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RM
Robert McLachlan
@robertmclachlan.bsky.social
New Zealand mathematician, writing on climate & the environment at planetaryecology.org
96 followers85 following206 posts
RMrobertmclachlan.bsky.social

That little green uptick is the start of post-Zero Carbon Act power supply coming on stream with plenty more to come. The spike in fossil power generation will be the last. Solar is still small (1%) but has shown an impressive 46% annual growth rate for a decade, expect it to continue.

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Reposted by Robert McLachlan
RWwaiterich.bsky.social

Methane emissions are still rising across the board. Major food/ag sources include livestock production, rice production, and food waste. Solutions abound in agricultural improvements, minimizing food loss/waste, and shifting high-meat diets toward plants. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Human-caused methane emissions from nearly every industry increased over the past two decades

In 2018-2020, in millions of tons of methane emissions:

Enteric fermentation and manure: 116
Oil and gas: 70
Landfills and waste: 74
Rice cultivation: 32
Coal mining: 41
Biomass burning: 18
Biofuel burning: 11
Industry: 5
Transport: 2
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New Zealand's fossil CO2 emissions, June 2024 update. Most emission sectors fell in the June quarter. Electricity CO2 rose, but new renewable supply meant that we avoided a severe winter shortage as well as 2 million tonnes of emissions. New post: blog.planetaryecology.org/2024/09/13/n...

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There is no rebound in emissions or energy use as EVs are far, far lower for both of these. A rebound in driving is best addressed separately (e.g. Blake Alcott, "Impact caps", www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...) but arguably not even Norway is reducing transport emissions rapidly enough yet.

Impact caps: why population, affluence and technology strategies should be abandoned
Impact caps: why population, affluence and technology strategies should be abandoned

This paper classifies strategies to reduce environmental impact according to the terms of the I=PAT formula. Policies limiting resource depletion and …

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Reposted by Robert McLachlan
CHchristinahood.bsky.social

Some astonishing comments reported here from the NZ Climate Minister. If paying for Article 6 cooperation is "unrealistic" that would mean New Zealand reneging on its Paris Agreement NDC, as use of Article 6 is essential to meet that target. If he means something different, he'll need to clarify.

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Reposted by Robert McLachlan
SCcucumber.bsky.social

Nuts objectively ranked: #12 Macadamia. These are good but are they good enough to warrant the hype or cost? Often offered as an expensive chocolate coated souvenir gift and often a let down.

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I would dispute that CO2/capita is falling "significantly" in most of the rich world. Just 1.4% per year in the past decade, and little sign of acceleration yet, not accounting for imports or international transport. Room for improvement.

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Why is wind (relatively) slowing down – cost, opposition?

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RM
Robert McLachlan
@robertmclachlan.bsky.social
New Zealand mathematician, writing on climate & the environment at planetaryecology.org
96 followers85 following206 posts