Sustt: Decarbonisation targets, planetary boundaries, insect robots, waste plastics, proposed oil and gas projects
Stat of the week 📊
A survey of 1,400 senior executives in 22 countries by Siemens reveals that 45% of companies expect to miss their 2030 decarbonisation targets. In the UK, barriers include the risk of recession, skill shortages, lack of infrastructure investment, limited private capital, and power grid limitations, many of which stem from political uncertainty. The survey was conducted and published prior to Rishi Sunak's announced delays to net-zero targets. Globally, 44% expect to meet 2030 targets, with 40% likely to hit this year's goals. Siemens UK & Ireland CEO Carl Ennis calls for a clear industrial strategy and investment in clean energy tech to bridge the gap to net zero, citing the need for long-term thinking. (edie)
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Bite-sized insights
What else we're seeing this week 👀
🌍 Planetary boundaries - Human activity has strained Earth's resilience, surpassing safe limits for six of nine planetary boundaries, including climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. An international team of 29 scientists warns that these actions jeopardise Earth's stability. Despite some improvements in the ozone layer, the overall trend is overwhelmingly negative. The study emphasises the interconnectedness of these boundaries, highlighting that addressing them together is crucial. However, the researchers do believe it's possible to bring all boundaries back within safe limits by setting restrictions on waste and resource consumption. This planetary boundary framework has become influential across science, policy, and business. (Phys.org)
🐜 Insect-sized robots - Researchers at Cornell University have developed an insect-sized robot powered by tiny explosions. The robot utilises hollow cylindrical actuators with elastomeric silicone rubber on top. It's fuelled by methane and oxygen, creating small explosions when sparked by a battery, deforming the rubber and acting like a piston for propulsion. Despite the explosions, there are no flames to damage the rubber. The robot can jump up to 56 centimetres and carry loads 22 times its weight. While tethered to a battery and gas supply for now, future developments aim to make it untethered for applications like environmental monitoring and search-and-rescue missions. (Nature)
🗑️ Waste plastics - Researchers at Rice University have developed a low-emission method to produce hydrogen from plastic waste, which could potentially cover its own costs. This breakthrough involves converting various types of waste plastics, including mixed and unwashed plastics, into both high-yield hydrogen gas and high-value graphene. Even if the graphene sold at just 5% of its current market value, the process could essentially generate free clean hydrogen. In comparison, 'green' hydrogen production, which uses renewable energy sources to split water, costs around $5 for slightly over two pounds. However, most of the hydrogen produced in 2022 used a cheaper method encompassing fossil fuels, generating roughly 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per tonne of hydrogen, making this new method a promising alternative. (ENN)
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In-depth insight 🔎
Oil and gas
Billions of tonnes of carbon to be emitted by 20 nations’ proposed oil and gas projects by 2050: report
✍️ Written by Sam Robinson : “Oil Change International’s report came at a particularly opportune time as it preceded New York’s Climate Week and concurrent UN General Assembly by just a few days. As the international leaders gather to discuss how to take stronger action on climate change ahead of COP28, this vital piece of reportage exposes the inaction and hypocrisy many governments “leading the fight against climate change” are displaying by continuing to invest in highly polluting oil and gas projects. While Climate Week is doing a fantastic job of displaying some of the positive work that has been done by the global community, stories like this show how much more needs to be done to enact meaningful, practical change – not just empty promises of climate action at international conferences."
What’s happening? The top 20 global oil and gas producers are poised to release 173 billion tonnes of carbon emissions by 2050 as they invest in new fossil fuel exploration projects, drastically exceeding their Paris Agreement obligations and propelling global temperatures well beyond the 1.5C threshold, according to a report by Oil Change International. The United States stands out as the primary contributor to this significant growth in emissions, accounting for more than a third of the plans. The 20 nations are set to make up nearly 90% of projected carbon emissions from planned oil and gas ventures from 2023 to 2050. President Biden’s reluctance to curb the industry’s expansion has aggravated environmental concerns, spurring protests against fossil fuel proliferation, including a 75,000-strong march in New York City to mark the beginning of the city’s Climate Week. (DeSmog)
Why does this matter? Oil Change International’s report comes as UN nations prepare to meet in New York on September 20 at a high-level “Climate Ambition Summit”. Ahead of the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged G20 nations – many of whom are exposed in the report – to stop the climate crisis “spinning out of control” by reaching net zero as quickly as possible and committing to fresh climate pledges at the upcoming conference. However, the report’s findings reveal some of these nations plan to do the opposite by pumping billions into new fossil fuel extraction projects, which will generate CO2 emissions equivalent to more than 30 years’ worth of the US’ total carbon emissions.
Despite news of continued investment in oil and gas by leading economies, fossil fuel consumption will peak by 2030 and then fall into permanent decline as the world teeters on “the cusp of a historic turning point”, according to Fatih Birol, Executive Director at the International Energy Agency (IEA).
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