[Mar 11-17'24] 3x more methane from oil fields

Climate adaptation less effective in warming world, UK emissions lowest levels since 1879, vehicle-to-grid is the future, steady as she goes for North Sea oil drilling countries.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉

References: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6].

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‼️News you can’t miss

Here’s one important scary/bad (🙀), good (😻), interesting (😼) and fossil (💩) news item.

🙀 Study suggests climate adaptation efforts become less effective the warmer the planet becomes

😻 UK emissions dropped to the lowest level since 1879 in 2023

😼 Vehicle-to-Grid is the future of grid stability

💩 No big North Sea fossil fuel country is planning to stop for 1.5C target

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👩‍⚕️ Status: Climate & Science

Let’s look at how we’re doing this week!

[#adaptation] — A study published in One Earth investigates how the effectiveness of water-related adaptation declines as the world warms. The findings show that the effectiveness of adaptation options declines significantly once warming exceeds 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The study emphasizes the need to avoid warming beyond 1.5C for effective adaptation to be possible. The current adaptation efforts are insufficient to cope with the increasing severity of warming-related impacts, and there is a growing adaptation gap. The study highlights the importance of understanding the risk reduction potential of adaptation and the need for informed decisions to be made.

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📰 The 7 Grand Challenges

⚡️Decarbonize Electricity

Clean electricity is the one do-or-die challenge we must solve.

[#🇺🇸electricityconsumption] — The demand for electricity in the United States is surging due to the growth of data centers, manufacturing, and electric vehicles. This surge is straining electric grids and leading to an increased reliance on fossil fuels. The need for additional power plants burning natural gas could jeopardize the country's climate change goals. Utilities are facing challenges in meeting the rising demand and connecting renewable energy projects to the grid. The situation calls for innovative solutions and pressure on utilities and regulators to transition to cleaner energy sources.

[#solarlosses] — Raptor Maps' Global Solar Report reveals a $4.6 billion annual revenue loss due to underperformance of solar assets, with power loss increasing from 3.13% to 4.47% year-over-year. The report emphasizes the importance of restoring production, optimizing asset management, and leveraging robotics and AI to address labor challenges and improve power production.

[#printedsolar] — Australian researchers, in collaboration with four universities, have achieved a new record for energy efficiency in lightweight printed solar cells. The flexible, thin solar cells, made by printing ink on thin plastic films, achieved an efficiency of 15.5% for a small-scale device and 11% for a larger device. The research, published in Nature Communications, integrated machine learning into the production process and reduced the need for expensive materials like gold. The technology shows potential for applications in scenarios where conventional solar power may be less suitable, such as disaster relief or portable power in construction, mining, and agricultural operations.

[#🇺🇸coaldrop] — Coal power in the United States is declining, with plants closing and remaining ones being used less. The decline is attributed to the increasing reliance on natural gas power plants and the growth of renewable energy. While coal's exit is beneficial for the climate and human health, finding reliable and affordable replacements for coal on the grid remains a challenge. Gas has become the leading fuel for electricity generation, but it has its own issues, including price volatility and concerns about methane leaks. Other potential sources like nuclear power and geothermal power have their advantages but face obstacles. Wind, solar, and energy storage will need significant growth to fill the gap left by coal.

🏘 Reduce impact of urban and rural areas

Lowering the impact of urban and rural areas.