Net zero – site de știri și informații utile

Recent trends show that global demand for freshwater use is increasing while the amount of net storage available is decreasing. Water storage increases the availability of water for human, environmental and economic use, reduces flood impacts, and provides benefits such as hydropower and navigation by regulating water flows. Climate change is bringing profound changes to the water cycle, making it more difficult to access natural water storage systems such as glaciers, wetlands, and soil moisture. Investment in built storage has not kept up with population growth, resulting in a water storage gap that must be addressed to ensure a water-secure future. This report by the World Bank provides a new integrated planning framework to help water managers navigate their options to meet …

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported that in 2023, more than half of all new electric-generating capacity in the US will come from solar and battery storage. Out of the total of 54,5GW developers plan to add to the grid, 54% will be from solar power and 17% from battery storage. The US is expected to install 29.1GW of new solar power in 2023, a significant increase compared to the 13.4GW added in 2021. This is also coming after the 23% drop in capacity installed in 2022, due to the global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with delayed projects expected to come online in 2023. The two ...

In the year 2018, the city of Kwinana, Australia became internationally famous for its successful efforts to reduce plastic pollution and floating trash in local water resources. The solution implemented by the city is simple and innovative. The city installed two nets (or trash traps) on the outlets of two drainage pipes located between residential and natural areas. The cost of the nets, including manufacture, installation and civil work, was $20,000 for the city. The project proved to be extremely successful, collecting 370kg of waste within four months. Once the nets became full, they were picked up with a crane and the waste was sorted and recycled. More importantly, the nets do not pose a threat to local wildlife. The city's post about their environmental project went...

Speaking at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos, the UN Secretary General António Guterres has accused fossil fuel producers and their financial backers of knowingly expanding production despite being aware that " their business model is inconsistent with human survival.” He warned that the commitment to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is “going up in smoke“. "We are flirting with climate disaster. Every week brings a new climate horror story,” he added. Guterres also called for the oil and gas industry to be held accountable for its role in climate change, alluding to an analysis showing ExxonMobil's own scientists accurately predicted future global warming in reports dating back decades. “Just like...

Industria de schi se confruntă cu efectele schimbărilor climatice, cum ar fi sezoanele de schi mai scurte și pârtiile fără zăpadă, ce vor determina multe stațiuni să se închidă sau să își adapteze modelul de afaceri pentru a face față.  Anzère, o stațiune de schi din Europa, a fost nevoită să închidă unele pârtii din cauza lipsei de ninsoare și a vremii ploioase de la începutul sezonului de iarnă 2023. În Alpi s-au înregistrat temperaturi record de Crăciun și Anul Nou, ajungând până la 20,9 C. Un studiu din 2018 a constatat că sezonul de schi din stațiunile montane din SUA s-a scurtat în medie cu 34 de zile între 1982 și 2016. În unele stațiuni europene, sezonul s-a scurtat cu câteva săptămâni în ultimii 30 de ani. În plus,…

The city of Grenoble, France, became the EU Green Capital in 2022 and achieved the milestone of enabling homes to be powered completely by renewable energy. Mayor Eric Piolle believes the drive behind this ambition is due to the city's location in the Alps, where climate change has been directly visible. Average temperatures have increased more than 2C since 1900. Since 2005, Grenoble has achieved a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and is France's top location for cycling. Grenoble is encouraging citizens to become more involved in the city's environmental strategy by proposing initiatives that are put to a public vote. Since 2015, €4mn has been spent on winning projects. Grenoble is an incubator for green businesses, with four of the 22 companies...

A hydrogen urban train jointly developed by CRRC Changchun Railway Co and Chengdu Rail Transit rolled off the assembly line in Chengdu, China in December 2022. The train has a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour and can travel up to 600 kilometers before needing to be recharged. Its only byproduct is water. Using it for transport can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10,000 kilograms per year and can be used on existing non-electrified line sections, avoiding the need for large infrastructure investments. China has ambitious plans to promote the the hydrogen-energy industry. By 2025, the country will have 50,000 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles...

Norway has seen successfully promoting electric vehicles due to generous tax incentives, such as the exemption of zero-emission vehicles from registration, VAT and fuel taxes, as well as reductions in road taxes, ferry and parking fees. In 2021, two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold were fully electric. The government is now working towards a sustainable vehicle taxation system. Norway is a northern European country with a small population of 5.4 million and a large coastline, making it difficult to develop a public transport system. Road transport is the most popular mode of transport. After a peak in transport emissions in 2012, the Norwegian government introduced a package of incentives to encourage the purchase of...

We will certainly remember 2022 for the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) it brought. We should be both fascinated and worried about the implications of such progress, particularly when it comes to its potential impact on climate change. On one hand, AI could help accelerate economic growth, making it easier to achieve the structural and societal changes needed for deep decarbonisation. Also, research has suggested that lately, innovation has been slowing down, but AI advances could reverse this trend. Innovation is necessary for dealing with climate change, not only in science and technology but also in policy, economics, marketing, and communication. On the other hand, AI tools could cause changes in the labor market, increase income inequality...

Ani de zile, unii economiști au spus că trecerea de la cărbune la energie curată – cum ar fi cea eoliană sau solară – ar fi foarte costisitoare. Dar, de fapt, decarbonizarea energiei noastre ne va ajuta să economisim bani. Până acum, economiștii au folosit cu succes modele computerizate pentru a estima costurile energiei provenită din combustibilii fosili, dar estimarea pentru energia regenerabilă a fost mai dificil de făcut deoarece costurile ei au scăzut în fiecare an. Predicțiile sugerează că, dacă oamenii continuă să treacă la energie solară și eoliană în ritmul de acum pentru următorii 20 de ani, ar putea economisi între 5 trilioane și 15 trilioane de dolari. O parte semnificativă a tranziției către energie curată va avea loc în interiorul clădirilor. Acum, gazul natural, un combustibil fosil,…