environmental footprints explorer Green growth now Summary: Concerned about economic growth, China and India weakened the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact. Our research suggests decarbonization and growth are independent processes. Delaying one to achieve the other is unnecessary and a wasteful detour. Nobody in the rich world can blame developing countries for wishing to improve their economic
environmental footprints explorer How dematerialization could cut hard-to-abate emissions by a third, or more The production of materials causes a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00690-8]. Reducing the use of materials through a more intense utilization of products such as homes or cars, or the construction of lighter and smaller products, will also reduce the energy needed to
environmental footprints explorer Climate protection and development in the Global South Nobody is as affected by the damaging forces of climate change as underdeveloped countries, but these countries face a paradox as they try to mitigate their CO2 emissions. Improving the lives of their citizens will increase the demand for energy and materials — which in turn will make climate change worse.
environmental footprints explorer Less material use = better climate Material production accounts for close to a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions [https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/n9ecw/], but receives little attention compared to energy, meat, or deforestation. In a new report for the International Resource Panel [https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/resource-efficiency-and-climate-change], we show that reducing the use
environmental footprints explorer Science Cannot Stop Global Warming With current efforts or those committed to under the Paris agreement [https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/what-is-the-paris-agreement] , there is absolutely no chance that humanity will limit the warming of the Earth’s surface to an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/26/global-warming-climate-change-targets-un-report?
environmental footprints explorer Metals use tied to economic upswings Will more expensive metals impede economic growth in the US? As the US government justifies new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports with their military importance, the role of metals in society comes into focus. New research shows that metals are an important ingredient in economic upswings [https://t.co/
environmental footprints explorer Energy efficiency offers win-win for climate, health, and ecosystems A potential increase in metal consumption emerges as only concern in a broad-based investigation of the clean-energy transition The history of environmental protection is full of unforeseen consequences: taller chimneys only led to pollutants spreading wide and far, and safe refrigerants replacing hydrocarbons turned out to damage the ozone hole.
environmental footprints explorer How to force down the US climate impact While Donald Trump withdraws the US from the Paris climate agreement, the world has tools to reduce the US carbon footprint As the world is in shock about Donald Trump’s erratic but not unexpected decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, reactions range from the
environmental footprints explorer Does ‘green energy’ have hidden health and environmental costs? Edgar Hertwich [https://theconversation.com/profiles/edgar-hertwich-210836], Yale University [http://theconversation.com/institutions/yale-university-1326]; Anders Arvesen [https://theconversation.com/profiles/anders-arvesen-342635], Norwegian University of Science and Technology [http://theconversation.com/institutions/norwegian-university-of-science-and-technology-715] ; Sangwon Suh [https://theconversation.com/profiles/sangwon-suh-342636], University of California, Santa Barbara [http://t
environmental footprints explorer The Carbon Footprint of Capital We think of capital, the assets we use in production, as heavy: machines, buildings, infrastructure, trucks and railroads. Being composed mostly of cement and steel, we would expect their production to cause a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. In a new paper, we offer a first detailed analysis of the
environmental footprints explorer Alternative climate theory in shatters An alternative theory for climate change based on the influence of cosmic radiation lead to prominent predictions of an imminent cooling of global temperatures. Three years after the book by Fritz Vahrenholt and Sebastian Lüning [http://www.kaltesonne.de/] was a bestseller in Germany [http://www.kaltesonne.de/die-kalte-sonne-auf-der-spiegel-bestseller-liste/] and
environmental footprints explorer Industrial Ecology – Reflexions The entire team of PhD students, PostDocs and professors on the steps of the main building, 17 October 2014 In 2003, I moved to Trondheim to become Director of the Industrial Ecology Programme [http://www.ntnu.edu/indecol/] (IndEcol) of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In 2015,
environmental footprints explorer Carbon pricing improves economics of energy The Economics of Energy – What is the cost-effectiveness of energy and climate policies? In a panel debate [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcL4WTeGmPo] with key European policy makers hosted by GE and organized by ScienceBusiness; I emphasized the need to more systematically internalize environmental costs, which we have enumerated
environmental footprints explorer We can reach 2°C if we *replace* polluting technology The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [http://www.ipcc.ch] shows that hope is not forsaken: rigorous climate politics locally and nationally has spurred development of new technology sooner than expected. Increased pressure in the pursuit of climate protection is still required to reach the 2°C Target. Carbon Budget:
environmental footprints explorer Breathe easier with renewable energy If we want to limit air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting unmet demand in developing countries, renewable electricity is a promising option, as our new research [http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312753111] shows. By Edgar Hertwich [http://carbonfootprintofnations.com/author/edgar-hertwich/], Thomas Gibon [http://www.
environmental footprints explorer What’s new in the IPCC report After 4 years of intensive work, the fifth assessment report of climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [http://mitigation2014.org/]has finally been published. It says that it is urgent to begin reducing emissions, otherwise we will not be able to stay below the articulated limit
environmental footprints explorer Carbon footprint of hydro power I took a deep breath after a brisk climb up the soft hill near the border to Sweden. The sun peaked out under the clouds and the light was beautifully reflected by the water of Nesjøen [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesj%C3%B8en], while reindeer was munching away on
environmental footprints explorer Ecological tragedy, economic naiveté The tragic extinction of species, from the black r [http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/index.html] hinoceros [http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/index.html] to plants remaining undiscovered, is unfortunately one of the hallmarks of humans on the planet. This
environmental footprints explorer Rich Pressure Poor Ecosystems I just returned from my weekly trip to the supermarket: in addition to Kenyan roses, Brazilian melons, Israeli oranges, Dutch tomatoes, Kiwis from New Zealand, and potatoes from Saudi Arabia (!), I have, for the first time, found minced beef from Botswana, sold for just over half the price of the
environmental footprints explorer Germany: Solar influence on climate in public spotlight Surprisingly, a book co-written by a well-known former German environmental activist presents a strong revisionist story and is able to capture both headlines [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Vahrenholt] and spot on the best-seller list. I read the book [http://www.amazon.de/Die-kalte-Sonne-Klimakatastrophe-stattfindet/dp/3455502504/ref=sr_1_
environmental footprints explorer Extinction footprints It is a sad result of human civilisation that we are driving other species into extinction. A new study [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7401/full/nature11145.html] highlights the main driving forces – rich countries’ consumption. Humans have always affected their environment. Environmental history is littered with stories
environmental footprints explorer Guarantees of origin and their misuse in carbon footprint calculations In the development of the international standard for product carbon footprint analysis, there are now forces [http://www.gaia.fi/news/gaia_news_2011/know_your_electricity.html] arguing [http://ostfoldforskning.no/uploads/prosjektsider/publikasjon/Memo_GHG_Power_Accounting_to_TWG_Eligibility_Ostfold_Research_August_2011.pdf] that so-called guarantees
environmental footprints explorer Unsustainable Developments It seems like we right now are running hard from facing the truths and some associated pain, and that in at least two instances that are striking for their similarities: the global financial crisis and climate change. Let me begin with the financial crisis. The main problem of the financial
environmental footprints explorer PC and TV purchases shape EEE carbon footprint The rapid proliferation of electronic entertainment and communication equipment has eclipsed traditional household appliances like washing machines and refrigerators as the equipment with the highest residential carbon footprint; apart from heating, hot water and lighting. The Norwegian state broadcaster sent a wonderful story [http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_
environmental footprints explorer Carbon Footprint 1990-2008 We present now a time series of carbon footprints in the Ranking tab [http://www.carbonfootprintofnations.com/content/emissions_worldwide/]. Our data lets you trace the development of carbon footprints over the period 1990-2008. You need an Adope Flash player installed to see this. This data represents national CO2 emissions