Turning light into lightning
The world’s consumption overshoot may be stabilising
After increasing almost every year for decades, the global annual overshoot date has stabilised, indicating that we may have finally reached a turning point in overconsumption. Overshoot days occur when demand for ecological resources and services in a year exceeds what the planet can regenerate that year. DW
United States backs global plastic treaty
A watershed moment in the fight against plastic as the US, one of the world's biggest plastic makers, supports a major policy shift to reduce the quantity of new plastic produced each year. The move will boost the prospect of UN agreement on a manufacturing cap, with the final round of negotiations due to take place in late November. Reuters
South Korea recycles 98% of its food waste
When the country started tackling the problem 20 years ago, it threw away 98% of its food waste; today, leftovers from homes and restaurants are turned into compost, animal feed, and even energy. It’s one of the few countries with a nationwide system for food waste management, and its 50 million people now consider food recycling a part of daily life. Washington Post
Kenya has planted more than 241 million trees
The Jazamiti app is enabling Kenyans to plant trees based on their ecological zones. It's part of the country’s mission to restore over 30% of its tree cover by 2032 to fight the impact of climate change. The country is well on its way to meeting that target—as of July 2024, more than 241 million trees had already been planted. RESET
Amazon deforestation rate falls to lowest level in eight years
The rate of deforestation in the Amazon is now at its lowest level since 2016, with satellite data showing close to a 50% drop compared to previous years. While much remains to be done to end the destruction, this represents remarkable progress, driven mostly by new policies under President Lula, who aims to end deforestation entirely by 2030. AP
A landmark project to protect Ecuador’s mangroves
Since 1969 Ecuador has lost nearly a quarter of its mangroves, threatening the lives and homes of nearly 200,000 people who live in flood-prone areas. A new $45.9 million project will now protect 150,000 hectares of mangroves and restore 4,850 hectares of degraded mangroves. The project will also cooperate with local communities to promote sustainable shrimp farming practices across 20,000 hectares. Conservation International
Belize delivers on Blue Fund deal
Two and a half years ago, the Belize Fund was set up to help the country protect its marine ecosystems while alleviating national debt. To date, BZ$7.3 million has benefitted 40 coastal communities and 14 marine protected areas—covering over 527,000 hectares—and facilitated training for 66 individuals. Caribbean News
When we closed the historic Belize Blue Bond transaction in November 2021, it felt momentous yet incomplete. It wasn’t until I saw the Belize Fund team in action, translating those debt restructuring funds into tangible marine protection initiatives, that I realized the full potential of what we had set in motion.
Leah Carriere, Nature Conservancy’s Nature Bonds Program
New Caledonia works to protect endangered flightless bird
The population of the flamboyant Cagou has almost tripled since 2017, thanks to monitoring and threat management. Local efforts began in the 1980s, when a zoo in Noumeā started raising cagous in captivity and releasing them at the Blue River Provincial Park. Around 60 birds lived in the park in 1984; today there are over 1,000. The Guardian
Fishing ban in the Yangtze River is working
The ban was imposed in 2021, and last year 227 native fish species were identified in the river, an increase of 34 from 2022. The number of protected species found in the river has also increased, including the population of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, which has rebounded to 1,249, marking a significant turnaround from 445 a decade ago. China Daily
Plenty of good news for whales
There has been an upswing in the number of humpback whales in Icelandic waters; in the US, the federal government is creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conserve and recover endangered North Atlantic right whales with $82 million in funding; and a district court in Maryland has ordered the government to enhance whale protections in the Gulf of Mexico to protect them from offshore oil and gas drilling.
How Copenhagen cleaned up its harbour
Thirty years ago, the city's harbour was polluted with industrial waste and sewage. Then the government decided to clean it up, an effort spearheaded by a sewage system modernisation programme that cost an estimated €125 million. The benefits for hygiene, health, and daily life are clear, as today the harbour is swimmable and a playground for everyone. Outdoor Swimming Society
More music for those who will listen
Local communities are saving endangered baby sea turtles from poaching and tourists in Sri Lanka.
Shanxi province is tackling the ecological and environmental issues in the Yellow River, the second-longest river in China.
There’s been steady growth in the population of Chinese white dolphins, nicknamed the 'giant panda of the sea,’ thanks to conservation measures.
The plans to safeguard 118,221 acres along the Laos-Vietnam border to protect the critically-endangered ‘Asian unicorn.’
A team of Cameroonian rangers and biologists are using GPS collars to support anti-poaching patrols and conserve lions in Central Africa.
Conservationist Maximiliano Bello explains how Chile became a leader in ocean protection: 'Twenty years ago, Chileans had no idea we have whales.'
A decade-old effort to restore the once-parched Colorado River delta in northwestern Mexico appears to be succeeding.
How the combination of ancient tracking skills and technology is protecting Namibia’s endangered pangolins.
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia are working together to create the 39,165-km² ZIMOZA Transfrontier Conservation Area to boost tourism and conservation.
China is backing off coal power construction
Only 14 new coal plants were approved in the first half of this year, with a total capacity of 10.3 GW, down 80% compared to the first half of 2023. Authorities approved 106.4 GW in 2023—increasingly, it looks like those plants will only be used for peak energy demand (if at all), as towering, unused mounds of coal pile up at mines, ports, and power plants across the country. AP
The coal piles should be a warning. When it comes to the energy transition, change comes fast.
Dan Murtaugh
China's coal-fired power generation falls for a third month
Despite electricity consumption reaching record levels in July, demand was more than matched by huge increases in energy from renewables, especially hydro and solar. Solar generation surged to a record 36 billion kWh in July, up from 21 billion kWh in 2022—and that's not including rooftop solar. The result? Coal's share of power generation fell to 65% in July, down from 71% in July 2023. Reuters
In case it's not clear from the description, we are seeing the first-ever structural decline of fossil fuel power generation in China outside of COVID-19.
We're not going back (the energy edition)
In the first seven months of 2024, the United States got more electricity from wind and solar than from coal—a historic inflection point for the world’s largest economy. Wind and solar supplied 16% of America’s electricity needs, slightly more than the dirtiest fossil fuel. Fossil gas still has a 42% share, but that's going to start falling as renewables continue to boom.
Europe's solar revolution being driven by former laggards
Electricity generation from solar farms is now growing faster in Central and Eastern Europe than in the wealthier and sunnier parts of the continent. Through the first seven months of 2024, utility-run solar output in Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Poland jumped by 55% compared to the same months in 2023—twice the growth rate for Europe as a whole. Reuters
A stunning strategic win for Vladimir Putin
Demand for fossil gas in Europe is now falling so quickly that if the trend continues, we are looking at demand equivalent to 1984 levels. Yes, 1984, as in mid-Thatcher. This is even crazier when you consider how much coal and nuclear power generation has been shut down in the last 40 years. The war in Ukraine has been devastating t0 Europe's gas industry—Russia's main source of foreign income.
Bonus: European power prices are now lower than before the invasion.
Another week, another factory for bottling lightning
Actually, make that four. Rivian has received approval for a massive expansion of its factory in Illinois; Tesla just shared a render of its planned megafactory in Shanghai; BYD is planning its fifth international gigafactory, in Pakistan; and Natron Energy has announced it's building a first-of-its-kind, 24-GW-capacity sodium-ion battery gigafactory in North Carolina.
Solar power is booming in Brazil
When it comes to the energy transition, change comes fast. Three years ago, Brazil didn't feature among the world’s top producers of solar energy; last year it had risen to sixth. Since 2022, the country has added an average of one gigawatt of solar capacity every month, and last year, solar overtook wind to become the country’s second-largest source of electricity (after hydro). Dialogue Earth
This did not happen overnight: it has been the result of a decade of progress building domestic capacity, propelled by public incentives, a reduction in production costs and an expansion of ambition in meeting the challenge of climate change.
Australia gives green light to first stage of the Sun Cable
The approval allows up to 10 GW of solar and 42 GWh of battery storage in the Northern Territory, an 800-km transmission line to Darwin, and a cable to the edge of the Australia-Indonesia maritime border. Next steps are ongoing negotiations with traditional owners in Australia and authorities in Singapore and Indonesia on the remaining undersea cable. Guardian
EVs have already started to change life in Ethiopia
Earlier this year, Ethiopia became the first country to ban the import of ICE vehicles, in part because importing fuel is expensive and 96% of the country’s electricity comes from clean hydropower. The change is already noticeable in the capital, Addis Ababa, thanks to an impending ban on gas motorbikes and a flood of quieter EVs joining the traffic. CNN
Giant batteries are making California’s power grid stronger
When a record heat wave scorched the state from mid-June to July, there was plenty of power. No warnings. No shortages. No flex alerts. The reason? A sevenfold increase in storage capacity from battery projects in the last five years. Those batteries now crank out more electricity than nuclear, allowing solar to be used at night. 'They have been the difference maker.' Mercury News
Global lithium reserves skyrocket
Remember when there wasn't going to be enough stuff to make all the batteries? Yeah, that's not a thing anymore. Known resources of lithium rose 7.1%, from 98 to 105 million tonnes, from 2022 to 2023. That means that in one year, the world's supply of lithium increased enough to electrify the equivalent of 59% of all existing 1.5 billion vehicles in the world—and reserves look set to keep on growing.
New methane-hunting satellite has been launched
Developed by Planet Labs and NASA, Tanager-1 is the second methane-detecting satellite launched in the last six months. Its hyperspectral instruments will zoom in on super-emitters—facilities that emit >100 kilograms per hour—across the fossil fuel, waste, and agriculture sectors. Carbon Mapper, the organization behind the satellite, will make the data available once the satellite is operational in the coming months.
What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?
Australia’s largest lender has announced that it will stop financing fossil fuel companies that don’t comply with the Paris Agreement.
Happy second anniversary to the Inflation Reduction Act, with over 334,000 new clean energy jobs, and counting.
Britain is ditching fossil fuels - gas-fired power has collapsed by 40% in the last three months, and coal is now virtually extinct.
Shanghai, the second largest city in China, is switching all its bus and taxi services to new energy vehicles by the end of 2027.
The International Energy Agency says that solar plus storage is already competitive with new coal in India.
Electricity from utility solar arrays plus batteries is now cheaper than electricity from coal or gas-fired power plants in Germany.
Say hello to the largest agrivoltaic project in the United States—6,000 sheep at eight Texas solar farms.
Japan is planning a 500-km-long conveyor belt between Tokyo and Osaka that could carry the same amount of cargo as 25,000 trucks a day.
A school district in Oakland has become the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system.
China's diesel demand fell by 11% year-over-year to 3.9 million barrels per day in June, the biggest percentage drop since July 2021.
That's it for the planet edition—let us know what you think. We'll see you again next week.
With love,
Gus and Amy