Ocean warming doubles in 20 years, home energy support works and cable-less EVs
In this issue:
Ocean warming doubles in 20 years
The latest Ocean State Report from EU Copernicus informs us ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005, on top of previous steady increases since 1960. Before 2005, the long term rate of warming was sitting at 0.58 watts per square metre. Since 2005, that has increased to 1.05 watts per square metre. The report goes on to reveal 75% of northern hemisphere ocean surfaces are warming faster than the global average, while 35% of southern hemisphere ocean surfaces are warming faster than the average. The report also reveals we are seeing more intense and deeper marine heat waves that have been seen to extend as far as 1,500 metres deep and that last year, 22% of the global ocean surface experienced a severe or extreme marine heat wave. Ocean temperature is also, of course, linked to the occurrence and severity of tropical storms and hurricanes.
Renewables unstoppable
The IEA’s 2024 update on renewables is predicting 5,500GW of renewables will be added to the global generation portfolio by 2030, which it believes will mean around 50% of all global generation will be renewable by then. 60% of that growth will be in China, although India is expected to show the fastest growth rate among major economies. 80% of the growth is predicted to be in solar installations. Even with this staggering rate of growth, at 2.7 times, it will still fall short of the tripling needed to be in line with the IEA’s net zero scenario target.
WEF launches Responsible Renewables Infrastructure Coalition
The World Economic Forum has just launched the Responsible Renewables Infrastructure Coalition to encourage a sustainable and equitable growth in renewables and supporting infrastructure. The initiative has already garnered support from several major, international energy companies such as Enel, Iberdrola, Lightsource bp, Ørsted, RWE and Vestas and conservation bodies including Birdlife International and The Nature Conservancy.
Earth’s vital signs on life support
An international team of scientists publishing the 2024 State of the Climate report indicates 25 of 35 planetary vital signs to be at record extremes. The report indicates we are on a trajectory to 2.7C temperature increase above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
Deforestation still increasing
A new report from the Forest Declaration Platform confirms deforestation increased again in 2023. The year saw the loss of 6.3 million hectares, 1.4 million of which are considered in key biodiversity areas. This deforestation lead to 3.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions, according to the report, which goes on to say this puts the world 45% off track from reaching the goals set during COP26 in 2021. A further 62 million hectares of forests saw a decline in ecological integrity. The report attributes 57% of deforestation over the last 20 years to agriculture.
Home energy support works
That’s the conclusion of an evaluation of the ACT’s Home Energy Support Scheme. Benefits were seen in wellbeing, comfort, climate resilience and in reduced energy costs. The reporting covered three areas: Community housing, Energy efficiency and Chronic health conditions, all of which provided a thumbs up for the scheme.
The highlights for social housing were:
The highlights for energy efficiency were:
The highlights for chronic illness were:
Cable-less EVs
The onset of EVs self-charging from panels on their bodywork has just taken a step forward. While EVs shrouded in solar panels isn’t new, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have just developed a solar panel that can withstand hail and is between 44% and 74% lighter than traditional panels. The difference is the use of glass fibre-reinforced polymers (GFRP) as the top layer of the panel. While still not in production, the innovation could prove extremely effective as a range extender, or even lead to the cable-less EV.