archiveOctober 2023

Dr Aidan Bell, co-founder EnviroBuild explains why COP events are important because they provide a focal point on the environment every year. COP events are often preceded with great hope:  COP 15 in Copenhagen was Obama’s first as US President, so was entered with great hope, and ended with a political accord outside the UNIPCC process which was noted by COP. Sometimes they are hailed as having been a great success:  COP 21 in Paris was hailed as a legally binding agreement to limit climate change to a global 2oC...

“We are at a crossroads. The decisions we make now can secure a liveable future. We have the tools and know-how required to limit warming, and if these are scaled up and applied more widely and equitably, they can support deep emissions reductions and stimulate innovation,” said IPCC chair, Hoesung Lee, after the release of the most recent IPCC report on climate action. The world is now, arguably, more climate-conscious than at any other point in history. The evidence is there for all to see: increased extreme weather conditions, melting...

Net zero ambitions in the mining industry face a major challenge in carbon reduction as they seek to improve or re-engineer old-economy assets. Nick Gibson explores the scale of the challenge and what are mining companies are doing to reduce their environmental impact. “In the mining industry the major polluters are the energy and transportation intensive mining sectors and projects,” says Peter Hjorth, ceo of mining company Bluelake Mineral. “The most energy intensive sector in the mining industry is iron and steel which constitutes some 7 per cent of global greenhouse emissions.” Net...

Sophie Haas, head of sustainable investing at JP Morgan explains the need for incentives and investments into both mature and innovative solutions to achieve net zero The planet is in a critical phase and will require radical reform if we are to remain below the 1.5⁰C warming threshold. Decarbonisation must happen at an accelerated pace, and this will once again be a hot topic at COP27 as world leaders seek consensus on getting closer to achieving net zero. Decarbonisation is the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and it usually...

The 2000 Olympics in Sydney was promoted as the world’s first ‘green’ games, writes Nick Gibson. What was the impact of the 2000 Olympic Games and did it begin world sport’s path to an eco-friendly future? Marie Sallois, Corporate & Sustainable Development Director at the International Olympics Committee, charts the progress of world sport’s net zero journey and the positive steps being taken by the Olympics to promote environmentally-friendly sporting events. “The Olympics’ sustainability journey actually started at the Lillehammer winter games in 1994, the first to put sustainability at...

Low carbon industry represents a new market opportunity for providers of alternative energy solutions in the journey to a net zero future. Low carbon industry is the goal of the world’s manufacturers and major fossil fuel consumers as the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increases. Making the change to low carbon industry is a major challenge but also represents a significant market opportunity because the volume of emissions is so large. A study by Aurora Energy Research estimated the global market for industrial heat could be worth more than...

The role that natural gas will play in the energy transition is complex, with multiple and diverging contributions that even now draw vastly different opinions. Some see it as another fossil fuel whose use needs to be eradicated, while others see it as a crucial bridging fuel to the zero-carbon future that has a role beyond that initial transition. It is easy to see why gas is such an attractive option. It is a versatile fuel of growth in fast-growing markets, and an enabler for reducing emissions when used as...

If new North Sea gas fields were halted, gas production in 2030 would be equivalent to that produced by one offshore wind farm. The new analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) is based on statistics from the industry regulator the North Sea Transition Authority (NTSA), and found that installing electric heat pumps in all new homes built from now to 2030 would avoid half as much gas again. New offshore wind farms generate electricity much more cheaply than gas power stations. A 2.7GW wind farm would generate...

Carbon offsetting, compensating for emissions by investing in schemes designed to make reductions elsewhere, has been hailed by many as the be-all and end-all when it comes to businesses addressing their carbon footprints. But, while offsetting is a necessary part of the puzzle, Mauro Cozzi, co-founder of carbon management specialist Emitwise, believes it is not all that it is cracked up to be, and suggests where business focus should be instead. We are seeing businesses proclaiming that they are net zero because they have invested heavily in carbon offsets, Cozzi...

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen are pioneering technology that can store renewable energy as green hydrogen within depleted oil and gas reservoirs. This innovative approach not only contributes to Scotland’s net-zero goals but also positions the country to potentially become a hydrogen net exporter. It offers a promising future for previously exhausted oil and gas reservoirs, aquifers, and associated infrastructure like pipelines and wells. One notable benefit of this technology is its ability to address the challenge of excess electricity generation from wind farms. By converting surplus electricity into...