Green fuels for aviation
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the partner institute Empa have started a joint initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources. Over the...
Tagged: fossil fuels
How to fix the movement for fossil fuel divestment
Bankers and environmentalists alike are calling for capital markets to play a bigger role in the war on carbon. However, capital continues to be channeled into fossil-fuel-intensive industries. The most fundamental shortcoming lies in...
Global methane emissions reach record high
While carbon emissions temporarily dropped during the pandemic, global methane emissions have soared to a record high. The increase is equivalent to putting 350 million more cars on the world’s roads. Global emissions of...
Fossil fuel operators pollute the North Sea with 9,000 tonnes of oil per year
Oil companies continue to pollute the North Sea with thousands of tonnes of oil every year, according to Greenpeace International. A quarter of a century after the Brent Spar campaign, oil companies continue to...
Providing synthetic gas all year round
As the call to abandon fossil fuels gains pace, scientists in Switzerland are looking into the production of synthetic methane. A fresh inflow of funds is now driving pilot projects in the energy sector....
Improving the commercial viability of sustainable biomass oil production
Oil produced from biomass can provide a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. But technological challenges make it difficult to scale up production and make it economically viable. Valorizing wastewater could offer a solution. One technology...
EU set to mobilize 1bn euros for climate action
The European Union aims to become climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve this, Brussels has presented an investment plan for a European Green Deal that will unlock private funds and financial instruments to lead to...
Mayors of London and New York call for divestment
Sadiq Khan and Bill de Blasio are calling on their fellow mayors of major cities worldwide to join them in divesting their city pension funds from fossil fuel assets. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan...
Study suggests obesity associated with greater greenhouse gas emissions
A new analysis suggests that the increasing average body size of people on Earth, in addition to the growing world population may further challenge attempts to reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions, according to a...
2-3 April 2020: 11th St.Gallen Forum for Management of Renewable Energies
The 11th edition of the #REMforum 2020 addresses the tectonic shifts that happened in the climate debate over the last 12 months and their implications for management of renewable energies. Entitled “System Change, not...
European Investment Bank to stop financing fossil projects
The European Investment Bank has announced that it will end financing for fossil fuel energy projects from the end of 2021 as part of its new energy lending policy. It also aims to align...
Big oil and gas lobby EU to tune of over €250 million
Environmental groups are calling for an end to oil and gas lobbying at the EU after uncovering that the world’s five big oil and gas companies and their lobbyists have spent over €250 million...
Aerosols from coniferous forests no longer cool the climate as much
Emissions of greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the climate, whereas small airborne particles in the atmosphere, aerosols, act as a cooling mechanism. That is the received wisdom in any case. However, new...
Cutting emissions won’t cause sudden spike in warming
New research shows that, contrary to some fears, cutting fossil fuel emissions gradually would not cause an unintended jump in temperatures. The researchers at Duke University and the University of Leeds analysed 42 scenarios...
Renewable energy investment over past decade to exceed $2.5tn
UN-backed report has found that renewable energy investments over the past decade quadrupled renewable capacity and avoided 2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions. Solar energy led the way. Global investment in new renewable energy...
Alternative fuel made from carbon dioxide
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the French gas company Total have succeeded in converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methanol. The technology offers realistic market potential. The world is urgently...
Zurich Insurance aligns with UN climate goals
Zurich becomes the first insurer to sign up to the UN business pledge to limit global temperature rise and announces that it will use only renewable energy by 2022. In the long term, it...
Kenya court blocks coal power plant at World Heritage Site
Kenya’s National Environmental Tribunal agreed with environmental campaigners that the authorities had failed to conduct a proper environmental assessment before awarding the contract for the country’s first-ever coal plant. The coal-fired plant near Lamu...
Sustainable aviation is financially feasible with synthetic fuels
CO2-neutral synthetic fuels could one day replace fossil jet fuels. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology recently had a breakthrough producing such a fuel using solar thermal energy. Aviation is one of the fastest...
Carbon-neutral fuel made from sunlight and air
Researchers from ETH Zurich have developed a novel technology that produces liquid hydrocarbon fuels exclusively from sunlight and air. The new solar mini-refinery is located on the roof of ETH’s Machine Laboratory building in...
