Climate Science, Climate Scepticism And The IPCC

Today saw the launch of the first part of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), rounding up the state of climate science.  Two further sections on climate change impacts and mitigation respectively will be released early next year.

Set up by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Association (WMO) in 1988, the IPCC was formed to conduct comprehensive assessments of climate change risk to inform policymakers and is widely considered to be the world’s leading authority on climate change.

NGOs Win the Debate on Fuel Efficiency Standards

Source: Transport & Environment

On Wednesday 24 April 2013, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee voted on legislation to determine how to implement the EU target of average CO2 emissions of 95g per kilometre by 2020, and 130 grams per kilometre by 2015 for passenger vehicles. 

The Controversial Debate on Shale Gas in Europe Continues

Source: Student Think Tank 

Energy poverty and the economic crisis, hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’, climate change, water contamination and earthquakes all add to the confusion around the topic of whether shale gas exploration should be allowed in Europe.  Fear and uncertainty seem to be used by different stakeholders - NGOs, politicians and industry - to try to convince the public about their different positions.

Five NGO Campaigns Targeting Big Brands

Source: Greenpeace

The relationship between NGOs and business will always be a controversial topic as industry may feel NGOs don’t always play fair but there are some really classic case studies where NGO campaigning has brought about change more quickly.  We’ve also seen counter campaigns where industry hits back.

Greenpeace Keeps Pressure On

Environmental NGOs have increasingly seen targeting manufacturers and retailers directly as a more effective and faster way of driving change than regulation, or than regulation alone.  The latest edition of Greenpeace’s ‘Guide to Greener Electronics’, highlights the quite significant gap performance between the world’s top 18 electronic manufacturers.  Updated several times a year since 2006, the Greenpeace guide ranks the achievements of electronic manufacturers in eliminating hazardous substances from their products, as well as in take back and recycling and reducing the climate impact of their products and operations.

The latest edition reconfirms Finnish mobile technology manufacturer Nokia as the world’s ‘greenest’ electronic manufacturer, scoring 7.5 out of a possible 10.  Nokia ranks top in 10 of the 16 categories, and has done so for the last two years.  For the third time in a row, Japanese-Swedish mobile technology manufacturer Sony-Ericsson is hot on Nokia’s heels with 6.9. While Korean manufacturer Samsung enjoys the biggest improvement, jumping from position 13 to five, US giant Apple has had the biggest fall, slipping from fifth to ninth place.  As users of Apple products, we will be monitoring this carefully.

At the bottom end of the spectrum, Japanese video game manufacturer Nintendo continues to hold the unflattering last place with a score of 1.8, a position it has held ever since first being listed in December 2007.  Microsoft too is not scoring that highly with 1.9, sliding from 16th to 17th place as a result of troubles surrounding its commitment to phase out brominated flame retardants and PVC by end-2010.       

Used by a substantial and ever-increasing proportion of the world’s population on a daily basis, the environmental impact of electronic products cannot be underestimated.  As our throwaway society becomes ever more hungry for the latest gadget, the greening of electronics is an important step in addressing these issues.  We can only repeat Greenpeace’s question and ask “Who will be first to go [100%] green?”

Text: Filip Haugland/Kathryn Sheridan

350 Is The Magic Number

Tomorrow sees the celebration of the first International Climate Action Day with events planned in over 100 countries around the world.  Climate activists 350.org are joining forces with NGOS including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth in a rallying call to urgent action on climate change, billing it as ‘the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history’.

But why 350?  350 parts per million (ppm) is according to scientists the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Right now, we’re at 390 ppm and rising, so bringing the level down is a real challenge.  350.org believes it is achievable if we can convince world leaders to act now on reducing carbon emissions and switching to renewables.

With the crucial UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen just around the corner in December, many doubt that the politicians will do enough to make 350 ppm a reality.  It is hoped that the International Climate Action Day will generate the publicity needed to make the world’s leaders take notice and do what they can to agree on a climate treaty that is both ambitious and binding.  The visual focus on the number 350 and the creative ways in which images of ravaged natural areas, from forests to glaciers, will be publicly displayed  - on big screens in Times Square and at the UN headquarters - is likely to stick in the minds of politicians and public alike in the run-up to Copenhagen.