U.S. Pledge to Triple Global Nuclear Energy by 2050

Our latest selection of articles from New Zealand and around the world on environmental management and sustainability. Click here to subscribe.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) kicks off in Dubai on November 30th, and in preparation, the United States are preparing a pledge to triple the world’s production of nuclear energy by 2050, with more than 10 countries already signed on. The US have also been working with China to agree on other measures to tackle climate change, but the document is unsurprisingly light on fossil fuel action.

China are making progress on clean energy however, with the rate of low-carbon energy expansion now sufficient to exceed their annual increase in electricity demand.

Next up, we have a thought-provoking article from Mike Joy, delving into the carbon cycle and questioning the idea that we can mitigate current carbon emissions by simply offsetting them. Meanwhile, mass timber construction is growing fast as we seek to build the cities of the future with wood.

Speaking of building and urban planning, experts believe 15-minutes cities, where most things are a short walk or bike ride away, could help tackle climate change and improve quality of life, but conspiracy theorist see the idea as a bid to lock people up in their own neighbourhoods.

One thing we do need to lock up is carbon. Can seaweed farms supply us with food and sequester huge amounts of carbon? Some scientists have their doubts.

Did you know: You can display your organisation’s sustainability data on your website or intranet using our carbon management software, e-Bench? Read more…

Here is the full list of articles...

With COP28 in Dubai, UAE starting on November 30th, the US is preparing to announce a pledge to triple the world’s production of nuclear energy by 2050, joined by more than 10 countries on four continents already signed on to the first major international agreement in modern history to ramp up the use of atomic power. These signatories include the United Kingdom, France, Romania, Sweden, UAE, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Ghana and Morocco. Read more…

Also ahead of COP28, comes the joint announcement by China and the US, that they will step up cooperation on reducing methane emissions and support global efforts to triple renewable energy by 2030. As David Waskow from the World Resources Institute said, “This announcement is a major step, because China is the world's largest methane emitter and serious actions to curb this gas is essential for slowing global warming in the near-term". Read more…

And with China continuing to aggressively expand its pursuit of renewable energy, China’s carbon emissions are predicted to peak in 2023, before starting a structural decline from 2024. Beijing’s solar and wind installation targets for the year were met by September, according to the report, and the market share of electric vehicles is already well ahead of the government’s 20% target for 2025. Solar installations increased by 210 gigawatts (GW) in 2023 alone, which is twice the total solar capacity of the US. Read more…

The idea that we can mitigate current carbon emissions by “offsetting” them with carbon reduction initiatives elsewhere has become central to government and business responses to climate change. But it’s an idea we need to seriously question. If we continue emitting at the current rate, total fossil fuel emissions from now to 2050 will be about 280 billion tonnes – seven times larger than the maximum estimated biological carbon sequestration of 38 billion tonnes from 2015 to 2050. Offsetting in conjunction with stopping fossil emissions is the only solution. Read more…

Mass timber articles have featured in Snippets before, but now the industry is developing at pace. So, time to revisit. Laminated panels make it possible to build big with wood and the definition of ‘big’ keeps expanding. The world’s tallest mass timber structure is currently held by a Wisconsin tower at 25 storeys. Mass timber has good earthquake resistance, is difficult to burn and is a sustainable alternative to concrete and steel. As the industry expands, so do building options and the number of people employed. Read more…

Experts believe 15-minute cities, where most things are a short walk or bike ride away, could help tackle climate change and improve the quality of life. While cities occupy just 3% of the planet, they account for between 60% and 80% of energy consumption and 75% of carbon emissions. On the other hand, conspiracy theorists and some right-wing politicians are concerned that 15 minutes cities are a form of population control and an overreach by governments. Of course, there is no evidence to back up these claims! Read more…

Efforts to grow seaweed are springing up in the Philippines and beyond, and they’re in line for Elon Musk’s $1m Milestone prize. However, the Climate Foundation’s plans for the ocean have troubled some scientists. Warming oceans are presenting challenges, some can be worked around mechanically (lowering & raising the seaweed). While the worrying options, are effectively geo-engineered solutions that could impact the warming planet more by pumping cooler water to the surface. Whether as a food, supplement or carbon sink, seaweed could play its part. Read more…

One of the key stages of the carbon journey is communicating your progress towards emissions reductions. Sharing your organisation's sustainability results in a transparent way builds trust with your stakeholders, employees and customers and shows the public that you are prioritising the changes we all need to make to move towards a net-zero world. To see this in action, check out this example from Unitec, built in collaboration with our e-Bench development team.