Today’s top five climate change stories chosen by RTCC
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(Pic: Greenpeace)
1 – Arctic 30 will not return home for Christmas
The Russian authorities have told Greenpeace activists that they will be forced to stay in St Petersburg for Christmas and possibly well beyond, defying the ruling of an international court which ordered that they should be allowed to go home immediately. Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee has written to one of the 30 – Anne Mie Jensen from Denmark – indicating that they are not free to leave the country.
2 – Australian carbon price helped emissions tumble
The introduction of a price of carbon resulted in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions falling by 0.1% in the first 12 months. The biggest source of emissions, electricity generation, posted a 6.4% drop in CO2e to 181.3 million tonnes, mostly due to falling demand. However, said Thompson Reuters, emissions rose in all other sectors including mining activities and transport.
3 – Carbon capture critical to maintaining 2°C target
A new study has revealed that the future availability of bioenergy and CCS technologies will be one of the only ways to maintain the current temperature target. Scientists combined 18 different global energy-economy models in order to assess the role of technology when it comes to reaching different climate targets.
4 – New Zealand publishes UN Biennial Report
New Zealand’s climate change minister Tim Groser has welcomed the publishing of the country’s Sixth National Communication on Climate Change and the associated First Biennial Report, announced the Scoop. The Biennial Report is a new requirement under the UNFCCC, which includes additional information on New Zealand’s new unconditional emissions reduction target to 2020, including any accounting assumptions that are relevant to the attainment of that target, and more information on financial, technological and capacity building support to developing countries.
5 – Beijing air pollution could stop New Year parties
Firework and firecracker celebrations will be banned in Beijing if serious air pollution is forecast for the upcoming Lunar New Year, a festival that features massive use of pyrotechnics, according to China.org. Residents will receive text messages if orange or red alerts for air pollution are issued during the holiday, which begins on 31 January.