crisis_results.json

[{"id": "environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/17/stripped-bare-australias-hidden-climate-crisis", "type": "interactive", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-10-16T19:00:27Z", "webTitle": "Stripped bare: Australia's hidden climate crisis", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/17/stripped-bare-australias-hidden-climate-crisis", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/17/stripped-bare-australias-hidden-climate-crisis", "fields": {"bodyText": ""}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/nov/05/climate-crisis-11000-scientists-warn-of-untold-suffering", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-11-05T15:00:51Z", "webTitle": "Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of \u2018untold suffering\u2019", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/05/climate-crisis-11000-scientists-warn-of-untold-suffering", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/nov/05/climate-crisis-11000-scientists-warn-of-untold-suffering", "fields": {"bodyText": "The world\u2019s people face \u201cuntold suffering due to the climate crisis\u201d unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. \u201cWe declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,\u201d it states. \u201cTo secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live. [This] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems.\u201d There is no time to lose, the scientists say: \u201cThe climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than most scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity.\u201d The statement is published in the journal BioScience on the 40th anniversary of the first world climate conference, which was held in Geneva in 1979. The statement was a collaboration of dozens of scientists and endorsed by further 11,000 from 153 nations. The scientists say the urgent changes needed include ending population growth, leaving fossil fuels in the ground, halting forest destruction and slashing meat eating. Prof William Ripple, of Oregon State University and the lead author of the statement, said he was driven to initiate it by the increase in extreme weather he was seeing. A key aim of the warning is to set out a full range of \u201cvital sign\u201d indicators of the causes and effects of climate breakdown, rather than only carbon emissions and surface temperature rise. \u201cA broader set of indicators should be monitored, including human population growth, meat consumption, tree-cover loss, energy consumption, fossil-fuel subsidies and annual economic losses to extreme weather events,\u201d said co-author Thomas Newsome, of the University of Sydney. Other \u201cprofoundly troubling signs from human activities\u201d selected by the scientists include booming air passenger numbers and world GDP growth. \u201cThe climate crisis is closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle,\u201d they said. As a result of these human activities, there are \u201cespecially disturbing\u201d trends of increasing land and ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, the scientists said: \u201cDespite 40 years of global climate negotiations, with few exceptions, we have have largely failed to address this predicament. Especially worrisome are potential irreversible climate tipping points. These climate chain reactions could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems, society, and economies, potentially making large areas of Earth uninhabitable.\u201d \u201cWe urge widespread use of the vital signs [to] allow policymakers and the public to understand the magnitude of the crisis, realign priorities and track progress,\u201d the scientists said. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to be a rocket scientist to look at the graphs and know things are going wrong,\u201d said Newsome. \u201cBut it is not too late.\u201d The scientists identify some encouraging signs, including decreasing global birth rates, increasing solar and wind power and fossil fuel divestment. Rates of forest destruction in the Amazon had also been falling until a recent increase under new president Jair Bolsonaro. They set out a series of urgently needed actions: Use energy far more efficiently and apply strong carbon taxes to cut fossil fuel use Stabilise global population \u2013 currently growing by 200,000 people a day \u2013 using ethical approaches such as longer education for girls End the destruction of nature and restore forests and mangroves to absorb CO2 Eat mostly plants and less meat, and reduce food waste Shift economic goals away from GDP growth \u201cThe good news is that such transformative change, with social and economic justice for all, promises far greater human well-being than does business as usual,\u201d the scientists said. The recent surge of concern was encouraging, they added, from the global school strikes to lawsuits against polluters and some nations and businesses starting to respond. A warning of the dangers of pollution and a looming mass extinction of wildlife on Earth, also led by Ripple, was published in 2017. It was supported by more than 15,000 scientists and read out in parliaments from Canada to Israel. It came 25 years after the original \u201cWorld Scientists\u2019 Warning to Humanity\u201d in 1992, which said: \u201cA great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided.\u201d Ripple said scientists have a moral obligation to issue warnings of catastrophic threats: \u201cIt is more important than ever that we speak out, based on evidence. It is time to go beyond just research and publishing, and to go directly to the citizens and policymakers.\u201d"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/nov/15/methane-emissions-from-coal-mines-could-stoke-climate-crisis-study", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-11-15T07:00:01Z", "webTitle": "Methane emissions from coalmines could stoke climate crisis \u2013 study", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/15/methane-emissions-from-coal-mines-could-stoke-climate-crisis-study", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/nov/15/methane-emissions-from-coal-mines-could-stoke-climate-crisis-study", "fields": {"bodyText": "The methane emissions leaking from the world\u2019s coalmines could be stoking the global climate crisis at the same rate as the shipping and aviation industries combined. Coalmines are belching millions of tonnes of methane into the atmosphere unchecked, because policymakers have overlooked the rising climate threat, according to new research. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that the amount of methane seeping from new and disused coalmines may have reached just under 40m tonnes last year. The potent greenhouse gas is a major concern among climate scientists because it has a far more powerful effect on global temperatures than carbon dioxide. The global energy watchdog estimates that one tonne of methane is the climate equivalent of 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This would put annual coalmine emissions broadly in line with the international aviation and shipping sectors combined. The IEA revealed its shock findings in the same report which found carbon emissions from the global energy industry had reached a new record in 2018 despite a boom in renewable energy in recent years. The research is one of the first major global studies examining the problem of methane emissions from coalmines, and may help to explain the unexpected surge in methane emissions in recent years. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has found that last year\u2019s rise in methane emissions was the third biggest in two decades. A study by the American Geophysical Union said urgent action would be required to stop methane from triggering an accelerated climate crisis in which temperatures climb well beyond the target of 2C of warming. Previous studies have laid blame for rising levels of methane in the atmosphere on belching cattle, melting arctic permafrost and the destruction of wetlands and peat bogs. Methane is also known to escape from oil and gas wells, which has prompted calls for tougher regulation of the industry to reduce the climate impact. To date, coalmines have managed to avoid similar scrutiny because of a lack of data. Dave Jones, an analyst at the climate thinktank Sandbag, said the report proves the global coal industry \u201cis even more polluting than we thought\u201d and should face tougher regulation. \u201cHaving such high-profile global research from the IEA showing such a big impact should help shock policymakers into addressing coalmine methane,\u201d he said. Jones called on governments to begin accounting for the emissions from producing coal, including methane leakage, on top of the pollution caused by burning it to generate electricity. The IEA said that methane leakage from coalmines would prove more difficult to tackle than the methane pollution from the oil and gas industry, and added it did not expect the situation to improve before 2040. Oil producers could end methane leaks at zero cost if companies trap the greenhouse gas and sell it on to manufacturers, the IEA said, but capturing the emissions from coalmines would be technically tricky because the concentration of methane released by the mines is often very low. The IEA said: \u201cThe lower the concentration of methane, the more technically and economically difficult it is to abate.\u201d The energy authority studied emissions reports from US miners and mining industry studies from China and India. The analysts tested these findings against satellite-based estimates of each country\u2019s total methane emissions. It found that deeper coal seams tend to contain more methane than shallower seams, while older seams have higher methane content than younger seams. The findings were applied across all countries with coalmines to estimate the global scourge of coalmine methane. China\u2019s enormous number of coalmines, of which many are more than 100 metres deep, means it is by far the largest source of coalmine emissions. Russia, the US, India and Australia are also among the world\u2019s worst coalmine methane producers."}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/nov/21/climate-crisis-topping-uk-election-agenda-is-unprecedented-change", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-11-21T19:08:44Z", "webTitle": "Climate crisis topping UK election agenda is 'unprecedented' change", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/21/climate-crisis-topping-uk-election-agenda-is-unprecedented-change", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/nov/21/climate-crisis-topping-uk-election-agenda-is-unprecedented-change", "fields": {"bodyText": "The climate emergency has risen to the top of the UK\u2019s election agenda in a way that would have been \u201cunthinkable\u201d even five years ago, leading environmentalists have said, predicting that it augurs a permanent change in British politics. On Wednesday, Labour took the unprecedented move of putting green issues as the top section of its manifesto, the first time one of the UK\u2019s two major parties has done so. Jeremy Corbyn led the appeal to voters with policies including an \u00a311bn windfall tax on oil and gas companies, a million new jobs in a \u201cgreen industrial revolution\u201d and commitments on moving to a net-zero carbon economy. \u201cSuch focus on climate and the environment would have been almost unthinkable five years ago,\u201d said Shaun Spiers, executive director of the Green Alliance. \u201cTackling climate change runs through this manifesto in a way that is unprecedented from either of the main parties ahead of a UK general election.\u201d \u201cIt would not have been possible five years ago,\u201d said Tom Burke, chairman of environmental thinktank E3G and former adviser to several governments, who said the move marked a permanent change in British politics, as younger voters in particular were \u201cenergised\u201d over the environment. Public anxiety had been fuelled by people seeing extreme weather around the world, and the rise of climate activism in movements such as Extinction Rebellion and the school climate strikes reflected that. \u201cThe politicians are following the public on this, not the other way round.\u201d Public concern over the climate is \u201cunequivocal\u201d, and people \u201cback decarbonisation by a massive margin\u201d, said Richard Black, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. \u201cThe UK has never had an election like this one in terms of the profile of climate change. To have all the major parties supporting a transition to net zero within a few decades, and competing with each other on policies to deliver, is unprecedented.\u201d Labour disappointed many green campaigners by failing to put a date on its commitment to a net-zero carbon economy. After union pressure, a proposal to mandate the transformation by 2030 was watered down to \u201cachieve the substantial majority of our emissions reductions by 2030\u201d, which should imply swifter and stronger action than the Tory pledge to decarbonise by 2050, but leaves room for interpretation. There was also no frequent-flyer levy, despite increasing concern over aviation emissions from the independent Committee on Climate Change, and a heavily hedged green light on airport expansion. \u201cLabour\u2019s manifesto stops short of getting full marks \u2013 its policy for tackling exploding aviation emissions is not fit for purpose,\u201d said John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK. \u201cAnd the commitments on plastic pollution and waste do not go far enough.\u201d Ryan Shorthouse, director of the Conservative thinktank Bright Blue, accused the party of wanting too much state control in calling for nationalisation of energy, water and railways. \u201c[The Labour manifesto] equates to a significant and unprecedented expansion of state expenditure and control. They envisage a super-spending, suffocating state. But voters are not stupid \u2013 the state cannot and should not deliver everything.\u201d Burke believes Labour\u2019s stance on Brexit will also alienate many environmentally minded voters. \u201cBrexit is appallingly bad for the environment. The Labour party wants to do good things on the environment and wants do that within a strong EU \u2013 Corbyn is letting them down.\u201d However, pushing the climate emergency back to the political periphery would no longer be an option for any party, he said. \u201cThis is mainstream now.\u201d The Liberal Democrats, while focusing on Brexit, have also made the climate emergency a key priority, promising to generate 80% of the UK\u2019s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, to bring forward to 2045 the deadline for net-zero carbon, and to expand electric vehicles and ban fracking. The Green party wants to spend \u00a3100bn a year for the next decade on the climate crisis, replacing high-carbon infrastructure and creating jobs. This weekend, the Conservative manifesto is expected to include policies on combatting climate change, reconfirming its commitment to net-zero carbon. Next year, thanks to Theresa May\u2019s offer to the UN, the UK will host the most important international summit on the climate since the 2015 Paris agreement was signed, requiring a massive diplomatic effort if the government is to make it a success. But the party may be hampered by its recent see-sawing on environmental policies, with incentives to low-carbon development withdrawn, home insulation schemes closed and incoming housing regulations scrapped. Spiers said: \u201cThis will be a big moment for UK politics if the Conservatives show a similar level of ambition [to Labour].\u201d"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/sep/20/the-climate-crisis-explained-in-10-charts", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-09-19T21:29:37Z", "webTitle": "The climate crisis explained in 10 charts", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/20/the-climate-crisis-explained-in-10-charts", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/sep/20/the-climate-crisis-explained-in-10-charts", "fields": {"bodyText": "The problem \u2013 rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere The level of CO2 has been rising since the industrial revolution and is now at its highest for about 4 million years. The rate of the rise is even more striking \u2013 the fastest for 66m years \u2013 with scientists saying we are in \u201cuncharted territory\u201d. The causes \u2013 fossil fuel burning Billions of tonnes of CO2 are sent into the atmosphere every year from coal, oil and gas burning. There is no sign of these emissions starting to fall rapidly, as is needed. The causes \u2013 forest destruction The felling of forests for timber, cattle, soy and palm oil is a big contributor to carbon emissions. It is also a major cause of the annihilation of wildlife on Earth. The consequences \u2013 global temperature rise The planet\u2019s average temperature started to climb steadily two centuries ago, but has rocketed since the second world war as consumption and population has risen. Global heating means there is more energy in the atmosphere, making extreme weather events more frequent and more intense. The consequences \u2013 ice melting in Greenland Greenland has lost almost 4 trillion tonnes of ice since 2002. Mountain ranges from the Himalayas to the Andes to the Alps are also losing ice rapidly as glaciers shrink. A third of the Himalayan and Hindu Kush ice is already doomed. The consequences \u2013 rising sea levels Sea levels are inexorably rising as ice on land melts and hotter oceans expand. Sea levels are slow to respond to global heating, so even if the temperature rise is restricted to 2C, one in five people in the world will eventually see their cities submerged, from New York to London to Shanghai. The consequences \u2013 shrinking Arctic sea ice As heating melts the sea ice, the darker water revealed absorbs more of the sun\u2019s heat, causing more heating \u2013 one example of the vicious circles in the climate system. Scientists think the changes in the Arctic may be responsible for worsened heatwaves and floods in Eurasia and North America. The upside (I) \u2013 wind and solar energy is soaring Huge cost drops have seen renewable energy become the cheapest energy in many places and the rollout is projected to continue. Analysts also expect coal use to fall. But much government action is still required to reach the scale needed, and solve difficult problems such as aviation and farming. The upside (II) \u2013 electric vehicles The global fleet of electric cars and vans is still small compared with those running on fossil fuels. But sales are growing very fast. Electric cars are cheaper to run, suggesting they will become mainstream. The upside (III) \u2013 battery costs Renewable energy is intermittent, depending on when the sun shines or wind blows. So storage is vital and the cost of batteries is plummeting. But other technologies, such as generating hydrogen, will also be needed. This article was amended on 20 September 2019 to correct an error in the figure given for the rate of Greenland\u2019s ice loss. The correct amount is 4 trillion tonnes of ice lost since 2002."}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/oct/10/where-the-blame-lies-for-the-climate-crisis", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-10-10T17:02:54Z", "webTitle": "Where the blame lies for the climate crisis | Letters", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/where-the-blame-lies-for-the-climate-crisis", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/oct/10/where-the-blame-lies-for-the-climate-crisis", "fields": {"bodyText": "Your article (Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all global carbon emissions, 10 October) highlights the biggest polluters and contributors to the climate crisis over the last half-century \u2013 the \u201cuncooperative crusties\u201d of capitalism. It is these companies that are standing in the way of progress. But we shouldn\u2019t just look at the carbon they have pumped into the atmosphere, but also the money \u2013 our money, in banks and pension funds \u2013 that they have invested and the power that huge amount of capital gives them. They can choose to either transform their businesses into something positive for the planet or to extend the shelf life of a carbon-based business model well past its best-before date. This week, the Treasury select committee asked me, ShareAction and the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association what investors can do about the oil and gas industry. My answer was that we need to use more than just persuasion. Our money can shape the strategies of these companies directly. Savvy investors should back those that respond to change, not the ones who deny the urgency. At this week\u2019s Extinction Rebellion protests I spoke at the event called The Future is Here. It was inspiring to meet so many people thinking about how they can use their resources to deliver net zero. The future is now for the large energy companies, and it is time to make our money matter in the fight against a climate emergency. Bruce Davis Founder and joint managing director, Abundance Investment \u2022 It is right that the world\u2019s oil firms have been called out (Secretive assets: Most reserves are held by state-owned firms, 10 October). Environmental groups and activists have been pointing this out for more than 20 years, and the response from governments has usually been a shrug. Now that, thankfully, climate activism has become mainstream and the big polluters have been outed, we must welcome them into the fold and make it politically easier for them to adjust their activities. It could be a time of exciting cooperation and inventiveness. And let us not forget that each one of us must take responsibility for our use of fossil fuels; put flying at the back of the queue as the transport of last resort. Train travel within Europe is fast and comfortable. People will soon adjust. We just have to. Val Mainwood Wivenhoe, Colchester \u2022 George Monbiot places primary responsibility for global warming with petrochem firms, and classes the middle classes of the west as gullible victims of the machinations of the oil producers (Polluters drove the climate crisis, yet it\u2019s us they blame, Journal, 10 October). Walmart could be held responsible for more CO2 emissions than any of the petrochem firms cited. Think global supply chains, packaging, and billions of short car trips to the supermarket \u2013 not to mention the fuel pumps at the car park exit. It\u2019s just that crunching the numbers is complicated and contestable. It\u2019s easier to do the numbers on oil firms. In the nasty cocaine trade, who is really at fault? The Colombian farmer who produces it (\u201cpetrochem\u201d), the cartel which manages the whole chain (\u201cWalmart\u201d), or the westerner who snorts it (\u201cgullible victim\u201d)? To me, listing the top petrochem firms as the primary drivers of global warming looks like listing the 20 biggest farmers in the foothills as the primary drivers of the drug trade. Of course the parallel is not perfect, but the logic holds. If every middle-class westerner with a weekend habit makes do with a cup of tea instead, the cocaine trade stops. So, ditch your car; scrap your boiler; cut off the power. Yeah, right. Peter Anderson Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire \u2022 Your articles covering the top 20 global polluters were excellent. As well as exposing the massive contribution the 20 make to the destruction of our planet, they also highlight the absurd levels of income of their CEOs. The income of half of them is undisclosed, but the other half are paid a total about $130m a year. So let\u2019s be clear: these companies are not just helping bring about extinction, they\u2019re also fuelling gross inequality. The rebellion against them must be on both fronts. Jol Miskin Sheffield \u2022 I broadly agree with George Monbiot. Consumerism, encouraged by the present economic system, and especially by the fossil fuel companies, has led humanity to face the \u201cfirst great extinction\u201d. But while I also agree that \u201cIn such a system, individual choices are lost in the noise\u201d, this should not allow individuals to think that their actions make no difference. There are numerous ways in which each of us can, and do, contribute to the battle against climate change. Don\u2019t invest in fossil fuel companies. Don\u2019t drive. Don\u2019t fly. Reduce, re-use, refurbish, recycle everything. March, lobby, demonstrate, talk to people. Rose Harvie Dumbarton \u2022 It\u2019s all very well outing the top 20 firms behind the world\u2019s carbon emissions, but are the Extinction Rebellion people prepared to go without their central heating, gas stoves and electric lights? When do they suggest we switch it all off? Angela Singer Cambridge \u2022 Join the debate \u2013 email guardian.letters@theguardian.com \u2022 Read more Guardian letters \u2013 click here to visit gu.com/letters \u2022 Do you have a photo you\u2019d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we\u2019ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/oct/10/climate-crisis-what-carmakers-say", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-10-10T11:00:19Z", "webTitle": "Climate crisis: what the carmakers have to say", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/climate-crisis-what-carmakers-say", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/oct/10/climate-crisis-what-carmakers-say", "fields": {"bodyText": "Ford Motor Company \u201cFord takes its responsibilities for the environment and communities around the globe very seriously. That was evident again recently, when Ford was one of only four automakers reaching agreement with California on higher gas-mileage standards to reduce emissions. We have said multiple times that Ford does not support a rollback of federal emission standards. Additionally, Ford supports CO2 reductions consistent with the Paris climate accord, as we\u2019ve shared publicly.\u201d A spokesperson said the company endorsed the UN\u2019s sustainable development goals, citing its heavy investment in vehicle electrification, \u201cwhich we believe will facilitate long-term reductions in CO2 emissions\u201d. The company cited the fact it was spending $11bn (\u00a39bn) on electrified vehicles globally from 2017 through 2022 and has invested a further $500m to produce a new electric vehicle. It said in Europe it had announced plans for 17 electrified vehicles by 2023 that \u201cwill provide customer choice and deliver CO2 performance\u201d. Toyota Motor Corporation \u201cWe are supportive of increasingly challenging targets to reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions while taking into account supportive or impeding factors such as technology capability, infrastructure development, consumer preference, fuel prices and other factors that can affect the take-up of ever cleaner technologies in the market ... \u201cIn regards to our membership in the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in the United States, we believe it is important to take action as an industry as well as an individual manufacturer. Toyota continues to support year-over-year increases in standards but we believe adjustments are warranted to address changes in the assumptions used to establish those standards. \u201cWe will keep pushing for a sustainable agreement that sets progressive improvements in fuel economy, promotes advanced and diverse technologies and aligns with market realities and customer choice. \u201cIn Europe, thanks to our manufacturing presence in several EU countries, we are a member of the European Automobile Manufacturers\u2019 Association (ACEA) ... At ACEA, Toyota has specifically advocated for technology neutrality. We don\u2019t believe the setting of specific sales quotas for certain types of zero-emission vehicles is the best mechanism to achieve the desired CO2 reduction targets. Instead \u2026 we believe the massive electrification of fleets using a variety of technologies adapted to a variety of consumer needs will be more successful.\u201d Daimler \u201cSustainability is one of the essential elements of Daimler\u2019s corporate strategy and at the same time, it is critical to our business success. As a global company, we have a responsibility to play our part in managing the transformation of our industry to one that is increasingly focused on sustainability by keeping the balance on several, complex dimensions: evaluating economic, ecological and social aspects, for customers and investors as well as for employees, business partners and society as a whole \u2026 \u201cRegarding your question on matching the individual, worldwide CO2 regulations: it is our goal and intent to incorporate as many aspects as possible of Daimler\u2019s goals and beliefs in the positions of associations both in the US and the EU. The conditionality principle which has been advocated for by the EU auto industry in the discussion on post-2020 CO2 targets in the EU can serve as an example for this.\u201d BMW \u201cThe BMW Group welcomed the 2C goal of the Paris climate agreement and is committed to it. This was reinforced by CEO Oliver Zipse at the Frankfurt motor show in September. By 2020, we will have reduced the CO2 emissions of our European vehicle fleet by 50% in comparison with the 1995 base year. The BMW Group is currently working on new targets as part of a new sustainability strategy from 2020. \u201cOur aim is to find a sustainable approach that meets all three requirements of sustainability (ecological, social, economic) in a balanced and appropriate manner. The BMW Group ultimately bears responsibility for more than 130,000 employees and their families. \u201cThe BMW Group has long been a champion of sustainability technology, encouraging its own industry and others to play their part in emissions reduction. We have been contributing ideas to decarbonise transport at multiple climate conferences worldwide since 2008 (since COP14) and through the company\u2019s membership of various national and international associations. Within these associations, members naturally hold different positions on the climate debate. BMW plays its role in promoting electric mobility as a means to meeting the 2C goal of the Paris climate agreement. In our experience, constructive dialogue is the best way to bring about positive long-term changes.\u201d General Motors \u201cOur global commitment to improving fuel economy, reducing emissions and pursuing an all-electric zero-emissions future is unwavering, regardless of any modifications to existing emissions standards currently under review in the United States. In the US, we remain interested in working with all parties to advance American automotive technological leadership. Regardless of the standards, we are committed to a future of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. The pathway to that vision includes continually improving fuel economy and our commitment to an all-electric future. This is why we\u2019ve called for a US national zero-emissions vehicle programme. \u201cOur zero-emissions vision extends beyond products to our manufacturing operations, where we have committed to use 100% renewable energy by 2050. \u201cWe set a new goal to reduce emissions by 31% by 2030 compared to a 2010 baseline, consistent with the level of decarbonisation required by science-based methodology. We have consistently reaffirmed these points with our global employees and other stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators and shareholders.\u201d Fiat Chrysler Automobiles \u201cFCA supports the policy choice in favour of ongoing fuel economy improvements in the fleet, but that policy needs to be based on market realities as they have evolved since 2012. In business and in government, we have to make decisions based on the best information available to us at the time, but we also must be nimble enough to adjust our plans when the facts on the ground change.\u201d"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/nov/02/thousands-britons-invited-take-part-climate-crisis-citizens-assembly", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-11-02T08:00:25Z", "webTitle": "Thousands of Britons invited to climate crisis citizens' assembly", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/02/thousands-britons-invited-take-part-climate-crisis-citizens-assembly", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/nov/02/thousands-britons-invited-take-part-climate-crisis-citizens-assembly", "fields": {"bodyText": "Thirty-thousand people across the UK have been randomly chosen to take part in a citizens\u2019 assembly on the climate emergency convened by MPs. Invitations to the assembly, which will be held over four weekends in Birmingham from January to mid-March, are due to arrive from Wednesday next week. Only 110 of the 30,000 people will take part in Climate Assembly UK, at which they will be asked to discuss how the UK should respond to the climate emergency and what policies they would like to see implemented to meet the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, now enshrined in law. Those selected to take part will be demographically representative of the country. The initiative comes from six select committees of MPs, which have managed to get the invitations out before parliament is dissolved for the election, so the next government will receive a full report on the outcome. Citizens\u2019 assemblies have been used in other countries to respond to complex and emotive national issues, such as abortion in Ireland, and have been advocated by some as a response to Brexit. Rachel Reeves, the chair of the business, energy and industrial strategy select committee, said: \u201cAdopting the net-zero target was a major milestone for the UK, reflecting the strong cross-party support for action on climate change. We now need to set out a clear roadmap, and finding solutions which are equitable and have public support will be crucial. Parliament needs to work with the people and with government to address the issue of climate change.\u201d The \u00a3520,000 cost of Climate Assembly UK is being met partly by the House of Commons, providing \u00a3120,000, with the rest split between two philanthropic foundations, the Esm\u00e9e Fairbairn Foundation and the European Climate Foundation. Some campaigners also want to ensure politicians do not try to use assemblies as a way to put off taking urgent action on emissions while waiting for consensus to be built on some of the trickier questions. Dave Timms, the head of political affairs at Friends of the Earth, said: \u201cMuch of what needs to be done already commands widespread public support and it is politicians that just need to bloody well get on with it now.\u201d The Liberal Democrats and the Green party have supported the idea of citizens\u2019 assemblies to assist government decision-making. Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem climate change spokeswoman, said: \u201cIt is vital that citizens from across the UK are directly involved with ending the climate emergency \u2013 but this must be more than a talking shop. \u201cIt is deeply disappointing that the Tory government have failed to take the lead. If they were serious about tackling the climate emergency, they wouldn\u2019t leave it to backbench MPs.\u201d Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, said: \u201cTackling the climate emergency is not an issue just for politicians. It needs to include everyone or we will not succeed in building a sustainable, just and fair society. Citizens\u2019 assemblies are the ideal vehicle to do this and I warmly welcome this initial step.\u201d Separately, the chancellor, Sajid Javid, has announced a review of the economics of reaching the net-zero target, including ways to use government policy to generate green growth and prevent the UK from exporting the emissions from manufacturing goods to other countries. \u201cThe UK is leading the way on tackling climate change as the first major economy to legislate for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must all play a part in protecting the planet for future generations. This review is a vital next step in delivering that commitment, ensuring that we can end our contribution to global warming, while supporting growth and balancing costs, to avoid placing unfair burdens on families or businesses.\u201d"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/sep/06/old-technology-can-solve-a-modern-crisis", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-09-06T16:37:03Z", "webTitle": "Old technology can solve a modern crisis | Letters", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/06/old-technology-can-solve-a-modern-crisis", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/sep/06/old-technology-can-solve-a-modern-crisis", "fields": {"bodyText": "Your report on electric bin lorries powered by energy from household waste (5 September) that are being trialled by Sheffield and Westminster councils suggests that this may be a world first for local authorities. This may well be the case in the 21st century, but Sheffield also claimed to be the first to do this back in 1915. Electric refuse collection vehicles were not uncommon in the early decades of the 20th century, and one manufacturer claimed to have 50 local authority customers for its vehicles. In the mid-1920s, 7% of London refuse vehicles were electric, when ones with petrol engines made up only 11% of the total (80% were still horse-drawn). Modern energy-from-waste plants now provide electricity generated from household refuse, but this approach had also been pioneered more than a century ago with the so-called \u201cdust destructors\u201d that were installed in a number of London boroughs, as well as many provincial authorities. Recycling isn\u2019t new either \u2013 there\u2019s nothing new in the world of rubbish. Dr Peter Hounsell Greenford, London \u2022 In the early 20th century a number of British councils burned rubbish to generate electricity, in facilities quaintly called \u201crefuse destructors\u201d. Some of the electricity produced went to power council-owned trams and some was typically used to charge up the fleets of electric dustcarts that fed the destructors. In some places the practice continued after the second world war: Birmingham ran a considerable fleet of electric dustcarts into the 1950s. At least one of these survives in the collections of Birmingham museum. I wonder what other forgotten technologies could also help with the climate emergency? Richard Ellam Paulton, Somerset \u2022 Join the debate \u2013 email guardian.letters@theguardian.com \u2022 Read more Guardian letters \u2013 click here to visit gu.com/letters \u2022 Do you have a photo you\u2019d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we\u2019ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}, {"id": "environment/2019/sep/06/phosphate-fertiliser-crisis-threatens-world-food-supply", "type": "article", "sectionId": "environment", "sectionName": "Environment", "webPublicationDate": "2019-09-06T13:00:40Z", "webTitle": "Phosphate fertiliser 'crisis' threatens world food supply", "webUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/06/phosphate-fertiliser-crisis-threatens-world-food-supply", "apiUrl": "https://content.guardianapis.com/environment/2019/sep/06/phosphate-fertiliser-crisis-threatens-world-food-supply", "fields": {"bodyText": "The world faces an \u201cimminent crisis\u201d in the supply of phosphate, a critical fertiliser that underpins the world\u2019s food supply, scientists have warned. Phosphate is an essential mineral for all life on Earth and is added to farmers\u2019 fields in huge quantities. But rock phosphate is a finite resource and the biggest supplies are mined in politically unstable places, posing risks to the many countries that have little or no reserves. Phosphate use has quadrupled in the last 50 years as the global population has grown and the date when it is estimated to run out gets closer with each new analysis of demand, with some scientists projecting that moment could come as soon as a few decades\u2019 time. Researchers say humanity could only produce half the food it does without phosphate and nitrogen, though the latter is essentially limitless as it makes up almost 80% of the atmosphere. \u201cPhosphate supply is potentially a very big problem,\u201d said Martin Blackwell, at Rothamsted Research, an agricultural research centre in the UK, and lead author of a new study. \u201cThe population is growing and we are going to need more food.\u201d At current rates of use, a lot of countries are set to run out of their domestic supply in the next generation, including the US, China and India, he said. Morocco and the Moroccan-occupied territory of Western Sahara host by far the largest reserve, with China, Algeria and Syria the next biggest, together representing more than 80% of global rock phosphate. \u201cIn a few years\u2019 time, it could be a political issue with some countries effectively controlling the production of food by having control of rock phosphate supplies,\u201d Blackwell said. \u201cThere should be a lot more effort being put in so we are ready to deal with it. It is time to wake up. It is one of the most important issues in the world today.\u201d Prof Martin van Ittersum, at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said problems would begin before the mineral is exhausted: \u201cWell before we run out of phosphate, the resource may become much more expensive.\u201d Potential solutions include recycling phosphate from human sewage, manure and abattoir waste, new plant breeds that can draw the mineral from the soil more effectively and better soil tests to help end the over-application of the fertiliser. Excessive use of phosphate is not only running down supplies but is also causing widespread pollution that leads to dead zones in rivers and seas. In 2015, research published in the journal Science cited phosphorus pollution as one of the most serious problems the planet faces, ahead of climate change. The new study, published in the journal Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, states: \u201cThe continued supply of phosphate fertilisers that underpin global food production is an imminent crisis.\u201d It notes that an estimate of the remaining years of rock phosphate supply fell from 300 to 259 in just the last three years, as demand rose. \u201cIf the estimated remaining number of years supply continues to decline at this rate, it could be argued that all supplies will be exhausted by 2040,\u201d the scientists wrote. \u201cWhile this scenario is unlikely, it does highlight that imminent, fundamental changes in the global phosphorus trade, use and recycling efforts will be necessary,\u201d they said. \u201cThis is especially pertinent in China, India and the US, the three countries with largest populations on the planet, which rely on rock phosphate to feed their people.\u201d The European Commission declared phosphate a \u201ccritical raw material\u201d in 2014, ie an essential resource with significant risk to supply. Only Finland has any reserves in the EU and most is imported to the bloc from Morocco, Algeria, Russia, Israel and Jordan. \u201cThe EU is highly dependent on regions currently subject to political crisis,\u201d according to an EC position paper. Commercial phosphate fertiliser was invented at Rothamsted in 1842 by dissolving animal bones in sulphuric acid. Blackwell and his colleagues have returned to this source to investigate an alternative supply of phosphate. They have turned bones, horns, blood and other abattoir waste into phosphate fertiliser and in new research found it worked as well or better than conventional fertiliser. Blackwell said it could potentially provide 15-25% of the UK\u2019s needs. Another potential source is recovering phosphate from human sewage; Thames Water opened a plant doing this in 2013. Van Ittersum said recycling phosphate from animal and human waste is vital, but that this will take time to implement as new technology and regulation will be needed to ensure contamination and infection of food crops does not occur. Reducing use is also key, said Blackwell. The soil tests available to farmers at the moment are not very advanced, he said, so farmers add extra phosphate to be sure. This means excess phosphate in most agricultural soils, estimated as representing a century\u2019s supply. But most of this soil phosphate is bound up in organic molecules and inaccessible to plants. Some plants produce acids and enzymes that can break these down, and scientists are using genetic modification to create new plant varieties that can access this phosphate. Van Ittersum said such research was urgent as it will take a lot of time to develop more efficient crops. Phosphate expert Marissa de Boer said the public lack of awareness means the issue is the \u201cunknown\u201d environmental crisis: \u201cWe really depend on phosphate but we take it for granted.\u201d De Boer ran a five-year European Commission project on technologies to recycle phosphate and now runs SusPhos, a company looking to commercialise ways of extracting phosphate from human waste, food waste and industrial waste. She said recycled phosphate could meet the Netherlands\u2019 needs if the technology proves successful: \u201cAs long as people have got to go to the toilet, and wastewater treatment is centralised, we can use our own phosphate.\u201d"}, "isHosted": false, "pillarId": "pillar/news", "pillarName": "News"}]