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Tag: greenhouse gas emission

New Carbon Capture Tech Turns CO2 into Solid Carbon

Posted on by dishanth
New Carbon Capture Tech Turns CO2 into Solid Carbon

New capture technology turns CO2 into solid carbon, a coal-like product that can be safely reburied.

Scientists may have discovered a groundbreaking new method to pull out of the air and convert CO2 into solid carbon flakes. Researchers at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have pioneered an efficient carbon mineralization process using liquid metal catalysts. This technology could provide a sustainable way to capture atmospheric CO2 and safely store it long-term as a stable solid.

Most carbon capture techniques today focus on compressing CO2 gas into a liquid that is injected deep underground. However potential leakage risks make this method less than ideal for permanently storing billions of tons of carbon dioxide. We urgently need innovative solutions to remove and safely store the CO2 already overburdening our atmosphere.

That’s why RMIT’s new mineralization approach to turn CO2 into solid carbon is so promising. It converts greenhouse gases into inert carbon solids at room temperature. This offers a potentially cheaper, more secure form of carbon storage compared to current methods.

RMIT’s method utilizes molten liquid metals to trigger a chemical reaction, transforming gaseous CO2 into solid carbon flakes. This occurs at ambient temperature inside a simple glass tube device. The process works by sending CO2 into the glass tube containing a liquid metal alloy of gallium, indium, tin, and cerium. Running an electric current through the metal accelerates the carbon mineralization reaction.

Carbon steadily accumulates as a layer of solid flakes on the liquid metal surface and the only byproduct of the process is pure oxygen. The flakes are then removed allowing the process to continue indefinitely. Because this process occurs are room temperature, the energy requirements are far lower than other systems.

The researchers experimented with different metal compositions and temperature conditions to optimize the carbon conversion process. Once optimized, the system can continuously pull in and convert atmospheric CO2 into solid carbon without additional heat or pressure.

Unlike underground injection techniques, solid carbon can easily be collected for safe, permanent storage. The carbon solids could even be processed into materials like carbon fiber. And since the process only needs a small amount of electricity and air, it has minimal environmental impact or manufacturing costs.

Turning CO2 into solid carbon could be a more predictable, sustainable and longer lasting approach to carbon capture and storage. The RMIT team is already investigating ways to scale up the liquid metal carbon mineralization method. Adoption by power plants or heavy industry could significantly cut CO2 outputs.

Finding viable ways to remove excess greenhouse gases is critical to slow global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution, over 1.3 trillion tons of carbon dioxide have entered the atmosphere – and the pace is accelerating. New solutions like RMIT’s carbon mineralization technology will be essential to extracting legacy emissions already dangerously heating our planet.

 

 

 

Source   Happy Eco News

Nestlé & Cargill use cocoa shell in new lowcarbon fertiliser

Posted on by dishanth
Nestlé & Cargill use cocoa shell in new lowcarbon fertiliser

Approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are currently produced from the production and use of conventional fertiliser, and more than half of the carbon footprint of wheat grown in the UK is related to fertiliser use.

Nestlé UK & Ireland and Cargill have partnered to develop innovative solutions in regenerative agriculture. The initiative — a UK supply chain trial — aims to assess whether cocoa shells from a confectionery site in York could be used to create a low carbon fertiliser.

The trial to evaluate the fertiliser’s performance on crop production, soil health and GHG emissions reduction will last two years, and, if successful, could produce and offer up to 7,000 tonnes of low carbon fertiliser to farmers in Nestlé’s UK wheat supply chain. This amount of fertiliser equates to around 25% of Nestlé UK’s total fertiliser use for wheat.

“Farmers often find themselves to be among the first groups to be exposed to global issues, and these risks are then borne by the food system we all depend upon,” shares Matt Ryan, Regeneration Lead at Nestlé UK & Ireland.

“We have to find ways to build more resilience into the system and optimising our use of natural resources is a critical part of this.

“This project is a small, but very meaningful step towards a net zero future, where farmers, local enterprises, and nature all stand to benefit”

 

Reducing emissions across the supply chain

Cargill supplies the cocoa shells from its York facility where the shells are processed to become key ingredients in iconic products like KitKat and Aero.

Recycling valuable nutrients from waste streams within the food system provides a promising opportunity to create a lower emissions supply chain. Scaling up low carbon fertiliser production in the UK can provide farmers with a more sustainable product at a reliable price.

The trials, which were designed and are being overseen by York-based Fera Science Ltd, are currently taking place on arable farms in Suffolk and Northamptonshire. They are designed to investigate the performance of the fertiliser in terms of wheat yield and quality, as well as assess the impacts on soil biodiversity and GHG emissions in comparison to conventional products applied on the same farms.

“We have now finished harvesting and we’ve successfully grown a Winter wheat crop using this new fertiliser. We’ve compared two parts of the field, one which used the cocoa shell fertiliser, and one which used with the conventional fertiliser, and there is no significant difference in the yield so we can see that it works,” says Richard Ling, farm manager at Rookery Farm, Wortham in Norfolk, who supplies wheat to Nestlé Purina.

“We are really reassured with the results and are looking at running further trials. It’s a step change to be able to use a fertiliser made from a waste stream and see the same results as using a conventional product. It’s an exciting and promising time and we are pleased to be taking part in these trials to help reduce the carbon emissions from our farming.”

For all companies involved, the trial embodies their commitment to innovation, collaboration and sustainability throughout the supply chain. Alongside its pledge to net zero emissions by 2050, Nestlé has committed to sourcing 50% of its key ingredients from regenerative agricultural methods by 2030 and this project is an example of the innovative solutions supporting the company on that journey.

“Cargill and Nestlé have been working together for more than 60 years building resilient supply chains across communities where we both operate. We are excited to continue to build on this strong partnership through our innovative cocoa shell fertiliser trial,” says Sam Thompson, Global Engineering Lead at Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate.

“Together, we hope to contribute to a more sustainable future for the British farming industry.”

 

 

 

 

Source  Sustainability 

 

 

Carbon Dioxide Livestock Feed

Posted on by dishanth
Carbon Dioxide Livestock Feed

Researchers may have discovered a protein substitute for livestock feed that is significantly less environmentally damaging than corn and soybean production. The researchers have explored the concept of synthetic nutrition, which means essential nutrients can be produced artificially, efficiently and with a small footprint. They have turned greenhouse gas emissions into an ingredient that could be used for carbon dioxide livestock feed.

The researchers captured carbon dioxide and combined it with renewable hydrogen to make methanol powered by wind and solar energy. With the material created, they applied a series of enzymes into an eight-step process which, after several combinations, created an amino acid called L-alanine. This amino acid makes protein and is an energy source for muscles and the central nervous system. It also strengthens the immune system and helps the body use sugars.

This isn’t the first time researchers have been able to transform carbon dioxide into food products. Researchers have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into starch that typically comes from corn which requires a lot of land, water and fertilizer to grow. The process they used was 8.5 times more efficient than photosynthesis, which the corn plant uses to convert CO2 and sunlight into carbs. Moreover, their process took only four hours compared to the 120 days required for corn to grow and generate starch.

These new processes of using carbon dioxide to minimize the use of corn and starch will bypass the problem of repurposing a climate-damaging waste stream. Although there are other ways to synthesize L-alanine protein, they require emission-intensive processes that require petroleum products. Using existing carbon dioxide will reduce the need for emissions and harmful products. It also decouples production from the land because less land will be needed to produce the same amount of L-alanine. It will also use significantly less energy as the energy required will be taken from renewable sources.

The demand for animal protein continues, so the need for carbon dioxide livestock feed will also rise. Researchers are developing solutions that utilize harmful and excess emissions that can be transformed into food for these animals. These new solutions will allow us to move away from excess land and water use and monocultures and help us create more biologically diverse environments.

 

 

 

 

Source Happy Eco News

PepsiCo, looking ahead with its pep+ programme, gets ready

Posted on by dishanth
PepsiCo, looking ahead with its pep+ programme, gets ready

In this interview with Roberta Barberi, Vice President, Global Water and Environmental Solutions, we hear about what PepsiCo is doing to adapt sustainably
For our readership, can you please explain what the new initiative PepsiCo Positive (pep+) is?

PepsiCo Positive (pep+) launched in 2021 and is our business transformation strategy that puts both sustainability and human capital at the center of everything we do. It is a holistic program that is shifting how we create growth and shared value for our stakeholders and shareholders, driving action across three main pillars: Positive Agriculture, which is focused on sourcing crops and ingredients in ways that restore the earth and farming communities; Positive Value Chain, which is helping to build a circular and inclusive value chain; and Positive Choices, which is inspiring people to make choices that create more smiles for themselves and the planet.

 

What prompted this new program and what do you hope to get out of it?

The threat of climate change is very real and we are already seeing the impacts on our business. We are a company built on agriculture and reliant on a steady supply of crops. We are already seeing growing conditions for the farmers we work with become more challenged due to climate change. We need to mitigate that impact and also build resilience for the future.

We also know consumers are demanding more of companies and have a growing interest in where the brands they buy come from and in ensuring they are sustainably produced. This presents opportunities for a company like PepsiCo as we have over one billion consumption moments a day and can play a key role in bringing consumers choice around the brands they buy.

What are some problems PepsiCo has with its suppliers in a way that makes the production process relatively unsustainable?

There are three main challenges when we think of Scope 3 and our supply base:

Capability and capacity: Outside of some of our large suppliers, there is a broad need across our supply chain for more education and capacity building to address climate change.
Technological unlocks and access to resources: achieving our goals will require our value chain partners to deploy new technologies. Some of these technologies are still on the horizon or in early stages of commercialization, requiring further investment and testing before scaling up.
Data management and sharing: as our value chain partners take action, they will need to report on progress. Data sharing is a challenge that we are working through as it has to be simple yet reliable and needs to be digitized and automated.

 

What are some of the programs that PepsiCo has implemented to support its suppliers?

We are working with farmers to drive the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. To support this ambition we have launched the Positive Agriculture Playbook, which helps farmers set, achieve and report their own regenerative agriculture and climate goals. We are also financing innovation through a Positive Agriculture Outcomes Fund, providing a unique way to reduce the risk and cost of projects.
We are requiring our suppliers to set a Science Based Target on climate and to shift to renewable electricity. To help with that transition we have created pep+REnew, which provides resources to help suppliers better understand renewable electricity purchasing and jointly invest in renewable energy projects through group power purchase agreements.

With pep+ in place, and assuming it is effective, where does PepsiCo hope to be in the next five years?

We have set ambitious goals for our business to reach by 2030 across all three pillars of our pep+ initiative. A few of those goals include:

  • Positive Agriculture: Spreading the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across 7 Million acres, approximately equal to our entire agricultural footprint around the world
  • Positive Value Chain: Reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions across our direct operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 75% and our indirect value chain (Scope 3) by 40% (against a 2015 baseline)
  • Positive Choices: Develop and deploy disruptive and sustainable packaging solutions, such as bio-and paper-based packaging and reusable/no packaging options
  • Our vision is to be the global leader in beverages and convenient foods by winning with pep+ and using our global reach and expertise to drive solutions at scale.

 

 

 

 

Source edible

Plans in the works for UK’s first lithium refinery and largest battery recycling facility

Posted on by dishanth
Plans in the works for UK’s first lithium refinery and largest battery recycling facility

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has been in the North East today (7 November) for both of the announcements, made by Green Lithium and Altiluim respectively.

Green Lithium has announced that Teesport, Middlesborough, will be the location for its refinery. The facility will provide materials to industries such as automotive, energy storage and consumer technology. It will employ around 1,000 people during the construction phase and 250 in its operations.

 

 

The UK Government has provided Green Lithium with more than £600,000 of grant funding for its work, in a bid to ensure that the UK remains competitive as the net-zero transition continues, and to help make supply chains more resilient. 89% of the world’s lithium processing currently takes place in East Asia.

Shapps said: “We know that geopolitical threats and global events beyond our control can severely impact the supply of key components that could delay the rollout of electric vehicles in the UK.”

Green Lithium has stated that the proposed facility will produce 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium each year once it enters full operations. It wants to begin production in 2025. The firm takes its name from the fact that its refining process claims to produce 80% less greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Battery recycling

Green Lithium’s plan, in the long-term, is to co-locate the refinery with battery recycling capacity.

In related news, cleantech start-up Altilium has announced plans to build the UK’s “largest planned recycling facility” for electric vehicle batteries after the Government confirmed a total of £3m of grant funding.

A decision for the final location of the plant will be made in 2023, the company has stated, and an 18-month construction period is envisioned. As such, it is aiming for a 2025 start-date for production.

Altilium has stated that Teesside’s status as a freeport, the support of local authorities and the fact that there are skilled workers in chemical processing in the region were all key factors in its decision on location.

Just last week, Britishvolt, which is currently constructing a gigafactory for car batteries near Blyth, avoided collapse by securing £1.7bn of additional funding. The gigafactory is now set to open in the last half of 2025. The firm blamed “difficult external economic headwinds including rampant inflation and rising interest rates,” for its challenges.

 

 

Source edie

Switching to renewable energy could save trillions – study

Posted on by dishanth
Switching to renewable energy could save trillions – study

Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world as much as $12tn (£10.2tn) by 2050, an Oxford University study says.

The report said it was wrong and pessimistic to claim that moving quickly towards cleaner energy sources was expensive.

Gas prices have soared on mounting concerns over energy supplies.

But the researchers say that going green now makes economic sense because of the falling cost of renewables.

 

The cost of green energy like wind and solar has been falling for decades

 

“Even if you’re a climate denier, you should be on board with what we’re advocating,” Prof Doyne Farmer from the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School told BBC News.

“Our central conclusion is that we should go full speed ahead with the green energy transition because it’s going to save us money,” he said.

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The report’s findings are based on looking at historic price data for renewables and fossil fuels and then modelling how they’re likely to change in the future.

The data for fossil fuels goes from 2020 back more than 100 years and shows that after accounting for inflation, and market volatility, the price hasn’t changed much.

Renewables have only been around for a few decades, so there’s less data. But in that time continual improvements in technology have meant the cost of solar and wind power have fallen rapidly, at a rate approaching 10% a year.

The report’s expectation that the price of renewables will continue to fall is based on “probabilistic” modelling, using data on how massive investment and economies of scale have made other similar technologies cheaper.

“Our latest research shows scaling-up key green technologies will continue to drive their costs down, and the faster we go, the more we will save,” says Dr Rupert Way, the report’s lead author from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

Wind and solar are already the cheapest option for new power projects, but questions remain over how to best store power and balance the grid when the changes in the weather leads to fall in renewable output.

 

Cost of net zero
Back in 2019 Philip Hammond, then Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the prime minister to say that the cost of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in the UK would be more than £1tn. This report says the likely costs have been over-estimated and have deterred investment.

It also says predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the cost of keeping global temperatures rises under 2 degrees would correspond to a loss of GDP by 2050 were too pessimistic. The transition to renewables was, it says, likely to turn out to be a “net economic benefit”.

The research has been published in the journal Joule and is a collaboration between the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, the Oxford Martin Programme on the Post-Carbon Transition, the Smith School of Enterprise & Environment at the University of Oxford, and SoDa Labs at Monash University.

 

 

Source BBC

Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters

Posted on by dishanth
Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters

When people think about ways to help the environment, encourage biodiversity and decrease greenhouse gases, they don’t usually think about the impact of food waste. And yet food waste is responsible for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Producing food for a growing global population is a complex challenge with a lot of negative environmental consequences, so food waste creates unnecessary strain on our fragile environment.

I was part of a recent research project with the UK Global Food Security programme, which explores ways to cut food waste. Our key findings and suggestions address waste throughout the food system – that includes all the processes, people and infrastructure involved in getting food from farm to fork. We found that cutting food waste needs cooperative action from all of us – businesses, policymakers and individuals. The most commonly wasted foods are fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and baked goods, and leftovers. Products with short shelf lives, such as meat and dairy, are also prone to be wasted.

Domestic food waste declined in the UK dramatically during the early pandemic lockdowns, with 30% using up more leftovers, but waste levels are increasing again as people go out more and have less time to cook.

 

Here are five things you can do:

1) Set your fridge to below 5℃: This can help increase the shelf life of many of the most commonly wasted foods, including fruit, vegetables and dairy products. About 90% of milk waste happens in the home – this adds up to nearly 500 million pints annually in the UK. Setting your fridge to the right temperature can save 50,000 tonnes of milk waste every year. Yet many of us don’t know how to adjust our fridge temperature, or how best to store food.

WRAP, a charity working on cutting waste, has guidance on understanding and adjusting fridge temperatures, and the best ways to stop milk and dairy products being wasted.

 

2) Single-use plastics: Many of us are seeking to decrease the amount of single-use plastics in our lives, and in our shopping baskets. This is good – but often these plastics and packaging keep food fresh for longer. Fortunately, there are significant developments towards a post-plastic world. Scientists are working on developing methods of treating and storing food that can extend its shelf life. For now, if you’re going to ditch the plastic wrap, make sure you store food in reusable containers in the fridge to maintain freshness.

 

3) Dish up smaller portions: This results in up to 20% less food waste If you have leftovers, make sure you enjoy them, and don’t forget about them.

The reasons behind domestic food waste are complex. Many of us put our leftovers in the fridge, then forget about them. Fortunately, there are many ways to manage our fridge contents effectively and decrease food waste. These range from apps, to the humble Post-it note, or pen. Labelling leftovers reminds us when they went in – and when they need to be eaten by. Try and freeze meat, dairy and bread if they are close to spoiling – this will extend their life.

 

4) Buy directly from local suppliers: Our food systems and supply chains are incredibly complex. This complexity, as well as contracts which tend to favour larger suppliers, leads to high levels of food loss and waste. In contrast, buying directly from local suppliers results in less waste and keeps money in the local economy. It’s possible to buy almost anything – fruit, veg, bread, meat, dairy – directly from suppliers. Support a local business, eat quality food, and decrease waste.

 

Dairy products are high on the list of foods that are often wasted. gbellphotos/Shutterstock

 

5) Help out at your local food bank: Suppliers often have awkward quantities of fresh food that is damaged and can’t be sold. They are more than happy to get this to a local group that prepares meals or distributes extra food surplus directly to the public – and apps like Too Good To Go are helping restaurants in the UK to do this.

But logistical challenges – and costs – mean that this food often still goes to waste. Food banks often have an excess of tinned and processed food – and a limited amount of fresh food available for people who need it. Let your local redistribution hub know that you’re available to help pick up some spare food and transport it to a nearby redistribution centre.

Food waste is a complex problem that won’t be solved by individual actions alone. Supermarkets are rising to the challenge of shrinking their environmental footprint. But we all need to do what we can to decrease food loss and waste, at the household level and beyond.

 

 

Source The Conversation

UK will press governments to stick to climate pledges, says Cop26 president

Posted on by dishanth
UK will press governments to stick to climate pledges, says Cop26 president

The UK will continue to press governments around the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions urgently in the next year to limit global heating to 1.5C, after the UN climate talks that concluded last week, the president of the summit has pledged.

Alok Sharma, the cabinet minister who led the Cop26 talks, said the world had shown in Glasgow that countries could work together to establish a framework for climate action but the next year must focus on keeping the promises made there.

“The 1.5C limit lives,” he writes in today’s Guardian. “We brought it back from the brink. But its pulse remains weak. We must steer it to safety by ensuring countries deliver on the promises they have made.”

Some argued the talks had failed because the pledges on emissions cuts made at Cop26 were insufficient to meet the 1.5C goal.

Sharma acknowledged that countries must increase their pledges and turn them into action and policies. Referring to youth activists from around the world who urged political leaders to act in Glasgow, he said: “We owe it to all of them to deliver what we agreed.”

Two weeks of Cop26 talks ended in dramatic fashion as Sharma feared the carefully constructed deal among nearly 200 countries was about to collapse at the last moment, when China and India objected to a reference in the final agreement to the “phase out” of coal-fired power.

In the end a compromise was reached, with Sharma on the brink of tears as he apologised to developing countries for the change. The pledges on emissions cuts made at the talks would lead to heating of about 2.4C above pre-industrial levels, far above the 1.5C threshold, so the Glasgow pact also requires countries to revise their targets upwards in the next year.

Under the UN rules, the UK will retain responsibility for climate negotiations for the next year, until the Egyptian government assumes the presidency next November. In his first public writing since the talks concluded, Sharma sets out his aims.

“The UK’s work as the Cop26 presidency is really only just beginning,” he writes. “Over the course of the next year, we will work with countries urging them to take action and honour their promises.

“There is no formal policing process in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change system, and so we must keep up the constructive pressure, and build on the trust and goodwill generated through Cop26.”

The lack of any policing process or sanctions for countries that fail to revise their national targets on emissions, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), means that the main ways of holding governments to account are through public scrutiny and political pressure.

Australia’s government has already made clear that it does not intend to increase its targets, which are widely regarded as inadequate. The US and the EU have also indicated they do not intend to increase their ambition.

Key countries under the spotlight are the world’s biggest emitter, China, whose promise to peak emissions by the end of this decade disappointed many analysts who argued it could go further; and the third biggest emitter, India, which announced new targets in Glasgow but has yet to formally detail them. Russia, Saudi Arabia and Brazil are also under scrutiny.

Sharma argues that business and finance will play a key role. “Markets are falling into line, with the value of shares in coal firms around the world dropping since we sent a signal that coal is no longer king,” he writes.

Green campaigners have told the Guardian that if the UK wants to show leadership this year, ministers must also look to their own actions. Proposals for a new coalmine in Cumbria, new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, airport and road expansion and dithering on green policy have tarnished the UK’s reputation, while above all the decision to slash overseas aid – even while the Cop26 talks centred on climate finance for poor countries – caused deep alarm.

Sharma was widely regarded as isolated within the cabinet at Cop26, as insiders told the Guardian of a rift between the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and prime minister, Boris Johnson, over green measures.

Sunak visited the summit briefly but made little impact on senior figures from other countries present. The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, also played a little role in Glasgow.

Rachel Kyte, a former World Bank top official on climate change, now dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University in the US, told the Guardian that getting other donor countries to increase climate finance “was made even more complicated by UK Treasury’s insistence on cutting overseas aid. While this was then confirmed as being temporary the damage was done … The UK lost moral authority, and leverage as the presidency which we saw them struggling with. Alok was liked and respected wherever he went but it was not lost on people that he was a little alone [in the cabinet as a champion of climate action]. ”

Rachel Kennerley, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “The fight to curb climate breakdown didn’t end with Mr Sharma’s gavel coming down on an underwhelming deal. Just next week the high court will hear about UK-financed gas drilling in Mozambique, so this is the perfect time for the government to withdraw support for that damaging project, laden as it is with climate hypocrisy.

“Given the UK’s historical contributions to emissions alongside our role as Cop host, it’s right that we take a good look at the fact that we are still supporting fossil fuel extraction, here and overseas.”

 

 

Source The Guardian

Climate pledges see world closing on Paris goal, researchers say

Posted on by dishanth
Climate pledges see world closing on Paris goal, researchers say

BERLIN — Recent pledges by the United States and other nations could help cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, but only if goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050 succeed, scientists said Tuesday.

More than 190 countries agreed in Paris six years ago to keep average temperature increases below that level — ideally no more than 1.5 C (2.7 F) — by 2100 compared to pre-industrial times.

The Climate Action Tracker, compiled by a group of researchers who translate emission pledges into temperature estimates, projects that the world is currently set to overshoot the Paris accord’s target by 0.9 degrees.

But if 131 countries that make up almost three-quarters of global emissions meet their pledged or discussed “net zero” goal, then the 2-degree target could be met, said Niklas Hoehne of the New Climate Institute. That’s 0.1 C cooler than the previous optimistic forecast the group made in December.

 

Hoehne said U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent ambitious new climate goals had contributed significantly to the revised estimate, along with the European Union, China, Japan and Britain.

But the pledges still fall short and have to be further revised going forward, he said.

 

“We have to halve global emissions in the next 10 years,” he said.

Asked whether the more ambitious goal of 1.5 C is still within reach, Hoehne said it was technically and politically feasible.

Germany has invited about 40 countries to a virtual meeting this week to discuss further international efforts to curb global warming, ahead of a U.N. summit in Glasgow in November.

Germany’s top court last week ordered the government to set clearer goals for emissions reduction after 2030.

 

 

Source NBC News

The best climate solution you’ve never heard of

Posted on by dishanth
The best climate solution you’ve never heard of

Around the world, there are teams of people who are working to track down and destroy hidden sources of greenhouse gases – stopping them from harming the planet. Some of the gases, which are used in refrigeration, have many times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

On the outskirts of Guatemala City, Ángel Toledo runs a waste disposal company dealing with metal, plastic and glass.

For the last three years they’ve also started dealing with refrigerant gases – which contribute to climate change. He siphons the gases from household appliances like fridges into refrigerant recovery machines.

They are then transferred to a huge tank that’s taken to be destroyed once it’s full.

It’s a tangible measure of what Ángel has helped save.

“I feel fulfilled,” he says. “I’ve had this plant for 16 years working with plastic and glass and other waste but I’ve been working on refrigerants for the last three years.

“I feel it’s like a dream, helping the environment. Avoiding these gases from reaching the atmosphere. It’s an ecstasy being able to help the planet through this work. It’s very important for me.”

But not everyone is disposing of refrigerant canisters or fridges in the right way.

 

Workers make sure the gases used in old appliances are disposed of safely Source BBC

 

“Unfortunately, you see that a lot and one of the biggest challenges we face is having to change the common practice. You see the cylinders on the street,” he explains.

“They vent the gases as they’re dealing with equipment or the cylinders and it’s going to the atmosphere.”

Ángel is part of a chain of people working to stop these gases causing damage to the planet. Teams from Tradewater, a company funded through climate offsetting, are working around the world negotiating with governments, private companies and individuals to find ways to find, secure and destroy the gases safely.

Once they get an agreement from the owner and local authorities, they take them somewhere they can be disposed of safely.

These teams are jokingly referred to as “ghostbusters”, because of the way their cinematic counterparts gathered up troublesome phantoms and stored them together in large “containment units”. They doggedly track, trap and destroy rogue gases before they can escape and cause climate havoc.

They’re also sometimes known as “chill hunters”.

Almost all fridges and air conditioning units use a gas to transfer the chill or warmth within the unit. This gas is a great insulator – handy in a fridge but not in the atmosphere.

 

A worker at Ángel’s plant extracts refrigerant gases from an old appliance Source BBC

 

Over the last century, the most commonly used gases were CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbons). But when it was discovered they were causing a hole in the ozone layer in the 1980s, they were banned under the Montreal Protocol.

Some of them were also potent greenhouse gases: one, called R12 – a CFC – had a global warming potential almost 10,000 times that of CO2. A single 30lb canister of this gas contained the equivalent of 131 tonnes of CO2 in terms of it global warming potential.

This is the equivalent of the average UK car driving just over a million kilometres.

HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) were brought in as replacements, and helped save the ozone layer. But some of the early HFCs were, like the ozone-harming gases banned under the Montreal Protocol, potent greenhouse gases.

Current legal fridge gases are better, but still have global warming potentials many times greater than carbon dioxide.

Scientists estimate that by phasing out HFCs, global warming could be reduced by around half a degree Celsius.

 

Source BBC

 

Tradewater searches for gas tanks, intact fridges or industrial chillers often stored in old warehouses and waste disposal sites. Sometimes, however, the team arrives too late, finding only punctured tanks, corroded pipes and gases long released.

Maria Gutiérrez, Tradewater’s director of international programmes, says: “These gases are all over the place – in refrigeration equipment that’s in use or not, but also in huge stockpiles of unused material that were purchased and never used, or confiscated when imported illegally into a country many years ago.”

These chemicals exist in a legal grey area, so stocks are often hidden as owners may hope to sell them in the future. Sometimes the scrap iron value of the canister alone means that the gas is vented and the metal sold on.

Global warming gases are also found in some fridges, freezers and air-conditioners in the UK – which should be disposed of responsibly. It’s another reason why fly tipping can be so harmful.

Tradewater says its global gas recoveries have already prevented the equivalent of 4-5 million tonnes of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere, but the work continues.

Ms Gutiérrez says: “We are only scratching the surface. There is so much more out there.”

The Chill Hunters are featured in 39 Ways to Save the Planet on BBC Sounds and on BBC Radio 4 at 13:45 BST for the next two weeks.

 

 

Source BBC