Energy

Rebuilding fairly will be a global challenge

Since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, disaster recovery plans are almost always framed with aspirational plans to “build back better”. It’s a fine sentiment – we all want to build better societies and economies. But, as the Cheshire Cat tells Alice when she is lost, where we ought to go depends very much on where we want to get to. The ambition to build back better therefore needs to be made explicit and transparent as countries slowly re-emerge from their COVID-19 cocoons. The Asian Development Bank attempted last year to define build-back-better aspirations more precisely and concretely. The bank described four criteria: build back safer, build back faster, build back potential and build back fairer. The first three are obvious. We clearly want our economies to recover fast, be safer and be more sustainable into the future. It’s the last objective – fairness – that will inevitably be the most challenging long-term goal at both the national and international level. Economic fallout from the pandemic is already being experienced disproportionately among poorer households, in poorer regions within countries, and in poorer countries in general. Some governments are aware of this and are trying to ameliorate this brewing inequality. At the same time, it is seen as politically unpalatable to engage in redistribution during a global crisis. Most governments are opting for broad-brush policies aimed at everyone, lest they appear to be encouraging class warfare and division or, in the case of New Zealand, electioneering. In fact, politicians’ typical focus on the next election aligns well with the public appetite for a fast recovery. We know that speedier recoveries are more complete, as delays dampen investment and people move away from economically depressed places. Speed is also linked to safety. As we know from other disasters, this recovery cannot be completed as long as the […]

Foam Concrete, an environmentally friendly building material

If you want to rank Foam Concrete (FC) on how environmentally friendly (or damaging) it is, consider this list. Igloo made from snow. Mud bricks from locally found mud Log cabin in the woods Foam Concrete Dome shaped house Box type house made from Foam Concrete FC compared to all those other building products and “normal“ concrete, because you can make a house with less cement, is less damaging to the environment. Simply because it takes a lot of energy to make Portland Cement. About 7% of greenhouse gases come from the production of concrete. It is also one of the lowest cost building materials, and if we can equate the costs directly with energy use, or greenhouse gas production, than we are way on top of the list. Foamed concrete is simply a concrete mix with a lot of air in it and the aggregate left out. To get the air into the mortar mix, foam is mixed in. The foam is made from a special foaming agent and water and this mix is put through a foaming machine to create small bubbles. The only disadvantage of this material is that it is not as “strong” as normal concrete; however there are special mixes that come close. There are also other ways to make a “light weight concrete” such as replacing the aggregate with polystyrene foam or expanded clay pebbles, pumice, and a few others. The disadvantage of these are the cost, environmental impact and the difficulties in making the mix right. Depending on the climate and geologic conditions, the construction can vary from light and simple to cold climate and earthquake proof. I put the Dome shape into the mix as that it is the strongest form made with the minimal amount of material. This means that it […]

Greta: the voice of climate activism who says ‘don’t listen to me’

She’s the voice of a global movement who mobilised millions of young people to demand action against climate change. Yet Greta Thunberg’s message to the US Congress – a hotbed of climate scepticism – was: “I don’t want you to listen to me. Little more than a year ago, we hadn’t heard of Thunberg. That changed after August 2018 when she held her first skolstrejk för klimatet, a ‘school strike for climate’, ducking out of class to protest outside Sweden’s parliament. “I want you to listen to the scientists.” Before long others joined her school strikes and, within a matter of months, a global movement was born. By March 2019, more than 2 million students across 135 countries were holding school strike demonstrations. Thunberg has come a long way in a year, both literally and figuratively. Just weeks after her 16th birthday she attended the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, where she famously urged world leaders to “panic” at the seriousness of the situation. “I don’t want your hope,” she told the audience. “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I do. Every day. And want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.” In March Thunberg was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Time magazine named her one of the world’s most influential people ans put her on its cover. She has addressed the European Parliament, the French National Assembly, the UK’s House of Commons, and met with Pope Francis. Now she is addressing the United Nations Climate Summit, a meeting she travelled to by carbon-neutral yacht. “It is insane that a 16-year-old would have to cross the Atlantic to take a stand,” she told reporters on arrival at the harbour. “The climate and ecological crisis is the […]

We need to protect 30% of the planet by 2030.

Nicole SchwabDirector, International Relations, Last Wild Places, National Geographic Society Kristin RechbergerChief Executive Officer, Dynamic Planet At a time when the world is grappling with meeting the Paris Climate Agreement and trying to prevent the sixth mass extinction on Earth, an international team of scientists has published a way forward – a Global Deal for Nature. The science-backed plan, published in Science Advances, proposes ambitious targets for the conservation of nature as the most effective pathway to address the extinction crisis and help us avert catastrophic climate change, before it’s too late. The deal calls for 30% of the planet to be protected by 2030, with an additional 20% to be maintained or restored to a natural state and designated as climate stabilization areas. The link between biodiversity and climate change Biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth, from species to ecosystems – has a close relationship to climate change. Tropical forests, for example, are home to more than half of all species on land, and capture more of our carbon pollution than any other terrestrial ecosystem. They also sequester much more carbon than planted monocultures. The same is true for other ecosystems, such as intact mangroves and seagrass beds, which are sites of great biodiversity that store more carbon than coastal areas that have been degraded. But we have already transformed over half of Earth’s land to produce our food, and severely damaged our oceans. As a result, not only are we losing species at a rate 1000 times greater than the natural extinction rate, but we are also losing the ability of the natural world to rid us from our own pollution. At the moment, 45% of the planet is still in a natural or semi-natural state. But this is changing rapidly, putting severe pressure on the survival […]

Oslo just decided to get rid of its parking spaces

Oslo had hoped to be the first major European city to ban cars, but a furious backlash forced the council to think again. In October 2015, a progressive political alliance gained control of Oslo’s city council and announced its aim to make it a greener capital. The Guardian reports that it committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions to 95% of 1990 levels by 2030. Transport accounts for 61% of the city’s CO2 emissions, making it the obvious place to start. The council notes: “The transport sectors will require the most determined efforts moving forward.” The Norwegian capital already has the world’s highest proportion of electric vehicles, and runs one third of its bus fleet on biogas and biodiesel. So the city looked to private cars, which produce almost 40% of Oslo’s transport emissions. Initially it proposed a car-free zone: a 1.7km sq area in the centre of the city. The vast majority of the 1,000 residents in this area – almost 90% – do not own a car. Just 7% commute by car, compared with 64% who travel to work on public transport, 22% on foot and 7% by bike. Oslo’s proposed car-free zone Residents, however, felt bullied while businesses feared the plans would create a “dead town”. Beathe Radby Schieldrop, communications manager for the city’s trade association, the Oslo Handelsstands Forening (OHF), told the Guardian: “It’s too much and too soon. Shop owners and visitors need time to adapt.” The council took note and has settled instead on getting rid of all of the 650 on-street parking spaces in the centre. It will then extend pedestrian networks, close several streets to private traffic, and build 40 miles of bike lanes. The council has not completely abandoned the idea of banning cars. The plan is to see if the removal of parking and restrictions […]

Australia can’t lose in the global race for cheaper, cleaner energy

Paul Graham, Chief economist, CSIRO energy, CSIRO. Despite our sometimes heated national debate about our energy future, Australia is well positioned to benefit from innovative low emission technologies. No matter which avenue we take to cleaner energy, our energy-rich resources means there are opportunities for Australian businesses – and cheaper energy for Australian consumers. That’s the conclusion reached by CSIRO in our Low Emissions Technology Roadmap, which outlines potential pathways for the energy sector to contribute to Australia’s emissions reduction target. Our target under the Paris climate agreement calls for a 26-28% reduction of emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels. Our analysis also considers how the energy sector could meet the more ambitious aspiration of avoiding 1.5-2℃ global warming. Looking past the political wrangling Perhaps one of the reasons the energy debate in Australia is so vehement is that, with the exception of oil, we are rich in energy resources. While we cannot wait indefinitely, the lack of resource constraints means we can monitor and test what options emerge as the most cost effective. Technology neutrality is often called upon as a key policy design principle. Another reason for caution is that technological change is inherently unpredictable. For example, at the start of this century, few would have expected solar photovoltaics to be one of the lowest cost sources of electricity. Current expectations of sourcing cost-effective bulk electricity storage would have seemed even less likely at the time. However, there are two key choices that will determine how we reduce greenhouse gases, and the shape of our energy future. First, we must decide how much weight we give to improving energy productivity, versus decarbonising our energy supply. This is essentially a policy decision: should we use our existing energy more intelligently and efficiently in our buildings, industries and transport, or […]

This country made so much clean energy it had to pay people to use it

On a bright and blustery day last month, a surreal event took place in the world of German energy prices. Sunny and windy weather lit up the country’s solar and wind farms, causing a surge of clean energy that amounted to almost all of Germany’s 45.8 gigawatt daily demand. Topped up by the supply from traditional power plants, the sum of energy being produced that day was well in excess of the amount needed. And that means that for a brief moment in time, energy prices were negative: consumers were effectively being paid to use energy. The below chart shows Germany’s power production and consumption on 8 May 2016: you can see the gigawatts peaking between 10am and 12am. Image: Source: Agora Energiewende Germany isn’t the only country living the green dream: for four consecutive days last month, Portugal managed to run entirely on wind, solar and hydro power. It’s a bright point in a generally cheery picture for Portugal, with renewable sources now providing almost half its energy each year. Sixteen countries have now hit 100% renewable electricity production, according to 2013 data from the Energy Information Administration. Costa Rica made headlines recently by running entirely on clean energy for 75 days of 2015. Iceland has achieved its target of becoming 100% renewable-powered, with Norway close behind on 98%, according to the data. And it’s a bright (and hopefully windy) outlook for sustainable energy the world over. The alternative energy sector has grown more in 2016 than in any other year since records began, according to the recently released Renewables 2016 Global Status Report, which also notes that by the end of 2015, renewable capacity was “enough to supply an estimated 23.7% of global electricity”.

What happens when demand for oil peaks?

Forget peak oil: what about peak demand? Since the First Industrial Revolution, oil and gas have played a pivotal role in economic transformation and mobility. But now, with the prospects that major economies like the United States, China and European nations will try to shift away from oil, producers are coming to realise that their oil reserves under the ground – sometimes referred to as “black gold” – could become less valuable in the future than they are today. Of the four scenarios for the future of the industry outlined in a new set of whitepapers from the Global Agenda on the Future of Oil and Gas, three of them envisage this type of world. Factors such as technological advancements, the falling price of batteries that power electric vehicles, and a post-COP21 push for cleaner energy could even drive oil use below 80 million barrels a day by 2040 – 15% lower than today. So what would a future of falling demand mean for the oil and gas industry? We’re already feeling the effect Uncertainty about whether oil demand will continue to grow is already impacting the strategies of oil and gas firms. Through the 2000s and up until last year, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), whose policies influence global oil supply and prices, took a revenues-oriented strategy, believing that scarce oil would be more valuable under the ground than out in the market, as global demand rose exponentially over time. Oil companies, too, responded to this world view by pursuing a business model that maximised adding as many reserves as possible to balance sheets and warehousing expensive assets. Now, with new trends discussed in a new whitepaper, producers are coming to realise that oil under the ground might soon be less valuable than oil produced and sold […]

Securing Renewable Energy in India

How a Think Tank is Tackling India’s Energy Crisis India is the second most populous country in the world with 1.37 billion inhabitants and a population growth rate of 1.58%. By 2030, India is expected to add another 160 million people to the count. Simultaneously, the nation’s economy is growing so rapidly that it recently surpassed China as the world’s fastest growing large economy. To meet the demands of booming business and a growing population, India has turned increasingly towards imported oil, coal, and natural gas. Without a proper energy strategy, this swelling South Asian nation is headed straight for environmental and energy disaster. Load blackouts and shortages are a daily occurrence in India as energy demands skyrocket to meet the needs of industry and the population. Seventy percent of India’s oil is imported and their coal resources are depleting fast. If India hopes to meet these increasing demands, they must tap into their clean and renewable energy potential. Fortunately, the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) is working to ensure India’s renewable energy future, and to leave no Indian household behind, by conducting evidence-based research to provide suggested solutions to policy makers. CSTEP is an Indian not-for-profit research organisation and one of South Asia’s largest Think Tanks. They are a crucial player in securing wind and solar energy in India. Today, India has installed between 3 and 4 GW of solar and 20 GW of wind power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed to a renewable energy target of 175 GW of renewables by 2022; an ambitious goal that, if achieved, will meet India’s energy needs sustainably, while also creating new job opportunities for the projected 1.6 billion people to inhabit India in 2030. CSTEP continues to provide the Government of India with focused research on […]

Air Shepherd

Air Shepherd, a new initiative of the Lindbergh Foundation, is using sophisticated technology to protect the environment. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) or drones, are successfully stopping the poaching of elephants and rhinos in Africa. They are deployed with advanced infrared surveillance systems and supercomputer-based predictive analytic technology developed at the University of Maryland. • This innovative combination of algorithms and aviation predicts where poaching is likely to happen with 93% accuracy, apprehending poachers before they can kill. Tested on private reserves in southern Africa for two years, in over 650 missions, no animals were killed while Air Shepherd drones were in flight. • SANParks (South African National Parks) announced Thursday that these UAV solutions are an integral part of the current strategy to combat rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park, and that SANParks is in process of evaluating the program over the next year. • There is an alarming increase in animal poaching. In the past year poachers killed nearly 40,000 elephants and over 1,200 rhinos. At this rate both will be extinct within 10 years. Throughout Africa, an estimated 100,000 elephants were killed between 2010-2013 alone. Now, Air Shepherd, has a proven and effective solution to end poaching. Air Shepherd aims to raise $500,000 via crowdfunding to fully implement the program for one year at Kruger National Park with expansion planned over the next year to seven additional African countries. For decades, The Lindbergh Foundation has been a leader in encouraging the use of technology to protect the environment.

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