BIOCTANE’s Post

New preprint paper (under review!) led by Rosa Maria Roman-Cuesta concludes that Land emissions remain a blind spot in tracking progress under the Paris Agreement, due to lack of data comparability https://lnkd.in/dCAdTVjy As a result, the first Global Stocktake, aiming to track collective mitigation progress, did not explicitly consider country targets for land! This blind spot leaves countries uninformed of the 2030 gap between their ambitions for mitigation on land and models’ benchmarks, affecting net-zero trajectories. We provide an analysis of land-related targets under NDC 2020, splitting reduced emissions and additional sinks. Land use holds a quarter of global mitigation pledges in 2030, mostly through conditional support. To provide more policy-relevant information to decision makers, it is crucial that future Global Stocktakes also include appropriate comparisons of modelled scenarios and country land-use data. Thanks to Rosa and a great group of co-authors, including Zuelclady M.F. Araujo Gutierrez, Nicklas Forsell, William Lamb, Emily McGlynn, Joana B. Melo, Simone Rossi, Malte Meinshausen, Sandro Federici, Matthew GIDDEN, Kimon Keramidas, Anu Korosuo

Carbon removal has seen significant advancements in 2023, with expectations for continued growth in 2024.  Key areas of progress include innovation from companies, private sector investment, enabling policies, and responsible deployment.  Challenges remain in scaling up technologies to meet the global need for removing 7–9 billion tonnes of CO2 per year to align with the Paris Agreement target.   Many novel methods need to scale at a much faster rate to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, requiring significant innovation and development. Large-scale deployment requires substantial funding, which can be a hurdle for both private and public sectors. There is much work needed to be done ensuring effective governance, including mitigation deterrence, equity in cost and benefits distribution, and robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems. Finally, there is the hurdle of overcoming scepticism regarding the effectiveness and permanence of carbon removal methods.   Governments can incentivise the scaling up of carbon removal through various measures. They need to do more to support increased forest carbon storage, carbon capture and storage (CCS) with bioenergy, and direct air capture technologies². For example, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in the US provides financial incentives for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) efforts. Governments can pledge funds alongside private sector commitments to procure high-quality carbon removals. An international body funded by major emitting countries could support global CDR initiatives³. Direct government financing is expected to be a major source for scaling CDR, alongside voluntary carbon markets (VCM). For this to happen, however, we need to move beyond the VCM, to the compliance carbon market (CCM). In Singapore, the Green Plan 2030 with ambitious targets, including an Enterprise Sustainability Programme and a significant increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging points is an example for the international community.  Singapore’s low emissions development strategy (LEDS) involves investing in low-carbon technologies like carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), and international cooperation for climate action. Terence Nunis Terence K. J. Nunis, Consultant President, Red Sycamore Global

Carbon removal has seen significant advancements in 2023, with expectations for continued growth in 2024.  Key areas of progress include innovation from companies, private sector investment, enabling policies, and responsible deployment.  Challenges remain in scaling up technologies to meet the global need for removing 7–9 billion tonnes of CO2 per year to align with the Paris Agreement target.   Many novel methods need to scale at a much faster rate to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, requiring significant innovation and development. Large-scale deployment requires substantial funding, which can be a hurdle for both private and public sectors. There is much work needed to be done ensuring effective governance, including mitigation deterrence, equity in cost and benefits distribution, and robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems. Finally, there is the hurdle of overcoming scepticism regarding the effectiveness and permanence of carbon removal methods.   Governments can incentivise the scaling up of carbon removal through various measures. They need to do more to support increased forest carbon storage, carbon capture and storage (CCS) with bioenergy, and direct air capture technologies². For example, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in the US provides financial incentives for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) efforts. Governments can pledge funds alongside private sector commitments to procure high-quality carbon removals. An international body funded by major emitting countries could support global CDR initiatives³. Direct government financing is expected to be a major source for scaling CDR, alongside voluntary carbon markets (VCM). For this to happen, however, we need to move beyond the VCM, to the compliance carbon market (CCM). In Singapore, the Green Plan 2030 with ambitious targets, including an Enterprise Sustainability Programme and a significant increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging points is an example for the international community.  Singapore’s low emissions development strategy (LEDS) involves investing in low-carbon technologies like carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), and international cooperation for climate action. Terence Nunis Terence K. J. Nunis, Consultant President, Red Sycamore Global

Today, I came across this short paper on more-than-human design approaches and the environmental impacts of 'profound technologies'. While I am myself a transport scientist and not at all a specialist in the field, there were several concepts that I found very interesting. Incidentally, electric cars or EVs were one of the cases discussed in the paper. Profound or disappearing technologies are those that 'weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are undistinguishable from it'. This naturally made me think of the role of cars in our lives and of concepts such as 'car blindness' and 'car blinders'. According to the given definition, the 'more-than-human movement advocates for recognizing and incorporating the interests and well-being of non-human entities, e.g., animals, plants, ecosystems, the planet'. I was not previously familiar with this concept, but this made me think of multi-species justice that has started to gain visibility. In our predominantly car-based mobility systems, it is clear that a 'more-than-human' perspective has not been given enough weight and that many environmental impacts of transport remain poorly understood (such as biodiversity impacts and microplastics pollution, to mention just a few). I also very much liked the discussion section of the paper. Indeed, for new as well as for old technologies, we should keep in mind that 'once a technology starts to “disappear” (from a human-centered perspective), then we need to urgently look for how it appears from other (more-than-human) perspectives - including how it influences other species, our climate, and our planet in the long run'. #EVs #transport #mobility #technology #futures

Carbon removal has seen significant advancements in 2023, with expectations for continued growth in 2024.  Key areas of progress include innovation from companies, private sector investment, enabling policies, and responsible deployment.  Challenges remain in scaling up technologies to meet the global need for removing 7–9 billion tonnes of CO2 per year to align with the Paris Agreement target.   Many novel methods need to scale at a much faster rate to meet the Paris Agreement's goals, requiring significant innovation and development. Large-scale deployment requires substantial funding, which can be a hurdle for both private and public sectors. There is much work needed to be done ensuring effective governance, including mitigation deterrence, equity in cost and benefits distribution, and robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems. Finally, there is the hurdle of overcoming scepticism regarding the effectiveness and permanence of carbon removal methods.   Governments can incentivise the scaling up of carbon removal through various measures. They need to do more to support increased forest carbon storage, carbon capture and storage (CCS) with bioenergy, and direct air capture technologies². For example, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act in the US provides financial incentives for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) efforts. Governments can pledge funds alongside private sector commitments to procure high-quality carbon removals. An international body funded by major emitting countries could support global CDR initiatives³. Direct government financing is expected to be a major source for scaling CDR, alongside voluntary carbon markets (VCM). For this to happen, however, we need to move beyond the VCM, to the compliance carbon market (CCM). In Singapore, the Green Plan 2030 with ambitious targets, including an Enterprise Sustainability Programme and a significant increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging points is an example for the international community.  Singapore’s low emissions development strategy (LEDS) involves investing in low-carbon technologies like carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), and international cooperation for climate action. Terence Nunis Terence K. J. Nunis, Consultant President, Red Sycamore Global

Going Green: How Swapping Polyethylene for Polylactic Acid in Sanitary Pads can Reduce Environmental Impact - A Life Cycle Assessment Comparison https://lnkd.in/eikjxe-G

Advanced Materials Research Poised to Revolutionize Technology and Society: The possibilities include technology that is not just more compact and quicker, but also significantly more energy-efficient, along with innovative catalysts from these materials that could transform clean energy generation and enhance efforts in environmental restoration. https://okt.to/vPZV3X

🌟 Harnessing Rainwater for Sustainable Solutions in Tech 🌎 In a world where a few dozen AI queries can consume the equivalent of a bottle of water, tech companies are realizing the importance of exploring sustainable alternatives to meet their water needs. Rainwater harvesting emerges as a viable solution, offering tech firms the opportunity to reduce water demand and minimize environmental impact. By harnessing this natural resource, companies can actively contribute to sustainability while easing strain on local water sources. Embracing practices like rainwater harvesting signifies a step towards a greener future, emphasizing the significance of environmental stewardship and resource efficiency in the tech industry. #Sustainability #WaterManagement #RainwaterHarvesting #TechForGood #Innovation #YASHTechnologies #Houston Link to learn more: [Scientific American Article on Rainwater and AI Water Demands](https://lnkd.in/ena7kg_5)

Sustainable Places 2024 Conference! Join the conference from September 23-25, 2024, in a hybrid format in Luxembourg, where over 150 European projects will converge to share their impactful results with the public. This year’s themes include: - Energy communities, smart cities, and urban transitions - Renewable energy technologies - Sustainable construction and renovation - Carbon neutrality and circularity - Climate change mitigation and adaptation - Facilitating energy transition: Policy, financing, education - Sustainable urban renewal and cultural transformation - Digital twins, artificial intelligence, and sustainability - Resilience and energy security Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of shaping a sustainable future! Turkish stakeholders involved in projects under Cluster 5, Destination 4: Efficient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy Use call between September 17, 2024, and January 21, 2025, may qualify for travel support by TÜBİTAK. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dYDBmhC #SustainablePlaces2024 #RenewableEnergy #SmartCities #ClimateAction #Innovation #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #Conference #Luxembourg

Renoster is proud to announce the public release of our Global Database of Nature-Based Carbon Offset Boundaries. The lack of transparent and standardized boundaries for carbon projects has been an ongoing problem without any viable solution for years. To quote Nan Pond of Rubicon Carbon: "I’m continually surprised by the lack of standardization and consistency in spatial data available for carbon projects". Similarly, CarbonPlan shared a blog post a few months ago titled, “To know if an offset project is burning, first you have to find it” (link). The CarbonPlan team highlighted the lack of transparency and standardised boundaries, point out that that figuring out the location of an offset project shouldn't involve a scavenger hunt. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have become an important important component of strategies to combat climate change, primarily through carbon offset strategies. However, the effectiveness of these projects is often questioned due to exaggerated claims and the absence of accessible boundary data. To address this, we have created a comprehensive database detailing the geospatial boundaries of 575 nature-based offset projects across 55 countries. This resource combines data scraped from carbon project registries with manually georeferenced boundaries, covering project types such as avoided deforestation, afforestation, reforestation, re-vegetation, and improved forest management. Our database, validated with a high accuracy score, serves as a vital tool for verifying the efficacy of carbon offsets and enhancing transparency in NBS initiatives. Our goal at Renoster is to democratize access to this data in order to increase transparency, and let scientists and policy makers use this to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of different carbon policies. We will continue to highlight which programs/policies have been most effective. We have segmented the areas into continents and posted them as geopackages on the following two registries, accompanied by a paper submitted for peer review. Here are some interesting statistics about the database itself: - Number of IFM projects: 252  - Number of ARR projects: 190  - Number of AD projects 133 - 64.7% of Gold Standard projects lacked public location data - 27.1% of American Carbon Registry projects - 26.5% of Verra projects - 8.2% of Climate Action Reserve - 3% of Ecoregistry projects 🌎 View our Global Database here: https://lnkd.in/gws55TiV 🛰️ Download Open Source data here: https://lnkd.in/g5DePPba #naturebased #carbon #data #opensource #dataaccess #carbonmarkets