Climate Chronicles #5 - Plastic Reduction, China's Energy Shift, Fungi Eating Plastic, and Effective Emission Interventions

#1 - The United States back a global target to reduce plastic production

The Unites States has made a significant policy shift by supporting a global treaty aimed at reducing the production of new plastic each year. This move aligns the U.S. with a group of high ambition countries including EU-member states, South Korea, Canada, Rwanda and Peru, which advocate for capping and phasing down plastic production. Previously, the U.S. had favoured leaving such decisions to individual countries. This change puts the U.S. in opposition to countries like Saudi Arabia and China, which prefer focusing on recycling and packaging design rather than production limits. The upcoming negotiations in Busan, South Korea, will be crucial in determining the treaty’s final scope.

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#2 - China has cut new coal power plant permits by nearly 80%, Greenpeace says

China has significantly reduced the number of permits for new coal power plants by nearly 80% in the first half of 2024, according to a report by Greenpeace East Asia. This reduction is seen as a potential turning point in China’s energy policy. The report also highlights that China’s combined wind and solar capacity has surpassed its coal capacity for the first time. Despite this progress, China still commissioned 14 new coal plants with a total capacity of 10.3 gigawatts during the same period. The future impact of this slowdown on coal usage remains uncertain, with Greenpeace suggesting that investment should focus on improving grid connectivity to maximize the output from renewable sources.

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#3 - Scientists discover plastic-eating fungi that could help clean up world’s oceans

Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany have discovered microfungi that can break down synthetic plastics, offering a potential solution to plastic pollution in oceans. These fungi can survive exclusively on plastics, particularly polyurethane, by degrading them into simpler forms. However, experts caution that this is not a complete solution to plastic pollution. The fungi’s enzyme activity depends on external factors like temperature and nutrient availability, making them more suitable for controlled environments like sewage treatment plants rather than natural settings.

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#4 - How climate change is driving up food prices around the world

Carbon Brief explores the impact of climate change on food production and prices worldwide, using five charts focused on specific regions:

1. Europe: Extreme heat in 2022 increased food inflation, with future warming potentially amplifying inflation by 30-50% by 2035.
2. UK: Heavy rainfall from 2021-2024 led to waterlogged soils and crop delays, reducing vegetable production by 4.9% in 2023.
3. US: Extreme weather and disease significantly reduced orange production, causing a sharp rise in orange juice prices.
4. Mediterranean: High temperatures and drought slashed olive oil production by a third since 2021, leading to steep price hikes.
5. China: Extreme weather reduced rice yields and affected other crops, with recent floods and heatwaves increasing food prices.

This trend underscores the growing volatility in food prices due to climate change, and highlights how various regions are being impacted differently depending on local conditions.

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#5 - Emissions interventions that really work

An analysis of roughly 1,500 climate policies found 63 that led to significant reductions in emissions, cutting them by 19% on average.

Using the right mix of policies is more important than using a lot of policies, says climate researcher and co-author Annika Stechemesser. For example, the UK’s phasing out of coal-fired power stations worked because it was used in tandem with pricing mechanisms, such as a minimum carbon price, while in Norway, banning combustion engine cars was most effective when combined with a price incentive that made electric cars cheaper.

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