resources are not enough to supply peak demand. DAC is likely to be the lowest-cost option because it is most effective in markets where it is needed only rarely. Curtailment would remain at around 1 percent, while thermal utilization would fall to 3 percent. We estimate that moving from 90 percent to 100 percent decarbonization would increase total system costs 10 to 12 percent by 2040.
Large, diversified markets
“Large, diversified markets” refers to places like California, Mexico, and parts of eastern Australia. Such large markets cover extensive territory and have good potential for renewables—typically, a mix of wind, solar, and, sometimes, run-of-river hydroelectric power. On the other hand, these markets often do not have much clean baseload power.
Pathway to 90 percent. The key technology for 90 percent decarbonization in large, diversified markets is likely to be solar-plus storage, complemented by gas power to help manage intermittency. Thermal utilization would fall to 13 percent, and curtailment would be 14 percent. Our modeling suggests that many of these markets could achieve 90 percent decarbonization by 2040 at a net decline in total system costs, as the costs of solar and storage continue to fall.
Pathway from 90 to 100 percent. Achieving 100 percent decarbonization in large, diversified markets will require overbuilding solar-plus storage, a technology that becomes increasingly inefficient as more power is lost through storage cycling and curtailment. Even when there are high-quality solar resources, the need for consistent day-to-day production challenges the system during occasional low-production periods. P2G2P technology could be the best option for replacing fossil fuels in this type of market. Although it is expensive, it works well when peaking capacity is not needed often. Thermal utilization would fall to 6 percent to cover multiday periods with below-expected solar production; curtailment would increase to 16 percent. We estimate that moving from 90 percent to 100 percent decarbonization would increase total system costs 10 to 12 percent by 2040.
What could change the pathways?
Power-system operators need to think decades ahead. That is never an easy task, and it is even more difficult now, given the fast pace of technological advances and business-model innovations. The pathways we have described, then, are not meant to be narrowly prescriptive. Adaptability and a willingness to change direction will be important in achieving high decarbonization at the lowest possible cost.
If high-cost resources, including those that play little or no role in our scenarios, come into the money and are scaled up, that could change these pathways. In some cases, a cost reduction that puts a higher-cost technology in play could also displace traditional sources of generation. Here is our analysis of how some of these technologies could affect the costs and operations of power systems that seek to achieve full decarbonization by 2040:
Nuclear. If new nuclear plants could be built 20 to 40 percent less expensively, that could translate into 20 percent lower total system costs. At that price, nuclear power could supplant investment in both thermal and renewable sources of generation. We see a clear tipping point at a new-build capital cost of $4,000 to $5,000 per kilowatt compared with $6,000 to $7,000 per kilowatt today.12 At that price, nuclear power begins to outcompete the combination of storage and renewables otherwise needed to reach 100 percent decarbonization.
Transmission. Improved siting, land acquisition, and permitting processes could cut the cost of siting interregional transmission by as much as 40 percent. That could translate into 5 percent lower total system costs.
P2G2P. Improving round-trip efficiency—meaning how much energy is generated up front compared with how much is available for consumption after the conversion cycles—is the most important factor with P2G2P technology. If this improved to 60 percent, from today’s average of 30 percent, system costs could fall 5 percent.
Adaptability and a willingness to change direction will be important in achieving high decarbonization at the lowest possible cost.
Electric vehicles (EVs). Envision a market in which vehicle-to-grid-enabled EVs account for a third of light-duty vehicles on the road. This level of penetration would displace a meaningful fraction of the stationary battery storage that would otherwise be built. Perhaps surprisingly, though, total system costs would only decline about 5 percent because displacing battery storage does not do much to solve the puzzle of achieving the transition from 90 percent to 100 percent decarbonization. The solutions required to reach full decarbonization are of a longer duration in nature than EVs can provide. While EVs are beneficial in overnight balancing, they generally fail to address multiday reliability resources.
CCUS. The potential of CCUS is considerable because it can extend the use of existing thermal-power infrastructure, provide baseload power, and substitute for some generation from renewables. A 60 percent reduction in the cost of CCUS—to $1,050 per kilowatt—could cut 2040 total system costs by 10 percent.
BECCS. The biggest single factor in the use of BECCS is the availability and cost of the biomass-input fuel. If this cost could be cut by 40 percent, BECCS could be commercialized and scaled up. At this price, the negative emissions from BECCS allow unabated-gas plants to run when renewable production is low and still achieve net-zero power-sector emissions, resulting in a total-system-cost reduction of 9 percent.
DAC. DAC technology is nascent and could come down in cost to $1,200 per kilowatt by 2050. That cost needs to go down sharply for DAC to scale up. We estimate that if DAC were 60 percent cheaper, its deployment could reduce total system costs by 3 percent.
Executing a strategy for deep decarbonization
A variety of stakeholders will need to work together to make the decarbonization transition happen.
Utilities and system planners must develop more sophisticated ways of incorporating projected energy flows and consumption patterns into their scenarios. They need to understand how a future energy system could work with the natural-gas network; the potential of behind-the-meter resources, such as distributed energy; the full potential of more complicated resources, such as storage; and the ability to trade off different types of assets, such as transmission, hydrogen, P2G2P technology, and CCUS. In addition, they need to figure out the delicate balance between the investments needed to serve their customers now and the longer-term risk of leaving expensive assets idle—or of massive, last-minute spending to reach decarbonization targets in 2040.
For regulators, navigating this territory means creating market signals and compensation structures that are effective and transparent. This is particularly important given that power systems will be increasingly complicated, with marginal assets dispatching at nearly zero marginal cost and the value of “firmness”—or reliable capacity—growing in significance.
The priority for developers and investors is to think through the implications of deep decarbonization as they plan and build future capacity. They will need to evaluate an increasingly broad range of technologies and infrastructure offerings—from stand-alone solar and wind power to hybrid renewables to transmission to multiple storage types to CCUS and BECCS to P2G2P technology. At the same time, the contracts under which developers operate are likely to be of shorter duration as these markets become more competitive, which will further complicate underwriting.
The road to deep decarbonization will be complicated, and there will be both winners and losers along the way. If decarbonization is done well, however, the benefits could be momentous. Customers will find their costs optimized, companies will create new value from decarbonization, and society will benefit from cleaner air and lower emissions.
Jason Finkelstein is an associate partner in McKinsey’s San Francisco office, David Frankel is a partner in the Southern California office, and Jesse Noffsinger is an associate partner in the Seattle office.
The authors wish to thank Amy Wagner for her contributions to this article.
Sofia offshore wind farm off UK coast in North Sea is set to have 100 262-metre tall turbines after developer Innogy signed a deal with turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa.
A wind farm planned in UK waters in the central North Sea is set to be the first in Europe to boast a new generation of king-sized turbines produced by Siemens Gamesa.
Developer Innogy confirmed yesterday that it had signed a preferred supplier agreement with the turbine maker for 100 of its new 14MW offshore turbines, which are 262 metres tall, or just 47 metres shorter than The Shard.
The turbines are set to be installed at the developer’s planned 1.4GW Sofia offshore wind project, which is located just under 200 kilometres from the UK coast in the shallow Dogger Bank zone of the central North Sea.
Innogy expects to start onshore work for the project at its Teesside converter station site in early 2021 with offshore construction then starting in 2023. Once comissioned, it expects the farm to generate enough low-carbon electricity to supply roughly 1.2 million average UK homes with their annual electricity needs.
The order is conditional upon Innogy taking the final investment decision, which it expects to happen the first quarter of 2021.
Minister for Energy and Clean Growth Kwasi Kwarteng celebrated the milestone, noting that the UK’s fast-growing offshore wind sector was set to play a “vital role” in the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.
“The UK has invested more in offshore wind than any other country and is already home to the world’s largest offshore wind farms,” he said. “Now the UK will be the first European nation to boast this cutting-edge turbine technology at Sofia offshore wind farm. Offshore wind will play a vital role in a future net-zero UK economy, and already supplies 10 per cent of UK electricity demand – a figure we expect to double by the middle of the decade.”
Siemens Gamesa said that the SG 14-222 model, which is 25 per cent more powerful than the firm’s next-best model, will be market-ready by 2024. Each enormous turbine will have a 222-metre diametre rotor and sweep an area of 39,000 metres squared.
Advocates of large scale turbines argue that their increased capacity helps to reduce costs and environmental impacts from new offshore wind farms, making the technology even more competitive.
Sven Utermöhlen, Innogy’s senior vice president of renewables operations offshore, said that the Sofia wind farm’s remote location, at 195 kilometers from the coast, necessitated the advanced technology.
“Siemens Gamesa’s towering 14 MW machine is a perfect match for our flagship Sofia project, together cementing offshore wind‘s central role in the world’s clean energy future,” he said. “This turbine embodies the impressive technology we need to build our ground-breaking project that is further from shore and more technically challenging than any of its predecessors.”
His colleague Richard Sandford, director of offshore investment and asset management, said the deal would have positive implications for the broader UK economy.
“It is also to be noted that the company [Siemens Gamesa] is a staunch supporter of the UK’s offshore wind sector, having shown impressive commitment to the development of its own facilities and to the local supply chain,” Sandford said. “This is of utmost importance to us as we work to support the Sector Deal commitments, particularly in relation to UK content.”
Siemens Gamesa and Innogy said the deal would lead to “significant opportunities” across the supply chain in the UK, noting that Siemens Gamesa already had more than 2,000 UK employees.
A new park in Thailand’s capital – built on an abandoned train track – can be a model for turning the city’s other unused spaces into much-needed green areas to boost well-being and mitigate climate-change impacts, urban experts said on Tuesday.
The Phra Pok Klao Sky Park in Bangkok, which is scheduled to open later this month, connects neighbourhoods on either side of the Chao Phraya river and was built on an elevated rail line that lay unused for more than three decades.
“It is an example of how to repurpose an abandoned structure and increase green spaces in Bangkok through cost-effective design,” said Niramon Serisakul, director of Urban Design and Development Center, a consultancy that led the project.
“It may not be large, but it has outsized importance as a catalyst for urban regeneration, and can change the way people look at public spaces,” she said.
The lack of green spaces in Bangkok and other crowded cities has come under scrutiny as the coronavirus pandemic forced lockdowns worldwide, triggering a rush to parks for exercise and to improve well-being.
The health benefits are clear: city dwellers tend to live longer in leafy neighbourhoods, according to a study last year by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
Bangkok, built on the floodplains of the Chao Phraya River, is also forecast by climate experts to be an urban area that will be hardest hit by extreme weather conditions in the coming years.
Flooding is already common during the monsoon season, but nearly 40 per cent of the city could become flooded each year by 2030 due to more intense rainfall, according to World Bank estimates.
“The effects of climate change are being felt more, so we need more green spaces,” Asawin Kwanmuang, governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, said at a ceremony to plant trees ahead of the park’s opening.
“Our goal is to increase green space in Bangkok from about 6 square metres (65 sq ft) per person to 9 square metres per person. At the same time, we want to reduce the number of cars and make the city more walkable,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The park, measuring 280 metres by 8 metres, makes it easier for residents to access nearby schools, markets and places of worship, said Niramon.
The goal is to replicate Paris’s “15-minute city”, where people can reach their destination within 15 minutes of walking, cycling or using mass transit, she said.
Across Asia’s space-starved cities, developers and planners are increasingly turning to so-called “dead land” underneath bridges, flyovers and viaducts.
Bangkok’s new sky park can be a model for swathes of unused land under the city’s expressways, said landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, who was involved in the project.
Parks and rooftop gardens can reduce air pollution and harmful emissions, and also limit flooding, said Kotchakorn, who has designed a rooftop farm and park that can retain water.
“With the sky park we have shown it is possible to create green spaces from existing structures that can be valuable in fighting climate change,” she said.
Thinking of going zero waste at home? Your Earth-conscious actions could have a massive impact on our ever-changing planet. In the United States alone, nearly 260 million tons of solid waste are generated on an annual basis, and landfills are rapidly nearing capacity.
While it’s certainly important to take action at the global, national, and community level, individual concern and simple modifications in our everyday lives can lead to lasting change.
Zero Waste: What Is It?
The term “zero waste” can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply put, the goal of low or zero waste is to reuse products when possible, cut down on items sent out for recycling, and avoid sending trash to landfills. In short, the resources we’d normally throw away are always in rotation rather than being disposed of.
Reasons to Go Zero Waste at Home
There are lots of reasons to cut down on waste in your home, from saving time and energy, to cutting down on trips to the store. Plus, zero waste reduces pollution, which improves the state of our planet, and can even improve human health as a result of decreased pollution.
In December 2018, National Geographic reported that 91% of plastic isn’t being recycled. In addition to overflowing landfills, these plastics make their way into our oceans and other bodies of water, leading to the ingestion of toxins by fish and eventually people.
The magnitude of the global waste crisis can’t be ignored any longer. By making small changes at home, we can begin cleaning up our planet and preserving it for future generations.
Wondering where to start? Below, we share 35 helpful hints that will benefit you, your family, your community, and our planet.
How to Go Zero Waste at Home
When transitioning to zero waste, many folks prefer an all-in approach, opting to implement multiple changes at once rather than tweaking their habits slowly to create lasting change.
While we applaud that level of commitment, we’ve found that gradual changes make the process easier and setbacks less likely. If you’d like to work up to a completely waste-free lifestyle, we suggest mastering one or two of the following changes each week for long term success.
1. Evaluate Your Current Level of Waste
Getting real with yourself about your habits regarding waste will help you create a plan of action. While the evaluation phase may be a bit overwhelming, it can be equally enlightening. It’s important to practice self-compassion as you assess your current situation and begin implementing small changes.
2. Start Now, Not Later
As you look around your home, you’ll likely notice unnecessary and/or unwanted items that are collecting dust and cluttering up your living space. A great introduction to the zero waste lifestyle is decluttering your home.
Refrain from throwing things away in large quantities in an effort to start fresh. Instead, donate unwanted clothing and household items, gift things to loved ones, compost at home, and don’t forget to recycle. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a helpful guide on common recyclables to simplify the process.
3. Reevaluate Household Necessities
If paper towels, plastic straws, and/or disposable razors are on your weekly shopping list, this is a great place to start making slight modifications. There’s no need to break the bank by splurging on an eco-friendly shopping spree. Small changes will add up quickly, so we recommend researching Earth-safe alternatives as you run out of your current products.
Swedish dishcloths are an Earth-friendly, cost-effective alternative to traditional paper towels, and compostable straws can replace plastic options, which release harmful chemicals into the environment as they break down.
As for your shaving needs, we’re forever fans of this unisex, plastic-free, reusable razor by Eco Roots, but there are many eco-friendly alternatives on the market for you to choose from.
Plastic toothbrushes can be easily replaced with ecofriendly brushes. We recommend Brush with Bamboo, which are plant-based and completely safe for the environment.
4. Remember: Quantity Matters
When it comes to a zero waste lifestyle, being mindful of the quantities of products you use is a great way to save money—and the planet.
Household cleaner dispensers are often designed for overuse to ensure these products are purchased frequently, but some consumers use excessive amounts of personal care and household cleaning products even if the packaging isn’t poorly designed.
Examples of frequently overused products include:
Toothpaste
Soap
Face cleanser
Shaving cream
Toilet paper
Shampoo and conditioner
Dishwasher detergent
Paper towels
Laundry detergent
Bleach
Glass cleaner
Furniture polish
Making a conscious effort to cut down on the use of these products will drastically reduce the frequency of your purchases, as well as waste.
5. Treat Yourself to a Reusable Water Bottle
Plastic water bottles may be convenient, but they’re one of the key contributors to the alarming amount of waste on our planet. A 2019 article published by National Geographic reported that no less than one million water bottles are sold every minute around the globe, and in the U.S., a mere 30% of them are being recycled. When compared to Norway, which recycles 97% of water bottles, we have some work to do.
If you’re wondering if eliminating disposable water bottles from your home will actually make a difference, the answer is absolutely! It takes one plastic bottle at least 450 years to break down completely, so you’ll literally be doing your part to save our planet each time you fill up your reusable bottle rather than reaching for a plastic one. Consider using a reusable thermos or vacuum flask for drinking water on the go.
6. Eliminate Plastic Grocery Bags from Your Life
One of the easiest changes you can make immediately is banning plastic shopping bags from your home. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the average American family uses up to 1,500 of these single-use bags each year, and on average, just 15 of those bags (1%) wind up being recycled. What’s more? Each plastic bag is used for an average of 12 minutes before being thrown away.
In lieu of traditional plastic, opt for reusable bags made from durable cloth. Keep them in your car for trips to the grocery, and stash one or two in your purse to ensure you have a sustainable bag anytime you need it.
7. Ban Freezer Bags and Plastic Wrap, Too
By now, you’re probably noticing a theme when it comes to all-things-plastic. Our planet isn’t fond of plastic, so it’s important to utilize Earth-friendly alternatives when possible. On average, families in the U.S. use about 500 single-use storage bags per year. With well over 120 million households throughout the country, that’s a whole lot of unnecessary plastic.
If you have a stockpile of storage bags at home, they can be reused if carefully washed and dried between uses; however, we’d advise against reusing bags that have been used for raw meats and odorous or moldy foods. As you run out of single-use storage bags, we recommend replacing them with reusable containers or more durable zip-style bags. While these options are a bit pricier than traditional bags, you won’t have to buy them nearly as often.
As a sustainable alternative to plastic wrap, we adore Bee’s Wrap products, which are washable, reusable, and easily compostable.
8. Stock Up on Glass Jars
Using glass jars and containers for food storage is a great way to cut down on plastic. These reusable items can be found at virtually any discount or thrift store, and they’re a great alternative to Tupperware and other plastic containers.
If you don’t have glass storage solutions at home, and you’re not keen on purchasing in bulk, simply wash and reuse glass jars from your fridge and pantry.
9. Opt for Foods with Minimal or No Packaging
As you begin transitioning to a zero waste lifestyle, you’ll become more conscious of your shopping habits. Lots of convenience foods come in unnecessarily bulky packaging. When food shopping, choose products with the least amount of packaging and/or biodegradable containers.
Farmer’s markets are a great place to pick up fresh goodies with little to no packaging.
10. Switch to Bar Soap—for Your Face, Body, Hair, and Dishes
One effective way to decrease waste is by replacing liquid soap with bar soap. While bar soap has always been available for the bath and shower, many companies are now offering bar options specifically for dishes. You can even switch to a bar variety for your hair, as Lush offers a line of deliciously aromatic shampoo bars that last up to 80 washes.
11. Try DIY Beauty Products
As you probably know, store bought beauty products often contain chemicals, such as petroleum, and they’re generally packaged to draw the eye—not to preserve the environment. Plus, they tend to be exorbitantly overpriced.
Transitioning to DIY beauty products is fun, cost-effective, and allows you to handpick safe, natural ingredients. We’re currently loving this list of 50 amazing handmade beauty products compiled by Earth911. Our absolute favorite? The deliciously refreshing lemon sugar scrub recipe by Thrifty Jinxy, which is great for personal use and makes a beautiful gift. You can even print a premade label for pretty packaging.
12. Be Mindful of Your Water Consumption
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us still leave the faucet on when we’re brushing our teeth, scrubbing our kitchen counters, etc. So much energy can be saved simply by turning off the faucet when it’s not in use.
As far as baths vs. showers, filling a bathtub generally requires much more water than the average 10-minute shower. Of course, this largely depends on the size of your tub and your particular shower head, as well as the amount of water you use.
13. Skip Takeout
Ordering in can be a difficult habit to break, but foregoing takeout reduces waste. If you do opt to order in, choose an environmentally conscious restaurant that considers our planet in both food sourcing, preparation, and packaging.
14. Grow Your Own Food
One amazingly fun and easy way to help preserve our planet is by growing your own fruits, veggies, and herbs. This is a safer and healthier alternative to buying in-store, as you can eliminate pesticides and other toxins.
Knowing exactly what goes into your food will give you peace of mind, and there’s nothing quite like watching a seed or sprout grow into something delicious! Consider using a good quality multi purpose compost to get you started.
15. Eat Less Meat
Lots of environmentally conscious folks are eating less meat to help do their part to preserve our planet. If you’re not keen on giving up meat altogether, consider going meat-free a few times a week, or eat vegetarian options for breakfast and lunch, and only eat meat at dinner.
16. Store Foods Properly
Whether it’s fresh meat, produce, or last night’s leftovers, storing your food properly will help it last longer and ensure you get the most bang for your buck. According to the EPA, the vast majority of the food we throw away winds up in landfills. In 2017, Americans disposed of more than 38 million tons of food waste. We can all work together to reduce that astronomical number.
17. Ditch the Dish Sponges
We get it… Kitchen sponges are convenient. Unfortunately, they’re also bacteria breeders and terrible for the environment, as most are made from synthetic materials.
When it’s time to replace your dish sponges, check out eco-friendly substitutes, such as a plastic-free brush like this one from Life Without Plastic. Silicone sponges are another sustainable option that are more sanitary than traditional synthetic sponges. Although silicone isn’t biodegradable, it’s easily recyclable.
18. Forego the Tissues
Many folks don’t realize that tissues can’t be recycled once they’re used; in fact, after a single use, they’re detrimental to the environment. Old school handkerchiefs might seem like a blast from the past, but they are a much more sustainable option, as they can be reused time and again. You can even turn old sheets and towels into a reusable tissue alternative.
19. Reevaluate Your Laundry Habits
Rather than throw every clothing item in the laundry after every use, consider only washing your clothes when necessary. While you’ll want to continue washing underwear, socks, and swimwear each time you wear them, items like pants, skirts, and shorts can be worn two or three times between washes, along with bras and PJs.
Line drying also saves lots of energy in comparison to machine drying. Trust us… The environmental benefits outweigh the extended drying time.
20. Switch to Sustainable Light Bulbs
Traditional incandescent light bulbs last about 1,000 hours. Switch to LEDs, and your bulbs’ lifespan increases up to 50,000 hours, saving you time and money.
For the most part, lightbulbs are recyclable; however, not all recycling centers accept used bulbs, as the components must be separated during the recycling process. Check with your local center to make sure they accept these items.
21. Opt for Rechargeable Batteries
When it’s time to replace the batteries in your remote or clock, purchase a rechargeable set instead of going the disposable route. Toxic metals from decaying batteries seep into our landfills and eventually our earth. Rechargeable sets aren’t just planet-savers… They’re convenient and much more cost-effective than traditional batteries.
22. Unplug Electronics Between Uses
Leaving electronics plugged in when they’re not in use is a waste of energy and money. From kitchen appliances to televisions and computers, the simple act of unplugging will reduce your carbon footprint and your electric bill.
One common energy-sucking culprit? Your cell phone. Many experts suggest maintaining a charge of 40-80% and unplugging overnight. These tweaks to your phone charging habits will help save the environment—and the life of your phone.
23. Purchase High-Quality Products
When possible, buy well-made items that are intended to last a very long time, if not a lifetime. From tools to cookware and everything in between, opt for items that are known for their longevity.
This concept goes a long way with kitchen items such as pots and pans. Also consider a knife sharpener to keep your knives sharp so that you don’t have to replace them.
24. Reel in the Thermostat
If you tend to crank up the heat in the winter and the A/C in the summer, keep in mind that nearly 50% of the average household’s electric bill is the result of temperature control.
While it’s impossible to gauge a temperature that will work for everyone, being mindful of the temp in your environment can help. One simple fix? During the winter, snuggle up in a sweater and slippers rather than turning up the heat, and let the fresh air in during the warmer months before switching on the A/C.
25. Utilize a Rain Barrel
Whether you plant an annual vegetable garden or you’re a self-professed flower fanatic, outdoor watering really adds up. In addition to being environmentally conscious, using a rain barrel could potentially lower your water bill. If you set up the barrel directly below your gutter’s downspout and you live in a rainy climate, you should collect plenty of water to hydrate your plants and/or flowers.
26. Purify Your Air Naturally
Many houseplants and flowers act as natural air purifiers, which can help you breathe easier and banish allergens, along with pollutants and unpleasant odours. According to Live Science, indoor plants absorb harmful gases through their leaves and root systems. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to fill your home with beautiful plants, here’s your chance!
Snake plants and spider plants are two of our absolute faves, but the famous 1989 Clean Air Study by NASA found that at least 29 different plants and flowers do an excellent job of purifying air. Check out the list—which still rings true today—and take a trip to your local nursery. Just remember to return any plastic pots, which can be reused.
27. Buy Second-Hand
Opting for second-hand clothing and household items keeps the recycling community going strong. As an added bonus, when you donate gently used goods or offer them for sale at a reduced price, you’re allowing others to try brands and products they may not have access to otherwise.
You can shop locally at thrift stores and community yard sales, and online sites like eBay and Poshmark are great for secondhand items.
28. When Buying New, Pay Attention to Where Your Purchases Come From
Not all products are created equal, so it’s important to research before making purchases. Buy from Earth-conscious retailers that are actively trying to cut down on excess waste to save our planet. The best way to research a company? A simple internet search should do. Most ecofriendly companies produce sustainability reports, which you can typically find on their websites. Any recognition or awards for being ecologically friendly are also a good sign.
29. Opt to Repair Rather than Replace
If an appliance is on the fritz, try getting it repaired before shopping for a replacement. The same goes for other household items and clothing. For instance, ripped jeans and sheets can be mended.
If an item is beyond repair, consider repurposing it rather than throwing it away. You’ll likely notice that this new mindset will spill over into other areas of your life.
30. Reuse Gift Wrap and Gift Bags
When you receive a gift, save the gift wrap, bag, and/or tissue paper when possible. Greeting cards can be used for crafts, such as ornaments and gift tags. It’s amazing how many items can be reused and repurposed when we think outside the box!
31. Treat Yourself to Experiences Instead of Things
Many of us celebrate our successes and/or sooth our sadness with impromptu shopping sprees. The next time something goes right—or terribly wrong—why not treat yourself to an experience instead? Sign up for a dance class, enjoy a night on the town, or book a low-key getaway. Scaling back on unnecessary purchases and focusing on experiences will cut down on the clutter in your home and help you tap into your creativity instead of your bank account.
32. Go Paperless
A super easy way to protect the environment is by cutting down on paper usage. Opt-in to paperless billing and online banking to do your part. If at all possible, forego printing documents and other papers, and store them virtually instead. Opting for paperless receipts at retailers and restaurants is also a simple way to cut down on paper use.
If you absolutely have to use paper, use both sides! Little changes really do add up.
33. Become an Environment-Conscious Reader
If you’re an avid reader, there are a few effective ways to cut down on your carbon footprint. Digital options eliminate paper altogether, while borrowing and buying secondhand are environmentally conscious alternatives.
If you ever decide to whittle down your beloved book collection, consider donating to a local library or school. You can also upcycle books by creating DIY projects. From decorative balls and flowers to canvas art and greeting cards, we absolutely love Felt Magnet’s list of 53 creative ideas for repurposing book pages. Check it out here.
34. Not Sure How to Dispose of Something? Do Your Research
It’s not always obvious where to dispose of specific items, so some research may be required before trashing that old phone or kitchen appliance. We regularly use Martha Stewart’s “How to Get Rid of Anything” list when we’re clearing out old items.
35. Get the Whole Family Involved
Your passion and excitement for preserving our planet will likely rub off on your loved ones. Encourage everyone in your household—and beyond—to get involved.
Launching Your Zero Waste Lifestyle
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Green groups have long criticised the Jawa 9 & 10 coal power project over its devastating impacts on public health and the environment. Now, a study has revealed the project would also be unprofitable for its investors.
The 2,000-megawatt Jawa 9 & 10 coal-fired power project planned to be built near the Indonesian capital city Jakarta would result in significant losses for investors if it goes through, a new pre-feasibility study released on Thursday (18 June) has revealed.
The analysis conducted by Korea Development Institute (KDI), an autonomous policy-oriented research organisation, shows the present value of cash flows pumped into the power project would exceed that of inbound cash flows by US$43.58 million over the station’s lifetime.
Almost three-quarters of the project volume is financed through loans provided by lenders such as Singapore bank DBS, Siemens Bank, Korean public banks, as well as Malaysian and Indonesian banks, which include Maybank, CIMB, Bank Negara Indonesia, Exim Bank of Indonesia and Bank Mandiri, among others.
However, South Korean utility Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) is the only foreign firm backing the project that will hold a share of ownership in the plant. It is poised to lose US$7.08 million in equity investments, according to the study, which was obtained by Seoul-based non-profit Solutions for our Climate.
Other equity investors associated with the venture include Jakarta-based power and petrochemical firm Barito Pacific and Indonesia Power, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s state utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), which provides the land for the station.
Solutions for our Climate director Youn Sejong said while loan investors were less at risk because their investment would be paid off first, the fact that the project itself was valued negative should still be a wakeup call for the banks supporting it.
“Investors backing the project should pull out given the estimated unprofitability. Because the construction has not commenced, this is the best time to withdraw from the project with no sunk cost involved,” he told Eco-Business.
The project, which is to add two power plant units to the Suralaya coal-fired power station in Cilegon, a city in Indonesia’s Banten province, is expected to be in operation from 2024. The new plant units will use ultra-supercritical technology to enable higher efficiencies and lower emissions.
Besides the Jawa project, Kepco is planning to acquire a share in the planned Vung Ang 2 project in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam. Its stake in the venture would see the company build two 600-megawatt coal plants carrying a price tag of US$2.24 billion.
This is despite a recent estimate by the KDI that the net value of the Vung Ang 2 project stands at negative $158 million, with Kepco’s planned investment valued at negative $80 million.
Around the globe, pressure is mounting on governments and companies to drop coal, the world’s single-biggest contributor to man-made global warming, amid increasingly dire warnings of climate change.
Both the Jawa and the Vung Ang ventures have received heavy criticism from environmental activists and health experts in recent years, who have urged the corporations backing them to recognise the reputational, legal and environmental risks involved in the investments.
A 2019 report by environmental campaigners Greenpeace that modelled the health impacts of the Jawa project concluded the station would cause 4,700 premature deaths over its lifetime.
The new assessment comes as the Korean government puts together its Green New Deal package, a collection of sweeping policies geared towards ending South Korea’s contribution to climate change. The move was announced as part of the Liberal Party of Korea’s election manifesto earlier this year.
Following Moon Jae-in’s recent landslide victory, the government is expected to implement a carbon tax, foster investment in clean energy, and phase out domestic as well as overseas coal power financing.
Last month, the world’s top asset manager BlackRock, which owns shares in Kepco, raised concerns over several coal projects the utility firm is involved in.
According to the KDI, Kepco’s financial plan for the Jawa project takes an overly optimistic view of the expected amount of power sales and potential power transmission rates.
The firm has also likely underestimated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) costs and not taken into account the financial difficulties currently facing Korean company Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, the venture’s EPC contractor, amid the coronavirus crisis.
This increases the risk of budget overruns and project delays, although they would only indirectly affect Kepco as the EPC contractor would be required to bear the added costs.
The KDI pointed out the global transition to renewables indicated coal’s decline and could entail negative consequences for the Jawa power plant units.
At the same time, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has yet to peak in Indonesia, may affect the project as it wreaks havoc on supply chains and project timelines while reducing electricity consumption. Youn said: “Planning of the Jawa 9 & 10 project was based on a gross overestimation of power demand growth.”
“Kepco should consider participating in the project only after closely examining the particular economic and market conditions in Indonesia,” reads the KDI’s report.
Despite the bleak profitability outlook, however, Kepco pursues its investment plans and seeks to obtain its board’sapproval on the investment in the next board meeting scheduled for the end of June, according to Solutions for our Climate.
Earlier this month, the company announced through the media that the project passed the new pre-feasibility study, although the project score indicated that investments should be “considered with caution”, said the non-profit in a statement released on Thursday (18 June). In total, the firm looks to commit US$51 million to the Jawa venture.
In its statement, Solutions for our Climate said: “Kepco’s hasty decision to invest in the Jawa 9 & 10 project is likely to undermine the Korean government’s initiative towards a clean energy transition and sustainable economy.”
