Back for the future, can we thicken the ice sheets? And the end of an era
In this issue:
Three Mile Island is back
Those who remember the three mile island incident of 1979 may be a little surprised to hear the nuclear power plant that suffered a major meltdown and radiation leak in 1979, and was shut down completely in 2019, is to be recommissioned. Microsoft, in an effort to curtail emissions from its escalating AI activity, has signed a 20 year deal to buy the power. The Unit 1 reactor, which continued to 2019 when it was shut for economic reasons, is to be recommissioned, while the Unit 2 reactor, the one that suffered the meltdown, has not operated since and will remain sealed off. The recommissioning comes with a hefty price tag. The owners are to invest US$1.6bn (NZ$1.85bn) into the facility.
Net zero commitments still rising among large companies (1)
The 2024 Net Zero Stocktake from Net Zero Tracker shows an increase of 23% in the number of companies with net zero targets and an increase of 28% in the number of states and regions with net zero targets. Nevertheless, 40% of non-state entities still do not have net zero targets. The analysis covers 4,000 entities across the 25 largest emitting countries, including all cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants and the largest 2,000 publicly listed companies.
Net zero commitments still rising among large companies (2)
The sixth annual report on the climate commitments of some of the world’s largest companies by Climate Impact Partners reveals a 6 percentage point increase in net zero commitments by 2050, from 39% to 45%. However, there is also an increase in companies saying they will be using carbon credits to achieve their net zero goal. The survey shows a strong correlation between having science based targets and the use of credits, perhaps reflecting the reality that credits will be a necessary component of neutrality in most cases.
New electricity lifecycle emissions factors
The IEA has just launched a new database of lifecycle emission factors corresponding to electricity generation. The database covers total upstream emission factors, fuel-cycle emission factors and life cycle adjustment factors for transmission and distribution losses.
End of an era
Next Monday (30/9) will see the end of coal-fired electricity generation in the UK when the last remaining power station using the fuel, Ratcliffe on Soar, closes. The closure means the UK has transitioned from a position of 95% coal generation to zero in less than 25 years despite constantly increasing demand. Maybe they can eliminate fossil fuels entirely in the next 25?
AI – Artificial Ice
With alarming stories last week about the Thwaites – or Doomsday – glacier looking even more unstable than recently thought, it’s good to hear trials on ice thickening seem to have been successful. UK start-up Real Ice has been working on thickening arctic ice by pumping sea water across ice sheets. The trials involved drilling holes through the ice and pumping sea water up through them. At the beginning of winter, the water melts the snow covering which acts as an insulator, leading to more ice being formed. At the end of winter, the snow layer is restored to provide insulation into the summer. The result of the trial was an extra 25cm of natural ice growth.
Sustainability professionals suffering burnout
That’s the conclusion of a study by Oxford Brookes University and Climate Change Coaches (UK). While caution should be exercised in drawing conclusions from a small sample of 159 sustainability professionals in the UK, the survey reports more than 60% reported burnout in the last year, mainly from understaffing and a perceived lack of support. A third reported they were too stretched to focus on “green transition” work and only 8% indicated technical skills were more important than soft skills in delivering change.
Dead tree emoji for business, yeah or nah?
The burning question of whether emojis are appropriate for business communications will soon have additional fuel thrown on the fire with the anticipated launch of the dead tree emoji. The dead tree is one of eight new emojis that will begin to appear on phones next year. Proponents claim emojis are a powerful communications tool and the dead tree will help raise awareness of drought and the implications of climate change.
