Carbon credit shakeup, ozone’s Jekyll and Hyde and daffodils to save NZ agriculture
In this issue:
Renewables out of carbon credit mix
The ICVCM announced this week that no carbon credits from current renewable energy projects will meet its latest CCP (Core Carbon Principles) standards, meaning around 236 million unretired credits – 32% of the existing market – are now declared not up to standard. The credits fail on the grounds it cannot be determined that the projects would not have gone ahead anyway, one of the criteria of the CCPs.
The Jekyll and Hyde of ozone
For a couple of decades ozone was in the news because it was disappearing from the stratosphere and that was a bad thing. Ozone in the stratosphere is good because it provides protection from harsh ultraviolet rays but ozone in the troposphere is bad because it acts as a greenhouse gas. Scientists from MIT have now detected clear evidence that ozone is increasing in the upper troposphere and suspect human activity is at least partially to blame. The research is now continuing to pinpoint the culprit, most likely industrial activity, aircraft or the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires.
Graphic: Severe Weather Europe
Amazon deforestation slows
Deforestation of the Amazon between August 2023 and July 2024 nearly halved (46%) compared to the previous year. This was the largest drop in deforestation since 2016. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado. There, deforestation increased 9% over the same period with over 7,000 square kilometres of native vegetation lost, an area 63% more than the area of rainforest lost. President da Silva has pledged zero deforestation by 2030.
Cold but not so cold
Record temperatures are not only hitting Europe. The Antarctic has seen ground temperatures 10C above average over the last month with some days 28C above expectations. While still well below zero over the darkened winter, the staggering increase is likely to lead to an even earlier and more dramatic thaw than the recent past.
Wave energy comes of age
Portugal will see the world’s first commercial scale wave energy project as Eco Wave Power has received approval for a 1 MW station at Porto. The project is expected to scale to 20MW over the next few years.
Daffodils to curb agricultural emissions
The most glorious of all flowers, the daffodil, could be coming to the aid of New Zealand’s agricultural sector. AgriZero is partnering with Welsh research company Agroceutical Products to trial haemanthamine, a naturally occurring extract from daffodils, as a methane blocker. The trials will run at Lincoln University, starting in 2025.
