An economist, whose brother is a former prime minister of South Korea, is the IPCC’s new chief, reports the Straits Times
Although one of the world’s top carbon emitters, South Korea has also become a leader in pursuing climate-resilient economic development. Its transformation was witnessed – and partially pioneered – by Dr Hoesung Lee, an economist specialising in climate change.
The 69-year-old now has the world’s climate blueprint on his plate, having been elected as the fourth and latest chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that assesses climate research and issues.
The British prime minister David Cameron celebrates UK-Chinese trading and says he wants to see even more trade flowing between the two countries, as he confirms a deal with China General Nuclear Power Corporation to build a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point, Somerset. Hinkley Point will become Britain’s first new nuclear power station in a generation. Cameron says exports to China have quadrupled since 2005 to almost £20 billion, making the UK the second biggest investor into China
Watch time-lapse footage of the changing of the seasons at the National Trust’s Stourhead landscape garden in Wiltshire
If you need confirmation that autumn is here, watch this video of the changing colours of the landscape at the National Trust’s Stourhead garden in Wiltshire.
A time-lapse camera installed on the roof of the newly-restored Pantheon by Bristol-based Lobster Vision has been running since September 9. It records a new image every 15 minutes.
China has bought a one-third stake in the £24bn, France-led project at Hinkley Point. What do the locals make of it?
Fishing boat skipper Steve Yeandle was in no doubt. “Bring it on. We all want the lights to work when we press the switch. We need secure energy. Yes, I’d prefer it if it was our government putting the money in, but you can’t have everything. Nuclear seems to be the viable way to go, and if it is Chinese money making it happen then so be it.”
Yeandle was working on his boat – Scooby Doo Too – in the harbour at Watchet, a modest town on the Somerset coast a few miles west of Hinkley Point. For more than 30 years he has escorted anglers on to the Bristol Channel in search of cod, skate and whiting. They tend to quiz him briefly about the squat towers of the Hinkley A and B nuclear power station as they chug away from the harbour – and then get on with their fishing.
World energy watchdog says commitments would result in rapid slowdown in growth of carbon from energy sector if followed through
Pledges on greenhouse gas emissions made by governments ahead of landmark climate talks this December will result in a rapid and dramatic slowdown in the growth of carbon from the energy sector – but will not reverse that growth within the next 15 years, the world’s energy watchdog said on Wednesday.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), regarded as the gold standard on energy data, found that the pledges would result in an increase of 3.7 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide from 2014 to 2030, which is only one-third of the increase in energy emissions seen in the last 15 years.
An increase in US wood pellet exports intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels may be threatening ecologically important forests across the country, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council
European Union (EU) rules intended to reduce power plant reliance on fossil fuels are threatening significant areas of ecologically important hardwood forests across the southeastern US, and will do little to mitigate carbon emissions, according to a new report.
The report, produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in collaboration with the Conservation Biology Institute, detailed a 150% increase in wood pellet exports (pdf) from the US during the past three years. Most are bound for Europe, where power companies are replacing coal and other fossil fuels with wood-based biofuels in order to benefit from EU incentives on renewable energy sources.
See autumn’s arrival at Stourhead in Wiltshire, courtesy of the National Trust. A time-lapse camera installed on the roof of the newly-restored Pantheon by Bristol-based Lobster Vision has been running since 9 September. It records a new image every 15 minutes, brought together here in a stunning timelapse video
Renewable energy is changing the country’s dynamic, turning lives around and allowing people to be part of the green growth story. This is the basis of its climate commitments ahead of crucial talks in Paris, reports India Today
Every summer, as India’s biggest cities resort to ‘load shedding’ to keep pace with the demand for power, its residents cuss and sweat, waiting for the comforting whirr of the fan and the hum of the air conditioner that allows them to stay insulated from the reality that millions of others live with – a life without electricity.
As our society transforms and our cities get more and more attractive to migrants seeking ‘the good life’, our urbanisation experiment gets impetus. Everyone wants to be on the grid and some, like those in Dharnai village in Bihar, get to do so by harnessing the flood of sunshine that defines their lives for most of the year. Dharnai became India’s first solar-powered village in July last year, literally lighting up the lives of people here who only knew life in the dark.
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered a new way of dealing with plastic waste – by feeding it to mealworms.
Image: Yu Yang / Stanford University
The study allowed mealworms to feast upon styrofoam waste, and the results suggest that their digestive bacteria were able to safely process the petrochemical polymer. Wei-Min Wu, a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford, says that these findings “have opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem”.
As unbelievable as it sounds, the collaborative research between Stanford and the Jun Yang of Beihang University in China concludes that the process is clean and safe. 100 mealworms were able to digest between 34 and 39 milligrams of Styrofoam per day, only emitting carbon dioxide, which researchers point out would be released regardless of the type of food eaten by the larvae.
Needless to say, further studies will be required before this becomes a serious option for plastics waste. While governments, manufacturers and the public agree that plastic waste is a growing global problem, this process is still fundamentally an ‘end of pipe’ option and diverts attention from addressing the negative impacts of plastic at the initial design stage.
Of course there is an overwhelming volume of existing plastic for mealworms get their teeth into, but potential ‘rebound effects’ would need to be considered. For example, the research has not yet stated whether these mealworms could safely biodegrade after styrofoam consumption, or whether they could be eaten by other animals, as insects are increasingly on the menu for humans and animals alike. As yet, it remains to be seen whether this waste solution could support the transition to a regenerative and restorative circular economy.
