As of this morning, the MP´s in the United Kingdom are moving towards a ban on Diesel and Petrol cars by 2032. “Phasing-out diesel and petrol cars will benefit the climate, help solve the air pollution crisis and improve quality of life for everyone” Read more about that here.

In order to effectively address global warming, we must significantly reduce the amount of emissions we are putting into the atmosphere.

The good news is that we have the technology and practical solutions at hand to accomplish it.

As individuals, we can help by taking action to reduce our personal carbon emissions. But to fully address the threat of global warming, we must demand action from our elected leaders to support and implement a comprehensive set of climate solutions:

 

So what are our leaders and leaders globally doing about this, and what Solutions out there are “actually working”? below we take a closer look at ways to reduce emissions.

#Electric Vehicles

We keep hearing lots of renewed chatter about how electric cars are about to take off in popularity. But for us, the fundamental question remains unanswered: do they really produce fewer emissions when you take into account that they run on electricity produced, in large part, through the burning of fossil fuels?

There is certainly a general assumption that electric cars are “cleaner” than petrol/diesel/hybrid cars, but is this assumption correct? And how is it that electric cars cannot claim to be “emissions free” if they are powered from an energy grid supplied by nuclear power stations burning coal or gas?

Tailpipe emissions for electric cars can be classified legitimately as zero – which is certainly beneficial for an urban environment where local air pollution is a huge problem – but is this pollution simply being displaced meaning that it still ends up in the atmosphere but via the route of a power station’s stack as opposed to the exhaust?

How green are electric cars?

Imagine if we could find a solution to lower emissions on diesel engines without having to go electric??

#Renewable Energy

The renewable power sector is dynamic and always changing rapidly – with falling costs, installations, increasing investment, and several new, innovative business models. But these positive developments tell only part of the story. The global energy transition is only fully underway for the power sector; for other sectors it has barely begun.

Here are 5 interesting facts about renewable energy that will get you thinking.

 

• Just 1 wind turbine can generate enough electricity to power 1,400 homes.

 

• Incredibly, as of 2017, China builds 2 wind turbines every hour!

 

• Renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power, now generate almost a third of the UK’s electricity.

 

• Fossil fuels still get 4 times the subsidy of renewables from G20 nations.

 

• Renewable Energy creates 5 times more jobs than fossil fuels.

 

The power sector on its own will not deliver the emissions reductions demanded by the Paris climate agreement or the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). The heating and cooling and transport sectors, which together account for about 80% of global total final energy demand, are lagging behind.
Read more at http://www.ren21.net/status-of-renewables/global-status-report/

#Advances in Diesel Technology

Ocean Shipping

The global shipping industry is bracing for a key regulatory decision that could mark a milestone in reducing maritime pollution but could nearly double fuel costs in a sector already reeling from its worst downturn in decades.

Did you know? Just one of the world’s largest container ships can emit about as much pollution as 50 million cars. Further, the 15 largest ships in the world emit as much nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide as the world’s 760 million cars.

To combat such pollution, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee will meet in London from Oct. 24th to 28th to decide whether to impose a global cap on SOx emissions from 2020 or 2025 onward, which would see sulphur emissions fall from the current maximum of 3.5% of fuel content to just 0.5%.

Rail

Transport, Energy and Climate policies can play a very significant role in strengthening Europe´s economic security, its competitiveness and its ability to pursue a robust external policy.

We need to move away from imported Fossil Fuels and towards a low-carbon economy whilst also reducing high efficiency standards.

A resilient transport/energy system is crucial to achieving this goal.

Rail, as a low-oil and low-carbon transport mode, can make a vital contribution as the backbone of a sustainable transport system for Europe.

For more information about technologies that are disrupting this sector, please contact us at [email protected]