Latest news with #ColumbiaClimateSchool
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists make major breakthrough that could unlock futuristic energy source: 'The potential savior'
Researchers have discovered a method to produce — and potentially scale — green hydrogen, according to IEEE Spectrum. Scalable green hydrogen has long eluded researchers. Historically, scientists have relied on electricity-powered electrolyzers to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel cells. Fuel cells, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, are a kind of battery. They rely on hydrogen rather than fossil fuels to run, minimizing pollution. Green hydrogen would appear to offer a neat solution, but the reality is far more complicated. Traditional electrolyzers used proton-exchange membranes, which depended on iridium (a rare metal) to function. Iridium's rarity made green hydrogen difficult to scale and sell en masse. However, researchers have found a new way to power these electrolyzers, making the process greener than before: anion-exchange membranes (AEMs). "This has long been considered the potential savior to a lot of issues with other types of electrolysis that we've been trying to scale," Lindsey Motlow, a physicist, told IEEE Spectrum. What makes AEM a "savior"? It uses cheaper, more common metals like nickel and steel. While it's worked in labs, it hasn't been scaled yet. But that's poised to change. These research teams, located in both the U.S. and France, are backed by big companies interested in the growing renewable energy market. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power just about anything, from light bulbs to electric vehicles. Basically, if it runs on electricity, a hydrogen fuel cell can power it, per Columbia Climate School. Not only do they reduce pollution, but they generate three times as much power as your average fossil fuel. The CEO of Ecolectro, a U.S.-based green hydrogen company, told IEEE Spectrum that they're building their first commercial-scale units. In France, Michelin is working on making AEMs more durable. While they both have a long way to go, this is definitely a solid first step. Should the U.S. invest more in battery innovations? Absolutely Depends on the project We're investing enough We should invest less Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Ya Biladi
02-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco's climate vulnerability and funding gaps exposed by new index
The Columbia Climate School, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, has launched a new index designed to measure countries' vulnerability to climate change. This index combines a country's exposure to risks such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and conflicts, with its financial capacity to carry out prevention, recovery, and reconstruction efforts, based on the availability and accessibility of funding. According to the rankings, Morocco is placed 124th out of 188 countries. It scored 48.2 on the financial vulnerability index (where lower scores indicate better resilience) and 67.1 on the climate risk index, resulting in an overall score of 57.7. The Climate Finance Vulnerability Index aims to offer a clearer understanding of climate vulnerability levels, helping to better target and allocate climate adaptation funding. It is designed to improve the effectiveness of concessional financing, such as grants, soft loans, and impact investments, by ensuring that resources are directed toward the most vulnerable countries and communities, thus promoting equitable resilience-building. In the Maghreb region, Algeria ranked highest at 52nd globally, followed by Libya (86th), Tunisia (103rd), Morocco (124th), and Mauritania (146th). Across Africa, Mauritius leads the continent, ranking 37th globally, followed by Algeria (52nd), Seychelles (53rd), Equatorial Guinea (56th), Botswana (71st), Libya (86th), Tunisia (103rd), Egypt (105th), Eswatini (107th), Somalia (115th), Democratic Republic of Congo (118th), South Africa (120th), and Congo (123rd). Globally, the top 10 most resilient countries according to the index are Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Denmark, Estonia, Japan, the United States, China, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. Red zones The index reveals that nearly 65 countries fall into the «red zone», indicating high vulnerability, most of which are classified by the OECD as low- or middle-income nations. These countries are also home to some of the world's fastest-growing populations. Among the 65 red-zone countries, 43 (about 66%) are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, collectively home to around 1.2 billion people. Projections estimate Africa's population could grow to between 2.7 and 3.7 billion by 2070. Notably, 21 of these countries are already experiencing, or are at high risk of experiencing, debt distress. «Africa is on the frontline of the climate change's impact, bearing the brunt despite contributing the least. With 43 of the 65 most vulnerable nations in the Red Zone located in Sub-Saharan Africa, we face a dire threat compounded by a severe lack of funding», William Asiko, Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation's Africa Regional Office said. «We need this capital flowing immediately to build resilience, foster green growth, and truly champion climate-smart development, for Africa's future and the world», he warned.
Ya Biladi
01-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco's climate vulnerability and funding gaps exposed by new index
The Columbia Climate School, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, has launched a new index designed to measure countries' vulnerability to climate change. This index combines a country's exposure to risks such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and conflicts, with its financial capacity to carry out prevention, recovery, and reconstruction efforts, based on the availability and accessibility of funding. According to the rankings, Morocco is placed 124th out of 188 countries. It scored 48.2 on the financial vulnerability index (where lower scores indicate better resilience) and 67.1 on the climate risk index, resulting in an overall score of 57.7. The Climate Finance Vulnerability Index aims to offer a clearer understanding of climate vulnerability levels, helping to better target and allocate climate adaptation funding. It is designed to improve the effectiveness of concessional financing, such as grants, soft loans, and impact investments, by ensuring that resources are directed toward the most vulnerable countries and communities, thus promoting equitable resilience-building. In the Maghreb region, Algeria ranked highest at 52nd globally, followed by Libya (86th), Tunisia (103rd), Morocco (124th), and Mauritania (146th). Across Africa, Mauritius leads the continent, ranking 37th globally, followed by Algeria (52nd), Seychelles (53rd), Equatorial Guinea (56th), Botswana (71st), Libya (86th), Tunisia (103rd), Egypt (105th), Eswatini (107th), Somalia (115th), Democratic Republic of Congo (118th), South Africa (120th), and Congo (123rd). Globally, the top 10 most resilient countries according to the index are Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Denmark, Estonia, Japan, the United States, China, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. Red zones The index reveals that nearly 65 countries fall into the «red zone», indicating high vulnerability, most of which are classified by the OECD as low- or middle-income nations. These countries are also home to some of the world's fastest-growing populations. Among the 65 red-zone countries, 43 (about 66%) are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, collectively home to around 1.2 billion people. Projections estimate Africa's population could grow to between 2.7 and 3.7 billion by 2070. Notably, 21 of these countries are already experiencing, or are at high risk of experiencing, debt distress. «Africa is on the frontline of the climate change's impact, bearing the brunt despite contributing the least. With 43 of the 65 most vulnerable nations in the Red Zone located in Sub-Saharan Africa, we face a dire threat compounded by a severe lack of funding», William Asiko, Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation's Africa Regional Office said. «We need this capital flowing immediately to build resilience, foster green growth, and truly champion climate-smart development, for Africa's future and the world», he warned.
Euronews
26-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Two European countries in ‘red zone' of climate finance vulnerability
A new index has identified the countries most vulnerable to climate shocks. More than two billion people live in 'red zone' nations, where the risk of a major hazard or disaster is high and access to finance is dwindling, it reveals. Two-thirds of the 65 nations in this most at-risk list are in Africa, but it also includes two in Europe: Cyprus and Ukraine. Built by Columbia Climate School in the US with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Climate Finance (CliF) VulnerabilityIndex is intended to provide more comprehensive risk assessments, and ultimately help direct aid to those who need it most. How does debt increase climate vulnerability? 'Climate shocks are becoming more frequent and intense, yet many of the nations facing the highest threats are also heavily indebted, limiting their access to financial markets,' says Jeff Schlegelmilch, Associate Professor of Professional Practice of Climate and Director of the National Centre for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia Climate School. Heatwaves, floods, cyclones, droughts and other extreme events are all on the rise as the climate heats up. Though predictions are rife with uncertainties, these climate disasters could result in more than 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion (around €10.7 trillion) in global economic losses by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum. Meanwhile the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that the annual adaptation financing gap - the amount countries need to adapt to climate change - could be as much as $387 billion (€331 billion) a year. At the same time, high borrowing costs and limited access to finance keep many nations trapped in a cycle of climate disaster response and recovery, the researchers say, unable to really advance their climate mitigation and adaptation. 'Traditional aid models based on GDP per capita or income level don't capture the unique and growing risks of climate exposure along with limited access to capital to manage these risks,' adds Schlegelmilch. 'The CliF Vulnerability Index provides a more realistic picture of risk, including the access to financing to address climate vulnerabilities.' Eric Pelofsky, Vice President for Global Economic Recovery at The Rockefeller Foundation, says the index is an important conversation-starter, on the eve of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville next week. 'By using the CliF Vulnerability Index, donors and funders can prioritise support for countries that are potentially living one disaster away from crisis.' Why are Cyprus and Ukraine 'red zone' nations? The Red Zone is dominated by countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which comprise 43 (66 per cent) of the 65 countries in the danger area where climate vulnerability and financial weakness overlap. The index makes four forecasts per country: using a 2050 or 2080 timeline, as well as 'optimistic' and 'pessimistic' climate scenarios. 10 African nations appear in the bottom 10 countries across all four scenarios: Angola, Burundi, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Lesotho, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, and Zambia. Saliem Fakir, Executive Director of The African Climate Foundation, says the index complements its own work advocating for 'more systemic approaches to adaptation in Africa for countries suffering by high debt distress.' Ukraine and Cyprus also appear in the red zone; Cyprus in the 2050 optimistic, 2050 pessimistic, and 2080 pessimistic scenarios. Ukraine in 2050 optimistic and 2080 optimistic scenarios. This is primarily due to non-climate hazards, which are nonetheless included in the data. Cyprus is prone to earthquakes, while conflict in Ukraine makes it vulnerable. These factors impact disaster management, climate adaptation systems and pressures on finance, a spokesperson for Columbia Climate School and Rockefeller Foundation explains. European nations are better represented among the list of nations best equipped to deal with climate shocks. Eight of these top 10 countries are OECD members, and half are in Europe: Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, as well as South Korea, Japan and the US.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Scientists unveil groundbreaking tool that could change how we prepare for weather disasters: 'More knowledge at our disposal than ever before'
Expert climate scientists at Columbia University have developed a new interactive tool that can help predict natural disasters so the government can prepare for them. They led the U.S. Natural Hazards Climate Change Projections project with a group of researchers to create an interactive dataset with maps and graphs, according to a post by the Earth Institute at Columbia University in The dataset can track and predict climate change-fueled extreme events on a county level. These detailed estimates provide vital information to governments, city officials, disaster relief organizations, and residents. Better preparation for natural disasters is good for the environment and can mean less expensive damage and fewer injuries and deaths. In their testing, the researchers found that San Diego and Washington State are both at a high risk for wildfires, and it could get worse. North Dakota and South Dakota could also see an increased risk for wildfires, and the East Coast may soon see more tornadoes. "While the challenges of climate change and disasters may seem overwhelming, it is also important to note that we have more knowledge at our disposal than ever before," said Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, a climate professor at the Columbia Climate School, per "By working across sectors and engaging partnerships like this, we can provide data that is empirically rigorous and immediately relevant to stakeholders outside of academia. This helps to foster better decisions, better investments and better resilience for our communities." The team released the dataset tool in April as open source and available to everyone. It's an important resource in a time when the Trump Administration is cutting funding to FEMA and taking down governmental agency tracking websites. "By making this data available in an accessible format, we aim to support not just climate scientists and risk modelers, but also urban planners, emergency managers and researchers in other fields, like economics or human mobility," said Simona Meiler, a postdoctoral climate researcher at Stanford University, per What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home? Move somewhere else Reinforce my home Nothing This is happening already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
