National and EU Policy critical to control emissions in Germany’s emerging hydrogen economy
A new study by the Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS), supported by Environmental Defense Fund Europe, explores the emissions challenges in Germany’s planned hydrogen economy.
As hydrogen is integrated into Germany’s national climate strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, the study underscores the need to address unintended emissions from hydrogen production, which could hinder its climate benefits.
The research highlights policy pathways for Germany and the EU to mitigate climate-warming emissions from the hydrogen supply chain, including methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen itself.
Hydrogen’s potential as a carbon-neutral energy source has led to its prominence in strategies aimed at decarbonizing sectors like steel and chemical manufacturing. However, the study warns that without regulatory oversight, hydrogen emissions could account for 17% of Germany’s projected residual greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
“As the EU shifts gears after five years of Green Deal policies towards the next big policy juncture – the EU Clean Industrial Deal – it’s crucial that while it looks to build out a competitive hydrogen industry, it remains focused on reducing harmful climate-warming emissions,” said Léa Pilsner, Senior Policy Manager at Environmental Defense Fund Europe.
The findings, published in RIFS Study, propose multiple policy levers to minimize emissions along the hydrogen supply chain.
Journal Reference:
Mar, K. A., Quitzow, R., Haberkost, F., Horn, M. C., Lentschig, H., Unger, C., Goldthau, A., ‘Controlling Emissions in Germany’s Future Hydrogen Economy: Entry-Points for Policy Action’, RIFS Study (2024). DOI:10.48481/rifs.2024.016
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
Blueprint for reducing plastic waste and emissions highlights urgent need for policy intervention
Global plastic waste is projected to double by 2050, but a new machine learning-based study presents strategies that could reduce plastic waste by up to 91% and cut related emissions by a third.
Conducted by Samuel Pottinger and colleagues, this study models future trends in plastic production and the impact of various policy interventions, providing critical guidance for the ongoing UN treaty negotiations aimed at addressing plastic pollution. As plastic degrades, it contributes to pollution and health risks, posing severe implications for both the environment and public health.
Pottinger and colleagues found that without intervention, mismanaged plastic waste could rise to 121 million metric tons by 2050, alongside a 37% increase in associated greenhouse gas emissions. However, policies like production caps, recycling mandates, and infrastructure investments could curb this growth.
“With sufficient political will, there is enough technical potential to dramatically reduce mismanaged plastic waste,” the authors noted in Science. The study underscores the urgency for global cooperation to tackle plastic pollution through enforceable policy frameworks.
Journal Reference:
A. Samuel Pottinger et al. ‘Pathways to reduce global plastic waste mismanagement and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050’, Science eadr3837 (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adr3837
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Industrial pollution spurs ice formation in clouds, amplifying snowfall and reducing cloud cover
Research led by Velle Toll identifies how industrial air pollution triggers ice formation in supercooled clouds, a process that reduces cloud cover and increases snowfall in affected regions.
The study, using satellite imagery and remote sensing data, reveals that emissions from facilities like metal factories and power plants catalyze cloud glaciation, altering cloud reflectivity and precipitation patterns. This effect not only diminishes the clouds’ solar reflectance by 13.7% but also contributes to a measurable increase in local snowfall rates, with snow accumulations reaching up to 15 millimeters per day.
The findings published in Science highlight the complex climate interactions of anthropogenic ice-nucleating particles (INPs) from industrial emissions. This research may improve climate models, as current models often underestimate the influence of INPs on cloud dynamics.
Toll and colleagues note that understanding the role of INPs can help guide policies to mitigate such unintended climate impacts.
Journal Reference:
Velle Toll et al. ‘Glaciation of liquid clouds, snowfall, and reduced cloud cover at industrial aerosol hot spots’, Science 386, 756-762 (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adl0303
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Colorado River basins at risk of tipping point amid climate-driven droughts
A comprehensive study published in Earth’s Future finds that the Colorado West Slope basins could face severe drought conditions under moderate climate scenarios, challenging their ability to maintain historical water delivery levels to key reservoirs like Lake Powell.
With water from these basins supporting agriculture and municipal needs across seven U.S. states, the research by Cornell and Utrecht University suggests that existing water management frameworks may be insufficient to meet future demands.
Using advanced modeling, the study’s authors created hundreds of thousands of streamflow scenarios, showing that potential climate-driven declines could severely impact water availability and the economic stability of the region.
“Our work shows that even relatively middle-of-the-road climate change and streamflow declines in these basins flows can threaten to put the system at risk of breaching a tipping point where the basins are no longer able to maintain the levels of deliveries to Lake Powell that we’re accustomed to over recent history,” said senior author of the study Patrick Reed.
These findings call for strategic policy updates to manage water resources amid heightened drought vulnerabilities.
Journal Reference:
David F. Gold, Rohini S. Gupta, Patrick M. Reed, ‘Exploring the Spatially Compounding Multi-Sectoral Drought Vulnerabilities in Colorado’s West Slope River Basins’, Earth’s Future 12 (11) e2024EF004841 (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024EF004841
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Cornell University
Featured image credit: Gerd Altmann | Pixabay
