As part of global efforts to slow climate change by tackling methane, the UN today announced a new satellite-based system to detect emissions of the climate warming gas and allow governments and businesses to respond.

The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), launched at the 27^th United Nations Climate Change Conference, is a data-to-action platform set up as part of the UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation. 

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, contributing at least a quarter of today’s climate warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we must cut methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 – the goal of the Global Methane Pledge – to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.

Developed in the framework of the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway – with initial funding from the European Commission, the US Government, Global Methane Hub, and the Bezos Earth Fund – MARS will allow UNEP to corroborate emissions reported by companies and characterize changes over time. MARS will be implemented with partners including the International Energy Agency, and the UNEP-hosted Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

“As UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report showed before this climate summit, the world is far off track on efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

“Reducing methane emissions can make a big and rapid difference, as this gas leaves the atmosphere far quicker than carbon dioxide. The Methane Alert and Response System is a big step in helping governments and companies deliver on this important short-term climate goal.”

In addition to supporting MARS, the Global Methane Hub and the Bezos Earth Fund are providing funding for other UNEP IMEO activities. These include baseline studies and initial work on agricultural methane emissions, where integrating multi-scale ground measurements with emerging satellite capacity is expected to provide improved quantification. 

First public global system connecting methane detection to notification processes 

MARS will be the first publicly available global system capable of transparently connecting methane detection to notification processes. It will use state-of-the-art satellite data to identify major emission events, notify relevant stakeholders, and support and track mitigation progress.

Beginning with very large point sources from the energy sector, MARS will integrate data from the rapidly expanding system of methane-detecting satellites to include lower-emitting area sources and more frequent detection. Data on coal, waste, livestock and rice will be added gradually to MARS to support Global Methane Pledge implementation.

“Cutting methane is the fastest opportunity to reduce warming and keep 1.5°C within reach, and this new alert and response system is going to be a critical tool for helping all of us deliver on the Global Methane Pledge,” said John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Components of the Methane Alert and Response System 

MARS will use data from global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes and methane hot spots and attribute the emissions to a specific source. UNEP will then notify governments and companies about the emissions, either directly or through partners, so that the responsible entity can take appropriate action. 

If requested, MARS partners will provide technical or advisory services such as help in assessing mitigation opportunities. UNEP will continue to monitor the event location and make the data and analysis available to the public between 45 and 75 days after detection. 

Additional comments

“We are seeing methane emissions increase at an accelerated rate. With this initiative, armed with greater data and transparency, companies and governments can make greater strides to reduce methane emissions and civil society can keep them accountable to their promises,” said Dr. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund.

“The science is clear. We need to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030, to keep 1.5°C alive. Fortunately, action on methane emissions is one of the most cost effective and impactful actions a country can take,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO Global Methane Hub.

“Therefore Global Methane Hub is pleased to partner with UNEP and the Bezos Earth Fund, on providing critical resources – to the MARS initiative – that can enable the identification and rapid response to major methane emissions from the energy sector, as well as take the first steps in enabling satellite observations to address methane emissions from the agricultural sector.”

“To keep the global temperature rise limited to 1.5 degrees, it is crucial that we tackle methane emissions,” said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. “These emissions often peak in specific areas for limited amounts of time, for example in the energy sector due to leaks, venting, and flaring. Early detection of these peaks makes it possible to respond faster. The Methane Alert and Response System does just that. Thanks to funding and free satellite data from Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation programme, the system will enable every country to take rapid action to reduce methane emissions.”

Said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency: “The Methane Alert and Response System is an important new tool to help pinpoint major methane leaks. As IEA analysis has highlighted, transparency is a vital part of the solution to tackle the methane problem, and this new system will help producers detect leaks and stop them without delay if and when they occur.”

Coverage highlights

The White House, United States (7,411,454) FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Initiatives at COP27 to Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Tackling Climate Change https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/11/11/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-initiatives-at-cop27-to-strengthen-u-s-leadership-in-tackling-climate-change/

The Associated Press via The Washington Post, United States (69,597,834) UN to seek out methane emitters with data from space  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-to-seek-out-methane-emitters-with-data-from-space/2022/11/11/fdb339be-6192-11ed-a131-e900e4a6336b_story.html

Reuters, via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) COP27: U.N. to hunt sources of climate-warming methane from space https://news.yahoo.com/cop27-u-n-hunt-sources-050244256.html

Endgadget, via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) UN initiative will use satellites to detect methane emission hotspots https://news.yahoo.com/un-global-methane-detection-system-070057307.html

Yale Environment 360 via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) UN Launches Satellite-Based System to Pinpoint Global Methane Hot Spots https://news.yahoo.com/un-launches-satellite-based-system-161900323.html

China News Agency via Sohu 搜狐新闻, Mainland China (64,389,184) COP27边会：多国专家呼吁采取紧急措施加强全球甲烷排控  https://www.sohu.com/a/604711381_123753

The Indian Express, India (54,343,514) COP27: UN to set up system to track methane emissions from space https://indianexpress.com/article/world/climate-change/cop27-united-nations-satellite-methane-monitoring-system-8263980/

Naver, Korea (44,416,857) COP27 Methane Detection  https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/077/0005773635

ABC News, United States (22,852,738) UN launching satellite-based system to detect methane https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/launching-satellite-based-system-detect-methane/story?id=93055245

MarketWatch, United States (23,546,449) Jeff Bezos helping fund U.N. effort to tag and alert methane emitters with data from space https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jeff-bezos-helping-fund-u-n-effort-to-tag-and-alert-methane-emitters-with-data-from-space-11668171352

Euronews, France (21,703,341) Decarbonisation, methane and record highs: 5 key things that happened today at COP27 https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/11/11/decarbonisation-methane-and-record-highs-5-key-things-that-happened-today-at-cop27

China Daily – Global, Mainland China (245,309) Experts urge immediate action on methane mitigation  http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202211/11/WS636dec57a3104917543292fa.html

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

Independent KU Leuven university study, commissioned by EU industry, echoes IEA warning of severe global competition for several metals needed in Europe’s energy transition away from fossil fuels

Meeting the European Union’s Green Deal goal of climate neutrality by 2050 will require 35 times more lithium and 7 to 26 times the amount of increasingly scarce rare earth metals compared to Europe’s limited use today, according to a study from Belgian university KU Leuven.

The energy transition will also require far greater annual supplies of aluminium (equivalent to 30% of what Europe already uses today), copper (35%), silicon (45%), nickel (100%), and cobalt (330%), all essential to Europe’s plans for producing the electric vehicles and batteries, renewable wind, solar and hydrogen energy technologies, and the grid infrastructure needed to achieve climate neutrality. 

The good news: By 2050, 40 to 75% of Europe’s clean energy metal needs could be met through local recycling if Europe invests heavily now and fixes bottlenecks, says KU Leuven’s “Metals for Clean Energy” study, commissioned by Eurometaux, Europe’s association of metal producers. 

But Europe faces critical shortfalls in the next 15 years without more mined and refined metals supplying the start of its clean energy system. Progressive steps will be needed to develop a long-term Circular Economy, which avoids a repeat of Europe’s current fossil fuel dependency. 

On March 8, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for European independence from Russian oil, coal and gas, saying “we simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us. We need to act now to… accelerate the clean energy transition. The quicker we switch to renewables and hydrogen, combined with more energy efficiency, the quicker we will be truly independent and master our energy system.”

The independent KU Leuven study is the first to offer EU-specific numbers related to the International Energy Agency’s warning in 2021 of looming supply challenges for the enabling metals needed to help end fossil fuels.

The study says that by 2050, Europe’s  plans for producing clean energy technologies will require annually: 

• 4.5 million tonnes of aluminium (an increase of 33% compared to today’s use)
• 1.5 million tonnes of copper (35%) 
• 800,000 tonnes of lithium (3,500%)
• 400,000 tonnes of nickel (100%)
• 300,000 tonnes of zinc (10-15%)
• 200,000 tonnes of silicon (45%)
• 60,000 tonnes of cobalt (330%)
• and 3,000 tonnes of the rare earths metals neodymium, dysprosium and praseodymium (700-2,600%)

“Although the EU has committed to accelerate its energy transition and produce a great deal of its clean energy technologies domestically, it remains import dependent for much of the metal needed” the study says. “And there is growing concern about the security of supply.”

Supply risks

According to the study, Europe could face problems around 2030 from global supply shortages for five metals especially: lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, and copper. EU primary metals demand will peak around 2040; thereafter, increased recycling will help the bloc towards greater self-sufficiency, assuming major investments are made in recycling infrastructure and legislative bottlenecks are addressed.

Liesbet Gregoir, lead author at KU Leuven, commented: “Europe needs to decide urgently how it will bridge its looming supply gap for primary metals. Without a decisive strategy, it risks new dependencies on unsustainable suppliers”. 

Coal-powered Chinese and Indonesian metal production will dominate global refining capacity growth for battery metals and rare earths. Europe also relies on Russia for its current supply of aluminium, nickel and copper. 

The study recommends that Europe link with proven responsible suppliers managing their environmental and social risks, questioning why the bloc has not yet followed other global powers like China in investing into external mines to drive ESG standards directly. 

Local challenge  

“A paradigm shift is needed if Europe wants to develop new local supply sources with high environmental and social protections. Today we don’t see the community buy-in or the business conditions for the continent to build its own strong supply chains. The window is narrowing; projects really need to be taken forward in the next two years to be ready by 2030”. 

The study says there is theoretical potential for new domestic mines to cover between 5% and 55% of Europe’s 2030 needs, with largest project pipelines for lithium and rare earths. But most announced projects have an uncertain future despite Europe’s comparatively high environmental standards, struggling with local community opposition and permit challenges, or relying on untested processes. 

Europe would also need to open new refineries to transform mined ores and secondary raw materials into metals or chemicals. Europe’s energy crisis makes new refining investment challenging and skyrocketing power prices have already caused the temporary closure of nearly half the continent’s existing refining capacity for aluminium and zinc, while production has increased in other parts of the world. 

Global concerns 

Coal-powered Chinese and Indonesian metal production is projected to dominate global refining capacity growth for battery metals and rare earths in the next decade. In the spotlight after the Ukraine invasion, Europe also relies on Russia for much of its imported supply of aluminium, nickel and copper. 

The study recommends that Europe links with proven responsible suppliers managing their environmental and social risks, also questioning whether the bloc should support investments into external mines to drive ESG standards directly.

The metals in scope today contribute around 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Metals and mining operations must manage their local biodiversity impacts, waste, and local pollution potential, while securing human rights.

Recycling 

The study finds that by 2050, locally recycled metals could produce three quarters of Europe-made battery cathodes, all its plans for permanent magnets production, and significant volumes of aluminium and copper. 

“Recycling is Europe’s best chance to improve its long-term self-sufficiency. It’s a step-up that our clean energy system will be based on permanent metals which can be recycled indefinitely, compared with today’s constant burning of fossil fuels”. The bloc, however, “must act strongly now to raise recycling rates, invest in the necessary infrastructure, and overcome key economic bottlenecks.”

The study notes that metals recycling, on average, saves between 35% and 95% of the CO2 compared with primary metals production. 

Recycling “will not provide a viable EU supply source to Europe’s electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies until after 2040, however,” the study clarifies. “These applications and their metals are only just being put on the market and will not be available for recycling for the next 10-15 years.”.

Technology developments and behavioural changes will also have an important influence on metals demand after 2030, but could not be assessed in the study due to a lack of scenarios. 

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About 

KU Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a research university in Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, law, canon law, business, and social sciences.

Eurometaux, the European Association of Metal Producers

Based in Brussels, Eurometaux represents Europe’s non-ferrous metals producers and recyclers, promoting sustainable production, use and recycling of non-ferrous metals and a supportive business environment.

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Media coverage highlights

Agence France Presse, France: EU needs to recycle more to hit green energy goals: Report; French: Énergies vertes: manque de métaux à prévoir dans l’UE, alerte un rapport; German, Studie: EU könnte Engpass bei Metallen durch Recycling schliessen; Dutch, Studie: EU moet meer recyclen om klimaatdoelen te halen; Norwegian, Rapport: Kritisk mangel av metaller til det grønne skiftet; Chinese, 比利時研究：歐洲綠能想達標 回收必須更加強; Korean, 유럽 ‘그린플레이션’ 고조…친환경 금속 재활용 늘려야

Reuters, United States 58,647,126 Recycling needed to meet Europe’s green metals needs-study

Deutsche Presse Agentur, via Tagesschau, Germany (25,673,272): Mehr Recycling, weniger Abhängigkeit

Agencia EFE, Spain, La UE debe multiplicar el suministro de metales para alcanzar las metas climáticas

Daily Mail, United Kingdom (95,023,695): Europe needs to dramatically increase recycling of raw METALS used in electric cars and renewable energy sources if it wants to become ‘carbon neutral’ by 2050, study claims 

Financial Times, United Kingdom (16,470,149) Europe faces critical shortage of metals needed for clean energy

Der Spiegel, Germany (24,839,078) So könnte Europa seinen Mangel an Hightech-Metallen lindern

ORF Online, Austria (10,268,557): Wie sich Europas „Metallhunger“ stillen lässt

Engineering and Technology Magazine, United Kingdom (187,088) Europe needs to rapidly ramp up rare metals supply to meet climate goals 

Le Soir, Belgium (3,582,476) Objectifs climatiques: l’urgence de l’Europe face à ses besoins énormes en métaux 

Libération, France (6,011,368) News round-up: Macron réélu mais sous pression, deux morts sur le Pont Neuf, violences au Darfour, procès de Brétigny-sur-Orge… l’actu de ce lundi matin

Le Télégramme France (3,421,271) L’Europe risque de manquer de métaux pour sa transition énergétique, alerte un rapport 

krone, Austria (5,203,324) EU drohen „kritische Engpässe“ bei Metallen

Hufvudstadsbladet, Finland (1,004,624) Metallbrist hotar Europa – litiumbehovet ökar med 3 500 procent

Oyakyatirim, Turkey (196,781) AB’nin karbon salınımının azaltmak için ihtiyaç duyulan metallerdeki tedarik açığını geri dönüşüm yolu kapatabilir

Tagesspiegel, Germany (122,700): Mit Recycling aus der Rohstofffalle

Radio France International (RFI) France (9,720,214) L’UE risque de manquer de métaux pour sa transition énergétique selon un rapport

Dailyhunt, India (6,839,315) European Union needs to recycle more to fulfil its aim of becoming carbon neutral

der Standard, Austria (4,642,180) and Germany (3,091,400), Schon ab 2030 drohen globale Lithium-Engpässe – Recycling wäre ein Ausweg

La Croix, France (2,731,107) Transition énergétique : l’Europe doit sécuriser ses approvisionnements en métaux

Pénzcentrum, Hungary (1,844,578) Brutális verseny indulhat ezekért a fémekért Európában: kapkodásba kezdtek az országok

E&E News via Scientific American, United States (6,919,305): Europe’s Historic Clean Energy Plan Faces a Mining Problem

El Confidencial, Spain (26,720,255): La ingente cantidad de metales que necesitará la Unión Europea para volverse sostenible

Coverage summary in full: click here

News release in full, click here

Unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity, driven by human activities, have combined and increasingly threaten nature, human lives, livelihoods and well-being around the world. Biodiversity loss and climate change are both driven by human economic activities and mutually reinforce each other. Neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together.

This is the message of a workshop report, published today by 50 of the world’s leading biodiversity and climate experts.

The peer-reviewed workshop report is the product of a four-day virtual workshop between experts selected by a 12-person Scientific Steering Committee assembled by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the first-ever collaboration between these two intergovernmental bodies.

The report finds that previous policies have largely tackled biodiversity loss and climate change independently of each other, and that addressing the synergies between mitigating biodiversity loss and climate change, while considering their social impacts, offers the opportunity to maximize benefits and meet global development goals.

“Human-caused climate change is increasingly threatening nature and its contributions to people, including its ability to help mitigate climate change. The warmer the world gets, the less food, drinking water and other key contributions nature can make to our lives, in many regions” said Prof. Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chair of the Scientific Steering Committee.

“Changes in biodiversity, in turn, affect climate, especially through impacts on nitrogen, carbon and water cycles,” he said. “The evidence is clear: a sustainable global future for people and nature is still achievable, but it requires transformative change with rapid and far-reaching actions of a type never before attempted, building on ambitious emissions reductions. Solving some of the strong and apparently unavoidable trade-offs between climate and biodiversity will entail a profound collective shift of individual and shared values concerning nature – such as moving away from the conception of economic progress based solely on GDP growth, to one that balances human development with multiple values of nature for a good quality of life, while not overshooting biophysical and social limits.”

The authors also warn that narrowly-focused actions to combat climate change can directly and indirectly harm nature and vice-versa, but many measures exist that can make significant positive contributions in both areas.

Among the most important available actions identified in the report are:

• Stopping the loss and degradation of carbon- and species-rich ecosystems on land and in the ocean, especially forests, wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and savannahs; coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, kelp forests and seagrass meadows; as well as deep water and polar blue carbon habitats. The report highlights that reducing deforestation and forest degradation can contribute to lowering human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, by a wide range from 0.4-5.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year.
• Restoring carbon- and species-rich ecosystems. The authors point to evidence that restoration is among the cheapest and quickest nature-based climate mitigation measures to implement – offering much-needed habitat for plants and animals, thus enhancing resilience of biodiversity in the face of climate change, with many other benefits such as flood regulation, coastal protection, enhanced water quality, reduced soil erosion and ensuring pollination. Ecosystem restoration can also create jobs and income, especially when taking into consideration the needs and access rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
• Increasing sustainable agricultural and forestry practices to improve the capacity to adapt to climate change, enhance biodiversity, increase carbon storage and reduce emissions. These include measures such as diversification of planted crop and forest species, agroforestry and agroecology. Improved management of cropland and grazing systems, such as soil conservation and the reduction of fertilizer use, is jointly estimated by the report to offer annual climate change mitigation potential of 3-6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Enhancing and better-targeting conservation actions, coordinated with and supported by strong climate adaptation and innovation. Protected areas currently represent about 15% of land and 7.5% of the ocean. Positive outcomes are expected from substantially increasing intact and effectively protected areas. Global estimates of exact requirements for effectively protected and conserved areas to ensure a habitable climate, self-sustaining biodiversity and a good quality of life are not yet well established but range from 30 to 50 percent of all ocean and land surface areas. Options to improve the positive impacts of protected areas include greater resourcing, better management and enforcement, and improved distribution with increased inter-connectivity between these areas. Conservation measures beyond protected areas are also spotlighted – including migration corridors and planning for shifting climates, as well as better integration of people with nature to assure equity of access and use of nature’s contributions to people.
• Eliminating subsidies that support local and national activities harmful to biodiversity – such as deforestation, over-fertilization and over-fishing, can also support climate change mitigation and adaptation, together with changing individual consumption patterns, reducing loss and waste, and shifting diets, especially in rich countries, toward more plant-based options.Some focused climate mitigation and adaptation measures identified by the report as harmful to biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people include:
• Planting bioenergy crops in monocultures over a very large share of land areas. Such crops are detrimental to ecosystems when deployed at very large scales, reducing nature’s contributions to people and impeding achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. At small scales, alongside pronounced and rapid reductions in fossil-fuel emissions, dedicated bioenergy crops for electricity production or fuels may provide co-benefits for climate adaptation and biodiversity.
• Planting trees in ecosystems that have not historically been forests and reforestation with monocultures – especially with exotic tree species. This can contribute to climate change mitigation but is often damaging to biodiversity, food production and other nature’s contributions to people, has no clear benefits for climate adaptation, and may displace local people through competition for land.
• Increasing irrigation capacity. A common response to adapt agricultural systems to drought that often leads to water conflicts, dam building and long- term soil degradation from salinization.
• Any measures that focus too narrowly on climate change mitigation should be evaluated in terms of their overall benefits and risks, such as some renewable energies generating surges of mining activity or consuming large amounts of land. The same applies to some technical measures too narrowly focused on adaptation, such as building dams and sea walls. Although important options for mitigating and adapting to climate change exist, these can have large negative environmental and social impacts – such as interference with migratory species and habitat fragmentation. Such impacts can be minimized, for instance, by developing alternative batteries and long-lived products, efficient recycling systems for mineral resources, and approaches to mining that include strong considerations for environmental and social sustainability.

The report authors stress that while nature offers effective ways to help mitigate climate change, these solutions can only be effective if building on ambitious reductions in all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. “Land and ocean are already doing a lot – absorbing almost 50% of CO2 from human emissions – but nature cannot do everything,” said Ana María Hernández Salgar, Chair of IPBES. “Transformative change in all parts of society and our economy is needed to stabilize our climate, stop biodiversity loss and chart a path to the sustainable future we want. This will also require us to address both crises together, in complementary ways.”

Highlighting the significance of the co-sponsored workshop, Dr. Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, said: “Climate change and biodiversity loss combine to threaten society – often magnifying and accelerating each other. By focusing on synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, this workshop advanced the debate on how to maximize benefits to people and the planet. It also represented an important step in collaboration between our two communities.”

“It may be impossible to achieve win-win synergies, or even manage the tradeoffs between climate and biodiversity actions in every single patch of a landscape or seascape,” said Prof. Pörtner, “But achieving sustainable outcomes becomes progressively easier when integrating a mix of actions at larger spatial scales, through cross-border collaboration and joint consultative spatial planning, which is why it is important to also address the lack of effective governance systems and mechanisms to improve integration between solutions for climate change and biodiversity.”

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The Governments of the United Kingdom and of Norway co-hosted the virtual workshop. “This is an absolutely critical year for nature and climate,” said Lord Zac Goldsmith, UK Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment. “With the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, and the Glasgow Climate Change Conference in the UK, we have an opportunity and responsibility to put the world on a path to recovery. This hugely valuable report by the experts of IPBES and IPCC makes it clear that addressing biodiversity loss and climate change together offers our best chance of doing so.”

Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment added: “Policies, efforts and actions to solve the global biodiversity and climate crises will only succeed if they are based on the best knowledge and evidence, which is why Norway welcomes this expert workshop report. It is clear that we cannot solve these threats in isolation – we either solve both or we solve neither.”

Paying tribute to the work of all the authors and expert reviewers, the Executive Secretary of IPBES, Dr. Anne Larigauderie, also recalled the recent and tragic passing of Prof. Robert Scholes, the other Co-Chair of the workshop’s Scientific Steering Committee, and his many contributions to both the IPCC and IPBES.

It is important to note that the workshop report has not been subjected to IPBES or IPCC review, and that IPBES and IPCC co-sponsorship of the workshop does not imply IPBES or IPCC endorsement or approval of the workshop or its conclusions.

The report is available at http://www.ipbes.net/biodiversityclimatescience

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Coverage highlights:

The New York Times: click here

The Guardian, click here

Associated Press, click here

Reuters, click here

Deutsche Presse Agentur, click here

Agencia EFE, click here

BBC, click here

Le Monde, click here

EL PAÍS, click here

Süddeutsche Zeitung, click here

New Scientist, click here

MSN News, click here

France24, click here

Independent, click here

The Hindu, click here

Full news release, click here

Coverage summary, click here

• Meeting ramped-up climate and biodiversity targets, cutting deadly pollution and achieving SDGs needs an all-society push for sustainability
• Shifting world views and putting nature at the heart of decision-making is key to achieving transformative change
• COVID-19 recovery plans are an unmissable opportunity to invest in nature and reach net zero emissions by 2050

The world can transform its relationship with nature and tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together to secure a sustainable future and prevent future pandemics, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that offers a comprehensive blueprint for addressing our triple planetary emergency.

The report, Making Peace with Nature, lays out the gravity of these three environmental crises by drawing on global assessments, including those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as well as UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook report, the UNEP International Resource Panel, and new findings on the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.

The authors assess the links between multiple environmental and development challenges, and explain how advances in science and bold policymaking can open a pathway towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and a carbon neutral world by 2050 while bending the curve on biodiversity loss and curbing pollution and waste.

Taking that path means innovation and investment only in activities that protect both people and nature. Success will include restored ecosystems and healthier lives as well as a stable climate.

“By bringing together the latest scientific evidence showing the impacts and threats of the climate emergency, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution that kills millions of people every year, [this report] makes clear that our war on nature has left the planet broken,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the report’s Foreword. “But it also guides us to a safer place by providing a peace plan and a post-war rebuilding programme.

“By transforming how we view nature, we can recognize its true value. By reflecting this value in policies, plans and economic systems, we can channel investments into activities that restore nature and are rewarded for it,” he added. “By recognizing nature as an indispensable ally, we can unleash human ingenuity in the service of sustainability and secure our own health and well-being alongside that of the planet.”

Amid a wave of investment to re-energize economies hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the blueprint communicates the opportunity and urgency for ambitious and immediate action.

It also lays out the roles that everyone – from governments and businesses to communities and individuals – can and must play. 2021 is especially crucial, with upcoming climate and biodiversity convention meetings – UNFCCC COP 26 and CBD COP 15 – where governments must come up with synergistic and ambitious targets to safeguard the planet by almost halving greenhouse gas emissions in this decade, and by conserving and restoring biodiversity.

Tackling three planetary threats together

Economic growth has brought uneven gains in prosperity to a fast-growing global population, leaving 1.3 billion people poor, while tripling the extraction of natural resources to damaging levels and creating a planetary emergency.

Despite a temporary decline in emissions due to the pandemic, Earth is heading for at least 3°C of global warming this century; more than 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are at substantially increased risk of extinction; and diseases caused by pollution are currently killing some 9 million people prematurely every year.

Environmental degradation is impeding progress towards ending poverty and hunger, reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable economic growth, work for all and peaceful and inclusive societies.

The report shows how this trio of environmental emergencies interact and have common causes, and thus can only be effectively addressed together. Subsidies on fossil fuels, for instance, and prices that leave out environmental costs, are driving the wasteful production and consumption of energy and natural resources that are behind all three problems.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said the report highlighted the importance of changing mindsets and values, and finding political and technical solutions that measure up to the Earth’s environmental crises.

“In showing how the health of people and nature are intertwined, the COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need for a step-change in how we view and value nature. By reflecting that value in decision-making – whether we are talking about economic policy or personal choices – we can bring about a rapid and lasting shift toward sustainability for both people and the environment,” she said.

“‘Green recovery’ plans for pandemic-hit economies are an unmissable opportunity to accelerate the transformation.”

Released ahead of the fifth UN Environment Assembly, the report presents a strong case for why and how urgent action should be taken to protect and restore the planet and its climate in a holistic way.

It presents examples of what transformative change can look like, and how it can create prosperity, employment and greater equality. Far-reaching change involves recasting how we value and invest in nature, integrating that value into policies and decisions at all levels, overhauling subsidies and other elements of economic and financial systems, and fostering innovation in sustainable technologies and business models. Massive private investment in electric mobility and alternative fuels show how whole industries recognize the potential gains from shifting quickly.

The authors point out that ending environmental decline in all its forms is essential to advancing many of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular poverty alleviation, food and water security and good health for all. An example is how intensifying agriculture and fishing in sustainable ways, allied with changes in diets and lower food waste, can help end global hunger and poverty and improve nutrition and health while sparing more land and ocean for nature.

Reinforcing the call for action, the report stresses the need for stakeholders at all levels of society to be involved in decision-making, and identifies dozens of key actions that governments, businesses, communities and individuals can and should undertake in order to bring about a sustainable world.

For instance:

• Governments can include natural capital in measures of economic performance, put a price on carbon and shift trillions of dollars in subsidies from fossil fuels, non-sustainable agriculture and transportation towards low-carbon and nature-friendly solutions
• International organizations can promote One Health approaches and ambitious international targets for biodiversity, such as expanded and improved protected area networks
• Financial organizations can stop lending for fossil fuels and develop innovative finance for biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.
• Businesses can adopt the principles of the circular economy to minimize resource use and waste and commit to maintaining transparent and deforestation-free supply chains
• Non-government organizations can build networks of stakeholders to ensure their full participation in decisions about sustainable use of land and marine resources
• Scientific organizations can pioneer technologies and policies to reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency and lift the resilience of cities, industries, communities and ecosystems
• Individuals can reconsider their relationship with nature, learn about sustainability and change their habits to reduce their use of resources, cut waste of food, water and energy, and adopt healthier diets

A sustainable future also means learning from the COVID-19 crisis to reduce the threat of pandemic diseases. The report underlines how ecosystem degradation heightens the risk of pathogens making the jump from animals to humans, and the importance of a ‘One Health’ approach that considers human, animal and planetary health together.

###

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)

UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The Environment Assembly meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Through its resolutions and calls to action, the Assembly provides leadership and catalyses intergovernmental action on the environment.

* * * * *

Coverage highlights:

Al Jazeera, Qatar: UN report highlights perils of world’s environmental destruction

Associated Press, United States: UN: Huge changes in society needed to keep nature, Earth OK
Spanish: ONU: Se necesitan grandes cambios en la sociedad para mantener la naturaleza, la Tierra en buen estado

Agence France Presse: Environmental Degradation Poses Triple Threat To Humans: UN

Reuters: U.N. chief backs new blueprint to end suicidal war on nature

Agencia EFE, Spain: La ONU solicita hacer la paz con la naturaleza para evitar el desastre  

UK Press Association: Dramatic changes in society needed to tackle environmental crises, says UN

IndoAsian News Service, India: UNEP synthesis provides blueprint to solve climate crisis

News sites

The Guardian, United Kingdom: Human destruction of nature is ‘senseless and suicidal’, warns UN chief

The Independent, United Kingdom: World must ‘transform relationship with nature’ to tackle burgeoning environmental crises, says UN

The Weather Network, Canada: Biodiversity, pollution, and climate change are interconnected: UN report

Coverage summary in full, click here

News release in full, click here

Increasingly expensive to maintain, experts foresee a trend to decommissioning dams

By 2050, most people on Earth will live downstream of tens of thousands of large dams built in the 20th century, many of them already operating at or beyond their design life, according to a UN University analysis.

The report, “Ageing water infrastructure: An emerging global risk,” by UNU’s Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health, says most of the 58,700 large dams worldwide were constructed between 1930 and 1970 with a design life of 50 to 100 years, adding that at 50 years a large concrete dam “would most probably begin to express signs of aging.”

Ageing signs include increasing cases of dam failures, progressively increasing costs of dam repair and maintenance, increasing reservoir sedimentation, and loss of a dam’s functionality and effectiveness, “strongly interconnected” manifestations, the paper says.

The report says dams that are well designed, constructed and maintained can “easily” reach 100 years of service but predicts an increase in “decommissioning” — a phenomenon gaining pace in the USA and Europe — as economic and practical limitations prevent ageing dams from being upgraded or if their original use is now obsolete.

Worldwide, the huge volume of water stored behind large dams is estimated at 7,000 to 8,300 cubic kilometres — enough to cover about 80% of Canada’s landmass under a meter of water.

The report provides an overview of dam ageing by world region and primary function — water supply, irrigation, flood control, hydropower, and recreation.

It also details the increasing risk of older dams, the rising maintenance expense, the declining functionality due to sedimentation, the benefits of restoring or redesigning natural environments, and the societal impacts — pro and con — that need to be weighed by policymakers deciding what to do. Notably, “the nature of these impacts varies significantly between low- and high-income countries.”

The analysis also includes dam decommissioning or ageing case studies from the USA, France, Canada, India, Japan, and Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Climate change will accelerate the dam ageing process

“This report aims to attract global attention to the creeping issue of ageing water storage infrastructure and stimulate international efforts to deal with this emerging, rising water risk,” says co-author Vladimir Smakhtin, Director of UNU-INWEH.

“Underlined is the fact that the rising frequency and severity of flooding and other extreme environmental events can overwhelm a dam’s design limits and accelerate a dam’s ageing process. Decisions about decommissioning, therefore, need to be taken in the context of a changing climate.”

Notes lead author and UNU-INWEH Senior Researcher Duminda Perera: “This problem of ageing large dams today confronts a relatively small number of countries — 93% of all the world’s large dams are located in just 25 nations.”

“Large dam construction surged in the mid-20th century and peaked in the 1960s – 70s,” he says, “especially in Asia, Europe and North America, while in Africa the peak occurred in the 1980s. The number of newly-constructed large dams after that continuously and progressively declined.”

According to the report, the world is unlikely to witness another large dam-building revolution as in the mid-20th century, but dams constructed then will inevitably be showing their age.

China has 23,841 large dams (40% of the world’s total). And 32,716 large dams (55% of the world’s total) are found in just four Asian countries: China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea — a majority of which will reach the 50-year threshold relatively soon. The same is true of many large dams in Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe.

The pace of large dam construction has dropped dramatically in the last four decades and continues to decline in part because “the best locations for such dams globally have been progressively diminishing as nearly 50% of global river volume is already fragmented or regulated by dams,” the report says.

As well, there are strong concerns regarding the environmental and social impacts of dams, and large dams in particular, as well as emerging ideas and practices on the alternative types of water storage, nature-based solutions, and types of energy production beyond hydropower.

Drivers of dam decommissioning

Public safety, escalating maintenance costs, reservoir sedimentation, and restoration of a natural river ecosystem are among the reasons driving dam decommissioning.

However, most dams removed to date have been small; decommissioning large dams (defined by ICOLD as 15 or more metres from lowest foundation to crest, or 5 to 15 metres impounding more than 3 million cubic metres) is “still in its infancy, with only a few known cases in the last decade.”

“A few case studies of ageing and decommissioned large dams illustrate the complexity and length of the process that is often necessary to orchestrate the dam removal safely,” adds co-author and UNU-INWEH Adjunct Professor R. Allen Curry, based at the University of New Brunswick.

“Even removing a small dam requires years (often decades) of continuous expert and public involvement, and lengthy regulatory reviews. With the mass ageing of dams well underway, it is important to develop a framework of protocols that will guide and accelerate the dam removal process.”

Decommissioning will also have various positive and negative economic, social, and ecological impacts to be considered in a local and regional social, economic, and geographic context “critical to protect the broader, sustainable development objectives for a region,” the report says.

“Overall, dam decommissioning should be seen as equally important as dam building in the overall planning process on water storage infrastructure developments.”

“Ultimately, value judgments will determine the fate of many of these large water storage structures. It is not an easy process, and thus distilling lessons from and sharing dam decommissioning experiences should be a common global goal. Lack of such knowledge and lack of its reflection in relevant regional/national policies/practices may progressively and adversely affect the ability to manage water storage infrastructure properly as it is ageing.”

###

In addition to the three UNU-INWEH experts, the report was co-authored by Spencer Williams, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. and Taylor North of McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

The report is available post-embargo at http://bit.ly/UNU-dams

By the numbers

General

58,700: large dams registered in the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) database, a large dam is defined as 15+ metres in height, measured from lowest foundation to crest, or 5 to 15 metres high impounding more than 3 million cubic metres (0.003 km3). Within the 58,700 large dam total, roughly one in eight has a 100 million cubic metre (0.1 km3) capacity

7,000 to 8,300 km3: volume of water stored behind large dams worldwide — about one-sixth of all river discharge worldwide each year — enough to cover roughly 80% of Canada’s landmass under a meter of water

50 to 100 years: design life of dams constructed between 1930 and 1970 (when most existing large dams were built). Average life expectancy: 50 years

~16,000: large dams 50 to 100 years old in North America and Asia
~2,300: large dams 100+ years old in North America and Asia

USA / Canada

56: average age of 90,580 US dams (all sizes)

85%+: US dams in 2020 operating at or beyond their life expectancy

75%: US dam failures that occurred after 50 years of age

US$ 64 billion: estimated cost to refurbish US dams

1,275: dams removed in 21 US states in the last 30 years; 80 removed in 2017 alone

50%+: large dams in Canada over 50 years old

Asia / Pacific

China

56%: proportion of the world’s large dams located in China and the US (the top 25 countries account for more than ~93%)

23,841: large dams in China (the most of any country, and 40% of the world’s total
60%: proportion of the world’s large dams in Asia
55%: proportion of the world’s large dams in just four countries — China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea — the majority of which will soon reach 50 years of age

India

1,115+: large dams in India that will be roughly 50 years old in 2025
4,250+: large dams in India that will be 50+ years old in 2050
64: large dams in India that will be 150+ years old in 2050
3.5 million: the approximate number of people at risk if India’s Mullaperiyar dam, built 100+ years ago, were to fail. The dam, in a seismically active area, shows significant structural flaws and its management is a contentious issue between Kerala and Tamil Nadu States

Japan

100+ years: average age of large dams in Japan

Australia

650: large dams in Australia, half of them 50+ years old; 50+ have been in operation for 100+ years. Portion of Australia’s clean energy generated from hydropower: 65%

UK / Europe

100+ years: average age of large dams in the UK

~10%: large dams in Europe 100+ years old

Africa

2,000: large dams in Africa (¼ of them in South Africa), the fewest of any continent; mostly used for irrigation

UNU-INWEH (inweh.unu.edu) is supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, and hosted by McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

UNU-INWEH’s Water Learning Centre (http://bit.ly/wlc-unu-inweh) offers free courses to university students and practicing water professionals looking to strengthen their capacity in several focused and multidisciplinary learning areas.

Coverage highlights

Agence France Presse, France
World’s aging big dams pose ’emerging risk’: UN
https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/world-s-aging-big-dams-pose-emerging-risk-un-1.5278178
French version: La vétusté des barrages fluviaux est un risque émergent, estime l’ONU
https://actu.orange.fr/societe/environnement/la-vetuste-des-barrages-fluviaux-est-un-risque-emergent-estime-l-onu-CNT000001wAWEn.html

Agencia EFE, Spain
El envejecimiento de miles de grandes embalses es un creciente problema mundial
https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2021/01/22/el-envejecimiento-de-miles-de-grandes-embalses-es-un-creciente-problema-mundial/

Europa Press, Spain
La mayor parte de la Humanidad vivirá amenazada por viejas presas para 2050
https://www.europapress.es/ciencia/habitat/noticia-mayor-parte-humanidad-vivira-amenazada-viejas-presas-2050-20210122180412.html

Press Trust of India
Ageing dams in India, US, other nations pose growing threat: UN report
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ageing-dams-in-india-us-other-nations-pose-growing-threat-un-report/articleshow/80433078.cms

Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, Italy
Le dighe invecchiano, allarme dell’Onu sulla manutenzione
https://www.agi.it/estero/news/2021-01-24/clima-dighe-invecchiano-e-urge-manutenzione-allarme-onu-11137456

SINC (Spanish Scientific News Agency), Spain
Las presas envejecidas se convierten en una amenaza creciente
https://www.virtualpro.co/noticias/las-presas-envejecidas-se-convierten-en-una-amenaza-creciente

Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), India
Ageing, unsafe dams growing threat in India too: UN report
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/environment/ageing-unsafe-dams-growing-threat-in-india-too-un-report

News sites

Guardian, UK
UN warns most will live downstream of ageing large dams by 2050
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/22/un-warns-most-will-live-downstream-ageing-large-dams-2050

Daily Mail, UK
Most of the world’s 58,000 biggest dams are crumbling, report warns
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9176301/Most-worlds-58-000-biggest-dams-crumbling-report-warns.html

China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Aging dams pose grave threat as climate change tests their strength
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-01-22/Aging-dams-pose-grave-threat-as-climate-change-tests-their-strength-Xb7uC5mNKU/index.html

Kompas, Indonesia
Puluhan Ribu Bendungan Besar Dunia Mulai Menua, Apa Dampaknya?
https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2021/01/24/123000265/puluhan-ribu-bendungan-besar-dunia-mulai-menua-apa-dampaknya-

ReliefWeb (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), United States
Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/ageing-water-storage-infrastructure-emerging-global-risk

Clarín, Argentina
Próximo peligro para la humanidad: los 60.000 viejos embalses que hay en el mundo
https://www.clarin.com/viste/proximo-peligro-humanidad-60-000-viejos-embalses-mundo_0_w2tvUidTf.html

Eco-Business, Singapore
Retiring ageing hydropower dams could protect people and budgets. But aren’t they needed in the energy transition?
https://www.eco-business.com/news/retiring-ageing-hydropower-dams-could-protect-people-and-budgets-but-arent-they-needed-in-the-energy-transition/

Radio France International
Online: Are Africa’s Ageing Dams Doomed?
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1057391/are-africas-ageing-dams-doomed.html 
Audio: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20210125-are-africa-s-ageing-dams-doomed-united-nations-water-environment-health-safety-report

News release in full, click here

Coverage summary, click here

Including construction, building sector now accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions; Direct building CO2 emissions need to halve by 2030 to get on track for net zero carbon building stock by 2050; Governments must prioritize low-carbon buildings post-pandemic

Emissions from the operation of buildings hit their highest-ever level in 2019, moving the sector further away from fulfilling its huge potential to slow climate change and contribute significantly to the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to a new report released today.

However, pandemic recovery packages provide an opportunity to push deep building renovation and performance standards for newly constructed buildings, and rapidly cut emissions. The forthcoming updating of climate pledges under the Paris Agreement – known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs – also offer an opportunity to sharpen existing measures and include new commitments on the buildings and construction sector.

The 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), found that while global building energy consumption remained steady year-on-year, energy-related CO₂ emissions increased to 9.95 GtCO₂ in 2019. This increase was due to a shift away from the direct use of coal, oil and traditional biomass towards electricity, which had a higher carbon content due to the high proportion of fossil fuels used in generation.

When adding emissions from the building construction industry on top of operational emissions, the sector accounted for 38 per cent of total global energy-related CO₂ emissions.

“Rising emissions in the buildings and construction sector emphasize the urgent need for a triple strategy to aggressively reduce energy demand in the built environment, decarbonize the power sector and implement materials strategies that reduce lifecycle carbon emissions,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“Green recovery packages can provide the spark that will get us moving rapidly in the right direction,” she added. “Moving the buildings and construction sector onto a low-carbon pathway will slow climate change and deliver strong economic recovery benefits, so it should be a clear priority for all governments.”

To get on track to net-zero carbon building stock by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that direct building CO₂ emissions need, by 2030, to fall by 50 per cent and indirect building sector emissions by 60 per cent. This equates to building sector emissions falling by around 6 per cent per year until 2030, close to the 7 per cent decrease in 2020 global energy sector CO₂ emissions due to the pandemic.

Worryingly, the GlobalABC’s new Buildings Climate Tracker – which considers measures such as incremental energy efficiency investment in buildings and the share of renewable energy in global buildings – finds that the rate of annual improvement is decreasing. It in fact halved between 2016 and 2019. To get the buildings sector on track to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, all actors across the buildings value chain need to increase decarbonization actions and their impact by a factor of five.

Even though progress in efficiency efforts has not kept up with an increase in sectoral growth, there are positive signs and opportunities to catch up on climate action, the report finds.

Green recovery potential

The recent Emissions Gap Report 2020 from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) found that a green pandemic recovery could cut up to 25 per cent off predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions and bring the world closer to meeting the 2°C goal of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Much more needs to be done to get to the 1.5°C goal.

Governments can help achieve these gains by systematically including building decarbonization measures into recovery packages – increasing renovation rates, channelling investment into low-carbon buildings, providing jobs, and increasing real estate value.

While construction activities have dropped by 20 to 30 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019 as a result of the pandemic and around ten per cent of overall jobs have been lost or are at risk across the building construction sector, stimulus programmes for the building and construction sector can create jobs, boost economic activity, and activate local value chains. Under its Sustainable Recovery Plan, the IEA estimates that up to 30 jobs in manufacturing and construction would be created for every million dollars invested in retrofits or efficiency measures in new builds.

‘Buildings are a strategic sector to simultaneously address various global challenges such as climate change, the economic crisis resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic, improve living conditions and the resilience of our cities. For Mexico, the implementation of mitigation measures that improve the thermal and energy performance of buildings is a key ingredient for sustainability.’ Said Sergio Israel Mendoza, General Director of Environmental, Urban and Tourism Promotion, Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)

NDC updates open window for faster action

Most countries have yet to submit their second NDCs. Buildings remain a major area that lacks specific mitigation policies, despite its importance to global CO₂ emissions. Of those who have submitted an NDC, 136 countries mention buildings, 53 countries mention building energy efficiency, and only 38 specifically call out building energy codes.

National governments must step up commitments in NDCs, longer-term climate strategies and support for regulation to spur uptake of net-zero emissions buildings. This means prioritizing performance-based, mandatory building energy codes alongside wide-spread certification measures and working closely with sub-national governments to facilitate adoption and implementation.

We urgently need to address carbon emissions from buildings and construction, which constitute almost 40% of global carbon emissions.

We must give governments visibility of this at COP26 to inspire policies and decisions that result in the significant decarbonisation of this sector’, Nigel Topping, United Kingdom High-Level Climate Champion said.

‘We need to challenge the incumbency of steel and concrete. Whether or not zero carbon steel and concrete become the materials of the future will depend on how fast those industries innovate in the face of new and disruptive technologies. We have some far-reaching commitments under the Science-Based Targets Initiative by leading materials companies which can serve as examples pushing the industry to go further, together.’

Energy-efficient building investment rising

In 2019, spending on energy-efficient buildings increased for the first time in three years, with building energy efficiency across global markets increasing to USD 152 billion in 2019, 3 per cent more than the previous year.

This is only a small proportion of the USD 5.8 trillion spent in total in the building and construction sector, but there are positive signs across the investment sector that building decarbonization and energy efficiency are taking hold in investment strategies.

For example, of the 1,005 real estate companies, developers, REITS, and funds representing more than USD 4.1 trillion in assets under management that reported to The Global ESG Benchmark for Real Assets in 2019, 90 per cent aligned their projects with green building rating standards for construction and operations.

Green buildings represent one of the biggest global investment opportunities of the next decade, estimated by the IFC to be USD 24.7 trillion by 2030.

Further recommendations

Aside from calling for a green recover post-pandemic and updated NDCs, the report also recommends that owners and businesses should use science-based targets to guide actions and engage with stakeholders across the building design, construction, operation and users to develop partnerships and build capacity.

Investors should reevaluate all real estate investment through an energy-efficiency and carbon reduction lens.

Other actors across the value chain should adopt circular economy concepts to reduce the demand for construction materials and lower embodied carbon and adopting nature-based solutions that enhance building resilience.

###

Report executive summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k2X0oASPl-RUsi90RdKLMkrBfalv29yW/view

About the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)

The GlobalABC is the leading global platform for governments, the private sector, civil society and intergovernmental and international organizations to increase action towards a zero-emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector. The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) was a key outcome of the 2015 UN climate conference.

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Coverage highlights

Deutsche Presse Agentur, Germany, via Handelsblatt (10,754,226), UN-Behörde: CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäude- und Bausektor auf Höchstniveau, click here

Agencia EFE, Spain, Edificios y el sector de la construcción suman el 38 % de las emisiones globales de CO2, click here

IndoAsian News Service, India, Buildings-related emissions hit record high: Report, click here

Daily Mail, United Kingdom (potential reach: 93,430,373)
Construction and operation of buildings account for 38 PER CENT of global carbon dioxide emissions and must be reduced ‘urgently’, UN report reveals, click here

Express, United Kingdom (54,676,511), Fixing the problems caused by construction could be a huge step in tackling rising temperatures, click here

Der Spiegel, Germany (30,187,622) Uno-Report über GebäudeemissionennKlimaproblem, in Beton gegossen, click here

Repubblica, Italy (30,092,894), Onu: le emissioni di CO2 legate agli edifici sono da record, click here

The Verge, United States (36,326,580) How to slash buildings’ growing greenhouse gas emissions, click here; Portuguese, via Replicario, Brazil, Como reduzir as crescentes emissões de gases de efeito estufa dos edifícios, click here

Gizmodo, United States (9,843,793), Buildings Are Becoming a Huge Source of Carbon Pollution, click here

NTV, Turkey (12,072,406), İnşaat ve yapı endüstrisi dünyadaki karbon emisyonlarının üçte birinden fazlasına neden oluyor, click here

DiePresse, Austria (2,249,456), UNEP: CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäude- und Bausektor auf Höchstniveau, click here

Global Times, China (1,687,600), Emissions from buildings imperil efforts to mitigate climate change, click here

Down To Earth, India (660,374), CO2 emissions from building sector highest in 2019: UNEP, click here

Il Piccolo, Italy (212,623), Onu: le emissioni di CO2 legate agli edifici sono da record, click here

eldyar, Egypt (172,074), الديار | تقرير للأمم المتحدة: تشييد المبانى وتشغيلها تسبب فى ثلث انبعاثات الكربون (United Nations report: building construction and operation cause one-third of carbon emissions), click here

Economic Times, India (137,381), Buildings-related emissions hit record high: Report, click here

People’s Daily (FR), China (25,149)
Le PNUE affirme que la hausse des émissions de carbone dans le secteur du bâtiment menace l’agenda écologique, click here

중앙일보 (JoongAng Ilbo), Korea (6,998,391)2050 ‘탄소 중립’하려면 건물 발생 온실가스 절반 줄여야, click here

Science.ORF, Austria (1,124,568)Rekord bei CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäudesektor, click here

Environment Magazine, France (31,849) En 2019, les émissions de CO2 des bâtiments atteignent des sommets, click here

한겨레 (Hani), Korea (6,221,772), 건물에서 배출하는 이산화탄소, 전체의 38% 차지…사상 최고, click here

Scientias, Netherlands (847,171), CO2-uitstoot van de bouw bereikt recordhoogte, click here

Climate Control News, Australia (3,128), Record breaking emissions from global building sector, click here

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

In a move that will help tackle one of the biggest and most solvable contributors to the climate crisis, major players in the oil and gas industry agreed today to report methane emissions with a new, much higher level of transparency.

“To win the race to net zero emissions, we need everyone on board. We need ambitious action from the oil and gas industry. UNEP is committed to supporting efforts that reduce methane emissions, and we recognize the leadership of companies that have joined such an ambitious methane reporting framework,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “We look forward to seeing actions that turn commitments into actual emissions reduction”.

Methane released directly into the atmosphere is a highly potent greenhouse gas, with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Actions to cut methane emissions can yield a near-term reduction in the rate of warming, complementing efforts to decarbonize the world’s energy and transport systems while also delivering air quality benefits.

Kadri Simson, EU Energy Commissioner, said “I am very happy to see the energy industry taking immediate action on methane emissions. A clear commitment to measure and monitor emissions is an important first step for significantly reducing them and I am proud of what we have achieved together. Today’s signature is the first deliverable under the Commission’s recent methane strategy.There are many more steps to take to cut emissions along the entire value chain and I hope to work closely with all – European and international – partners to reach this goal.”

The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) is a Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) initiative led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the European Commission (EC), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Already 62 companies (listed by headquarters country here: https://bit.ly/2ITwrAj), with assets on five continents representing 30 per cent of the world’s oil and gas production, have joined the partnership. The new OGMP2.0 framework is the new gold standard reporting framework that will improve the reporting accuracy and transparency of anthropogenic methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

“Thanks to the 62 companies for committing to measure, report and reduce pollution from their core operations and joint ventures. This will be the basis for robust standards in Europe, and beyond, that ensure the oil industry takes the practical actions urgently needed for our climate,” said Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0

At the core of the effort is a comprehensive measurement-based methane-reporting framework that will make it easier for officials, investors and the public to accurately track and compare performance across companies in ways that have not been possible to this point.

“Reducing methane emissions is a key element to ensure that natural gas fully plays its role in the energy transition and this new partnership will foster the sharing of industry best practices, especially on non-operated assets, and improve monitoring” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of Total. “It is a new step in the fight against methane emissions and our industry is deeply committed to the success of this initiative.”

As stipulated in the EU methane strategy, the European Commission is planning to elaborate a legislative proposal on compulsory measurement, reporting, and verification for all energy-related methane emissions, building on the OGMP 2.0 framework

Crucially, the OGMP 2.0 includes not only a company’s own operations, but also the many joint ventures responsible for a substantial share of their production. The OGMP 2.0 framework applies to the full oil and gas value chain, not only upstream production, but also midstream transportation and downstream processing and refining – areas with substantial emissions potential that are often left out of reporting today.

The goal is to enable the oil and gas industry to realize deep reductions in methane emissions over the next decade in a way that is transparent to civil society and governments.

In order to support the realization of global climate targets, OGMP 2.0 aims to deliver a 45 per cent reduction in the industry’s methane emissions by 2025, and a 60-75 per cent reduction by 2030.

“Reducing methane emissions is a crucial effort in the industry’s decarbonization pathway. As a factor on which we can have an immediate and concrete positive impact, OGMP 2.0 offers an internationally recognized blueprint to companies across our industry willing to make improvements in their emission reductions in all phases of the value chain. We look forward to continue working with all partners involved, as only through collaboration with international organizations, civil society and governments we can deliver on our common goals,” said Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of ENI.

Cost-effective solutions

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), roughly three-quarters of methane emissions could be reduced with the technology that exists today, and close to half at zero net cost. Reducing methane emissions from the energy sector by 90% would shave two tenths of a degree Celsius from the forecasted rise in the planet’s average temperature by 2050.

Reducing fossil methane emissions by 75 per cent can prevent up to 6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually – almost ten per cent of the planet’s 2019 greenhouse gas emissions, including land-use change.

New observatory in the works

UNEP and the European Commission are also finalizing plans to set up an independent International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). IMEO will aggregate and analyse multiple methane emissions data streams, including data reported by OGMP member companies, to accelerate reductions in methane emissions globally. By assisting industry and governments globally in addressing uncertainty related to reported emissions, the Observatory will improve the consistency and credibility of methane emissions data and accelerate mitigation actions.

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About the OGMP

The OGMP, launched at the UN Climate Summit in 2014, was created by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) as a voluntary initiative to help companies reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. Managed by UNEP, OGMP is the only multi-stakeholder partnership working on methane emissions reporting and provides a protocol to help companies systematically manage their methane emissions from oil and gas operations and offers a credible platform to help member companies demonstrate actual reductions to industry stakeholders.

About the UN Environment Programme

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. For more information: http://www.unep.org

About the European Commission

The European Commission is the EU’s politically independent executive arm, responsible for drawing up proposals for European legislation, and its further implementation. Additionally, to managing EU policies and allocating EU funding, the Commission defends the European Union’s interests by representing it internationally. The European Green Deal is the cornerstone of the European Commission’s ambition for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent. Therefore, climate and energy objectives play an important role in shaping the Commission policy-making. For more information: https://europa.eu/

About the Environmental Defense Fund

One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 2.5 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund

About the Climate and Clean Air Coalition

CCAC is the only global partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate by reducing short-lived climate pollutants – methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone. It runs 11 initiatives across key emitting sectors and acts as a catalyst to create, share and implement solutions that rapidly reduce the rate of warming, improve people’s lives, and ensures sustainable development for future generations. For more information: https://ccacoalition.org/en

Coverage highlights

Agence France PresseL’industrie pétrolière promet plus de transparence sur ses émissions de méthane, click here

Reuters, United Kingdom, EU, UN-led pact commits oil and gas firms to tackle methane emissions, click here

Bloomberg, United StatesEurope’s Oil Majors Step Up Efforts to Curb Methane Emissions, click here

IndoAsian News Service, India, EU, UN-led pact to report methane emissions, click here

Xinhua, China,via The Star, Malaysia (5,368,189)UNEP, oil majors pledge to reduce methane emissions, click here

United Press International, United States (2,484,349)Oil, gas companies agree to track, report, reduce methane emissions, click here

Agence Télégraphique Suisse (ATS), Switzerland, Switzerland, Le secteur pétrolier promet plus de transparence, click here

TT (Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå), Swedenvia Aftonbladet (6,384,474)Ny övervakning ska stoppa metanutsläpp, click here

Cyprus News Agency, Cyprus (20,391)Οι εταιρίες πετρελαίου συμφωνούν με την Κομισιόν στη μείωση των εκπομπών μεθανίου, click here

Washington Post, United States, The Energy 202, click here

Houston Chronicle, United States, Oil companies pledge to be more transparent on methane, click here

The Hill, United States, Dozens of oil and gas companies agree to methane reduction targets, click here

Scientific American, United States (9,128,711)Methane Hits Record High in Atmosphere as Fossil Fuel Companies Diverge, click here

Gizmodo, United States (8,850,042)The Danger of Big Oil’s New Methane Emissions Pledge, click here

Quartz, United States (6,549,965)American oil and gas companies are asleep at the wheel on methane emissions, click here

Axios, United States, The oil sector’s new methane pledge, click here

The Independent, United Kingdom, Climate crisis: Swathe of oil and gas industry agree ‘ambitious ’ methane emissions reporting framework, click here

Repubblica, Italy, Accordo Onu con 62 compagnie per ridurre le emissioni di metano, click here

EURACTIV, Belgium, Oil and gas majors sign up to ‘gold standard’ of methane reporting, click here

QuiFinanza, Italy, ONU, accordo con 62 aziende (tra cui ENI) per ridurre le emissioni di metano, click here

Radio Télévision Belge Francophone, Belgium, L’industrie pétrolière promet plus de transparence sur ses émissions de méthane, click here

Rinnovabili, Italy (157,719)L’oil&gas batte un colpo sul monitoraggio delle emissioni di metano, click here

Energate Messenger, Germany (42,400)Initiative setzt neue Standards für Methanemissionen, click here

Offshore Energy Today, Netherlands (838)French quintet joins methane emissions reduction initiative, click here

E&E News, USA (Energywire and Climatewire)

Coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

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Full media coverage summary (14 languages, 57 countries), click here

Enough energy to power all households in the USA and Mexico; enough nutrients to meet ~13% of world fertilizer needs; enough water to fill Lake Victoria in seven years, Lake Ontario in four; UN University foresees 24% wastewater rise by 2030; 51% by 2050

Vast amounts of valuable energy, agricultural nutrients, and water could potentially be recovered from the world’s fast-rising volume of municipal wastewater, according to a new study by UN University’s Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).

Today, some 380 billion cubic meters (m3 = 1000 litres) of wastewater are produced annually worldwide – 5 times the amount of water passing over Niagara Falls annually – enough to fill Africa’s Lake Victoria in roughly seven years, Lake Ontario in four, and Lake Geneva in less than three months.

Furthermore, the paper says, wastewater volumes are increasing quickly, with a projected rise of roughly 24% by 2030, 51% by 2050.

Today, the volume of wastewater roughly equals the annual discharge from the Ganges River in India. By the mid-2030s, it will roughly equal the annual volume flowing through the St. Lawrence River, which drains North America’s five Great Lakes.

Among major nutrients, 16.6 million metric tonnes of nitrogen are embedded in wastewater produced worldwide annually, together with 3 million metric tonnes of phosphorus and 6.3 million metric tonnes of potassium. Theoretically, full recovery of these nutrients from wastewater could offset 13.4% of global agricultural demand for them.

Beyond the economic gains of recovering these nutrients are critical environmental benefits such as minimizing eutrophication – the phenomenon of excess nutrients in a body of water causing dense plant growth and aquatic animal deaths due to lack of oxygen.

The energy embedded in wastewater, meanwhile, could provide electricity to 158 million households – roughly the number of households in the USA and Mexico combined.

The study’s estimates and projections are based on theoretical amounts of water, nutrients, and energy that exist in the reported municipal wastewater produced worldwide annually.

The authors underline that information on wastewater volumes — generated, available, and reused – is scattered, infrequently monitored and reported, or unavailable in many countries. They also acknowledge the limitations of current resource recovery opportunities.

Nonetheless, says lead author Manzoor Qadir, Assistant Director of UNU-INWEH, in Hamilton, Canada: “This study offers important insights into the global and regional potential of wastewater as a source of water, nutrients, and energy. Wastewater resource recovery will need to overcome a range of constraints to achieve a high rate of return but success would significantly advance progress against the Sustainable Development Goals and others, including adaptation to climate change, ‘net-zero’ energy processes, and a green, circular economy.”

Among many findings:

• The energy value in 380 billion m3 of wastewater is estimated to be 53.2 billion m3 methane – enough to provide electricity for up to 158 million households, or 474 million to 632 million people, assuming an average of three to four persons per household. Given the foreseen wastewater increases, that number rises to 196 million households in 2030, and 239 million households in 2050.
• In agriculture, the volume of water potentially recoverable from wastewater could irrigate up to 31 million hectares – equal to almost 20% of the farmland in the European Union (assuming two crops and a maximum 12,000 m3 of water per hectare per year). “The reclaimed water can be used to irrigate new areas or replace valuable freshwater where crops are already irrigated.”
• World wastewater production is expected to reach 470 billion m3 by 2030, the year by which the SDGs are supposed to be met – a 24% increase from today. And by 2050, it will reach 574 billion m3, a 51% increase.
• Asia is the largest wastewater producer with an estimated 159 billion cubic meters, representing 42% of urban wastewater generated globally, with expectations of that proportion rising to 44% by 2030
• Other regions producing large volumes of wastewater: North America (67 billion m3) and Europe (68 billion cubic meters) – virtually equal volumes despite Europe’s higher urban population (547 million vs. North America’s 295 million. The difference is explained by per capita generation of wastewater: Europe 124 cubic meters; North America 231 cubic meters). By contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa produces 46 cubic meters of wastewater per capita – about half of the global average (95 cubic meters), reflecting limited water supply and poorly-managed wastewater collection systems in most urban settings.
• Full recovery from wastewater could, theoretically, offset 14.4% of global demand for nitrogen as a fertilizer nutrient; phosphorus 6.8% and potassium 18.6%. Based on current levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash use in agriculture worldwide (estimated at 193 million metric tonnes in 2017), the study says about 13.4% of the global fertilizer nutrient demand could be supplemented by full nutrient recovery from wastewater.
• The nutrients in wastewater could theoretically generate revenue of $13.6 billion globally: $9.0 billion from the recovery of nitrogen, $2.3 billion from phosphorus, and $2.3 billion from potassium.

The paper cites prior research showing that human urine is responsible for 80% of the nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus entering municipal wastewater treatment plants. “Removing these nutrients in time would not only be environmentally beneficial,” the paper says, “resulting in less eutrophication, it would reduce the cost of wastewater treatment while supporting closed-loop processes.”

Current wastewater nutrient recovery technologies have made significant progress. In the case of phosphorous, recovery rates range from 25% to 90%.

The paper points out that maximizing economically the potential use of thermal energy in wastewater swings on several basic requirements, including a minimum flow rate of 15 litres per second, short distances between heat source and sink, and high-performance heat pumps.

Says Vladimir Smakhtin, Director of UNU-INWEH, a global leader in research related to unconventional water sources: “Municipal wastewater was and often still is seen as filth. However, attitudes are changing with the growing recognition that enormous potential economic returns and other environmental benefits are available as we improve the recovery of the water, nutrients and energy from wastewater streams.”

Co-authors comments

“Safely managed wastewater is the key to water-related sustainable development at a time when the world is embarking on achieving SDGs, particularly SDG 6.3, which calls on us to half the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increase recycling and safe reuse globally by 2030.”

Praem Mehta, UNU-INWEH / McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

“This data can be used to develop national action plans aiming at water resources management, pollution control measures, nutrient and fertilizer access, and energy recovery and energy production systems.”

Younggy Kim, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

“It is important to note that many innovations are available and are being refined to bridge the gap between current resource recovery levels and resource recovery potential.”

Blanca Jiménez Cisneros, UNESCO and the National Autonomous University of Mexico

“For countries to progress, there is a need to invest in a supportive regulatory and financial environment towards a green economy, and to leverage private capital for resource recovery-related business models that are financially feasible and increase cost recovery from municipal wastewater.”

Pay Drechsel, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka

“There is a need to facilitate and expedite implementation of resource recovery innovations particularly in low- and middle-income countries where most municipal wastewater still goes into the environment untreated. This concerns mainly the growing small and medium-size towns where agricultural land is still in proximity but also urban agricultural areas around larger cities.”

Amit Pramanik, Water Research Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA

“The SDG challenge is on, and step-wise approaches are needed which should involve both the public and emerging private sectors which often struggle with inadequate regulatory frameworks, limited finance, and the lack of capacity to develop or evaluate bankable business plans about resource recovery and reuse. As the demands for freshwater are ever-growing and scarce water resources are increasingly stressed, ignoring the opportunities leading to safely managed wastewater is nothing less than unthinkable in the context of a circular economy.”

Oluwabusola Olaniyan, Winnipeg Water and Waste Department, Canada.

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Funding: Global Affairs Canada / Government of Canada

UNU-INWEH

The UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health is a member of the United Nations University family of organizations. It is the UN Think Tank on Water created by the UNU Governing Council in 1996. Its mission is to help resolve pressing water challenges of concern to the UN, its Member States and their people, through knowledge-based synthesis of existing bodies of scientific discovery; cutting edge targeted research that identifies emerging policy issues; application of on-the-ground scalable solutions based on credible research; and relevant and targeted public outreach.

Related research, unconventional water sources:

Rising levels of toxic brine as desalination plants meet growing water needs

Click here: http://bit.ly/2HcOSyM

UNU-INWEH is supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada and hosted by McMaster University.

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Coverage highlights:

Science Magazine, USA, Reaping resources from sewers, click here

Deutschlandfunk (German national radio), Unterschätzte Ressource – Abwasser könnte künftig Energie und Nährstoffe liefern, click here

Agencia EFE, Las aguas residuales aumentarán un 51 % en 2050, pero también su aprovechamiento, click here

Europa Press, Abundante energía y nutrientes aprovechables de las aguas residuales, click here

IndoAsian News Service (India), Municipal wastewater source of valuable energy, nutrients, click here

Triple Pundit, USA, Wastewater is a Source of Valuable Water, Energy and Nutrients: How Do We Recover It?, click here

Climate News Network, UK, Wastewater flushes away a river of wealth, click here

Full coverage summary, click here