Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions #3

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Message 2022791 - Posted: 11 Dec 2019, 19:47:36 UTC - in response to Message 2022789.  
Last modified: 11 Dec 2019, 19:48:27 UTC

Meanwhile, we take small jumps to something less polluting:

But is it?
https://berlinpolicyjournal.com/red-herring-black-swan-climate-change-math/

Thanks for that. Very good article for the present sad state of play for the numbers game for the UK and the similar sort of 'game' for the rest of the world...


How soon can we pull the politics from poisonous polluting greed to something positive?...

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Message 2022794 - Posted: 11 Dec 2019, 20:17:18 UTC - in response to Message 2022791.  

Meanwhile, we take small jumps to something less polluting:

But is it?
https://berlinpolicyjournal.com/red-herring-black-swan-climate-change-math/

Thanks for that. Very good article for the present sad state of play for the numbers game for the UK and the similar sort of 'game' for the rest of the world...


How soon can we pull the politics from poisonous polluting greed to something positive?...

Numbers on everything else will always be gamed for profit. The only number that matters is the population of humans on the planet. Reducing that number and the reduction in greenhouse gases will be real.
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Message 2022986 - Posted: 13 Dec 2019, 16:53:34 UTC - in response to Message 2022791.  

... How soon can we pull the politics from poisonous polluting greed to something positive?...

Is this soon enough?


EU carbon neutrality: Leaders agree 2050 target without Poland

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed to make the currently 28-member bloc carbon neutral by 2050.

However Poland, which is heavily reliant on coal, remains opposed and has been exempted for the time being...




Really meaningful with real positive actions?

Or still just a procrastinating numbers game PR spin?

... Here's watching in hope for us all...


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Message 2023231 - Posted: 15 Dec 2019, 16:34:43 UTC

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-hedgefunds-sustainable-analysi/villains-or-visionaries-hedge-funds-short-companies-they-say-greenwash-idUSKBN1YJ097
Investments defined as “sustainable” account for more than a quarter of all assets under management globally, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance. About $31 trillion has been invested, buoyed by analyst reports that show companies with strong ESG narratives outperform their peers.

Some short-sellers, including Carson Block of Muddy Waters, Josh Strauss of Appleseed Capital and Chad Slater of Morphic Asset Management, argue share prices can be bolstered by corporate misrepresentation about sustainability, or so-called “greenwashing”.

“Greenwashing is absolutely rampant now,” says Slater, whose fund bets on both rising and falling share prices. If companies fail to engage with long-term investors, he sees a red flag.
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Message 2023728 - Posted: 19 Dec 2019, 17:33:12 UTC - in response to Message 2022986.  

And similarly so for our new leader Boris?


Climate watchdog urges PM to get back on track

Boris Johnson has been urged to get the UK back on track with tackling the emissions heating the planet.

The Committee on Climate Change, the UK's official climate watchdog, says the government needs to be meeting its own targets to have credibility with other nations. But it warns that UK efforts to address the climate crisis have so far fallen short...

... Boris Johnson has previously said he wants the UK to be a world leader in climate change. Mostly when he speaks on the subject he promotes the notion that technology can solve climate problems.

Environmentalists celebrate the role of technology too - but warn that lifestyle changes will still be needed...




Positive urgent meaningful action NOW?...

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Message 2023978 - Posted: 21 Dec 2019, 1:45:06 UTC

Positive action #1:


Did Ethiopia plant four billion trees this year?

Ethiopia undertook a major national reforestation programme this year, with the ambitious target of planting four billion trees in just three months.

The highlight was a single day in July, on which people across the country turned out to help with planting 350 million tree seedlings.

At the end of August, the government claimed to have just about achieved these goals. But is it really possible to plant that many trees in such a short time and what evidence is there that the overall target has been met?...



Deforestation: Did Ethiopia plant 350 million trees in a day?

Claim: Ethiopia says it planted more than 350 million trees in just one day which, if verified, would be a world record.

Verdict: If it's true what the government says that 23 million people took part it's possible they could have planted this many trees, but it hasn't been independently confirmed.

Why plant trees?

Ethiopia's government launched the £1.1bn tree planting project earlier this year to tackle deforestation and climate change.

The United Nations says forest cover in Ethiopia fell from 35% of total land area in the early 20th Century to a little above 4% by the 2000s...




But will that be followed up to keep the planted trees alive and thriving to change the local climate for the better?


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Message 2023979 - Posted: 21 Dec 2019, 1:47:23 UTC

Positive action #2:


Netherlands climate change: Court orders bigger cuts in emissions

The highest court in the Netherlands has upheld a ruling requiring the government to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% of 1990 levels by the end of next year.

The case was brought six years ago by the Urgenda environment group in a bid to force ministers to go well beyond EU targets.

However, the chances of the government reaching the target look slim.

By the end of 2018, emissions were down only 15% on 1990 levels.

Dutch environment researchers believe that levels could be cut by 23% by the end of 2020 but believe the reduction could be as low as 19%....




Why does it always seem to need such force and coercion to change the climate for the better?


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Message 2023980 - Posted: 21 Dec 2019, 1:51:52 UTC

Positive action #3:


Are cities bad for the environment?

Our cities are increasingly under scrutiny over their impact on climate change. But in terms of carbon dioxide - one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - could life away from the UK's big towns be doing more damage?

According to the most recent government statistics, the UK's 63 largest towns and cities - defined here as built-up urban areas with 135,000 or more people - account for almost half of all of the country's carbon dioxide (or CO2) emissions.

London alone makes up 11% of the total.

But are these headline stats masking a more nuanced picture about the role of cities as contributors to climate change?

If we look at carbon emissions on a per resident basis, it could be that life in smaller towns, villages and the countryside has a greater impact...




Cleaner, more integrated cooperative civilised living, to help the climate for the better? Can we really do that? And quickly to radically reduce emissions?

With city living, we have great scope to coordinate for a much better and cleaner way of life for all...


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Message 2023995 - Posted: 21 Dec 2019, 2:38:52 UTC - in response to Message 2023978.  
Last modified: 21 Dec 2019, 2:56:08 UTC

Did Ethiopia plant four billion trees this year?
[i]Ethiopia undertook a major national reforestation programme this year, with the ambitious target of planting four billion trees in just three months.
No. That's impossible. Where did they get 350 million tree seedlings from in the first place?
Next problem. Trees needs a lot of water. Does Ethiopia have access to water like the Nordic countries, Canada and Russia to support forests that's needed for many billions of trees?

https://africanarguments.org/2019/08/08/insiders-insight-ethiopia-sets-new-tree-planting-record/
But trees are very good at absorbing CO2 that is a cause of global warming. The Swedish forest sequester the atmosphere every year with about 45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Almost as much as Sweden's total carbon dioxide emissions, which is about 54 million tonnes. This means that the Swedish trees take up a very large part of all the carbon dioxide we emit in our country.
Don't think countries like Ethiopia are able to do that. But that's no reason to stop planting trees in Ethiopia.
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Message 2024089 - Posted: 21 Dec 2019, 14:18:00 UTC
Last modified: 21 Dec 2019, 14:18:25 UTC

A further interesting shift away from the old polluting fossils:


Dumfries and Galloway wind farm deal worth £104m agreed

A £104m deal has been agreed to buy two Scottish wind farm projects which have yet to start construction... Work is expected to start shortly with target dates in 2021 for the turbines to become operational...

Windfarms used to appeal only to those who preferred them to the coal-burning alternative. They're now proving attractive to big money.

Two drivers of this: one is an increasing amount of capital, in pension funds for instance, being directed at assets that meet environmental, social or ethical requirements.

The other is the maturing of the industry... we are now at the start of an era when onshore wind energy is commercially viable. It does not need subsidy any more. It can be seen to deliver a steady income stream, so asset managers are happy to plough funds into it. As we're finding with this deal, they're paying serious money even for assets that are yet to be built...

... We're also at the start of a big shift in the industry towards "re-powering". That's the jargon for replacement of older wind turbines... The existing [Kintyre] 22 turbines have been operating since 2003. SSE wants to replace them with 16 turbines, which will be 20 metres higher, rising from 130m to 150m. The capacity rises from 19 megawatts to 80 MW - yes, that's right, 27% fewer turbines and 320% more power.




We have the power for positive change...

All soon enough?

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Message 2026052 - Posted: 3 Jan 2020, 1:14:37 UTC
Last modified: 3 Jan 2020, 1:17:19 UTC

A new old gas to kick start a new cleaner economy on existing infrastructure:


Burning Hydrogen - Prof Simon



This could be a big positive!...

How soon?...


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Message 2026110 - Posted: 3 Jan 2020, 10:15:32 UTC - in response to Message 2024089.  

Following Ofgem's investigation, RWE Generation, which runs Little Barford Power Station, and Orstead, which runs Hornsea offshore wind farm, have both agreed to pay £4.5m. Distributor company UK Power Networks has agreed to pay £1.5m.

When the power goes down...
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Message 2026356 - Posted: 5 Jan 2020, 0:25:12 UTC

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Message 2027835 - Posted: 16 Jan 2020, 1:05:22 UTC
Last modified: 16 Jan 2020, 1:06:16 UTC

Hopefully we are onto a winner with this one that is long long overdue:


Agriculture Bill: Soil at heart of UK farm grant revolution

A promise to do more to protect the soil is to be included in a vision for the UK farm industry being unveiled by the government later.

Ministers have accepted that farmers need incentives to farm in a way that leaves a healthy soil for future generations. The protection has become a core issue of the Agriculture Bill that is returning to Parliament.

There is three times more carbon held in soil than in the atmosphere.

But much has been lost thanks to intensive farming and deforestation. That is fuelling climate change and compromising attempts to feed the world...

... to move subsidies away from EU Common Agricultural Policy which basically pays farmers for owning land.

Instead in post-Brexit Britain they will be rewarded for providing services for society like clean air, clean and plentiful water, flood protection and thriving wildlife. The grant changes will be phased in over seven years...




Hopefully this is where the corrupt big agribusiness polluting corruption ends.


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Message 2030365 - Posted: 1 Feb 2020, 19:33:28 UTC
Last modified: 1 Feb 2020, 22:29:30 UTC

Nuclear fusion power now:


YouTube - ITER NOW 1.1: The Way of the Sun


Progress with some spectacular science and engineering towards a spectacular result...

As always, all soon enough?


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Message 2030379 - Posted: 1 Feb 2020, 21:10:07 UTC - in response to Message 2030365.  

Nuclear fusion power now?
Oh dear. It will take decades if not even centuries before we have those power plants that give power to the grid.
ITER is a prototype.
Then if successful DEMO will be built.
https://www.iter.org/mag/3/22
Then... Well don't hold your breath...
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Message 2030767 - Posted: 4 Feb 2020, 7:38:33 UTC

Not good news for green electrical products. Glencore fourth-quarter copper output down 9%
(Reuters) - Commodity miner and trader Glencore Plc reported a 9% fall in fourth-quarter copper production on Tuesday, as its Mutanda mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo suspended operations prematurely in November.

The company, which has operations in over 150 countries, said copper output fell to 355,400 tonnes in the reported quarter and cobalt production dropped 13% to 11,900 tonnes.

Glencore, which in December forecast a modest decline in copper output over the next three years, kept its full year 2020 outlook unchanged.


Availability of both copper and cobalt need to increase if green power sources and storage are to go ahead.
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Message 2030824 - Posted: 5 Feb 2020, 5:33:01 UTC - in response to Message 2030767.  

Not good news for green electrical products. Glencore fourth-quarter copper output down 9%
(Reuters) - Commodity miner and trader Glencore Plc reported a 9% fall in fourth-quarter copper production on Tuesday, as its Mutanda mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo suspended operations prematurely in November.

The company, which has operations in over 150 countries, said copper output fell to 355,400 tonnes in the reported quarter and cobalt production dropped 13% to 11,900 tonnes.

Glencore, which in December forecast a modest decline in copper output over the next three years, kept its full year 2020 outlook unchanged.


Availability of both copper and cobalt need to increase if green power sources and storage are to go ahead.

How dirty is mining and refining it?
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Message 2030833 - Posted: 5 Feb 2020, 6:22:07 UTC - in response to Message 2030824.  

How dirty is mining and refining it?

Very.
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Message 2032015 - Posted: 12 Feb 2020, 1:43:24 UTC - in response to Message 2030379.  
Last modified: 12 Feb 2020, 1:47:06 UTC

Nuclear fusion power now?
Oh dear. It will take decades if not even centuries before we have those power plants that give power to the grid.
ITER is a prototype.
Then if successful DEMO will be built.
https://www.iter.org/mag/3/22
Then... Well don't hold your breath...

Hence the question of "How soon?"!

Meanwhile, ITER and DEMO are not the only story for harnessing nuclear fusion power. There are a multitude of alternative smaller designs:

Small-scale fusion tackles energy, space applications


We only need one version or a spin-off to quickly work and scale to turn around at least part of our power pollution.

(Then the next turning point will be how to mitigate an excess of waste heat pollution!)


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Message boards : Politics : Climate Change, 'Greenhouse' effects: Solutions #3


 
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