Curation

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💡What would you build?

In this week’s edition of Sustt, Curation Sustainability Specialist Sam Robinson investigates a rise in cleantech companies facing bankruptcy as securing private funding becomes more challenging. In addition, the Curation team highlights: 📊 Tata Steel’s plant in Port Talbot will see 2,500 jobs lost as it transitions to electric arc furnace technology. 🌦️ California's weather whiplash – Heavy winter rains in California in early 2024 led to a surge in grass and shrub growth, which dried into fire fuel during the record-hot summer. 💨 Jet stream heading north – The planet’s jet streams, bands of fast-moving winds, have been shifting towards the poles in recent decades due to climate change, with significant implications for weather patterns.  🛒 UK High Street woes – In the first half of 2024, 6,945 stores have closed on Britain’s High Streets, averaging 38 per day. #sustainability #cleantech #funding #redundancies #steel #energytransition #steel #manufacturing #california #wildfire #forestfire #extremeweather #plantgrowth #jetstreams #weatherpatterns #unitedkingdom #shopping #highstreets #storeclosures

The global data centre industry is projected to emit 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 through to 2030, a figure equivalent to nearly 40% of the US' annual emissions, according to Morgan Stanley research. The surge is driven by companies - known as "hyperscalers" – such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, which are expanding energy-intensive data centres for AI and cloud computing. Emissions growth is expected to drive significant investments in clean energy, energy-efficient equipment, and decarbonisation technologies. By 2027, the energy required for generative AI could match the total energy consumption of Spain. (Tech Monitor: https://hubs.ly/Q02NY8440) Data centre opposition is growing – read more about Google's rejected Dublin data centre here: https://hubs.ly/Q02NY1B-0

In this week’s edition of Sustt, Curation Sustainability Specialist Nicola Watts investigates the challenges around recycling wind turbine blades and some promising solutions. In addition, the Curation team highlights: 📊 Stat of the week – The global data centre industry is projected to emit 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 through to 2030, a figure equivalent to nearly 40% of the US' annual emissions, according to Morgan Stanley research. 💉 Mpox vaccine progress – Moderna's experimental mRNA mpox vaccine has shown superior results compared to the licensed Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine from Bavarian Nordic, according to a study published in Cell. 🌍 Africa's climate change-induced GDP drop – UN climate chief Simon Stiell claims that African nations are losing up to 5% of their economic output due to global warming. 🐛 Subterranean biodiversity threats – New research published in the iScience journal reveals that soil pollution, particularly from pesticides and heavy metals, is the leading cause of underground biodiversity decline. #sustainability #windpower #windturbines #recycling #innovation #solutions #datacentres #emissions #co2emissions #artificialintelligence #cloudcomputing #vaccines #mrnavaccines #moderna #mpox #healthcare #drugtrials #africa #globalwarming #climatechange #climatefinance #biodiversityloss #pesticides #heavymetals #agriculture 

UK PLCs 🇬🇧👇🏽

China's clean energy capacity has surpassed 1,206 GW, achieving President Xi Jinping's 2030 target set in December 2020 nearly six years early. The nation added 25 GW of turbines and panels in July alone, according to the National Energy Administration. Driven by China's significant investment in clean energy, the rapid wind and solar expansion has contributed to a decline in coal power generation and suggests the country, which is the world’s leading polluter, may have already reached peak emissions. China may also achieve a doubling of its 2025 "new-energy storage" installation targets as it continues to invest heavily in its grid. However, Chinese officials were quick to downplay this prospect, saying "great efforts are still needed to achieve the goals of peak carbon and carbon neutrality” as energy demand continues to soar. When inspecting the country's electricity mix, it's clear why there is some trepidation: wind and solar accounted for only around 14% of the country's electricity generation this year, despite the vast installation figures. (Bloomberg: https://hubs.ly/Q02Nz5LY0) Explore Ember's overview of China's energy metrics: https://hubs.ly/Q02Nz3LL0

In this week’s edition of Sustt, Curation Sustainability Specialist Nicola Watts investigates Australia’s approval of SunCable’s plans to construct the “world’s largest solar precinct”. In addition, the Curation team highlights: 📊 Stat of the week – China's clean energy capacity has surpassed 1,206 GW, achieving President Xi Jinping's 2030 target set in December 2020 nearly six years early.  🔥Canada's historic wildfires in 2023 emitted around 647 megatonnes of carbon, surpassing the annual fossil fuel emissions of most countries, according to research published in Nature. 🪵Drax Group, operator of the UK’s largest power station, has been fined £25m ($32.9m) after an Ofgem investigation revealed that it failed to accurately report data on the type of biomass material burned at its North Yorkshire site. 🍃 Suriname’s government has launched the world’s first sovereign carbon credits through the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, enabling the trade of carbon credits derived from the purported preservation of the country’s extensive Amazon rainforest cover. #sustainability #solarpower #renewables #cleanenergy #australia #china #canada #wildfire #emissions #carbonemissions #biomass #fines #unitedkingdom #suriname #carboncredits #parisagreement #amazonrainforest

Europe's abandoned agricultural and post-industrial land offers significant rewilding opportunities, with 117 million hectares – or around 25% of the total land mass – identified as potential sites to restore landscapes to their natural state. A study published in Current Biology highlights that 70% of these opportunities lie in colder regions, including Scandinavia, Scotland, and the Baltic states. Researchers propose two rewilding strategies: passive rewilding, where animals naturally recolonise areas, and active rewilding, which involves reintroducing key large carnivore or herbivore species. While some countries can meet the 2030 European Biodiversity Strategy's goals via the rewilding strategies recommended in the report, densely populated nations, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy may need to consider alternative conservation methods. (Science Daily: https://hubs.ly/Q02M_MdL0) Click here to access the full research paper on Current Biology: https://hubs.ly/Q02M_MvG0

In this week’s edition of Sustt, Curation Sustainability Specialist Nicola Watts takes a look at the advancements of wave energy technology, which could bring one of the world’s largest untapped sources of energy closer to market. In addition, the Curation team highlights: 📊 Stat of the week: Europe's abandoned agricultural and post-industrial land offers significant rewilding opportunities, with 117 million hectares – or around 25% of the total land mass – identified as potential sites to restore landscapes to their natural state.  💉 Extreme weather constricts blood supply – The American Red Cross has warned that record summer heat and extreme weather events have led to an emergency blood shortage in the US. In July alone, the organisation saw a 25% drop in national blood inventory and a shortfall of over 19,000 donations. 🌊 Atlantic cooling mystifying scientists – The Atlantic Ocean has cooled at an unprecedented rate over the past three months, following a year of record-high global sea temperatures, which has puzzled scientists. 🚗 Tesla tree destruction – The construction of Tesla’s gigafactory near Berlin, a key part of its European expansion, has sparked controversy due to its environmental impact. #sustainability #renewables #oceans #waveenergy #innovation #technology #rewilding #europe #nature #naturerestoration #blooddonation #extremeweather #extremeheat #climatechange #globalwarming #atlanticocean #seatemperatures #deforestation #environmentalimpact #trees