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Putting the Nord Stream gas leaks into perspective
The September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline ruptures may represent the largest single methane emitting event ever recorded, with potential losses exceeding 500 kilotonnes of methane. While the exact amount entering the atmosphere is difficult to calculate due to cloud cover, ocean dissolution, and the speed of the event, the climate impact is significant. However, the briefing notes that the oil and gas industry's annual fugitive emissions, flaring, and venting total 82 million tonnes, meaning the industry emits an equivalent amount to the Nord Stream leaks every day. The author argues that up to 85% of these emissions could be cut using existing technology and targeted policy.
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Document type: Briefing
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: KARPOWERSHIP SOUTH AFRICA
The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of Fair Finance Southern Africa (FFSA), has requested information from Investec Group concerning a US$ 140 million loan provided by a syndicate of four banks to Karpowership. The letter highlights that Karpowership SA's proposed floating gas-to-power projects in Coega, Richards Bay, and Saldanha face significant opposition due to environmental impacts and the risk of prolonging fossil fuel reliance. FFSA argues that the projects would emit substantial methane, potentially totaling 80 to 142 million tonnes CO2e over 20 years, and may become stranded assets. The request asks Investec to clarify if the loan finances South African operations and how this aligns with its membership in the Net Zero Banking Alliance and its own net-zero carbon emission claims.
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Document type: Statement
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: KARPOWERSHIP SOUTH AFRICA
The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of Fair Finance Southern Africa (FFSA), is questioning the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) about a US$ 140 million loan provided to Karpowership. The letter highlights environmental and legal concerns regarding Karpowership SA's projects in Coega, Richards Bay, and Saldanha, including the refusal of environmental authorisations by the DFFE and the potential for high methane emissions. FFSA seeks to clarify if MCB's financing ultimately supports these South African operations and how the bank assesses the associated material and climate risks.
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Document type: Statement
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: KARPOWERSHIP SOUTH AFRICA
The document is a formal request for information sent to Standard Chartered Bank by the Centre for Environmental Rights on behalf of Fair Finance Southern Africa, seeking clarification on the bank's role in financing Karpowership SA's floating gas-to-power projects in South Africa.
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Document type: Statement
Public Opinion of EU Methane Regulation
A survey of over 6,000 respondents in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland reveals strong public support (90% or higher) for regulating methane leaks and equipment standards in the oil and gas industry, including for EU suppliers. While 68% of respondents recognize that atmospheric methane concentrations are increasing and 62% view it as a major climate problem, there is significant confusion regarding the composition of natural gas, with only 42% knowing methane is its largest component. Word associations vary by country; for instance, in Italy, methane and natural gas are viewed as synonyms and are not strongly associated with greenhouse gases.
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Document type: Report
What is methane, and what is the problem?
Methane is the second largest contributor to climate change, with a global warming potential 28 times higher than carbon dioxide over 100 years. A proposed EU regulation targets methane emissions from oil, gas, and coal installations through monitoring, reporting, and restrictions on venting and flaring. While the proposal includes information requirements for importers of fossil energy, NGOs and lawmakers have raised concerns regarding the discrepancy in obligations between EU-based operators and foreign suppliers, as well as the absence of binding reduction targets.
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Document type: Briefing
How can EU legislation tackle microplastic pollution
The document advocates for a shift from voluntary agreements to mandatory EU regulations to tackle microplastic pollution. It emphasizes reducing virgin plastic production and implementing sector-specific bans and design requirements for pellets, textiles, tyres, and agriculture. The authors argue that addressing both macro and microplastics is essential, as the degradation of larger plastics continues to fuel microplastic pollution.
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Document type: Report
Europe’s new gas deals should target leaked, flared methane, not new drilling
The Clean Air Task Force asserts that Europe can address its energy security needs and reduce climate impact by targeting wasted methane in Algeria. It highlights that Algeria's wasted gas volume exceeds the amount Italy seeks in new deals and that capturing this gas is more climate-friendly and potentially more lucrative than new drilling.
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Document type: Statement
Hydrogen Reality Check #1: Hydrogen Is Not a Significant Warming Risk
The document asserts that hydrogen is a viable tool for decarbonization, potentially reducing US yearly carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 15 percent. It argues that while leaked hydrogen acts as an indirect greenhouse gas, its warming impact is significantly lower than that of methane from natural gas supply chains, especially when accounting for hydrogen's higher energy density. The text emphasizes that green hydrogen offers the most certain climate benefit and suggests that focusing deployment on industrial and transport hubs can further minimize leakage risks by reducing the need for extensive distribution networks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
WeatherPower Year in Review
The report analyzes 2021 renewable energy generation in the continental U.S., estimating a total of 606,000 GWh from wind (73%) and solar (27%). It highlights Texas as the leader in raw wind generation and California in raw solar generation, while also examining generation normalized by land area and population. The document compares these figures against the Net Zero America Project's 2030 target of 2.2 million GWh per year, concluding that while current growth is accelerating, the U.S. needs to nearly double its annual increase in generation to stay on track for net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Report
CATÁLOGO DE MATERIALES DIDÁCTICOS SOBRE EL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO
The Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) has developed a guide containing 10 educational activities for high school students, aligned with BC3's research lines. The activities use active methodologies to cover topics such as carbon footprints, planetary boundaries, climate justice, and urban heat islands. The guide includes a conceptual overview of climate change, emphasizing the need to limit global warming to 1.5ºC, and provides structured lesson plans with specific goals, competencies, and resources.
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Document type: Guide
Cooling for food, nutrition and agriculture
The document highlights that 13% of all food production is lost due to a lack of cold chains, amounting to 526 million tonnes annually. This deficiency disproportionately affects low-income countries, with Asia holding the highest share of food loss at 48%. The report argues that expanding sustainable cooling can reduce food losses by 55% and cold chain emissions by 55%, while improving incomes for smallholder farmers. It identifies 54 high-impact countries, noting that while China and India have the highest volumes of loss, several African nations exhibit the highest energy inefficiency in food production. Proposed solutions include National Cooling Action Plans, Cooling as a Service (CaaS) models, and Community Cooling Hubs.
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Document type: Report
Arctic sea ice minimum
The document reports a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice, noting that the 15 lowest sea ice extents in the 42-year satellite record have all occurred in the last 15 years. It highlights the loss of multiyear ice and unprecedented melting events on the Greenland ice sheet in 2021. These changes are linked to global temperature rises and are projected to result in an effectively ice-free Arctic summer minimum at least once before 2050. The report details how this loss accelerates global warming via reduced reflectivity, disrupts jetstream-driven weather patterns, opens new shipping routes, and threatens the livelihoods of Indigenous communities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate change is here, but we can still turn the tide
The document emphasizes the urgency of addressing climate change, citing the sixth IPCC report as definitive evidence that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are raising global temperatures. It argues that while the effects of climate change—such as wildfires, droughts, and storms—are already present, drastic emission reductions can still secure a future where people and nature thrive.
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Document type: Statement
IPCC 6th Assessment Report: Physical Science Basis
The briefing details advancements in extreme event attribution, updated temperature datasets, and refined climate sensitivity models. It highlights the shrinking carbon budget for the 1.5°C target, the risks of climate tipping points, and the critical role of non-CO2 greenhouse gases like methane. Additionally, it discusses the scientific requirements for net-zero targets and the limitations of carbon dioxide removal and geoengineering.
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Document type: Briefing
Researching Climate Change LESSON PLAN
The document is a pedagogical resource designed to teach the Ojibwe language using a video about climate change and its effects on boreal lakes. It includes a full English-Ojibwe transcript, a detailed sentence-by-sentence grammatical breakdown, a glossary of terms, and a lesson planning form for educators. The content focuses on scientific concepts such as the impact of decreased precipitation on lake color and the resulting habitat loss for lake trout, while providing the linguistic tools to express these concepts in Anishinaabemowin.
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Document type: Guide
Presentacién de Amicus Curiae en relacién con la Revisién del Incidente de Suspensién atraida por la Facultad de Atraccién 647/2019
The document provides technical and legal arguments to support the suspension of the Granja Porcícola Homun, a large-scale swine operation in the Yucatan Peninsula. It asserts that such 'mega-farms' pose severe risks to water quality, air quality, and public health, specifically through the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The authors argue that under the precautionary principle and international law, the burden of proof should shift to the state and operator to prove the absence of danger, rather than requiring affected citizens—including indigenous Maya children—to prove certain harm before preventative measures are taken.
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Document type: Legal commentary
Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research
The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Trump administration suppressed, delayed, or sidelined at least 46 clean energy studies from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and seven national labs. This was achieved through a two-tiered review system implemented in May 2018 by Daniel Simmons and Alex Fitzsimmons, which required political sign-off for 'Tier 1' research on politically sensitive topics, such as comparisons between fossil fuels and renewables. The report notes that this system led to at least 25 reports being delayed by over six months, a significant increase compared to the previous 16 years under the Bush and Obama administrations. The document asserts these actions violated the DOE's scientific integrity policy, which prohibits the suppression or alteration of scientific findings.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change FAQs
The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are the main drivers of global warming, which has seen average global temperatures rise by about one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting environmental impacts, such as rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, while highlighting the specific vulnerability of the United States to billion-dollar disasters. The text outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency, and discusses the role of international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the influence of climate finance in supporting these transitions.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change FAQ
The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, have increased average global temperatures by approximately one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting impacts, including rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and more severe extreme weather events. The text outlines strategies for mitigation and adaptation, discusses the role of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and describes the efforts of the United States, corporations, and the United Nations to address the crisis.
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Document type: Fact sheet