Climate Change

Like many African nations, Nigeria has lagged behind Global North countries in shifting away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. Solar power contributes just around 3 percent of the total electricity generated in Africa — though it is the world’s sunniest continent — compared to nearly 12 percent in Germany and 6 percent in the United States.

At the same time, in many African countries, solar power now stands to offer much more than environmental benefits. About 600 million Africans lack reliable access to electricity; in Nigeria specifically, almost half of the 230 million people have no access to electricity grids. Today, solar has become cheap and versatile enough to help bring affordable, reliable power to millions — creating a win-win for lives and livelihoods as well as the climate.

That’s why Nigeria is placing its bets on solar mini-grids — small installations that produce up to 10 megawatts of electricity, enough to power over 1,700 American homes — that can be set up anywhere. Crucially, the country has pioneered mini-grid development through smart policies to attract investment, setting an example for other African nations.

Nearly 120 mini-grids are now installed, powering roughly 50,000 households and reaching about 250,000 people. “Nigeria is actually like a poster child for mini-grid development across Africa,” says energy expert Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, managing director of EnergyInc Advisors, an energy infrastructure consulting firm.

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.ch/post/2303021

According to a study by the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, the reforestation and restoration of existing forest areas around the world would make it possible to sequester an additional 226 gigatonnes of carbon. This corresponds to more than six times the global CO2 emissions in 2022.

An international team of researchers, under the direction of the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, obtained this result by analysing satellite data and associating it with ground measurements. The study was published on Wednesday in the specialised journal Nature.

On a global scale, trees could absorb 328 gigatonnes of CO2 more than they currently do, without any human influence. By way of comparison, 36.8 gigatonnes of CO2 will have been emitted in the world by 2022, according to the International Energy Agency (AIE). ...

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/1026128

New research shows how reforestation and afforestation projects can be more effective in cutting carbon, restoring ecosystems, creating jobs, and providing other environmental and social benefits.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11661095

Published in Nature, the study underscores the importance of global forests in absorbing carbon dioxide and calls for immediate action to protect these ecosystems.

Key findings of the study

Researchers examined long-term ground measurements combined with remote sensing data and found significant regional variations in the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks:

Boreal Forests:

• Significant decline in carbon sink capacity by 36 percent.

• Factors: increased disturbances from wildfires, insect outbreaks, and soil warming.

Tropical Forests:

• 31 percent decrease in carbon absorption capacity due to deforestation.

• Regrowth in previously abandoned agricultural lands and logged areas partially offsets these losses.

Temperate Forests:

• 30 percent increase in carbon sink capacity.

• Reasons: extensive reforestation efforts, particularly in China.

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Thousands of young people from across the Midwest are expected to converge on Chicago's Loop Friday afternoon for the Global Climate Strike, which is being led by Fridays for Future Chicago.

The march starts at 4pm at Daley Plaza.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/21414090

The memo, shared with The Grocer, warns food businesses are woefully unprepared for challenges including soil degradation, extreme weather events, global heating and water scarcity and that yield, quality and predictability of food supply are all at severe risk.

It goes on to claim that companies’ risk mitigation strategies are being assured by major audit and assurance firms and giving false confidence to investors, whereas the true threat to the supply chain is far greater than companies have acknowledged.

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Between 2001 and 2023, Honduras lost almost a fifth of its forest cover, according to Global Forest Watch. The biggest driver of deforestation was shifting agriculture (accounting for 74% of tree cover loss), followed by commodity-driven deforestation (25%), wildfires, forestry and urbanization (less than 1%), according to Global Forest Watch data from 2023.

"shifting agriculture" = almost entirely cattle grazing

Editor’s note: Heifer International helped with travel logistics for this reporting but did not have any editorial influence over the story.

The Truth About Regenerative Animal Grazing

Despite a renewed effort to prop up the shrinking US coal industry, renewable energy projects keep on attracting global energy investors. The pullback on federal support for renewables still stings, but at least the folks overseas still believe there is money to be made from clean kilowatts in the US.

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A UK company has developed a loop system which turns methane gas into hydrogen and graphene. It’s being tested at several farm sites.

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Main Takeaways

• Internal combustion vehicles – those that run on gasoline and diesel fuel – produce CO~2~ and a number of air pollutants.
• Over recent decades, big improvements have been made in reducing vehicle-emission pollution; however, it is still problematic at a global scale.
• Transport accounts for one fifth of CO~2~ emissions globally; of this portion the majority comes from road transport (cars, motorcycles, buses, and taxis).
• Rising atmospheric CO~2~ from vehicle emissions and other human activities has been driving recent global warming.
• Air pollution from vehicles has health effects like respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and even an increased risk of getting cancer.
• You can reduce your vehicle pollution by using more sustainable transport options like electric vehicles, ride sharing, walking, bicycles, and public transport.

Related: Some of that air pollution actually counters the greenhouse effect, and climate models have so far underestimated this.