Latest news with #carbonNeutrality
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
New Wiltshire Council leader urges patience on potholes
The new leader of Wiltshire Council has asked for voters' patience when it comes to resolving the county's Thorn told BBC Radio Wiltshire that it would take "at least two or three years to make a really positive difference".During a wide ranging interview he also said that his administration is "absolutely committed" to meeting the previous council's target for carbon neutrality by 2030 and that 1,000 council houses will be built in 10 Thorn is the first Liberal Democrat leader of the council, having struck a deal with independents, following the recent local elections in which no party gained overall control. Potholes were a leading issue prior to the local election in May, but Mr Thorn said that there is no quick solution to fixing the pothole situation."I would hope we'd notice a difference in the next two or three years, but I'm just trying to be realistic, so I'm not going to say next month, or in three week's time," he said."I'm going to give myself at least two or three years to make a really positive difference." In 2019, Wiltshire Council declared a climate emergency and committed to a target of 2030, for the county to reach carbon Thorn said that despite the change in governance, he was committed to achieving the goal in five years time."We are, as an administration, absolutely clear about the challenges that we face, not just today or tomorrow, but over the next decades, in terms of the impact of the climate emergency," he said. Regarding housing, Mr Thorn said that more houses were needed, even if it meant borrowing money."I certainly intend that we'll build a thousand council houses and I'd like to stick to the 10 year target," he added that he would like to build more, even if it would require borrowing more money.
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Morocco's OCP to produce 3mln tons of green fertilisers by 2027
Moroccan phosphates and fertilisers producer OCP plans to produce 3 million metric tons of fertilisers using renewable energy by 2027 to reduce its carbon footprint, a managing director at the company, Ahmed Mahrou, said on Wednesday. In 2023, OCP said it will invest $12 billion to power its industrial plants with renewable energy by 2027. It also aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Last year, the state-owned group produced 14 million tons of phosphate-based fertilisers. (Reporting by Ahmed El Jechtimi, writing by Elwely Elwelly, Editing by Louise Heavens)
CNA
15-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
China first-quarter emissions fell despite rising power demand
BEIJING: China's emissions fell in the first quarter of 2025 despite rapidly growing power demand thanks to soaring renewable and nuclear energy, a key milestone for world's top emitter, analysis showed on Thursday (May 15). The country emits more than twice as much planet-warming greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide – as any other. It plans to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Beijing has invested heavily in its renewable energy sector, building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as the rest of the world combined, according to research published last year. New wind, solar and nuclear capacity meant China's CO2 emissions fell by 1.6 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, and 1 per cent in the 12 months to March, said analyst Lauri Myllyvirta at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). "Growth in clean power generation has now overtaken the current and long-term average growth in electricity demand, pushing down fossil fuel use," Myllyvirta said. "The current drop is the first time that the main driver is growth in clean power generation." The analysis is based on official figures and commercial data. China's emissions have dipped before, but those reductions were driven by falling demand, such as during strict COVID-19 lockdowns in 2022. This time the drop came despite China's total power demand surging 2.5 per cent in the first quarter, said the report published in Carbon Brief. Power sector emissions fell 5.8 per cent in the first quarter, offsetting rises in emissions from coal use in the metals and chemicals industries. "Renewable energy is now beginning to not only meet China's growing demand but also reduce emissions," said Li Shuo, head of the Asia Society Policy Institute's China Climate Hub. "This offers hope for an earlier-than-expected peak in China's emissions and should lay the groundwork for an ambitious target in the 2035 nationally determined contribution expected later this year." "HANGS IN THE BALANCE" But the report cautioned that emissions could rise again if Beijing seeks to stimulate carbon-intensive sectors in response to its trade war with Washington. China also remains "significantly off track" for a key 2030 target to reduce its carbon intensity – carbon emissions relative to GDP – under the Paris climate agreement. China pledged to achieve a 65 per cent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels. "The future path of China's CO2 emissions hangs in the balance, depending on trends within each sector of its economy, as well as China's response to (US President Donald) Trump's tariffs," Myllyvirta said. Beijing has agreed to a 90-day pause on sky-high tariffs with Washington, but the shape of a final truce remains unclear. China has sought to position itself as a leader in combating climate change at a time when Trump is promoting fossil fuel extraction and has withdrawn from multilateral climate agreements. Last month, President Xi Jinping pledged China's efforts to combat climate change "will not slow down" despite the changing "international situation". He also said China would announce 2035 greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), before COP30 in November, and that it would cover planet-warming gases, not just carbon dioxide. Despite China's renewable energy boom, coal remains a vital part of its energy mix. China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal power projects in 2024, 93 per cent of the global total, according to a February report by CREA and US-based Global Energy Monitor. Much of that, however, is expected to be for backup power. Last month, China said that wind and solar energy capacity had surpassed mostly coal-based thermal capacity for the first time, according to data for the first quarter. To sustain momentum, China now needs a "paradigm shift", energy think tank Ember said in a report this week, "from chasing 'megawatts' to engineering a 'megasystem'". The group said China should focus on advanced heating systems for heavy industry, AI-powered smart grids, improved storage for renewable-generating power and carbon removal technology to deal with remaining emissions.
