Search Climate Insights Directory

The document details the role of human activity in increasing atmospheric CO2 and the resulting global temperature rise, which reached 1oC above pre-industrial levels by 2017. It compares the projected impacts of 1.5oC and 2oC warming, noting that 2oC would expose over one third of the world's population to severe heatwaves and increase water stress by 50%. To limit warming to 1.5oC, the text argues for a 45% reduction in emissions from 2010 levels by 2030 and a transition to net zero by 2050. While the Paris Agreement establishes a framework for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the document states that current targets are insufficient and would likely lead to 3oC of warming by 2100.

The report analyzes four Canadian environmental regulations—Coal Phase-Out, Clean Electricity, VOC, and Methane—finding they provide between $18 billion and $21 billion in direct health benefits by 2050. It argues that these savings could be used to address healthcare shortages, such as hiring 2,200 to 2,500 doctors, and cautions against the use of discount rates that undervalue the health of future generations.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) advocates for the use of the Clean Air Act to enforce stringent emissions standards on U.S. power plants. Their goal is to eliminate domestic power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and reduce air toxics, smog, and soot to protect public health, particularly in vulnerable communities. CATF's strategies include pushing for protective carbon dioxide performance standards, updating the Mercury & Air Toxics Standards (MATS), tightening National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and enforcing 'Good Neighbor' provisions to prevent upwind states from polluting downwind areas.

The document highlights the environmental and health impacts of routine gas flaring in the US, noting that 538 billion cubic feet of gas was vented or flared in 2019. It argues that routine flaring is avoidable through better infrastructure planning and technology, citing New Mexico and Colorado as regulatory precedents. The text emphasizes the disproportionate health burden on environmental justice and tribal communities, specifically mentioning increased rates of preterm birth in high-flaring regions of Texas.

The document assesses the environmental and economic impacts of flaring associated gas in the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations, concluding that routine flaring is unnecessary due to the availability of mature alternatives like CNG trucking, NGL recovery, and gas-to-power generation. It argues that current regulations, such as those in North Dakota, are inadequate and calls for robust nationwide standards from the BLM and EPA to mandate gas capture.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) utilizes a specialized gas analyser kit, specifically the ABB GLA-131 model, to detect methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The tool uses laser absorption spectroscopy to identify gas concentrations with high precision, including methane detection at levels below 1ppb. While the analyser can detect diffused emissions kilometers away from a source and confirm the gas identity, it is used for qualitative detection of concentrations rather than the quantification of emission rates, which would require additional meteorological data and scientific expertise. CATF employs the analyser as a complement to optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras to provide a more comprehensive view of emissions from sources such as landfills, gas capture wells, and anaerobic digesters.

This document consists of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting notes and data tables submitted in March 2019 for Anglo American operations in South Africa. It details the calculation methodologies for fugitive methane and carbon dioxide emissions from coal mining for Anglo Operations (Pty) Ltd and provides emission data for Anglo American Platinum and Anglo American Inyosi Coal for the year 2018.

The report argues against doubling the SO2 emission limit, asserting that the government's rationale regarding water use and cost is flawed. It contends that Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) is more effective and not prohibitively water-intensive, while Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) poses significant risks to particulate matter control, mercury emissions, and groundwater quality. The author recommends reducing the MES to 200 mg/Nm3 to align with international norms.

In a submission to the Parliament Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs dated 12 April 2013, Eskom expresses concerns that full compliance with the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for Listed Activities under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004, would threaten energy security and increase electricity tariffs. While supporting the act in general, Eskom argues that the standards ignore local scientific evidence and resource constraints, specifically regarding water availability and capital costs.

The 2014 Natref Annual Emission Report, prepared for the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, details the pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions for the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Pty) Ltd (Natref) from July 2013 to June 2014. The report focuses on compliance with the Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL) and Minimum Emission Standards (MES), providing sampling results for the main stack and several heaters, while noting pending installations for other sampling points.

The Grootvlei Power Station Annual Emissions Report for the 2016/17 financial year, submitted by Eskom to the Chief Air Quality Licensing Officer, details the station's pollutant emissions, the progress of a particulate matter reduction project, and compliance with atmospheric licenses.

This document is a formal letter and annual emission report from Eskom's Lethabo Power Station to the Fezile Dabi District Municipality, detailing verified emissions for the 2015/2016 financial year (April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016).

This document is an annual emissions report for the Matimba Power Station, submitted by Eskom to the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism. It covers the reporting period from April 2016 to March 2017, detailing verified emissions of carbon dioxide, particulates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, as well as compliance with atmospheric emission licenses.

This document is a submission by PPC Cement Ltd to the Department of Environmental Affairs regarding its Pollution Prevention Plans under the National pollution prevention regulations of 2017, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions.

The synopsis asserts that the petroleum industry was unequivocally warned of climate change by 1968 and that internal documents from companies like Exxon show a stark contrast between their internal scientific certainty and their public campaigns of disinformation. It highlights that while these companies protected their own infrastructure from rising sea levels and warming, they funded 'AstroTurf' organizations and misinformation plans to ensure the public viewed climate science as uncertain. The document also notes that attribution science now allows for the tracing of specific climate impacts to individual companies, providing a legal basis for accountability.

The document analyzes the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, detailing the scientific consensus on global warming and the diplomatic tensions between industrialized and developing nations during its creation. It highlights the lack of binding emissions targets and the complexities of the financial mechanism and technology transfer.

The report argues that many high-emitting governments knew about the link between fossil fuel combustion and global warming as early as the 1960s, triggering legal duties to prevent harm long before the 1990s. It uses a timeline of scientific milestones and country-specific evidence to challenge claims by States that awareness only emerged in the late 1980s, linking this knowledge to the 'no-harm' principle of customary international law.

The study evaluates three energy scenarios (A, B, and C) to determine the fuel mixes required to limit atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Scenario A assumes unlimited CO2 increase, while Scenario B limits the increase to 75% and Scenario C limits it to 440 ppm. The analysis highlights that achieving these limits would require a massive shift toward non-fossil fuels, such as nuclear, solar, and biomass, as coal and shale oil are identified as high-emission sources. The document warns that CO2 concentrations reaching 500 ppm would likely cause undesirable climatic changes, whereas 440 ppm is considered a relatively safe level.

The document asserts that the defendants had internal knowledge of the link between fossil fuels and global warming as early as the 1950s but spent decades funding disinformation and public relations strategies to manufacture doubt. It highlights a contradiction where companies publicly denied climate change while privately adjusting infrastructure, such as oil rigs and pipelines, to account for rising sea levels.

The document argues that television meteorologists are uniquely positioned as trusted scientific sources to combat climate misinformation. It introduces 'psychological inoculation'—exposing audiences to the techniques of disinformation to build cognitive resistance—and provides a specific 'Fact-Myth-Fallacy-Fact' structure for debunking. The guide details the FLICC taxonomy (Fake experts, Logical fallacies, Impossible expectations, Cherry picking, and Conspiracy theories) and applies it to common climate myths, such as the claim that the sun causes current warming or that climate models are unreliable.