Snippets for 14 April 2022

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The latest IPCC report on Climate Change mitigation paints a scene that is less positive than we had previously hoped for. But the bottom line is that it is still possible to limit climate warming to 1.5C but action is needed super urgently, in fact immediately, and not just by business, or governments, but by everyone – you and me included. Our first six articles this week look at key findings and solutions to global warming prescribed in the IPCC report, along with an interpretation of the report, and how NZ is affected, by Rod Carr, the NZ Climate Change Commission chair. The main takeout from the articles seems to be that we can’t wait – urgent action is needed, and that in doing so both nature and the economy can be ok, but we must act now.

There is a new task force being undertaken to develop an understanding of how nature destruction and biodiversity loss may affect economics and business. In a similar way to the TCFD, the TNFD (Taskforce on Nature related Financial Disclosures) will be a framework for businesses. Along with this article, we have a couple of others discussing the health, and other, benefits from preserving nature, and specifically trees.

We finish up with a new way of harvesting wind energy – massive kites being used in a few areas where turbines are not suitable.

We kick off with “Key takeaways from the IPCC Climate Change Mitigation Report”, an article summarising the frank outcomes of the report, being: GHG emissions need to peak by 2025; we cannot build any more fossil fuel infrastructure; we need rapid transformation across all systems; lifestyle and behavioural changes are needed; we need carbon removal; and we need much more finance for climate mitigation. If we act strongly, immediately, we have a good chance of avoiding the worst effects of climate change. Read more....

Continuing with the IPCC report, this article looks at the best weapons we have in our arsenal to combat climate change: solar energy; reducing deforestation; wind energy; using farmlands to capture carbon; and regrowing forests. Together, these can help us avoid or capture over half of the total carbon emissions humanity generated in 2020. This is the low hanging fruit and therefore we cannot afford to delay, at all, in deploying these solutions, as the rest will be harder to achieve. Read more....

With so much uncertainty and change in the last couple of years, there can be a temptation to slow things down, writes the NZ Climate Change Commission chair. But right now we have a great opportunity to speed up our transition to a thriving, climate resilient, and low-emissions country. The cost of inaction will far outweigh the costs of taking decisive action now. With growing demand for change and a proven ability to adapt to new ways of living, we are in prime position to speed our transition. Read more....

Furthermore a new study has found that net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 can be achieved without harming economic growth. The study used energy system and macroeconomic models to explore a number of scenarios. Paul Ekins, who led the study said: “Continuing global economic growth is clearly compatible with achieving the temperature target in the Paris Agreement. Governments now need to step up to put in place the policies to stimulate the investments that are required to turn these projections into reality.” Read more....

The good news is that we can reduce emissions quickly and relatively cheaply. Dramatic reductions in the costs of clean energy technologies over recent years are a gamechanger; for example, the cost of solar energy has reduced sixfold over just a decade. The energy and land sectors are the largest opportunities globally. In energy, solar and wind power can displace fossil fuels, alongside many other ways of cutting emissions. On the land it is about reforestation and avoided deforestation, better land management, and a shift to low-emissions agriculture. Read more....

Demonstrating that reducing emissions is indeed possible, wind and solar has reached 10% of global electricity for the first time. The fastest growing sources of electricity are wind and solar, and if current rates are maintained these could deliver enough capacity to help cap average global warming at around 1.5°C. Solar generation rose 23% last year, and wind by 14%, taking the combined output to 10.3% of global electricity generation, up from 9.3% a year earlier, and double the 4.6% in 2015 when the Paris Agreement was signed. Read more....

Awareness and understanding of the economic threat that nature destruction and biodiversity loss poses certainly seems to have grown in the corporate world recent years, but — unlike with climate change — there is no set of formal guidelines for helping financial institutions and investors measure these risks. Efforts to develop robust guidelines in this area have taken a major step forward, with the publication of an initial draft framework from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Read more....

Many benefits, along with economic ones, come from trees and forests, and 18 of these are discussed in this article, from making us happy to removing pollution, reducing heat in urban areas and improving children’s attention and test scores. Some trees can provide food and powerful medicines. They play a vital role both globally for the health of the planet and on an individual level through the direct health benefits they provide to us all. Read more....

Tropical forest trees can turn down the planets heat by 1C, scientists have found. They also increase rainfall, shield people and crops from deadly heat and provide habitats for wildlife. Trees do a multitude of jobs, all important. Rather than cutting them down, we should be planting more trees for the benefits discussed in this and the previous article. Read more....

We finish this week with a look at kites, not ordinary kites, but ones that can be used to generate electricity. They’re much like the kind used by paragliders, or kite surfers, but considerably larger - the size of a three-bedroom apartment - looping figures-of-eight overhead, autonomously. All the while the tugging action on the line as the kite flies overhead is creating electricity. While probably not a mainstream power generating option, the kites could have uses in remote or island locations. Read more....