Category Archives: Climate

Climate, News

Climeworks calls for a move from Climate Change to Change Climate

Climeworks, a pioneer in direct air capture, is calling on us all to take one small specific action to slow Climate Change – and move from thinking about Climate Change to Changing the Climate.

Climate change is happening all around us. But there’s still hope we can change the climate, positively and permanently. To make this change a reality we need to offer solutions that can be accessed by anyone, easily and without huge expense.

A simple solution, that is available now, is to remove CO2 from the air – safely and permanently.  Even capturing small amounts of carbon dioxide, if repeated again and again, can make a real impact and change the climate for the better.

Why do we need to remove CO₂? The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report made it clear that, if humanity wants to limit global warming to 1.5°C and become net negative after 2050, reducing emissions won’t be enough, we need to remove CO₂ from the air. That’s where climate tech comes in and scaling up direct air capture technology becomes necessary.

Direct Air Capture is a method of removing carbon dioxide from the air. The technology has been pioneered by Climeworks and is now available to everyone to help us all take small, but repeated actions, that will result in a real difference.

By signing up for a Climeworks’ Carbon Dioxide Removal subscription, you can take measurable action to remove historic CO2 from the atmosphere and help reduce the long-term impacts of climate change.

There are four subscriptions levels:

  • Special Expedition: GBP £90 per month for 100 kg of CO2 removal
  • Discoverer: GBP £45 per month for 50 kg of CO2 removal
  • Explorer: GBP £27 per month for 30 kg of CO2 removal
  • Customize: you can choose an amount to suit your lifestyle

Simply choose a level of climate-positive action that matches your lifestyle and complete the sign up. The subscription is highly flexible: You choose the amount of CO2 you want to remove on a monthly or annual basis. No strings attached: pause or cancel at any time. Each year, Climeworks will send you a confirmation of the amount of carbon dioxide removal you have ordered. In addition, the subscriptions can be used as eco-friendly gifts to remove CO2 in the name of a loved one.

“Changing our climate seems like an impossible problem, one that is simply too big to tackle. But using the power of small, single actions, repeated over time we can make a real change. Removing small, amounts of carbon dioxide every month, and inviting your friends to do the same can, and will, make a real and measurable difference. These small, repeated actions are what the climate needs, and they are the only way we can truly make our voices heard and powerful.” said Rachael O’Brien from Climeworks.

A Climeworks carbon dioxide removal subscription is not only the most eco-friendly and sustainable subscription you can have; it is an alternative and unique way to start building the solutions that will change the climate. It is essential that the world continues with nature-based solutions such as planting trees, and alongside this we must remove excess CO2 from the air.

When a tree is planted it takes approximately 10 years before the carbon dioxide is removed whereas direct air capture, even allowing for build time, takes around five years – half the time of a tree.  In addition, direct air capture, as a method of removing CO2 is much more efficient than planting trees. “On a land area of 1’700 m2 (0.42 acres), Climeworks’ Orca plant nominally removes 4,000 tons of CO₂ from the air every year, which is almost 1,000 times more effective than trees. The same land area would host approx. 220 trees with an estimated carbon sequestration capacity of 21kg each per year, i.e. a total capacity of 4.62 tons per year.”

All Climeworks plants are powered by renewal energy and have a greater than 90% net removal of carbon dioxide over their entire lifecycle (including build and end of life).

Climeworks’ technological solution is a permanent, measurable, efficient and natural way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

 

About Climeworks:

Climeworks empowers people to reverse climate change by permanently removing carbon dioxide from the air.

One of two things happens to the Climeworks air-captured carbon dioxide: either it is returned to earth, stored safely and permanently away for millions of years, or it is upcycled into climate-friendly products such as carbon-neutral fuels and materials. The Climeworks direct air capture technology runs exclusively on clean energy, and the modular CO2 collectors can be stacked to build machines of any capacity.

Founded by engineers Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher, Climeworks strives to inspire 1 billion people to act now and remove carbon dioxide from the air.

Together we can build a climate-positive world. Join us!

Web: https://www.climeworks.com

 

Key FAQs:

Why do we need to remove CO₂?

Multiple climate studies published recently (IPCC Special Report, EASAC, NAS) clearly state that in order to achieve climate targets, not only do we need to do everything we can to reduce emissions; we also need to accelerate climate change solutions, actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Climate scientists agree that by 2050, direct air capture needs to remove between 5 and 30 billion tons of CO₂ annually if we want to achieve net zero emissions globally. To reach this level of carbon dioxide removal, direct air capture needs to be scaled up significantly, starting today.

What is the difference between Climeworks’ carbon dioxide removal service and traditional carbon offsetting?

Traditional carbon offsets are typically a trade of avoided emissions: someone reduces emissions on behalf of the offset buyer who pays for the other party’s emissions reduction (= avoidance certificates). Thereby, the offset buyer continues emitting. If done in a transparent way, this trade will at best result in a short-term emissions reduction but never lead to the zero and negative emissions that we need to keep global warming in check.

What Climeworks does is fundamentally different. Rather than trading avoided emissions, we physically remove carbon dioxide emissions that are difficult to otherwise avoid. Climeworks’ carbon dioxide removal (= removal certificates) is further permanent and fully measurable, as every ton of carbon dioxide removed from the air and stored underground can be precisely measured using standard industry measurement equipment.

What does CO2 look like in kg?

We often don’t realize, or simply ignore, how much CO2 is produced by the objects we use in our daily lives. All objects and many of our daily activities generate more CO2 than we think. Here are the most common and unavoidable actions:

  • Mobile phone use: 35kg is generated by mobile phone use for 10 hours, about 3.5kg per hour
  • Hot shower: 12kg is generated for an hour-long hot shower, about 2kg every 10 minutes
  • Average meal: 5kg is generated by average meals of a week, 3 meals a day of approx. 600 cal
Climate, News

Net Zero, Sustainability and Climate Change …..are these just words we use to convince ourselves we care?

Peter Clodd-Broom, Director and Technical Innovator at Meryl Fabrics https://merylfabrics.com/ offers his insight for businesses in the textile industry, and highlights workwear and bedlinens as offering a major opportunity to make a difference.

We are poisoning our planet; its resources are being exhausted.

The news is full of it, yet we squander the opportunity to recycle, waste time & resources, and complain if our food arrives not packed in plastic.

Ask yourself, Is this you?

At Meryl Fabrics we care, and that’s why we have created a solution for the textile industry to allow you to make a difference. I will explain how, but it is up to you to make the change.

I have detailed some key targets below that allow us to make that difference today.

 

A key opportunity lies in workwear

Many companies provide clothing to wear at work. We can reduce the impact on the environment by 50%, simply by reusing it to make replacement garments, and we can prove it. The benefit to employees is that it looks better and lasts longer, using fewer items and benefitting your bottom line.

Bedlinens is another area

Millions of bedlinen sets are sold every year, and we can reduce this massively,  by at least 50%.

Presently, bedding is washed around 90 times in its working life, so in high-use environments, that equtes to a lifespan of around six months.

Using the fabric we have created, we can extend the number of washes to at least 300, meaning it will last more than three times longer. Then we can take it back for recycling, to use it to make new yarn and bedding.
Eradicating microfibre release

Meryl Fabrics have eradicated the release of microfibers into our waterways. We do not use dyes, chemicals, or solvents. The environmental impact of our reusable materials is the most exciting aspect of what we have pioneered.

Our innovative technology uses hydrogen bonding to create strong molecular chains that seal all microfibres into the filaments. There is no release of microfibres into the air or oceans

We have virtually eradicated all production waste at the manufacturing stage, which can be as high as 22%, by returning, weaving, and cutting waste for reuse in new yarns. All colouring and treatments are applied to the filaments at the spinning stage of the yarns,

Meryl Fabrics are washed at a lower temperature, and we tested them after 300 washes at 40˚C. And notably, the material shows no reduction in protection or appearance.

Moreover, we have a hugely reduced transport route, significantly lowering the product’s carbon footprint from its creation to the end of its life when it can be fully recycled and made into another sustainable development.

Our operation has complete control and traceability, with our engineers and logistics experts monitoring all aspects of production. As our production facilities work to the detailed operation plans, Meryl Fabrics has accountability, stringent monitoring in place, and complete audit trails.
Recycling Programs

The in-house circular economic implications constitute a significant step forward in recycling.

Meryl recycled yarn is reusing post-industrial materials to create entirely new raw materials for yarn production, and we can produce with 50% to 100% of recycled raw materials. This environmentally friendly fabric maintains its quality with all the performance and exceptional touch.

We can reuse all products at the end of their extended operational life and return them as identical replacements.

The benefit to our end-user is simple; we remove the need to dispose of the textiles, as all used items returned to us are reborn.

With the extended operational life of these products, the items last longer, and you wash at considerably lower temperatures, reducing energy use and lowering costs.

There is also the additional benefit of the added protection given to the people using the products by incorporating our antiviral effect and bacterial technology.

Together we can make the changes to the environment that we all talk about, but, it’s your decision.

Are you ready to do more than talk?

This solution is available today.
https://merylfabrics.com/

 

Climate, News

Top eco-friendly terms simplified – don’t be bamboozled by green terminology!

By Tiffany Kelly, Beyond Bamboo

With the impacts of climate change having disastrous effects on human, animal and plant life around the world, more and more of us are becoming concerned about what we buy and interested in how we can make a positive difference. Brands across most industries are making all sorts of green claims but sometimes it can feel hard to make sense of the jargon and know for sure what it all really means.

Recently conducted research* found that almost two thirds (64%) of those questioned said they want to take climate action but feel overwhelmed by the numbers or jargon or are often put off by the lack of information available on the topic. The same study found that four in five (82%) would do more for the environment if they saw less ‘carbon jargon’ and instead received simpler information about what they could do to reduce their impact on the planet.

Simplifying the language may help you to understand properly the benefits of a cleaner, greener and more sustainable lifestyle. Here is Beyond Bamboo’s glossary of Green Terms to help you navigate these green claims and eco buzz words:

  1. Net zero

Net zero refers to achieving an equal balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. This can be done by changing business processes to reduce emissions in the first place–for example by switching to renewable energy or minimising plastic in products or packaging –while also actively removing the remaining greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for example, by contributing to projects that conserve natural habitats or plant trees to absorb carbon. You can also subscribe to you have carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere and stored safely underground where it turns to stone. It tends to refer to current emissions, not historic ones.

  1. Carbon offsetting

Offsetting is a way of paying for others to reduce emissions or absorb CO2 to compensate for a company’s own emissions. For example, a business may pay towards tree planting or the delivery of energy-efficient cooking stoves to communities in developing countries. BUT brands should be doing that as well as cutting emissions directly, not just substituting them. Offsetting doesn’t actually cancel out – or ‘offset’ – the emissions to which they are linked. Also, contributing to a project that was going ahead anyway doesn’t help remove EXTRA carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So offsetting is beset with problems which is why it is falling out of favour.

(https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/the-biggest-problem-with-carbon-offsetting-is-that-it-doesnt-really-work/)

  1. Carbon Neutral

Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions completely. Again, this is generally used to describe current carbon dioxide emissions, not historic ones (which also need to be removed).

  1. Carbon Positive

This is a step beyond carbon neutral. Once net zero or carbon neutral status is achieved, a business can start to tackle removing its historic emissions or, for new businesses additional CO2 can be removed to create a wider environmental benefit.

  1. Cruelty Free

Cruelty-free is a label for products that do not harm or kill animals anywhere along its supply chain. Products tested on animals are not considered cruelty-free, since these tests are often painful and cause the suffering and death of animals. Look for the Leaping Bunny logo to be sure an item is genuinely cruelty-free.

  1. Plant Based

The word ‘plant-based’ has been thrown around A LOT in recent times. This move away from meat is fantastic news for the environment, our health and for animals. Big companies are now seeing the marketing value of the word ‘plant-based’, realising that people are more educated than ever about the environmental impact of food and the health benefits of eating ‘plant-based’ foods rather than ‘animal-based’ ones. Though some people, including food bloggers, may use the terms “plant-based” and “vegan” interchangeably, plant-based is an “umbrella term” and does not always equate to being vegan – so do check the labels and ask if the item really is vegan. Eating plant-based foods is the single biggest way we can reduce our impact on the environment as individuals.

  1. Biodegradable/Compostable

Biodegradable materials or products are those that are able to break down to their basic components when given the right conditions and presence of microorganisms, fungi or bacteria. This is great as it keeps the item out of landfill and saves space. Some items are biodegradable/compostable in home composting bins, other require industrial composting silos where very high temperatures are reached. So, check if it is suitable for home composting as you can do this yourself, without the need for additional transport, and it also indicates that the item will break down relatively quickly. Once degraded/composted the item leaves nothing harmful behind. (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-does-biodegradable-mean-2538213)

  1. Accreditation

Accreditation is an independent, third-party evaluation by an assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards. A brand having gained an industry accreditation ensures that due diligence has been done for that particular claim. Be aware that not all accreditation schemes are created equal so make sure the assessment body is widely recognised or else transparent in how it establishes the validity of claims.

  1. Sustainable

This word is really thrown around a lot these days, but its real meaning is seldom well understood. Simply put, sustainable products and practices are those that do not jeopardise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It has become too broad a term with such little accountability that it can hardly be taken at face value. Brands that are operating “more sustainably” should always explain specifically how they are doing so.

  1. Zero Waste

Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators or the ocean.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tiffany Kelly is founder of Beyond Bamboo, a global community of sustainable products, services and suppliers working as a collective to restore and rejuvenate the planet. With a marketplace, a B2B supplier portal, a knowledge hub and a team of passionate people dedicated to triple bottom line reporting, Beyond Bamboo aims to help us all do well by doing good.

Web: www.beyondbamboo.online

 

References:

*Research carried out by Ginger Comms on behalf of E.ON in October 2021 with 1,500 respondents

Climate, News, Transport

The Missing Piece in the Urban Transportation infrastructure jigsaw – the modality of personal transport

Written by Richard Jordan, CEO at Super Soco UK and UK CEO at GreenMo UK

“We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last that can do anything about it”. This was the call to action from the WWF’s 2018 manifesto asking the world to take action and accountability for the sake of future generations.

Fast forward to COP26 this year, and Boris Johnson warned that the world is at “one minute to midnight”, having run down the clock on waiting to combat climate change. We are not moving fast enough in the race against global warming, and yet both policymakers and individuals have the power to change this. With transportation responsible for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, action to reduce this impact needs to gather pace.

Our cities are becoming smarter and the push for greener transport is apparent both in the UK and the rest of the world. By the end of 2021, it’s projected that one in 10 new cars in the UK will be electric, and the global sales of electric scooters and bicycles are expected to reach 129 million units by 2028 – but we are missing a crucial piece of the urban transportation jigsaw.

Mind the gap

We are all aware of the need for a mindset change to avoid cars for short journeys and commuting, with the U.K. set to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles from 2030 and the introduction of clean air zones this year. However, with the average cost to buy an electric car in the UK coming in at around £44,000, we need a solution to provide alternative mobility rather than relying on electric and hybrid cars. With an expanding population, there will be less room and manoeuvrability for everyone to be able to own a car. This issue coupled with the decrease in people passing their driving test has left a missing piece in the urban transportation jigsaw.

People living in cities are finding it harder to secure safe and easy personal transport. As we emerge from the pandemic with a limited return of the night tube, and a general reluctance in using public transport, people are looking to services like Uber and Bolt to fill the gap. However, with price surges and the steady decline in available taxi drivers, the limitations of city transport infrastructure is severely lacking a cheap, safe solution.

The UK is late to the micro-mobility game with many European cities having long ago introduced shared mobility schemes for electric mopeds and motorcycles as part of their micro-mobility solution. To address this missing piece, the UK has looked to follow direction from other countries by implementing e-scooters in cities such as London. However, a study commissioned by Transport for London indicates that riding an e-scooter could be 100 times more dangerous than riding a bicycle. With problems with both legality and safety, it’s clear that unlike other countries, the UK is yet to find a suitable alternative.

The popularity of rented electric scooters in cities shows the demand for personal transport that is green, cost-effective, and safe. Forward-thinking electric motorbikes, both personal and shared, are a crucial addition to the micro-mobility solution. But, given the recent changes the UK government has made to the Plug-in vehicle Grant rates and the drastic reduction of 90% of the grant, the UK government must change their electric motorbike legislation so this mode of transportation can reach its potential.

Breathe in deep

Following the recent agreements and plans laid out at the latest UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), there has been a significant push to control city emissions and increase air quality within cities, such as the expanded Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ). We need to get cars out of our cities.

Whilst many people have turned to public transport to combat emissions, it is obvious that this isn’t the solution for everyone. Unreliable buses and trains within major UK cities and the COVID pandemic has bought about an increased awareness of safety in close quarters. As people become more COVID conscious and seek to limit their contact with other people, commuters are searching for an easy, independent option which means they won’t have to travel on a poorly ventilated public transport.

The introduction of clean air zones has indicated the gradual switch to cleaner and more sustainable vehicles to combat rising CO2 emissions and combat the rise in air-pollution related deaths. As of 2020, an estimated 1 in 19 UK deaths were as a result of air pollution, totalling to roughly 36,000 deaths that year. This is nearly a third of the number of deaths related to COVID – and these numbers will only rise.

On average an electric motorbike produces 7.5g/km CO2 and electric cars around 35g/km. This figure exists due to the electricity produced to charge the vehicles, however, this could be lowered if this was generated via renewable means.  As more people switch to electric motorbikes for their city transportation, air quality in major cities will improve due to the decrease in CO2 emissions.

Saving money and the planet!

When people are considering purchasing a new car, ease and simplicity are one of their highest requirements. Whilst UK car sales have plunged in recent months, the sale of electric vehicles has soared to record-breaking numbers with nearly 33,000 pure electric cars being registered a month, which is hardly surprising amidst the recent fuel crisis. These sales figures are almost 50% higher than in 2019. Whilst electric cars boast of their absence of road tax and the estimated savings of £850 a year on fuel, the rising costs are significantly higher when compared to other EV options.

Electric motorcycles are also significantly cheaper than electric cars, with prices starting from just £2,250. Given the recent announcement that the cost of living has surged at its fastest pace in almost 10 years and the increase in fuel prices over the past few months, a cheaper option of an electric motorbike is the future of EVs.

Shared mobility schemes will become more popular as more accessible, practical modes of transport become available. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen’s Wheels 2 Work scheme is an example of how affordable electric motorbikes can benefit the community. The project has helped more than 150 people across the Tees Valley who do not have easy access to public transport or a private vehicle secure affordable transport, so they can get to their job or education. The service, which is continuing to March 2021, is to provide 75 electric motorbikes which are expected to help 400 people across the region access jobs.

As the urban transportation infrastructure moves into 2022, the modality of personal transport is the missing piece of this jigsaw and by introducing electric motorbikes and mopeds, the UK can shift towards a greener future.

In the UK’s mission to build a smart transportation infrastructure, electric motorbikes are paving the way for EV domination within cities. With Generation Z turning away from cars, the old status quo is not applicable to the future. The UK must turn away from its tunnel vision and embrace electric motorbikes as a natural alternative to the busy underground, unaffordable Ubers, and problematic e-scooters.

 

Climate, EVs and Automotive News, News, Sustainability

Daloop Launches Daloop.Earth to Coincide with World Earth Day 2022, Helping Businesses Calculate their Carbon Impact

  • Formerly known as GoWithFlow, Daloop has rebranded as part of its global expansion efforts, bringing expertise honed in Portugal to the wider world.
  • Daloop launches website, Daloop.Earth, in support of World Earth Day.
  • Daloop.Earth’s carbon calculator shows business owners the impact that electrifying their fleets could have on the planet.

 

Daloop (formerly known as GoWithFlow) today launched Daloop.Earth, a live carbon calculator that provides business owners with an accurate, visual representation of their potential to reduce global carbon emissions. Launching on World Earth Day 2022, the new platform leverages data and insights to illustrate the projected positive impact of each business’ fleet electrification journey. The site reflects the importance of understanding not just our individual impact, but also our potential to reduce carbon emissions significantly.  Decarbonisation of combustion engines is a key goal for Daloop as it expands its footprint across the globe.

World Earth Day focusses on how business, governments and citizens can invest in our planet and help solve the climate crisis, to build a prosperous and sustainable future, by protecting, managing, and restoring nature.

Formerly known as GoWithFlow, Daloop is dedicated to enabling mobility change for good. With unrivalled experience and expertise from working with key organisations in Portugal electrification journey, Daloop has harnessed that knowledge to develop and provide software and services that enable business around the world to decarbonise their fleets, whilst becoming the ‘back-office’ of Charge-Point Operators and E-Mobility Service Providers alike. Today, with significant expansion into the UK, Spain, and the U.S.  Daloop’s ‘Mobility Change Platform’, or ‘MCP’ solves all of the issues that those wishing to be a part of the EV charging ecosystem face.  Financially backed by Galp Energia, the team has already built and operated an integrated national EV charging infrastructure that now administers over 1 million charges a month and has a goal of connecting 1,000,000 assets (vehicles or chargepoints) to the Daloop Platform by the end of the decade.

Daloop.Earth’s carbon calculator combines easy to understand analytics and one simple number from the user to reflect the potential carbon reduction of transitioning to an electric fleet. The projected carbon saving, measured in tons of CO2, is helpfully illustrated with a range of easily identifiable objects, from Volkswagen Beetle to saltwater crocodiles. Users need only supply one piece of information by answering the question “How many vehicles are in your fleet?”. Alongside this tool, the website features a digitally rendered Earth clouded in CO2, with a scroll feature that shows the growing impact around the world of 0 to 1 million assets attached to the Daloop electric charging network.

Daloop CEO, Jane Hoffer, says of the launch and rebrand: “Daloop.Earth is a highly visual way for businesses and individuals to more easily understand the impact that they are having on the planet through their mobility choices and we hope it inspires and encourages others to get involved.  As for the name change, Daloop represents what we do in a much more concise and impactful way. Our tagline “Mobility change for good” not only highlights the positive aspects of decarbonisation that we are immensely excited about, but also reinforces its permanence.”

Launching in early May is Daloop’s new ebook ‘Change Anxiety’, which compiles the firm’s extensive experience in implementing and streamlining electric vehicle infrastructure for businesses, public organisations and municipalities alike to create guidance for fleet managers and those working in sustainable mobility. The ebook will feature insights gleaned from the many assets already attached to Daloop’s Mobility Change Platform to illustrate the current electric vehicle infrastructure, its successes, as well as some of the challenges the industry faces.

 

About Daloop (formerly GoWithFlow)

Daloop and its Mobility Change Platform (MCP) help enterprises manage the transition of their fleet to low- or no-emission vehicles while reducing overall fleet and energy costs. Daloop’s MCP provides an integrated view of vehicle and energy data, enabling fleet and facilities managers to plan and operate a network of combustion and electric vehicles along with managing fuel and electricity consumption. Named Portugal’s top cleantech startup in 2020. Daloop’s majority shareholder is Galp, one of Europe’s energy companies leading the transition into renewable energy and sustainable fuels. For more information, visit Daloop Earth.

Climate, News

Earth Day 2022 – time to give back to the planet

For years, we have pulled carbon from the earth, but now it is time to put it back where it belongs. This Earth Day, let’s restore the planet by removing historic CO₂ from the atmosphere.

For over a hundred years, carbon has been extracted from the Earth’s core, releasing excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, instigating climate change. It can be overwhelming not knowing how to help, but together, we can restore the planet.

This April, Climeworks wants to empower everyone to let the planet breathe by removing carbon dioxide from the air, with a Climeworks subscription. The collected carbon dioxide is then stored permanently underground, where, through a natural reaction, it is turned to stone.

By removing carbon dioxide from the air, you can support the planet’s recovery whilst also helping to combat global warming.

Let’s put CO₂ back in the ground

Why is there too much carbon in the air? Carbon dioxide is released naturally by plants and animals, and when they die, their carbon matter becomes part of the Earth’s surface, forming layers of rock. The carbon in this rock would not usually be released, but unfortunately humans have been digging it up at an alarming rate to use as fossil fuels.

However, we can begin to restore the Earth’s surface: with CO₂ removal technology, carbon is pulled from the air and turned back into rock to be stored safely underground, forever.

Subscribe to the planet this Earth Day

Let Earth Day be every day by taking a monthly CO₂ removal subscription. Every kilogram of CO₂ removed, is a kilogram of CO₂ which no longer contributes to global warming. Restore the planet and fight climate change by helping Climeworks scale this essential technology. Be an Earth champion this April, remove CO₂ from the air.

Choose a level of climate-positive action that matches your lifestyle and complete the sign up. No strings attached, you can stop at any time. Each year, Climeworks will send you a confirmation of the amount of carbon dioxide removal you have ordered. No middle-men, no unintended side effects: easy and direct climate action.

Subscriptions:

  • Special Expedition: GBP £90 per month for 100 kg of CO2 removal
  • Discoverer: GBP £45 per month for 50 kg of CO2 removal
  • Explorer: GBP £27 per month for 30 kg of CO2 removal
  • Customize: you can choose an amount to suit your lifestyle

What are the benefits?

A Climeworks subscription is not only the most eco-friendly and sustainable subscription you can have, but it’s also an alternative and unique way to give back to the planet for Earth Day. Alongside nature-based solutions such as planting trees, we must also remove excess CO2 from the air, and Climeworks’ technological solution is permanent, measurable, efficient and natural.

For more information, and to sign-up, see: https://climeworks.com/earth-day

Here is a 1 minute movie about the importance of carbon dioxide removal.

Additional information:

How does Climeworks’ direct air capture technology work?

Climeworks direct air capture machines consist of modular CO₂ collectors, which selectively capture carbon dioxide in a two-step process. First, air is drawn into the collector with a fan. Carbon dioxide is captured on the surface of a highly selective filter material that sits inside the collectors (“adsorption”). Second, after the filter material is full of carbon dioxide, the collector is closed. We increase the temperature to between 80 and 100 °C – this releases the carbon dioxide (“desorption”) and we can collect it in high purity and concentration. The air-captured carbon dioxide can either be upcycled into climate-friendly products such as carbon-neutral fuels and materials, or completely removed from the air by safely storing it. You can find more information at https://climeworks.com/co2-removal

How does Climeworks remove the CO₂ I have subscribed for and how long does it take?

To remove CO₂ in your name, Climeworks does two things:

1) Build and install CO₂ capture plants at sequestration sites where CO₂ can be stored

2) Operate the CO₂ capture plants and hand over the CO₂ to our storage and monitoring partners (in Iceland this is Carbfix), who proceed with underground storage of the CO₂.

Building and installing a plant typically takes 1-2 years, the foreseen operational time of a plant is currently 10 years (and will presumably be even longer for future plants). Our CO₂ removal service and the safe and permanent storage underground are completed within 5 years or earlier following the subscription date.

For comparison, this is at least two times faster than for typical other CO₂ removal approaches (for example, if trees are planted, it will typically take at least 10 years until the CO₂ is removed from the air, for natural mineralization processes (enhanced weathering), it might take at least an order of magnitude longer to complete CO₂ removal).

What is the subscription money used for?

You pay for the removal of CO₂ from the air and the scale-up of our technology. Additional overhead costs (that include “behind the scenes” work from our R&D, marketing, finance & admin teams) are included in the subscription prices.

Is it safe to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into stone?

The pioneering process of turning carbon dioxide into stone is safe. It happens through a combination of carbon dioxide capture from the air and rapid underground mineralization – a natural process whereby the carbon dioxide reacts with the basaltic rock to become solid calcite matter (another form of rock) within a few years. No weather conditions or fire can harm it or cause an outbreak of carbon dioxide: in this calcite form the greenhouse gas is removed from the atmosphere permanently and safely. The basaltic conditions at existing geothermal power plants in Iceland make it one of the best places to start the permanent storage of carbon dioxide. There are, however, more places that can have ideal conditions. For example, the Icelandic Rift System with a capacity of 50 million tons of carbon dioxide per year (source here). On a global scale studies have estimated an overall capacity of 30 trillion tons of carbon dioxide (source here). Other suitable locations can be found in North America, the Middle East or China.

You can learn more about an exemplary mineralization process that turns carbon dioxide into stone on the CarbFix website.

What is the difference between Climeworks’ carbon dioxide removal service and traditional carbon offsetting?

Traditional carbon offsets are typically a trade of avoided emissions: someone reduces emissions on behalf of the offset buyer who pays for the other party’s emissions reduction (= avoidance certificates). Thereby, the offset buyer continues emitting. If done in a transparent way, this trade will at best result in a short-term emissions reduction but never lead to the zero and negative emissions that we need to keep global warming in check.

What Climeworks does is fundamentally different. Rather than trading avoided emissions, we physically remove carbon dioxide emissions that are difficult to otherwise avoid. Climeworks’ carbon dioxide removal (= removal certificates) is further permanent and fully measurable, as every ton of carbon dioxide removed from the air and stored underground can be precisely measured using standard industry measurement equipment.

What does CO2 look like in kg?

We often don’t realize, or simply ignore, how much CO2 is produced by the objects we use in our daily lives. All objects and many of our daily activities generate more CO2 than we think. Here are the most common and unavoidable actions:

  • Mobile phone use: 35kg is generated by mobile phone use for 10 hours, about 3.5kg per hour
  • Hot shower: 12kg is generated for an hour-long hot shower, about 2kg every 10 minutes
  • Average meal: 5kg is generated by average meals of a week, 3 meals a day of approx. 600 Cal

(source: https://https//clevercarbon.io/carbon-footprint-of-common-items/)

References:

Climate, News

Platform.sh commits to helping its customers reduce carbon emissions from cloud activities

Paris/San Francisco, 17th March 2022 – Platform.sh, a unified, secure, enterprise-grade platform for building, running and scaling web applications, has worked with Greenly to calculate its carbon emissions to provide a clear picture to its customers. 

Climate change is real. The IT sector is estimated to be responsible for 4% of the global GES emissions, a bigger impact than the airline industry already, and it is growing much faster. Platform.sh is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, alongside its customers, as a signatory to the Climate Act. 

Platform.sh limits environmental impact by reducing its hardware and energy usage, then optimising its respective emissions and offsetting what is leftover. 

Platform.sh reduces energy use by: 

  • Application Performance Monitoring—optimising individual apps performance means using fewer resources to run the same workloads.
  • Increasing server density—servers are often under-utilised and under-optimised, with anything between 60-80% of their capacity going to waste. Platform.sh uses proprietary technology to increase density up to 12 times and cut energy usage up to 10x.
  • Rightsizes and scales—No more overprovisioning. Platform.sh works with businesses to understand their needs today and allow them to grow fast and responsibly.

Platform.sh optimises infrastructure to reduce emissions by: 

  • Supports multiple cloud providers—optimising infrastructure providers offer different advantages, including better Power Usage Effectiveness. Customers can choose the cloud providers that offer the most benefits, where it matters.
  • Using the right location—data center location can make a huge difference to CO2e emissions. For example, a datacenter in Sweden, using renewable energy, emits ten times less CO2e per kWh than one powered by coal-generated electricity in Germany.

The rise of cloud services and cloud hosting makes it easy to forget about certain carbon costs—but any business aiming to reduce emissions must understand its complete carbon footprint. 

To enable this, Platform.sh is improving its environmental impact model and opening it to its customers, allowing them to take impactful action. 

“We have a responsibility to not just be a sustainable business, but to ensure everything we do enables our customers to be sustainable too—they need to be able to understand their impact to either reduce it or offset it,” said Fred Plais, CEO, Platform.sh. “In the past it was common to improve performance by “throwing more metal” at it—that is, to use more and better hardware. This approach is fundamentally flawed, solving nothing in the long run, and contributing to environmental damage.” 

Climate, News, North of England, Transport

UK Councils introduce electric mopeds in newly revised sustainable Wheels to Work schemes

The growing popularity of the Wheels to Work scheme has indicated to councils throughout the country that it is time to start offering commuters with a sustainable option for personal transport to work.” Richard Jordan CEO at Super Soco UK

UK Councils begin introducing electric mopeds into their Wheels to Work scheme in the push towards sustainable commuting

Two regional councils in the UK have begun implementing a pioneering scheme offering electric mopeds as a form of personal transport to bolster green transport options for commuters. The scheme is aimed to help workers throughout the UK travel to work sustainably and affordably.

Wheels to Work schemes have now been altered to include both electric and petrol mopeds. Mopeds can be hired for up to 12 months for as little as £60 per month, with the payment including CBT training, road tax, insurance, service and maintenance costs and a helmet, gloves and high-vis vest. Users must live within the counties implementing these schemes, be over the age of 16 years, and hold a firm offer of work for 16 hours a week or more.

North Lincolnshire Council is setting the standard for Wheels to Work schemes across the country adding 18 new electric mopeds to its current fleet of ten, giving almost three times as many people the ability to travel into the workplace sustainably. The scheme was originally launched with 5 petrol mopeds, but with new additions to the fleet and the rising popularity, the current scooters have already clocked almost 16,000 miles. The scheme offers a range of electric motorcycles, including models from Super Soco UK, such as the popular the TC Max.

The implementation follows on from Tees Valley Combined Authority’s trialling of an Integrated Transport Programme. The trial project will help people who do not have access to a car or bike, or who cannot make the journey by bus or train to work/college. The scheme offers electric motorbikes, or e-bikes, to eligible users and provides the necessary safety equipment and training, similar to North Lincolnshire’s scheme.

So far the scheme has proved successful, benefiting over 150 people since early 2018. TVCA has secured funding of £840,00 to continue a further three-year period and being transitioning to an all-electric fleet.

During the launch of the extended fleet in North Lincolnshire, Scunthorpe MP Holly-Mumby Croft said: “It was brilliant to go along with my neighbouring MP Andrew Percy and have a look at the new mopeds that North Lincs Council are rolling out. The clean, green and affordable mopeds can be rented by eligible North Lincs residents to help them get to work or college. This is a really great scheme. Being unable to get about can be one of the biggest barriers, especially for younger people. Don’t worry I didn’t ride off without a helmet!”

Reflecting on the Wheels to Work scheme, Richard Jordan, CEO at Super Soco UK, the UK’s top-selling electric motorcycle brand in 2021 and supplier for the Wheels to Work scheme, said: “The growing popularity of the Wheels to Work scheme has indicated to councils throughout the country that it is time to start offering commuters with a sustainable option for personal transport to work. It is clear that public transport is not always the best choice for commuting to work, especially in a post-pandemic world. So offering commuters with a clean, sustainable safe alternative has displayed the demand for such schemes across the country.

“Where public transport has dominated in larger cities, for more rural areas and less connected smaller towns, the Wheels to Work scheme, provides workers with quick, affordable, easy transport. As we all begin to consciously become more sustainable and control our carbon footprints, these schemes allow people the freedom and liberties to travel cleanly and control their environmental impact.

It is now time for other counties in the UK to follow North Lincolnshire and Tees Valley’s lead and begin offering constituents with a safe, sustainable form of personal transport.”

 

About Super Soco UK and GreenMo UK

Super Soco UK is the UK’s most popular brand of electric motorbikes and mopeds, with more than 60 dealers across the UK.  GreenMo UK provides Super Soco mopeds and motorcycles, alongside e-bikes, to the most demanding delivery fleets in the UK. Super Soco UK and GreenMo UK are part of the Go Green group, which operates over 35,000 electric vehicles in 8 countries across Europe.  .

 

Careers, Climate, News

A green future for Wales: Over 60,000 jobs could be created in the green economy by 2022

A report published by Careers Wales, the national careers advice service in Wales, reveals more than 60,000 new green jobs could be created by 2022 within the Welsh economy.

Careers Wales’ recent ‘Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market in Wales’ report shows how the transformation towards a greener economy will lead to a growing eco-industry and, ultimately, to greater employment opportunities in Wales.

Green jobs are increasing as businesses work to comply with environmental impact policies. A ‘green job’ encompasses roles that deliver goods and services which are likely to help the UK generate lower emissions of greenhouse gases, the ‘greening’ of existing jobs, and the development of green skills.

Careers Wales report analysing Wales’ green economy during 2020-21 identifies the increase in demand for green jobs from online job postings across 366 job titles for the sector.  A 72% increase in the number of ‘green jobs’ over the last five years is a good indicator of increased job opportunities.

Wales TUC estimate over 60,000 indirect and 45,500 direct jobs could be created as part of the green recovery over a 2-year period with government investment in key projects.

Having the right skills and training in place will be crucial for ensuring a green future for Wales in delivering good quality livelihoods whilst supporting rapid decarbonisation and improving biodiversity.

The most in-demand green jobs by unique employer postings over the last year in Wales include:

  • Recycling Managers with 244 postings
  • Environmental Health officers with 89 postings
  • Environmental health and safety specialists with 89 posting.

While there has been a strong increase in demand for specific green jobs, these roles are only a small share of the rising green demand. Wider green skills across jobs in other sectors are increasing at an even more rapid pace, with around 70,000 more green skills career opportunities available in the UK from 2018 to 2021.

As well as being its own specialist sector, the ‘greening’ of existing roles means green skills and jobs are in demand in other industries such as construction, manufacturing, engineering and science, as businesses transition to comply with various statutory obligations relating to social impact, reducing waste and omissions and the race to achieve net zero globally.

There is high demand for green jobs in skilled technical trades such as energy efficiency, environmental services, and renewable energy, as well as job prospects at the lower end of the skills spectrum including process and machine operatives in environmental services.

When looking at the advertised salaries for all jobs against green jobs over the last 5 years in Wales, Careers Wales’ report shows how, on average, green job postings paid £1,504 more than others, with green jobs averaging a salary of £26,644 per annum.

Nikki Lawrence, Chief Executive at Careers Wales, said: “It’s great to see the demand for talent with green jobs and skills increase as businesses develop their commitments and actions to achieve climate and sustainability goals.

“The environmental transformation will expose skills gaps, offering wider job opportunities to the young people of Wales, as well as for those looking to change their career or upskill and grow in their current role within businesses adjusting to a greener economy.”

Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, said: “The national political agenda towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is accelerating the demand for specialists and new ‘green’ jobs are emerging across all sectors.

“Reports highlight the substantial growth of the green economy, especially in the last two years, and this is set to progress with the level of job creation being significant compared to existing numbers.

“The growing industry presents a great opportunity for young people in Wales to enter a new world of work, with the potential to provide long-term employment and create greener communities for us all.”

Careers Wales provides inclusive and impartial careers guidance and coaching service to the people of Wales. From helping you to plan your career and preparing to get a job, to finding and applying for the right apprenticeships, courses and training, Careers Wales experts are available to provide you with personalised careers support tailored to you.

Is there a particular green job that interests you? Search ‘Careers Wales Job Information’ to find out what the job involves, what the pay is like, and how to get in. You can also browse through a number of green industries such as Energy and Utilities and Environmental and Conservation to explore other green careers you could enter.

For more information search Careers Wales, call free on 0800 028 4844, speak via the webchat, or email post@careerswales.gov.wales.

 

Climate, Logistics, News

Another Year Passes and The Climate Change Deadline Looms Ever Closer

Written by Mark Perera, CEO, Vizibl

As 2022 gets underway, we are reminded once again that the 2030 climate change deadline looms ever nearer. The key goal is to keep global warming to 1.5˚C – a task which, despite the efforts of global leaders at the UN’s Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November last year, remains a herculean undertaking.

The ‘what, why, when, and how’ we should tackle this pressing issue were key topics for discussion and debate at our recent Decade of our Lives event. I therefore thought it worth sharing a recap of the key discussion points, from our expert cast of practitioner speakers who shared their insights around climate, carbon, and the Scope 3 challenge.

 

Actions beats inaction, every time

The Decade of our Lives: Climate, Carbon and the Scope 3 Challenge event highlighted not only the scale of the task facing businesses and the world at large, but also the ticking clock that’s becoming ever-present in our lives. In his keynote, “Action beats inaction, every time”, Jim Massey, Chief Sustainability Officer of Zai Lab, and former VP ESG of AstraZeneca, outlined just how urgent the challenge has become. He commented: “As a former high school athlete, it has always been exciting to watch the countdown of the clock, the end of the game,” he says. “This, however, is a very different feeling for me. This is literally life and death. This isn’t walking off the court a winner or a loser.”

Jim put forward a compelling case for not only action, but the importance of immediacy. He reminded us all that for every five weeks that pass, another 1% of the decade slips away too. The urgency of this call to action is ever-present in my mind as I write this article.

One unsettling takeaway from our event was that as temperature rises continue to march on at an unforgiving pace, the planet has already warmed by 1.1˚C, further emphasising the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead if we are to limit warming to 1.5˚C. Given the power in procurement’s hands to contribute significantly to the climate change challenge before us, Jim is intent on ensuring this isn’t just seen as a daunting task, but as an opportunity to drive change.

 

Being an early adopter is not easy

However, not every decision will be easy. He reminded us that “It’s a challenge to be an early adopter,” recounting his own experiences in an electric car during a period when chargers were few and far between. He added: “One charger was broken, and we had to wait 30 minutes while another vehicle was charging. It’s tough to be an early adopter when the infrastructure isn’t fully there. It’s about how you bring others along and how you maintain your patience. The actions you’re going to take in the next five weeks might feel uncomfortable – but if you don’t do that action, then who will?”

There were those who said that the pandemic would derail the UK’s sustainability drive and that the desire to fight climate change would instead be replaced by something more fundamental – a scramble for businesses to survive. But, if anything, the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic has merely served to emphasise just how critical tackling global warming is. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it has gained pace during COVID-19.

 

Collaboration is key

Cesare Guarini, the Director of Sustainability Procurement of Philip Morris International, emphasised the importance of collaboration during the event. Using a powerful quote from British explorer Robert Swann – the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles – he reminded us that “the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” This statement, he argued, illustrates that this isn’t a crisis that can be solved by individuals working alone: we are all accountable, and this, at its basis, is a collective issue.

This is a fact that Emir Sassi, Global Head of Procurement Sustainability at Novartis, knows only too well.

Novartis is a company that has committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, and during the conference Sassi admitted, to some extent, that this very public commitment represents a giant step into the unknown, saying: “We didn’t necessarily know what needed to be done – we just knew that we needed to get there.”

It’s that kind of bold, can-do attitude which now typifies the approach companies are taking to the environment, and it’s refreshing and impressive in equal measure. Novartis has spent 2021 segmenting its supply base and identifying which suppliers are necessary to work with in order to achieve its sustainability ambitions, a clear demonstration that alignment and collaboration within supply chains is at the core of this fight.

 

Powerful developments in sustainability

And finally, Deborah Dull, an expert and thought leader on circular supply chains, spoke about the exciting developments taking place in the sustainability space, highlighting the fact that technology is moving rapidly in areas like carbon capture, avenues of regeneration that would have seemed impossible just a short time ago and are now within reach.

“We only have 0.4˚C left [until the 1.5˚C target is exceeded], so I would argue that we don’t have ten years, we have eight months,” she says. “Therefore, we really have to get our act together at this point. The regeneration piece becomes critical for us. We need to start imagining a different type of supply chain, a different type of operating model and business model and certainly different materials.”

Regeneration, collective responsibility, collaboration, and cautious positivity were four key takeaways from an event which not only illustrated the collective desire for action in procurement, supply chain, and sustainability functions, but also reminded everyone collectively that the future starts now.

The next five weeks signify 1% of the most important decade of our lives. And now is the time, as you start to put in place plans for 2022, to look at what you can do immediately to get closer to this target. This is the single most important decade for climate action, and change must happen now. Millions of lives will depend on it.