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Study finds methane emissions from coal mines ~50% higher than previously thought

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The amount of methane released into the atmosphere as a result of coal mining is likely approximately 50% higher than previously estimated, according to research presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The authors point out that less coal production doesn’t translate to less methane.

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BloombergNEF: clean energy investment in developing nations slumps as financing in China slows; coal burn surges to record high

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While the number of new clean power-generating plants completed stayed flat year-to-year, the volume of power derived from coal surged to a new high, according to Climatescope , an annual survey of 104 emerging markets conducted by research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF). thousand terawatt-hours in 2018, up from 6.4 thousand in 2017.

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Report finds says “negative emissions technologies” need to play a large role in mitigating climate change

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To achieve goals for climate and economic growth, “negative emissions technologies” (NETs) that remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the air will need to play a significant role in mitigating climate change, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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3.8% drop in EU’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019; transport emissions rise

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The large decline in emissions, achieved before the COVID-19 crisis, was mainly due to reduced coal use for power generation. The official data, submitted on behalf of the EU to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), show that EU Member States managed to reduce collectively their emissions by 3.8%

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Study projects thermoelectric power in Europe and US vulnerable to climate change due to lower summer river flows and higher river water temperatures

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Projected changes in summer mean usable capacity of power plants in the US and Europe for the SRES A2 emissions scenario for the 2040s (2031–2060) relative to the control period (1971–2000). A study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that thermoelectric power plants (i.e., Source: van Vliet et al. Click to enlarge.

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IEA: global CO2 emissions rebounded to their highest level in history in 2021; largely driven by China

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billion tonnes, their highest ever level, as the world economy rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 crisis and relied heavily on coal to power that growth, according to new IEA analysis. Coal accounted for over 40% of the overall growth in global CO 2 emissions in 2021, reaching an all-time high of 15.3 billion tonnes.

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Black carbon is a much larger cause of climate change than previously assessed; about twice previous estimates, and 2/3 the effect of CO2

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The report’s best estimate of direct climate influence by black carbon is about a factor of two higher than most previous work. This includes the estimates in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment, which were based on the best available evidence and analysis at that time.