Climate change and the role of renewable energy

22.06.21

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a landmark special report released on 18 May 2021 on the Global Energy Sector, that the climate pledges made by governments around the world to date would fall well short of what is required to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions to net-zero by 2050 even if they were fully achieved. This means that these pledges are insufficient and would not give the world an even chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C. In order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, in their report the IEA purported that global investment in renewable energy needs to be ramped up significantly; investments in energy should be more than double from $2tn (£1.42tn) a year to $5tn (£3.54tn). The result would be a net benefit to the global economy.

While electricity generation is the single biggest contributor to climate change – responsible for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions and growing every day[i][1] – it is an even bigger part of the solution. With clean electricity, we will unlock a source of carbon-free energy to help power the sectors of the economy that produce the other 75% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Importance of Nature

28.05.21

The importance of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 has been and continues to be highlighted by many of the world’s governments and corporations in the past few years. The intrinsic need for nature-centric solutions to achieve this greener future has, however, been largely overlooked – until now. This week’s ‘net zero’ for nature announcement by the UK government and its proposed pathway to become a global leader in halting the destruction of biodiversity is a much-needed development to protect our planet. Climate action and the enhancement and protection of nature must go hand in hand, and we fully support the 2030 biodiversity targets as a critical milestone towards a low carbon future.

There is much to do. In the 2019 IPBES report on biodiversity, scientists reported that, on average, 25% of animal and plant species are threatened, meaning that 1 million species face extinction within the next few decades, unless serious action is taken to reduce the factors which drive the loss of biodiversity.^[1]

Trees and Climate Change

19.03.21

If we were to search for a positive to come out of the past year, it was the opportunity for society to take pause, and consider life beyond the pandemic. A new-found appreciation for clean air and green spaces has kick-started a wave of “build back better and greener” sentiments.

As a result of this shift, tomorrow marks the inaugural World Rewilding Day – celebrating the return of nature and exploring solutions to conserve existing wild spaces so that birds, bees, bugs and small wildlife can be restored.

Solar Parks – clean energy & biodiversity gains: Q&A with Lancaster University

18.12.20

Low Carbon is proud to be industry collaborator of the Energy and Environment research team at Lancaster University. We are a CASE partner for a current Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) ENVISION PhD project and have an application pending for a second. The ENVISION Doctoral training programme is focused on developing next generation leaders in environmental science and the Lancaster team is working on a range of renewable energy – ecosystem projects. A key output to date is the new Solar Park Impacts on Ecosystem Services (SPIES) tool, a collaboration with the University of York, that informs solar park management for ecosystem services (https://www.lowcarbon.com/blog/the-green-recovery-and-the-biodiversity-crisis/).

In addition to encouraging all Low Carbon solar park ecologists to use the SPIES tool (www.lancaster.ac.uk/spies) to help ensure optimal site management, Low Carbon is a passionate supporter of innovation to deliver not only clean energy but also ecosystem benefits. Consequently, research and innovation collaboration with Lancaster University is critical to inform the management of our assets for environmental gains. We are also proud to play our part in building the UK’s reputation as a global leader in solar park deployment while stimulating new business and investment opportunities for the sector.

A sustainable recovery for the UK’s economy

10.08.20

The global response to the coronavirus crisis has caused the sharpest drop in carbon output since records began. In the UK, when the lockdown was at its most stringent back in April, carbon emissions fell by around 31%.

Whilst this is clearly good news for the environment, as governments worldwide set to work to inject life back into their economies, the focus must now turn to how these temporary gains can be built upon.