
By Andy Rowell
So the G20 summit is starting in Hamburg in Germany, after a day of angry protests which saw dozens arrested.
As the talks commence, the new international "Climate Pariah," Donald Trump, is going to come under intense pressure from the G20 to reconsider pulling out of the Paris agreement.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit host, has publicly stated that this year's summit will focus on strengthening the Paris agreement, which "puts her on a direct collision course with the U.S. president," according to the BBC.
She has told the media that despite Trump's stance, tackling climate change remains a top priority for Europe, who will speak with "one voice" on the issue during the summit.
Speaking in front of the German parliament on Thursday, Merkel said, "The European Union unconditionally stands by its agreement in Paris and will implement it speedily and with determination." She continued that the differences with Trump "are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up."
She added, "Since the decision of the United States to leave the Paris climate agreement, we are more determined than ever to make it a success."
Merkel is backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has said Europe will "clearly reaffirm our very strong commitment to the Paris accords," adding, "I hope that the others can be brought back to their senses."
Trump will get pressure from other G20 leaders, too. Speaking earlier Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the G20 would tell Trump "it's important to take a lead role in tackling climate change and creating good jobs."
On the one hand, you can argue that the G20 leaders are being hypocritical for castigating Trump. As Oil Change and others pointed out this week, the G20 provides nearly four times more public finance to fossil fuels than to clean energy. In total, public fossil fuel financing from G20 countries averaged some $71.8 billion per year. The leaders were accused of "talking out of both sides of their mouths."
If they really are promoting climate leadership, then words are not enough. But on the other, Trump should not be allowed to get away with pulling out of the Paris agreement to satisfy the alt-right and his fossil fuel buddies.
As Trump comes under pressure, he's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin face to face for the first time today. The feeling is that Trump, by pushing his "America First" policy and pulling out of Paris, has marginalized the U.S.
America is suddenly the pariah. Putin is now the moderate.
They have much to discuss, including Russian meddling in the U.S. elections, Islamic terrorism, North Korea, Ukraine and hopefully climate change.
Putin is still in favor of the Paris agreement, despite the U.S. withdrawal. The Russian president recently said the Paris climate agreement was a "secure basis for long-term climate regulation" and Russia wanted to make a "comprehensive contribution to its implementation."
But let's not kid ourselves about Putin. For Putin, his continued support for Paris is now a bargaining chip with which to secure other favors. The Russian economy is fueled by oil and gas and his political leverage comes in part by supplying large parts of Europe with that gas.
As Mother Jones recently noted, "Trump and Putin share a common priority: A commitment to the primacy of fossil fuels."
Trump is not the only one who will be given a hard time over climate at the summit. Angela Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer is reportedly giving Ivanka Trump and first lady Melania Trump a tour of the German Climate Computing Center, which has been modelling climate data for decades. Sauer is a professor of physical and theoretical chemistry.
And even if Trump makes it through the summit relatively unscathed, his views on climate change are still going to be continually challenged by NGO's, scientists, the media and of course, kids. It will be the issue that haunts his presidency to its bitter end.
Indeed, finally a trial date has been set for a ground-breaking, climate-change lawsuit brought by 21 kids against the U.S. government. It is now scheduled to begin Feb. 5, 2018.
Mark the date on your calendar.
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Wisdom the mōlī, or Laysan albatross, is the oldest wild bird known to science at the age of at least 70. She is also, as of February 1, a new mother.
<div id="dadb2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aa2ad8cb566c9b4b6d2df2693669f6f9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1357796504740761602" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨Cute baby alert! Wisdom's chick has hatched!!! 🐣😍 Wisdom, a mōlī (Laysan albatross) and world’s oldest known, ban… https://t.co/Nco050ztBA</div> — USFWS Pacific Region (@USFWS Pacific Region)<a href="https://twitter.com/USFWSPacific/statuses/1357796504740761602">1612558888.0</a></blockquote></div>
The Science Behind Frozen Wind Turbines – and How to Keep Them Spinning Through the Winter
By Hui Hu
Winter is supposed to be the best season for wind power – the winds are stronger, and since air density increases as the temperature drops, more force is pushing on the blades. But winter also comes with a problem: freezing weather.
Comparing rime ice and glaze ice shows how each changes the texture of the blade. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
Ice buildup changes air flow around the turbine blade, which can slow it down. The top photos show ice forming after 10 minutes at different temperatures in the Wind Research Tunnel. The lower measurements show airflow separation as ice accumulates. Icing Research Tunnel of Iowa State University, CC BY-ND
How ice builds up on the tips of turbine blades. Gao, Liu and Hu, 2021, CC BY-ND
While traditional investment in the ocean technology sector has been tentative, growth in Israeli maritime innovations has been exponential in the last few years, and environmental concern has come to the forefront.
theDOCK aims to innovate the Israeli maritime sector. Pexels
<p>The UN hopes that new investments in ocean science and technology will help turn the tide for the oceans. As such, this year kicked off the <a href="https://www.oceandecade.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)</a> to galvanize massive support for the blue economy.</p><p>According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem," <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019338255#b0245" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Science Direct</a> reported. It represents this new sector for investments and innovations that work in tandem with the oceans rather than in exploitation of them.</p><p>As recently as Aug. 2020, <a href="https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/esg-investors-slow-make-waves-25tn-ocean-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> noted that ESG Investors, those looking to invest in opportunities that have a positive impact in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, have been interested in "blue finance" but slow to invest.</p><p>"It is a hugely under-invested economic opportunity that is crucial to the way we have to address living on one planet," Simon Dent, director of blue investments at Mirova Natural Capital, told Reuters.</p><p>Even with slow investment, the blue economy is still expected to expand at twice the rate of the mainstream economy by 2030, Reuters reported. It already contributes $2.5tn a year in economic output, the report noted.</p><p>Current, upward <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/-innovation-blue-economy-2646147405.html" target="_self">shifts in blue economy investments are being driven by innovation</a>, a trend the UN hopes will continue globally for the benefit of all oceans and people.</p><p>In Israel, this push has successfully translated into investment in and innovation of global ports, shipping, logistics and offshore sectors. The "Startup Nation," as Israel is often called, has seen its maritime tech ecosystem grow "significantly" in recent years and expects that growth to "accelerate dramatically," <a href="https://itrade.gov.il/belgium-english/how-israel-is-becoming-a-port-of-call-for-maritime-innovation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iTrade</a> reported.</p><p>Driving this wave of momentum has been rising Israeli venture capital hub <a href="https://www.thedockinnovation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">theDOCK</a>. Founded by Israeli Navy veterans in 2017, theDOCK works with early-stage companies in the maritime space to bring their solutions to market. The hub's pioneering efforts ignited Israel's maritime technology sector, and now, with their new fund, theDOCK is motivating these high-tech solutions to also address ESG criteria.</p><p>"While ESG has always been on theDOCK's agenda, this theme has become even more of a priority," Nir Gartzman, theDOCK's managing partner, told EcoWatch. "80 percent of the startups in our portfolio (for theDOCK's Navigator II fund) will have a primary or secondary contribution to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria."</p><p>In a company presentation, theDOCK called contribution to the ESG agenda a "hot discussion topic" for traditional players in the space and their boards, many of whom are looking to adopt new technologies with a positive impact on the planet. The focus is on reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment, the presentation outlines. As such, theDOCK also explicitly screens candidate investments by ESG criteria as well.</p><p>Within the maritime space, environmental innovations could include measures like increased fuel and energy efficiency, better monitoring of potential pollution sources, improved waste and air emissions management and processing of marine debris/trash into reusable materials, theDOCK's presentation noted.</p>theDOCK team includes (left to right) Michal Hendel-Sufa, Head of Alliances, Noa Schuman, CMO, Nir Gartzman, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, and Hannan Carmeli, Co-Founder & Managing Partner. Dudu Koren
<p>theDOCK's own portfolio includes companies like Orca AI, which uses an intelligent collision avoidance system to reduce the probability of oil or fuel spills, AiDock, which eliminates the use of paper by automating the customs clearance process, and DockTech, which uses depth "crowdsourcing" data to map riverbeds in real-time and optimize cargo loading, thereby reducing trips and fuel usage while also avoiding groundings.</p><p>"Oceans are a big opportunity primarily because they are just that – big!" theDOCK's Chief Marketing Officer Noa Schuman summarized. "As such, the magnitude of their criticality to the global ecosystem, the magnitude of pollution risk and the steps needed to overcome those challenges – are all huge."</p><p>There is hope that this wave of interest and investment in environmentally-positive maritime technologies will accelerate the blue economy and ESG investing even further, in Israel and beyond.</p>- 14 Countries Commit to Ocean Sustainability Initiative - EcoWatch ›
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