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Environment and development AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA Leading Arabic Environment Magazine

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary-General's Statement on COP29
Antonio Guterres
COP29 comes at the close of a brutal year – a year seared by record temperatures, and scarred by climate disaster, all as emissions continue to rise
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Global Climate Leaders
Global climate leaders want COP29 to succeed but call for urgent overhaul of the process
Global Climate Leaders
It has become clear that constructive, supportive ideas developed some time ago on the COP process have been misinterpreted in today’s context
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Mathis Wackernagel
MY OBSESSION WITH OVERSHOOT
Mathis Wackernagel
There is no other possible future than a regenerative one
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Najib Saab
After ‘Arab Spring Floods’: Do Not Use Climate Change as Excuse
Najib Saab
Will the spring floods that hit some Arab countries serve as a reminder of the power of nature and the inevitability of respecting its rules
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Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
Arab-Israeli Environmental Cooperation: A Controversial Path to Peace Amid Ecocide 28/11/2024
On August 30, 2024, amid the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that Lebanon joined the Saudi-led Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), describing the step as crucial, especially for southern border towns and villages that are suffering significant environmental and agricultural damage. ...more
 
CO2 & Waste-Derived Bioplastics: Pioneering Sustainable Manufacturing 22/11/2024
As the world grapples with the environmental impact of traditional plastics, bioplastics derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) and waste materials present a promising solution. This emerging sustainable market seeks to address two critical global challenges: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing waste. By converting CO2 and waste into useful bioplastics, scientists and companies are pioneering technologies that could revolutionize the way we produce and consume plastics. ...more
 
The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed may soon be on your plate 15/11/2024
The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. However, the proteins are often tightly bound, and their full potential has not yet been realised on our plates.  But now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have found a new way to extract these proteins three times more efficiently than before – and this progress paves the way for seaweed burgers and protein smoothies from the sea. ...more
 
Industry royally champions sustainable floriculture project led by Coventry University 9/10/2024
Coventry University is leading a project to reduce plastic, packaging and waste in the British cut-flower industry. ...more
 
Major boost in carbon capture and storage essential to reach 2°C climate target 27/9/2024
Large expansion of carbon capture and storage is necessary to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet a new study led by Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden and University of Bergen, in Norway, shows that without major efforts, the technology will not expand fast enough to meet the 2°C target and even with major efforts it is unlikely to expand fast enough for the 1.5°C target. ...more
 
Europe’s deadly floods are glimpse of future climate 25/9/2024
Central Europe's devastating floods were made much worse by climate change and offer a stark glimpse of the future for the world's fastest-warming continent, scientists say. ...more
 
Which Countries Should Pay for International Climate Finance? 18/9/2024
The world needs trillions of dollars annually to combat climate change, but questions remain as to where that funding will come from. Most at stake are poorer countries that are the least protected — and hardest hit — from the increasing ravages of heat waves, storm surges and other extreme weather events exacerbated each year by climate change. Many of these countries lack the resources to undertake a rapid and just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy without external help. ...more
 
World’s strongest battery paves way for light, energy-efficient vehicles 12/9/2024
When cars, planes, ships or computers are built from a material that functions as both a battery and a load-bearing structure, the weight and energy consumption are radically reduced. A research group at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is now presenting a world-leading advance in so-called massless energy storage – a structural battery that could halve the weight of a laptop, make the mobile phone as thin as a credit card or increase the driving range of an electric car by up to 70 percent on a single charge. ...more
 
A method that paves the way for improved fuel cell vehicles 14/8/2024
More efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells are essential for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to be an alternative to combustion fuelled counterparts. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed an innovative method to study and understand how parts of fuel cells degrade over time. This is an important step towards the improved performance of fuel cells and them becoming commercially successful. ...more
 
Empowering women – a key to both sustainable energy and gender justice 13/8/2024
Involving women in implementing solar energy technologies in developing countries not only has great climate impact. A new study published in Nature Energy and carried out by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that empowering women through energy care work can change unjust, gendered norms and long-lived injustices. ...more
 
Could Australia become a green hydrogen superpower? 9/8/2024
“If you remember being a kid and blowing up a balloon or into a milkshake, your cheeks got sore because there is an energy penalty associated with bubble formation.” ...more
 
New Study: The price tag of phasing-out coal 15/5/2024
Coal phase-out is necessary to solve climate change, but can have negative impacts on workers and local communities dependent on coal for their livelihoods. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Central European University in Austria have studied government plans for coal phase-out around the world and discovered that more than half of such plans include monetary compensation to affected parties. This planned compensation globally amounts to USD 200 billion, but it excludes China and India, the two largest users of coal that currently do not have phase-out plans. The study shows that if China and India decide to phase out coal as fast as needed to reach the Paris climate targets and pay similar compensation, it would cost upwards of USD 2 trillion. ...more
 
Toxic chemicals can be detected with new AI method 2/5/2024
Swedish researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg have developed an AI method that improves the identification of toxic chemicals – based solely on knowledge of the molecular structure. The method can contribute to better control and understanding of the ever-growing number of chemicals used in society, and can also help reduce the amount of animal tests. ...more
 
High-precision diaphragm metering pump makes the “Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg” system demonstrator fit for industrial application 14/4/2024
Effective decarbonization of German industry – and with it, the achievement of the climate targets with a secure energy supply at the same time – is unthinkable without the expansion of hydrogen technologies. Since they are a carbon-free energy source, they do not release any emissions during combustion. Hydrogen is also suitable as a storage medium to compensate for fluctuations in renewable energy production, since it can be produced via electrolysis using any power source. As part of the "Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg" project, which was completed in 2023, the Baden-Württemberg Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) has now strengthened the region as a hydrogen location for the long term. With the participation of 40 companies, a scalable system demonstrator for alkaline pressure electrolysis with an output of 1 MWel was engineered. The pump specialist LEWA from Leonberg, Germany, also contributed to the success of the project: an ecoflow diaphragm metering pump with Ex motor feeds the water required for hydrogen production into the process. As of 2026, the system will continue to operate in the H2 GeNeSiS model region and feed hydrogen into the new pipeline along the Neckar River. ...more
 
Ammonia attracts the shipping industry, but researchers warn of its risks 5/2/2024
Switching to ammonia as a marine fuel, with the goal of decarbonisation, can instead create entirely new problems. This is shown in a study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, where researchers carried out life cycle analyses for batteries and for three electrofuels including ammonia. Eutrophication and acidification are some of the environmental problems that can be traced to the use of ammonia – as well as emissions of laughing gas, which is a very potent greenhouse gas. ...more
 
Fury as US argues against climate obligations at top UN court 6/12/2024
Climate justice campaigners have condemned the US after the world’s largest historic greenhouse gas emitter argued against countries being legally obliged to combat the climate crisis. ...more
 
First Ice-Free Day in Arctic Ocean Could Arrive This Decade, Study Finds 6/12/2024
The first ice-free day in the Arctic Ocean could arrive as soon as this decade, warns a new study. ...more
 
A Global ‘Billionaire Tax’ Could Make A Dent In Climate Finance 6/12/2024
COP29 was dubbed ‘the finance COP’ this year - and we all had high hopes for what might be achieved in Baku. ...more
 
Google DeepMind predicts weather more accurately than leading system 6/12/2024
AI program GenCast performed better than ENS forecast at predicting day-to-day weather and paths of hurricanes and cyclones. ...more
 
Peas better alternative to meat than fake burgers, Oxford study finds 6/12/2024
Peas are a better alternative to meat than fake burgers, a University of Oxford study has found. ...more
 
Qatar to invest $1.3 billion in climate technology in Britain 5/12/2024
Qatar will invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in climate technology in the United Kingdom, with engineering company Rolls-Royce (RR.L) set to benefit from some of the cash to support its energy transition, the British government said on Wednesday. ...more
 
Biden pushes out over $100 billion in clean energy grants as term winds down 5/12/2024
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has awarded over $100 billion in grants created by its signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden senior advisor for international climate policy John Podesta said. ...more
 
EU delays deforestation ban but discards changes 5/12/2024
Negotiators for EU institutions agreed a compromise on Tuesday on a ban on the import of commodities linked to deforestation, which will be delayed by a year but without changes proposed by EU lawmakers. ...more
 
Rain to increase as climate warms, says scientist 5/12/2024
Heavy rainfall and flooding will become more frequent as the climate continues to warm, according to a Bristol climate change scientist. ...more
 
Coca-Cola accused of quietly dropping its 25% reusable packaging target 5/12/2024
Exclusive: Campaigners say company’s apparent abandoning of 2030 pledge is a ‘masterclass in greenwashing’. ...more
 
Handful of countries responsible for climate crisis, top court told 4/12/2024
A handful of countries should be held legally responsible for the ongoing impacts of climate change, representatives of vulnerable states have told judges at the international court of justice (ICJ). ...more
 
China's first atmospheric monitoring station in Antarctica begins operations 4/12/2024
China said its first atmospheric monitoring station in Antarctica started operations this week, a move aimed at helping observe changes on the southern continent and supporting the global response to climate change. ...more
 
Barbados completes world first debt swap for climate resilience 4/12/2024
Barbados has completed what it calls the world's first 'debt-for-climate resilience' swap which will see it invest $165 million in water infrastructure, food security and environmental protection to help the Caribbean island adapt to the damaging effects of climate change. ...more
 
Which countries have completed debt swaps for nature and climate 4/12/2024
Debt swaps are becoming a more widely used tool to help indebted countries raise money for conservation or climate-related projects. ...more
 
Wolves to lose 'strictly protected' status in Europe 4/12/2024
Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries on Tuesday accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock. ...more
 
Countries fail to reach agreement in UN plastic talks 3/12/2024
Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution failed to reach agreement on Monday, with more than 100 nations wanting to cap production while a handful of oil producers were prepared only to target plastic waste. ...more
 
Exclusive: UN calls for $2.6 trillion investment to reverse land degradation 3/12/2024
Restoring the world's degraded land and holding back its deserts will require at least $2.6 trillion in investment by the end of the decade, the U.N. executive overseeing global talks on the issue told Reuters, quantifying the cost for the first time. ...more
 
Vanuatu urges World Court to recognise climate change harms 3/12/2024
Vanuatu on Monday urged the United Nations' top court to recognise the harm caused by climate change in its judgment on the legal obligation of countries to fight it and address the consequences of them contributing to global warming. ...more
 
Threatened by climate change, Panama Canal has big plans to combat drought 3/12/2024
The lush river valleys of El Zaino y La Arenosa in western Panama, home to hundreds of families that eke out a living farming, fishing and raising cattle, could soon be submerged by a massive man-made reservoir designed to ensure the viability of the Panama Canal in the face of a changing climate. ...more
 
Norway stops deep-sea mining, for now 3/12/2024
A small leftwing environmentalist political party in Norway succeeded on Sunday in blocking plans to mine the sea bed at the bottom of the Arctic, by demanding the government scrap its first licensing round in return for support for the budget. ...more
 
Fierce debate over curbs on plastic output as treaty deadline looms 2/12/2024
Negotiators on a treaty to curb plastic pollution face tough debate on the last day of scheduled talks, as over 100 countries support curbing production while a handful of oil-producing countries want to focus only on plastic waste. ...more
 
International court to begin hearings that may shape global climate litigation 2/12/2024
The United Nations' top court next week begins hearings on the legal obligation of countries to fight climate change and the consequences for states of contributing to global warming, the outcome of which could influence litigation worldwide. ...more
 
China completes 3,000-km green belt around its biggest desert, state media says 2/12/2024
China has finished a 46-year campaign to encircle its largest desert with trees, part of national efforts to end desertification and curb the sandstorms that plague parts of the country during the spring, state media reported on Friday. ...more
 
Britain seeks views on including shipping in carbon market from 2026 2/12/2024
Britain has called for views on changes to its emissions trading system (ETS) that could see the shipping sector join its carbon market from 2026. ...more
 
New powder that captures carbon could be ‘quantum leap’ for industry 2/12/2024
An innocuous yellow powder, created in a lab, could be a new way to combat the climate crisis by absorbing carbon from the air. ...more
 
 
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