(It can’t hurt to put bits like this out into the universe. Somebody’s working on this, and more people ought to. So a nice little discussion of what’s working is appropriate. -A)
October 11, 2024 ARC Laureate Fellows
This Cosmos series on Australian Research Council Laureate Fellows 2024 reflects excellence from world class researchers in Australia.
Chris Gibson is a Senior Professor in the School of Geography and Sustainable Communities at the University of Wollongong. For his ARC Fellowship, he is investigating how decarbonisation impacts Australian regions.
Professor Chris Gibson: finding a truce in the climate wars.
Decarbonisation and energy transition are at the sharp edge of a hot political battle. There is a lot of dispute over new technologies like offshore wind, and exactly what mix of energy we need. It’s like a second iteration of the climate wars. But after a decade of stalled policy on climate, we have to embrace the decarbonised future, whether we like it or not. It’s an issue that needs to transcend the political divide.
But we’re faced with a dilemma: we need urgent change, but urgent change rarely occurs, if ever, in a way that is fair. The burdens and benefits of change are not distributed equally across society. And the quicker the change, the more risks there are. Regions can be all too easily left behind.
Geographers think about how substantial change, like this energy transition, affects communities. We think of ourselves as an integrative discipline. We bring together expertise from across environmental science, economics, social geography, legal geography, and from experts who are good on governing transitions. By stitching together insights from all directions, we try to see the bigger picture.
My ARC project is aiming to put together a systematic understanding of what’s happening in decarbonisation, both from the top down, with a nationwide view, and from the ground up, about how people in different regions are responding to change.
We’re putting together a team to look at how decarbonisation hits the ground in different regions, and how it affects different workers, different industries, what kinds of opportunities come out of that, what kinds of changes are needed, how communities and households are responding to the decarbonisation challenge, and how a First Nations’ perspective can lead the way.
Community responses have to be taken seriously. It’s too easy and too convenient to cast aside sceptics as “nimbies” (Not In My Backyard) or selfish or ignorant. If you take the time to hear the diversity of opinions that come from communities, you’ll often find that people are worried about real issues, with valid concerns. Local communities are very knowledgeable about their patch, and have a capacity to understand what kinds of changes are needed. If we can forge a more inclusive process that brings regional perspectives, skills and experience to the forefront, we reduce the risk that regions are left behind. And governments might actually see regional communities as an opportunity rather than a hindrance to change.
A good example is here in the Illawarra, (Coastal New South Wales) where offshore wind has been very controversial in the last year. One of the lessons to be had is to not underestimate the community’s ability to understand what an energy transition means, and not to underestimate the degree of attachment people have to their local places.
The community here is highly knowledgeable about energy. The Illawarra has a workforce with a long history in heavy industry – the number of electricians per capita in the Illawarra must be as high as anywhere in Australia. And people have opinions – it’s not a passive region that knows nothing about the change that’s coming. The task is not purely to convince local people that this is a good thing, but to have a mature conversation with them about the pros and cons.
There are all kinds of philosophical questions about who benefits, how those benefits are shared, what it means to turn our oceans into a space for energy generation. Some members of the community are asking for a proper conversation, because they don’t feel like they’ve been part of the story so far.
People react unpredictably to change that they see is imposed upon them. Let’s say it’s closing down a coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, or proposing a green hydrogen hub in South Australia – people don’t necessarily assess these as singular proposals that exist outside of everything else in their region or in their lives. People make sense of change in relation to their place, their community, their household, their family.
My work is about putting those people and their households first, and looking at it from their point of view. How does structural change look when we take into account the pressures of cost of living, on housing, on employment? People are grappling with these issues in their everyday lives.
There’s also a real risk in introducing changes that are presented to communities as if they have arrived from elsewhere, as a fait accompli. The direction of the flow of ideas and proposals, how they hit the ground, are a very important part of the process. If a proposal seems to arrive in their backyard from the top down – from a government or a corporation provider – you can get a community offside from the outset.
My work is about setting up different kinds of approaches that recognise that these communities have their own capacities and their own perspectives to offer. What we hope to do in the five years of the ARC Laureate program is develop an evidence base so that we can craft better models of how to manage this change. We’re looking at some of the implementations that have already occurred, tracing where those decarbonisation initiatives are hitting the ground, and looking at different kinds of community reactions – what sorts of processes work better than others in terms of building that relationship with community, as well as what happens when things end up in a more antagonistic situation.
Geography is the study of the relationship between humans and our environment. It has always occupied a slightly slippery position in universities and in public life, because we’re both a science and a social science, because we do this work of integrating perspectives from different areas of knowledge. In fact, we call ourselves all sorts of different things: we’re also environmental managers and coastal managers, policy officers and sustainability experts. It’s a discipline that connects, that fills the gaps. We often find solutions to problems by putting knowledge together from those different perspectives. It’s making these connections that can make a big difference.
As told to Graem Sims
https://cosmosmagazine.com/energise/engaging-communities-during-energy-transition/
New LGBTQ+ insect just dropped. (From A: But is this really trans?)
By Abby Monteil October 8, 2024
From gay polyamorous flamingos to a “half-male, half-female bird” sighting, Mother Nature has proven that she’s pretty damn queer. But sometimes, scientists like to get in on the fun, too. It turns out that some are even using their talents to engineer “trans” mosquitoes (yes, really).
On October 5, the X account @Rainmaker1973 shared a video of a female mosquito attempting to bite a human hand. However, its blood-sucking attempts are thwarted because its proboscis — aka its needle-like mouth — could not break through the skin.
“Using the CRISPR technique, it’s possible to genetically modify mosquitoes by disabling a gene in females, so that their proboscis turns male, making them unable to pierce human skin,” @Rainmaker1973 explained.
Before we go further, a quick science lesson: According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR, is a technology that allows scientists to selectively modify DNA.
So why use this technology on mosquitoes? Well, malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people per year, is transmitted to humans by female mosquitoes belonging to the genus Anopheles, which, per the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, encompasses between 30 and 40 mosquito species. According to a 2018 study in the journal Nature Biotechnology, using CRISPR technology on female mosquitoes resulted in egg production reaching the point of “total population collapse” within 7 to 11 generations. In other words, this technique allows scientists to not only ensure that female mosquitoes carrying malaria can’t spread the disease to humans, but that they can’t reproduce in general. This CRISPR-enabled gene editing is just one of several techniques that researchers have used to fight the spread of malaria in humans.
So, sure, in a manner of speaking, scientists are doing their best to curb the spread of malaria by making some mosquitoes “trans.” In addition to being a genetic achievement, @Rainmaker1973’s viral video sharing the news also unsurprisingly inspired some excellent tweets. (see on the page)
She strokin tryna wake it up OMG… hrt no joke,” one X user tweeted.
“Mosquitoes pissing me off so I took out my crispr and gave them gender dysphoria,” another joked.
The past few years have introduced no shortage of queer bugs, from fruit flies who were potentially turned gay by air pollution to cicadas who became hypersexual zombies after being infected with a sexually transmitted fungus. What’s a few more trans mosquitoes?
https://www.them.us/story/mosquitoes-trans-crispr-gene-editing
“Pebbled Pathways”
| October 10, 1699 The Spanish issued a royal decree which stated that every African-American who came to St. Augustine, Florida, and adopted Catholicism would be free and protected from the English. |
| October 10, 1963 The Limited Test Ban Treaty—banning nuclear tests in the oceans, in the atmosphere, and in outer space—went into effect. The nuclear powers of the time—the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union—had signed the treaty earlier in the year. In 1957, Nobel Prize-winner (Chemistry) Linus Pauling drafted the Scientists’ Bomb-Test Appeal with two colleagues, Barry Commoner and Ted Condon, eventually gaining the support of 11,000 scientists from 49 countries for an end to the testing of nuclear weapons. These included Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, and Albert Schweitzer.  Linus Pauling Pauling then took the resolution to Dag Hammarskjöld, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, and sent copies to both President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev. The final treaty had many similarities to Pauling’s draft. It went into effect the same day as the announcement of Pauling’s second Nobel Prize, this time for Peace. |
| October 10, 1967 The Outer Space Treaty (Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies) demilitarizing outer space went into force.It sought to avoid “a new form of colonial competition” as in the Antarctic Treaty, and the possible damage that self-seeking exploitation might cause. Discussions on banning weapons of mass destruction in orbit had begun among the major powers ten years earlier.  1949 painting by Frank Tinsley of the infamous “Military Space Platform” proposed by then Secretary of Defense James Forrestal in the December 1948 military budget. Read more |
| October 10, 1986 Elliott Abrams, then assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (in closed executive session) that he did not know that Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, a White House employee in the Reagan administration, was directing illegal arms sales to Iran and diverting the proceeds to assist the Nicaraguan contras. Abrams pled guilty in 1991 to withholding information on the Iran-contra affair during that congressional testimony, but was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush.  Elliott Abrams  Presidents George W. Bush & George H.W. Bush  Oliver North Read more about the pardons |
| October 10, 1987 Thirty thousand Germans demonstrated against construction of a large-scale nuclear reprocessing installation at Wackersdorf in mostly rural northern Bavaria. |
| October 10, 2002 The House voted 296-133 to pass the “Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq,” giving President George W. Bush broad authority to use military force against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, with or without U.N. support.  |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryoctober.htm#october10
NWS’s 10 PM Update:
Hurricane Milton Tropical Cyclone Update NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL142024 1000 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024 ...FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY IN EFFECT FOR THE TAMPA BAY AREA AS MILTON CONTINUES MOVING INLAND... ...1000 PM EDT POSITION UPDATE... A sustained wind of 69 mph (111 km/h) and a gust of 102 mph (165 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. A sustained wind of 86 mph (139 km/h) and a gust of 105 mph (169 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel. A sustained wind of 74 mph (119 km/h) and a gust of 98 mph (157 km/h) was recently reported at a NOS station at Middle Tampa Bay. A gust of 91 mph (146 km/h) was recently reported at a Citizen Weather Observer Program station in Bartow. A Flash Flood Emergency is in effect for the Tampa Bay area, including the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg has received 16.61 inches of rain so far today. The next update will be the full advisory at 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC). SUMMARY OF 1000 PM EDT...0200 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...27.5N 82.3W ABOUT 20 MI...30 KM NE OF SARASOTA FLORIDA ABOUT 90 MI...145 KM SW OF ORLANDO FLORIDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH...175 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 16 MPH...26 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...958 MB...28.29 INCHES
Here’s the Weather Service’s most recent full advisory re Southern FL:
BULLETIN
Hurricane Milton Intermediate Advisory Number 19A
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL142024
800 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024
...MILTON CLOSE TO MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE COAST OF WEST-CENTRAL
FLORIDA...
...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, DAMAGING WINDS, AND FLOODING RAINS
OCCURRING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA...
SUMMARY OF 800 PM EDT...0000 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...27.2N 82.8W
ABOUT 20 MI...30 KM WSW OF SARASOTA FLORIDA
ABOUT 130 MI...205 KM SW OF ORLANDO FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH...195 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 15 MPH...24 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...954 MB...28.17 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:
None.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
* Florida west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown,
including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay
* Sebastian Inlet Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia, including the
St. Johns River
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* Florida west coast from Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River,
including Tampa Bay
* Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward
to Ponte Vedra Beach
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Lake Okeechobee
* Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line to the
Palm Beach/Martin County Line
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay
* Lake Okeechobee
* Florida west coast from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach
* Florida west coast from north of Suwanee River to Indian Pass
* Florida east coast south of the St. Lucie/Martin County Line to
Flamingo
* North of Ponte Vedra Beach Florida to Edisto Beach South Carolina
* Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the
Abacos, and Bimini
A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening
inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline in
the indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please
see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic,
available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation.
Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions
to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for
other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other
instructions from local officials.
A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected
somewhere within the warning area.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area.
For storm information specific to your area in the United
States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please
monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service
forecast office. For storm information specific to your area
outside of the United States, please monitor products issued by
your national meteorological service.
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
----------------------
At 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC), the center of Hurricane Milton was located
near latitude 27.2 North, longitude 82.8 West. Milton is moving
toward the east-northeast near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general
motion is expected to continue through Thursday, followed by a turn
toward the east on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of
Milton will make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay region
within the next hour or two, and then move across the central part
of the Florida peninsula overnight, and emerge off the east coast of
Florida on Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph (195 km/h) with higher
gusts. Milton is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale. Little change in strength is likely
until landfall, and Milton is expected to remain a hurricane
while it moves across central Florida through Thursday. The system
is forecast to weaken over the western Atlantic and become
extratropical by Thursday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 255
miles (405 km). A sustained wind of 54 mph (87 km/h) and a gust of
96 mph (154 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton
International Airport. A C-MAN Station in Venice, Florida recently
reported a sustained wind of 71 mph (115 km/h) with a gust to 90
mph (145 km/h).
The minimum central pressure estimated from Hurricane Hunter
aircraft observations is 954 mb (28.17 inches).
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
Key Messages for Milton can be found in the Tropical Cyclone
Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT4 and WMO header WTNT44 KNHC
and on the web at hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT4.shtml
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the
tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by
rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could
reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated
areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...
Anna Maria Island, FL to Boca Grande, FL...9-13 ft
Anclote River, FL to Anna Maria Island, FL...6-9 ft
Tampa Bay...6-9 ft
Boca Grande, FL to Bonita Beach, FL...8-12 ft
Charlotte Harbor...8-12 ft
Bonita Beach, FL to Chokoloskee, FL...5-8 ft
Chokoloskee, FL to Flamingo, FL...3-5 ft
Sebastian Inlet, FL to Altamaha Sound, GA...3-5 ft
Yankeetown, FL to Anclote River, FL...2-4 ft
Dry Tortugas...2-4 ft
St. Johns River...2-4 ft
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to
the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be
accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding
depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle,
and can vary greatly over short distances. For information
specific to your area, please see products issued by your local
National Weather Service forecast office.
For a complete depiction of areas at risk of storm surge
inundation, please see the National Weather Service Peak Storm
Surge Graphic, available at
hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?peakSurge.
RAINFALL: Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals
up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of
the Florida Peninsula through Thursday. This rainfall brings the
risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding,
along with moderate to major river flooding.
For a complete depiction of forecast rainfall associated with
Hurricane Milton, please see the National Weather Service Storm
Total Rainfall Graphic, available at
hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk
graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?ero.
WIND: Hurricane conditions are occurring within the hurricane
warning area and will spread east-northeastward across the Florida
peninsula overnight. Hurricane conditions are possible in the
hurricane watch area tonight and on Thursday. Tropical storm
conditions are occurring along the west coast of Florida and are
forecast to spread across the peninsula and reach the east coast
tonight. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the
warning area along the Georgia and South Carolina coast on Thursday.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the
northwestern Bahamas on Thursday.
TORNADOES: Several tornadoes, possibly including a few strong
tornadoes, are likely this evening and tonight across parts of
central Florida.
SURF: Swells generated by Milton are expected to continue to affect
much of the Gulf Coast and will increase along the southeastern U.S.
coast during the next day or two. These swells are likely to cause
life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult
products from your local weather office.
NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
Next complete advisory at 1100 PM EDT.
$$
Forecaster Pasch
October 8, 2024 Imma Perfetto
Next-generation optical fibre manufactured in microgravity aboard the International Space Station has been returned safely to Earth.
Scientists at Adelaide University in South Australia are now comparing the fibres to otherwise identical Earth-made counterparts to confirm whether the space-made product is superior.
It’s thought likely that it is, but the results won’t be known for a couple of months.
The research has already delivered some interesting results: “Seven of the draws went beyond 700 meters, showcasing that it is possible to produce commercial lengths of fibre in space,” says Rob Loughan, CEO of the company that designed the fibre drawing device, Flawless Photonics.
“The longest draw went above 1,141 meters, setting a record for the longest fibre manufactured in space.”
The fibres were made of ZBLAN glass, a substance which has the potential to transmit light 20 times further than traditional silica-based fibre-optic cables.
In an optical fibre, light becomes dimmer and dimmer as it travels along the fibre. Therefore, for example, submarine fibre optics cables require amplifiers about every 100km to boost the light signal to allow it to be transmitted over long distances.
A ZBLAN optical fibre could increase distances between amplifiers, from every 100 km for silica fibres to every 2,000 km.
But this isn’t feasible yet. In practice, ZBLAN fibres perform about 10 times worse than the best silica fibres because the fabrication process introduces defects and impurities, which lower its efficiency at transmitting light.
Professor Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, and her team at the University of Adelaide’s Australian National Fabrication Facility’s (ANFF) are trying to solve the problem of enhanced impurities and defects in current ZBLAN glass fibres.
“The purity of the glass depends on the purity of the raw material, and it is challenging to make highly pure solid raw materials,” says Ebendorff-Heidepriem. The team is trying to completely remove one of the main reasons the defects form: gravity.
“Gravity here on Earth causes convection … If you heat up something on a hot plate, the liquid is hot at the bottom. That makes the density of the liquid at the bottom become lower, which moves this portion of the liquid up, at the top the liquid becomes cooler, making the density higher, therefore gravity pulls it down, and so on” she explains.
Ebendorff-Heidepriem partnered with Flawless Photonics which designed and operates a fibre drawing device that squeezed all the necessary technology into a 0.8m-long box for the ISS.
In June, the more than 11km of fibre returned to Earth, intact. Now, work is underway at the University of Adelaide and at 5 other organisations around the world to determine how much of an impact gravity has on ZBLAN’s ability to transmit light. They are hoping to complete their analysis by December this year.
“We will see: is it better? Is it worse? Is it the same? And no matter what result we get, I think the biggest outcome is already achieved – we can make commercial lengths of optical fibres in space.”
https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/space-fibres-down-to-earth/
Sometimes knowledge helps us cope with less stress. Plus, this is available on any device, as long as there is wifi or mobile data available. Which, tomorrow, may not be a thing for Scottie, Ron, and the kitties tomorrow and after, as well as any other readers in the vast path of Milton. But up till then, there is current info. It’s better on the page; I put a bit here so we can see what’s available. The time zone will be that of the person accessing the info; I’m in Central, so this shows Central. I learned Zulu time researching tornado formation! NWS uses Zulu, as well, but this page does show regular time.
Tropical Weather Discussion 1205 UTC Tue Oct 8 2024 | |
 Hurricane Milton Satellite | Buoys | Grids | Storm Archive… TODAY IS THE LAST FULL DAY FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS TO GET THEIR FAMILIES AND HOMES READY AND EVACUATE IF TOLD TO DO SO BY LOCAL OFFICIALS… 10:00 AM CDT Tue Oct 8 Location: 22.7°N 88.4°W Moving: ENE at 9 mph Min pressure: 929 mb Max sustained: 150 mph Public Advisory #14 1000 AM CDT Forecast Advisory #14 1500 UTC Forecast Discussion #14 1000 AM CDT Wind Speed Probabilities #14 1500 UTC NWS Local Products 1133 AM EDT US Watch/ Warning 1102 AM EDTProductos en español: (más información) Aviso Publico Pronóstico Discusión Wind Speed Probabilities Arrival Time of Winds Wind History Warnings/Cone Interactive Map Warnings/Cone Static Images Warnings and Surface Wind Key Messages Mensajes Claves Storm Surge Inundation Storm Surge Watch/Warning Peak Surge Rainfall Potential Flash Flooding Potential | |
| October 8, 1945 President Harry S. Truman announced that the secret of the atomic bomb would be shared only with Great Britain and Canada.  |
| October 8, 1982 The Polish Parliament overwhelmingly approved a law banning Solidarnos´c´ (Solidarity), the independent trade union that had captured the imagination and allegiance of nearly 10 million Poles.  Solidarnosc leader Lech Walesa, 1982The law abolished all existing labor organizations, including Solidarity, whose 15 months of existence brought hope to people in Poland and around the world but drew the anger of the Soviet and other Eastern-bloc (Warsaw Pact) governments. The parliament created a new set of unions with severely restricted rights. |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryoctober.htm#october8
https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/coal-phaseout-UK/
Snippet:
By Molly Lempriere and Simon Evans
26 September 2024
The UK’s last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will close this month, ending a 142-year era of burning coal to generate electricity.
The UK’s coal-power phaseout is internationally significant.
It is the first major economy – and first G7 member – to achieve this milestone. It also opened the world’s first coal-fired power station in 1882, on London’s Holborn Viaduct.
From 1882 until Ratcliffe’s closure, the UK’s coal plants will have burned through 4.6bn tonnes of coal and emitted 10.4bn tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – more than most countries have ever produced from all sources, Carbon Brief analysis shows.
The UK’s coal-power phaseout will help push overall coal demand to levels not seen since the 1600s.
The phaseout was built on four key elements.
First, the availability of alternative electricity sources, sufficient to meet and exceed rising demand.
Second, bringing the construction of new coal capacity to an end.
Third, pricing externalities, such as air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2), thus tipping the economic scales in favour of alternatives.
Fourth, the government setting a clear phaseout timeline a decade in advance, giving the power sector time to react and plan ahead.
The UK’s experience, set out and explored in depth in this article, demonstrates that rapid coal phaseouts are possible – and could be replicated internationally.
As the UK aims to fully decarbonise its power sector by 2030, it has the challenge – and opportunity – of trying to build another case study for successful climate action.
(snip-MORE)
Scottie's Playtime 