Australia is planting a billion trees to fight climate change
The government estimates that the project, which will run until 2050, will eventually remove 18 million tons of greenhouse gases per years.
Climate crisis
Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland signed a declaration, committing to step up climate ambition by 2020
In the declaration, the five countries commit to step up ambition by 2020, enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the Sustainable Development Goals, and intensify their cooperation.
More than 8 million U.K. students to strike over climate change
Following in the footsteps of Greta Thunberg, school children across the U.K. have gone on strike for climate change. A new initiative called ‘Fridays for Future’ has been introduced, this will mean that students will strike every Friday until the government respond with an appropriate action.
Beijing will implement Stage 6 emissions rules in 2019 – reducing CO2 and NO2 emissions by 50%
Currently, Stage V rules, based primarily on regulations promulgated by the European Union, are in force. Stage VI rules will slash carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by 50% below those already strict Stage V level.
Earth has more tree and leaf coverage now than in 2000, thanks to China and India
According to U.S. NASA, there are now more than 2 million sq miles of extra leaf area per year, compared with the early 2000s — a 5% increase. The greening effect stems mainly from ambitious tree-planting and intensive farming in China and India.
11.9 GW of wind capacity installed in the Americas in 2018
Total installed wind capacity in North, Central, and South America increased to 135 gigawatts (GW) in 2018 with the addition of 11.9 GW of new wind capacity, an increase of 12% on 2017.
Drax begins capturing carbon in ‘world first’ pilot
The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have estimated that Drax could capture 50 million tonnes of carbon per year by 2050 – about half the nation’s emissions target.
Grid-scale solar power tripled in Australia in 2018 as renewables met 20% of energy output
“2018 will go down as the year that fossil fuels began an inexorable decline in Australia’s electricity supply.”
Plug-in electric car sales skyrocket in China
2018 PEV sales in China ended at over a million units. For some context, 2017 was the first year that plug-ins reached 1 million sales globally.
The U.S. Postal Service begins piloting its first ever all-electric vans
The first vehicle in the 1-year pilot is already running parcels around in Fresno, California, with 3 of the remaining vehicles planned for deployment in Fresno and the 3 remaining vehicles being deployed in Stockton later this year.