Negotiations take place in France to tackle plastic pollution
Representatives of 175 nations met at the UNESCO headquarters in France with the aim of making progress towards reaching a historic agreement covering the entire plastics life cycle. The stakes are immense, given that annual plastics production has more than doubled in 20 years to 460 million tonnes. Also, plastic production is on track to […]
Solar investments to attract over $1 billion a day in 2023
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), fossil fuel investment spending is now more than double the levels needed in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenarios. Solar investments are expected to attract over $1 billion a day in 2023 and will soon overtake the amount of investment going into oil production. There are several […]
Extreme weather cost $4 trillion in economic losses over the last 50 years
A half-century of extreme weather events turbo-charged by man-made global warming has caused over two million deaths and $4.3 trillion in economic losses. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States suffered a high cost in relation to the size of their economies According to WMO, climate and […]
Global warming will expose 2 billion people to dangerous heat by end of century
Some 2 billion people will be exposed to dangerous heat conditions if global warming reaches 2.7 degrees. Two countries with the greatest population exposed to this level of global warming will be India and Nigeria. If global warming is reduced to 2.7 degrees as against 1.5 degrees, it could reduce the population exposed to unprecedented […]
Italy’s Enel to invest in a solar cell and panel factory in Oklahoma
Italian multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas, Enel, will invest more than $1 billion in a solar cell and panel factory in Oklahoma. This move seeks to capitalize on the U.S. efforts to build a homegrown clean energy manufacturing sector to compete with China. Enel’s U.S. manufacturing arm selected the site in Oklahoma […]
Plastic-eating microbes could solve the planet’s waste problem
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL have discovered microbes in the Arctic and from the Alps that can potentially eliminate some forms of plastic waste. The microbes, they found, will eat up certain types of plastic left in their environment. This discovery could pave the way to reducing […]
Renewable energy industries set to generate tons of waste
Renewable energy industries are key to reducing the dependence on fossil fuels, lowering carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. But, they will soon generate large amounts of waste as millions of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion EV batteries reach the end of their lifecycles. Several innovative startups are striving to create a […]
El Niño is likely to make a comeback
The climate pattern system El Niño is making its comeback and is expected to make its return within a few months and has a good chance of lasting the rest of the year. This climate pattern naturally occurs every two to seven years when ocean surface temperatures warm in the eastern Pacific. According to the […]
Hydrogen energy storage could ensure China’s energy security
Hydrogen, as a zero-carbon fuel, emits only water when burned and can be used to store energy for future needs and to meet shortages. The clean alternative could support China’s energy security needs and features prominently in the country’s 2060 carbon neutrality plan due to its eco-friendly uses and applications. Hydrogen energy storage can prove […]
UNCTAD calls for a ‘Global Blue Deal’ to protect the ocean
According to the UN Trade and Development body UNCTAD, climate change, pollution and overfishing threaten the livelihoods of some three billion people who rely on the ocean for food and income. Their report, presented at the 3rd UN Trade Forum in Geneva, calls for a global trade and investment “Blue Deal” to sustainably use the […]
