NZ to get drier, AU making strong progress and dating for heatpumps
In this issue:
NZ to get drier
There have been several stories in the media recently about the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the major ocean current that warms Europe. But, what does it mean for us? Researchers from UNSW have mapped how the weakening – expected to be around 30% by 2060 – will impact our region. The conclusions are that we’ll see wetter summers in northern Australia while Indonesia, PNG and New Zealand will become drier. NZ will also see hotter summers but the drier winters will have bigger implications, especially for agriculture and our hydropower system.
States are worst offenders
36 companies account for more than half the world’s fossil fuel emissions. The usual suspects – major multinational oil companies plus some large coal producers – make up this list of biggest emitters. Carbon Majors follows the activities of 169 of the largest fossil fuel companies and found 55% increased their emissions in 2023 (the year just reported). State owned entities such as Saudi Aramco, Coal India, CHN Energy, National Iranian Oil Co. and Jinneng Group were the biggest culprits. This top 5 accounted for 17.4% of all fossil fuel emissions. The top 5 investor-owned emitters, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies and BP accounted for 4.9% of global fossil fuel emissions.
Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie
While New Zealand’s 100% Pure branding has to fend off recent soundbites from the Beehive that Paris targets are voluntary and that we might even withdraw from the Agreement, Australia is able to report excellent progress in reducing emissions. Three recent reports all give the same overall message, Australia is doing OK. The latest Quarterly Carbon Market Report (QCMR), National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) data and the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quarterly Update: September 2024, between them tell us:
* In 2024, Australia produced 92,700GWh of renewable energy into the grid. This is up 30% since 2021.
* A record amount of solar, wind and other renewables came online in 2024. Capacity reached 7.5GW, an increase of 42% on the previous year.
* AU$9 billion (NZ$10bn) of renewables projects reached financial investment decision in 2024. These are expected to deliver an extra 4.3GW of large-scale capacity and create 10,000 new construction and installation jobs.
* Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions are now 29% below 2005 levels.
* The most recent emissions projections show emissions are on track to reduce to 42.6% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Arguably, Australia started from a worse position than many, meaning strong wins were easier to achieve, but it still demonstrates excellent progress. Good on them.
Sequestration in decline
As emissions rise, natural sequestration of plants and soils are in decline, according to new research out of the UK. Natural sequestration peaked in 2008 and is now declining at a rate of 0.25% per annum. It has to be said, the analysis doesn’t appear to control for land use, specifically deforestation, and so it should not be read that each tree is less effective, rather that global absorption is decreasing as a net effect of human activity.
And the real winners are …
Los Angeles’s trees, who absorb more CO2 than has been thought previously. It seems the trees offset around 30% of LA’s fossil fuel emissions and as much as 60% during the peak growing season.
Methane tax snuffed out
In a sign of the times, the US Congress last week voted to abolish the methane tax that was about to be imposed on its oil and gas companies. While legislated under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, rules were only set in the last few months of the Biden administration making it vulnerable for review by a new Congress. If the President now signs off the repeal, the measures cannot be reintroduced later. The oil and gas lobby wins again in the US.
Dating app for heatpumps
The UK’s Innovation Agency for Social Good, NESTA, has launched a heat pump dating website. Visitaheatpump.com invites members of the public to contact volunteers who have heatpumps installed. The “date” involves the newbie taking a look at the heatpump in situ to gain an understanding of what’s involved in its installation and operation.
Did you know ……..
Gen Z’s spend more than twice the time in the shower – and, therefore, use more than twice the energy – as Gen X? The average Gen Z shower is 12 minutes 24 seconds according to Uswitch.com (UK), whereas Gen X’s average is 5 minutes 18 seconds. The average may be a bit distorted by the current Tiktok “hour in the shower” trend but, even so, the difference is substantial. The survey reports 40% of people in the UK have deliberately reduced shower times to save money and 28% have completely abandoned the bath.