With support from the UN, private and public initiatives, a fleet of satellites equipped with space-based detection and sensors are being launched to identify and measure the concentration of methane in the atmosphere. The main component of natural gas, methane is over 80 times more heat trapping than CO2. Now the second-most prominent greenhouse gas, it can leak at all stages of its production and use — from wells, refineries, pipelines and even at homes and buildings. Globally in 2022, methane emissions from the energy industry totaled some 135 million metric tons, slightly higher than the year before. As lead writer Michael Buchsbaum relates, the new satellites will be able to locate emissions even from remote or inaccessible areas and hopefully help regulators and operators finally control them. Read More
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Ukraine’s recovery will also be an example of sustainability – but don’t leave Ukraine out of that recovery
In Part 2/3, we considered the inability of politics and consumer behaviour to move at the speed and systems level the climate and sustainability emergency needs. For Ukraine and the world, the most progressive and bold businesses, combined with finance and braver politicians and activists, will need to show that sustainability works on all fronts – across the environment, for people and economically – to pull policymaking, the public and the rest of industry into alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Part 1/3 considered how the whole world can maximize the Ukraine 2.0 vision, built on the research and convening of Razom We Stand. Josh Matthews reports. Read More
Ukraine’s recovery will also be an example of sustainability – but business and finance must make up for the limited power of politics
In Part 1/3, we considered that despite Ukraine being poised, in its post-war recovery, to contribute to the systems-level change sustainability needs, that the world’s boldness will determine just how fast and global that systemic effect could be. Razom We Stand, in an event that led up to the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London this summer, amplified how Ukraine is set to show that sustainability and, in particular, the energy transition should work across environmental, people and economic fronts. Josh Matthews reports. Read More
Ukraine’s recovery will also be an example of sustainability – but the world’s boldness will determine its speed and scale
The first of three pieces highlighting the potential of Ukraine’s post-war recovery to pioneer sustainability – especially the energy transition – but warning against complacency. Part 2 focuses on business and finance, and Part 3 highlights the risk of leaving Ukraine out of its own recovery. Josh Matthews reports. Read More
The hype around Hyphen – path towards Namibia’s energy revolution or Global North dependency?
In his two parts blog series on “green hydrogen” (GH2), Andy Gheorghiu asked the question if it’s solution of pipe dream – outlining the decarbonisation challenge of the Global North’s energy-/feedstock intensive industry while showing that mainly the Global South has the potential to actually produce large amounts of GH2. In this blog, he draws our attention to Hyphen, one of the largest African hydrogen (H2) projects, in Namibia – highlighting significant open questions and explaining why local opposition is mounting. Read More
The complexities of the clean energy divide
At the height of power blackouts in South Africa earlier this year households went without electricity for 10 hours a days. The unprecedented spike in outage hours saw the middle class scramble for alternative energy sources to buffer against the failing electricity grid. However, the poorest and the most vulnerable were being left in the dark, writes Ufrieda Ho. Read More
Carbon capture and storage | The Global Energy Transition Podcast
In this episode of the Global Energy Transition podcast, host Michael Buchsbaum, lead blogger for the Energy Transition.org talks with David Schlissel, attorney and Director of Resource Planning Analysis for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) about carbon capture and storage (CCS) which got a lot of attention at the recently concluded COP28 in Dubai. Read More
How “green corridors” are driving sustainable policies in Medellín
Climate change impacts key parts of urban life, making climate resilience more important than ever. Rebecca Bertram looks at the Colombian city Medellín, exploring how smart climate resilience measures are boosting electric mobility and making it an example for the rest of the Latin American continent. Read More
Despite a record year in profits, oil and gas companies still aren’t doing enough to combat emissions
Oil and gas companies have been the biggest winners of the energy price hikes of 2022. But as yet, there is scant evidence that companies have invested their windfalls in the energy transition. Is there hope that they will? Joelle Thomas reports. Read More
COP28: an opportunity for Africa to reduce sovereign debt and stimulate renewable energy transitions
Almost 20 years ago, and following long debate, the wealthiest countries wrote off some of the debts owed to them by economically disadvantaged countries. With the United Nations recently declaring ‘a world of debt’, we’re back to it again, and so soon. But this time around, an imminent environmental crisis looms in the background. Developing countries simply cannot contribute to climate change solutions when weighted with debts. As many as 27 countries in Africa have ratio of debt to GDP above 60 per cent. Another important difference is that this time around, Africa holds more than half the raw materials needed for decarbonizing global economies. This year’s COP28 would be most effective by solving this paradox, as well as securing decarbonisation gains made so far, mostly in wealthier countries. Africa’s natural resources for energy transitions positions the continent to sustainably manage its debt, encourage economic growth and stimulate energy transitions across the continent, writes Michael Davies-Venn. Read More