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TODAY'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY HEADLINES

Briefing date 17.12.2020
Top UK court overturns block on Heathrow’s third runway

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News.

Top UK court overturns block on Heathrow's third runway
The GuardianRead Article

The UK supreme court has overturned a February judgment that a third runway at Heathrow airport was illegal, reports the Guardian, meaning “the project can now seek planning permission, but the ultimate completion of the runway remains uncertain”. The ruling “marks the latest twist in years of legal and political wrangling over the climate impact and economic benefits of expanding the airport”, the paper explains: “The court of appeal had found the government’s approval of the runway was illegal because ministers had failed to take into account the UK’s commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accord…But following arguments by Heathrow’s lawyers, the supreme court found this was not necessary and overturned the judgment.” The project “still faces major obstacles, including having to persuade a public enquiry of the case for expansion”, saysBBC News, adding: “And if planning inspectors approve the scheme, the government will still have the final say.” TheDaily Telegraphsays the decision “has opened the door to rival schemes to expand London’s main airport”. It notes: “Ministers will now consider new submissions to increase capacity, both by the current operator, Heathrow Airport Limited, as well as others.” Tim Crosland, a lawyer at Plan B, which brought the case along with Friends of the Earth, described the decision as a “really dreadful ruling”, reportsClimate Home News(CHN). Corsland tells the outlet: “We have so many documents from the UK government saying that the Paris Agreement is the lynchpin of policy on climate change and that we were the ones that were instrumental in securing it.” CHN adds: “The Climate Change Committee (CCC) advised this month that if the UK is to meet its 2050 net-zero goal, it will have to reduce its overall aviation emissions. There is no net airport growth in its net-zero scenario, meaning Heathrow expansion would have to be offset by capacity reductions elsewhere.” Friends of the Earth pledged to fight the decision “all the way”, reports theDaily Mail, while Plan B said the verdict did not mean Heathrow expansion “now has the green light”. In other reaction, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas tells theIndependent: “This is incredibly disappointing news and takes us backwards in our response to the climate crisis. Commercial interests have won out over the protection of our planet and the wellbeing of future generations.“ AndDeSmog UKreports the comments of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who says he was disappointed at the decision “which will have a damaging impact on air quality, noise and London’s ability to achieve net-zero carbon by 2030”. Prime minister Boris Johnson “refused to endorse proposals for a third runway at Heathrow today” despite the ruling, reports theTimesReutersnotes that Johnson “has been a vociferous opponent of the expansion, which was approved under the previous government.” It adds: “His spokesman said on Wednesday the government had noted the court’s judgment and would respond in due course.”Sky News,Politico,BusinessGreenandBloombergall have the story, while theIndependent’s climate correspondent Daisy Dunne looks at what the “runway ruling means for the climate crisis”.

Joe Biden signs up climate crusaders to turn America green
The TimesRead Article

There is continued coverage of Joe Biden’s decisions on key climate and energy positions in his administration. The US president-elect will install green champions in key environmental jobs, reports the Times, as “he puts climate change at the heart of his presidential agenda”. The paper explains: “Jennifer Granholm, who as governor of Michigan pushed the state’s large motor industry to cut its emissions, will be nominated to be the president-elect’s energy secretary. She will be joined by Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama, in a new role at the White House overseeing the climate agenda.” Granholm “has been a vocal advocate for renewables in the years since leaving office”, says theFinancial Times, and “is likely to use her role to help drive clean energy innovation”. (Reutersnotes that when “Granholm was governor of auto-manufacturing Michigan, she led a charge that secured a whopping $1.35bn in federal funding for companies to make electric cars and batteries in her state”.) McCarthy’s role “is less clear cut”, the FT adds, but “is likely to involve coordinating action on climate across government as Mr Biden looks to reinstate swaths of regulation undone by Mr Trump. The job will be the domestic counterpart to that of John Kerry, Mr Biden’s climate envoy, who will promote the new president’s climate agenda on the international stage”. TheWashington Postsays McCarthy’s role will be head of the “White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy”, where Ali Zaidi – New York’s deputy secretary for energy and environment – will be her deputy. The task ahead of Granholm and McCarthy “will be immense”, sayNew York Timesclimate reporters Coral Davenport andLisa Friedman: [M]ajor climate legislation is unlikely to make it through a deadlocked, partisan Congress. President Trump has all but ensured the Supreme Court will be unfriendly to any legal challenges that Mr. Biden’s efforts face. And their work will continue to face fierce opposition from Republicans and fossil fuel producers.“Axiossays that the “Biden team is concentrating a lot of policy power in the White House”, while theIndependentsays environmentalists have breathed a “collective sigh of relief” over Granholm’s selection.

In other appointments, Biden picked Pete Buttigieg, the former Democratic presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to be his secretary of the Department of Transportation (DoT), reports theNew York Times。The job is “expected to become climate-centric in the next administration as Mr. Biden focuses on policies to promote electric vehicles and climate-resilient infrastructure”, the paper says.Reutersadds that Buttigieg would “play a central role in Biden’s proposed infrastructure and environmental initiatives, including plans to add 500,000 charging stations nationwide for electric vehicles”.BusinessGreenreports the comments of Biden, who said of Buttigieg: “I am nominating him for secretary of transportation because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us…Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DoT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better.”Washington Post专栏作家珍妮弗·鲁宾说“Buttigieg可能find himself in the thick of everything, from climate change and emissions standards to racial equity to infrastructure on the Biden agenda”.

Biden has also selected Brenda Mallory – an environmental lawyer who spent more than 15 years working in the federal government under both Republican and Democratic presidents – to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, reports theNew York Times。The paper adds: “The council is expected to expand its focus on issues of environmental justice under Ms. Mallory in addition to its traditional role of coordinating environment policy throughout the government.” Mallory has “spent decades pursuing environmental and public health protections in government and the private sector”, saysBloombergPoliticonotes that the pick “fulfils wishes of environmental activists and lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to install someone in the role who has a history of working on environmental issues that disparately affect poor communities and communities of colour”. TheHillalso has the story, whileBloombergreports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “voiced support” for Biden to nominate New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland to be interior secretary. Haaland is Biden’s preferred candidate for a role that “oversees grazing, recreation, energy development and other activities on about a fifth of the US”, Bloomberg says, adding that “she would be the first Native American to hold the job”. The outlet notes that, if offered the job, Haaland “would be the third member of Democrats’ narrow House majority to plan to leave for the Biden administration. There were indications that Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders did not want her to leave”. Finally, theHillreports that “deliberations over who will lead the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have stalled amid concerns over top contenders for the roles”.

Scottish government sets out plans to hit net-zero emissions
BBC NewsRead Article

The Scottish government has set out details of how it plans to hit its climate change targets and reduce emissions to net-zero by 2045, BBC News reports. It continues: “MSPs passed a bill in 2019 which put the targets down in law – including a 75% cut in emissions by 2030. New policies designed to hit these goals include increased tree planting and use of low carbon technology.” TheDaily Telegraphnotes that the 255-page Climate Change Plan includes a pledge for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Scotland is to be “phased out” in the next 10 years. The paper adds: “Among the targets include a commitment to cutting the distance travelled in car journeys by a fifth by 2030 alongside more than 100 other policies to help Scotland reach its emissions reduction targets.” The plan notes that persuading people to use their cars less often would require a national effort, with better digital connectivity and more flexible and remote working needed to cut commuting, reports thei newspaper。It adds that the plan also promises “an extra £120m for zero emission buses and £50m to create ‘active freeways’, segregated walking and cycling routes on key main roads”. TheHeraldreports that plan includes a pledge to become “the world’s first zero-emission aviation region” by decarbonising scheduled flights by 2040. The plan says the Scottish government will “support trialling and the introduction of low or zero emission aircrafts” and will “explore the potential for the purchase of zero/low emission aircraft” and be leased back to operators, the outlet reports. Another piece in theHeraldreports that “environmental campaigners have raised fears the technologies are being used as a smokescreen for failures to reduce carbon emissions”. ThePress Associationreports the announcement from climate change secretary Roseanna Cunningham, who said: “These policies and proposals set us on a pathway to a just transition to net-zero…This journey will not be easy. We know there are factors we can’t control, including technological advances and the limits of devolved power…We also need the UK government to match not just our ambition but our action.”

Lloyd's market to quit fossil fuel insurance by 2030
The GuardianRead Article

Lloyd’s, the world’s biggest insurance market, has “bowed to pressure from environmental campaigners and set a market-wide policy to stop new insurance cover for coal, oil sands and Arctic energy projects by January 2022”, reports the Guardian, and “to pull out of the business altogether by 2030”. The paper explains: “In its first environmental, social and governance report, Lloyd’s, which has been criticised for being slow to exit fossil fuel underwriting and investment, said the 90 insurance syndicates that make up the market would phase out all existing insurance policies for fossil fuel projects in 10 years’ time. Less than 5% of the market’s £35bn annual premiums comes from insurance policies in this area.” The decision is a “reversal of its traditional hands-off approach to climate change strategy”, saysReuters。It adds: “Lloyd’s has come under fire from activists because its members have insured controversial projects such as Adani Enterprises’ Carmichael thermal coal mine in Australia and the Canadian government’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline. European insurers like AXA and Zurich have already pulled back from underwriting fossil fuels such as coal and oil sands, though US and Asian insurers have mainly retained their exposure.”

In other coal news,Climate Home Newsreports that “Pakistan’s prime minister has called a halt to a Chinese-backed coal power boom, in a pivot to renewables that could inspire others in China’s orbit – if put into action”. On Saturday, Imran Khan told a virtual gathering of global leaders that “we have decided we will not have any more power based on coal”, the outlet says. It adds: “Plants under construction are expected to be completed, but the announcement pours cold water on the national grid operator’s projections of a significant expansion of coal power.” TheFinancial Timesreports that “South Korea’s biggest asset managers have indicated they will step back from funding the country’s coal industry, a win for global investors and activist groups that have pushed local corporates to cut ties with fossil fuels”. TheGuardianreports that the Japanese part-owner of Australia’s newest coal-fired power plant has written off its investment amid dimming prospects for coal. And finally,Reutersreports that the chief executive of the country’s biggest coal producer PGG has warned that a rapid closure of coal mines will lead to a jobless rate of up to 50% in some towns in Poland’s southern coal region of Silesia.

EDF Energy pays £6m for breach of energy market rules
Financial TimesRead Article

UK utility firm EDF Energy has agreed to pay £6m after the regulator found it “frequently inflated” the minimum amount of power one of its plants was able to supply to the National Grid, resulting in more energy being purchased than was needed, reports theFinancial Times。It continues: “Ofgem, Britain’s energy market regulator, said that the breaches at the West Burton B gas-fired plant in Nottinghamshire occurred between September 2017 and March this year. In ‘many cases’, it added, the result was that National Grid – which is in charge of Britain’s electricity system – bought more energy than was required when it needed the power plant to help balance supply and demand.” The payment is the third-biggest fine or settlement with an energy company this year, notes the FT. TheTimesandPress Associationalso have the story.

In other UK power news, the Guardian reports that a mystery surrounding a string of unexplained power cuts across a small town in Scotland has been solved after video footage revealed the culprits – starlings dancing on power lines. The paper explains: “The birds’ murmurations are thought to be behind the baffling spate of evening blackouts in Airth, their combined mass bouncing the overhead electricity lines and causing the power to trip.”BBC Newshas the footage recorded by the engineer who solved the mystery. Finally,Bloombergreports that executives from the National Grid are meeting government officials today “to discuss how a growing tangle of projects offshore can be best connected to the network on land”.

Comment.

鲍里斯应该强迫第三runway plan
Alistair Osborne, The TimesRead Article

Commenting on the supreme court’s decision on a potential third runway at Heathrow, Alistair Osborne – chief business commentator of the Times – says that the airport “has already spent £550m on a third runway that makes even less sense in a post-Covid world”. He continues: “The issue of whether business travel will ever take off again can now be added to all the other problems: wrong location; surrounding roads already in breach of nitrogen dioxide limits; noise pollution; the steepest passenger charges anywhere even before a runway bill that’ll dwarf the advertised £14bn.” In addition, “whatever Heathrow says about the project meeting Paris targets, how can adding 250,000 extra flights a year help? Or, for that matter, with ‘levelling up’?”, Osborne writes: “As the Climate Change Committee found, expand Heathrow and you ‘leave at most very limited room for growth at non-London airports’. In short, you embed a monopoly.” The cost of the project “will rocket if ministers allow Heathrow to start the process for a ‘development consent order’”, notes Osbourne: “And who pays if the government kills the project at the death? The passengers, for a non-existent runway? Shamelessly, Heathrow wants them to pay £1.7bn Covid costs. The government and CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] must make it clear that pursuing planning consent is at the risk of Heathrow’s owners.” Osborne concludes: “Better still, Boris could save us all the trouble and bulldoze the project now.”

How Russia wins the climate crisis
Abrahm Lustgarten, The New York TimesRead Article

Abrahm Lustgarten, a senior environmental reporter at ProPublica, has a long read in the New York Times Magazine on how “no country stands to gain more than Russia” from the way “climate change and its enormous human migrations will transform agriculture and remake the world order”. The piece is the third part in a series on global climate migration. While global warming “is becoming an epochal crisis” around the world, Lustgarten says, “for a few nations, climate change will present an unparalleled opportunity, as the planet’s coldest regions become more temperate”. He continues: “There is plenty of reason to think that those places will also receive an extraordinary influx of people displaced from the hottest parts of the world as the climate warms. Human migration, historically, has been driven by the pursuit of prosperity even more so than it has by environmental strife. With climate change, prosperity and habitability – haven and economic opportunity – will soon become one and the same.” No country “may be better positioned to capitalise on climate change than Russia”, Lustgarten suggests: “Russia has the largest land mass by far of any northern nation. It is positioned farther north than all of its South Asian neighbours, which collectively are home to the largest global population fending off displacement from rising seas, drought and an overheating climate. Like Canada, Russia is rich in resources and land, with room to grow. Its crop production is expected to be boosted by warming temperatures over the coming decades even as farm yields in the United States, Europe and India are all forecast to decrease. And whether by accident or cunning strategy or, most likely, some combination of the two, the steps its leaders have steadily taken – planting flags in the Arctic and propping up domestic grain production among them – have increasingly positioned Russia to regain its superpower mantle in a warmer world.”

Science.

Global effects of extreme temperatures on wild bumblebees
Conservation BiologyRead Article

New research assesses how bumblebees in different parts of the world could be affected by rising temperatures. The authors focus on 39 bumblebee species – a major group of pollinators in temperate and cold ecosystems – across three continents, six biomes, and 20 regions. The findings indicate that “heat resistance as a species‐specific trait”, the authors say, noting that “cold‐adapted species are much more sensitive to heat stress than temperate/Mediterranean species”. Using the results, the authors “provide a mechanistic explanation for the specific variation in the recent population declines and range shifts in bumblebees following climate change”.

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