Companies Russian and Turkish companies sign oil and gas MoUs in Algeria 21 Apr 2020 The Algerian oil and gas company Sonatrach has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Zarubezhneft (Russia) and TPAO (Turkey) to discuss opportunities to invest in oil and gas exploration, development and production in Algeria. Read more Couche-Tard…
Volume 1 Issue 4, April 2020 Comment Comment | 30 March 2020 Historical records of volcanic eruptions deserve more attention To reduce the risks and uncertainty that surround volcanic eruptions, attention must be given to all available data. Historical records can provide insight into past eruptions, as well as the…
Companies MOL closes acquisition of Chevron’s assets in Azerbaijan 20 Apr 2020 Chevron has closed the sales of its non-operated exploration and production (E&P) and midstream assets in Azerbaijan to the Hungarian oil and gas company MOL, after it received government and regulatory approvals. The two companies had agreed on the…
¿Hacia dónde va la política ambiental mexicana? Rafael Robles de Benito || La Jornada Maya || Viernes 17 de abril, 2019 Incentivar la agroecología En cosa de un par de días cayeron en mis manos dos artículos que me han hecho preguntarme de nuevo si hay en nuestro país algo…
Volume 3 Issue 4, April 2020 Optimal cropland use Rising food demand and the rising land use and environmental ills of agriculture are clashing. Folberth and colleagues find that locating crops and applying fertilizers optimally could reduce required cropland globally by about half. See Folberth et al. Image: Frans lemmens…
Policy & Regulatory Massachusetts (US) doubles its solar support programme to 3.2 GW 17 Apr 2020 The state of Massachusetts (United States) has published anemergency regulation with immediate effect to its Solar MassachusettsRenewable Target (SMART) programme. The new regulation doubles the solarcapacity supported by the programme from 1.6 GW to 3.2 GW…
Policy & Regulatory India is considering mandatory hydropower purchases for States 16 Apr 2020 The Indian government is considering introducing mandatory hydropower procurement targets for State distribution companies, which would have to meet part of their power requirements with hydropower. The proposed obligation would be similar to renewable power purchase…
Reflexiones desde la pandemia Rafael Robles de Benito || La Jornada Maya || Miércoles 15 de abril, 2020 Noticias del encierro Grandes plumas, escritores de veras, han dedicado páginas brillantes para hablar de lo que nos pasa cuando enfrentamos una epidemia. Ahí está La gran plaga de Londres, de Daniel…
Policy & Regulatory Virginia’s new renewable law targets over 20 GW of renewable capacity (US) 15 Apr 2020 The governor of the US state of Virginia (8.5 million inhabitants) has signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act into law that aims at boosting the state’s renewable power capacity, by raising the limit…
Policy & Regulatory Chile’s updated NDC strengthens GHG emissions cap by 2030 14 Apr 2020 The government of Chile has presented its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), presenting its climate commitments to 2030 with a view to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The updated NDC replaces the previous emission intensity…
Policy & Regulatory China’s NDRC finalizes 2020 solar subsidy policy 10 Apr 2020 The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China has finalised its solar PV subsidy policy for 2020, taking into account the permitting rules set by the National Energy Administration (NEA) for the construction of new projects. Distributed PV…
Financiarización de la naturaleza, Tren Maya y ecología política Rafael Robles de Benito || La Jornada Maya || Jueves 9 de abril, 2020 Asumir que por tratarse de un fideicomiso se desatará un proceso especulativo es confundir el remedio con el trapito Hace algunos días apareció en La Jornada un…
Policy & Regulatory Vietnam approves new FiTs for solar power projects 9 Apr 2020 The government of Vietnam has unveiled new feed-in tariff rates for utility-scale, rooftop and floating solar PV projects. The new text determines FiT prices based on three technology types: ground-mounted solar energy projects will receive VND1,644/kWh…
Lucía Madrid / Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible En los pasados 30 años, México logró importantes avances en consolidar una institucionalidad ambiental, que incluye tanto la creación de instituciones como la aprobación de legislación en la materia y el desarrollo de instrumentos para su implementación. Partiendo de reconocer…
Companies ExxonMobil will cut its capital expenditures by 30% in 2020 to US$23bn 8 Apr 2020 ExxonMobil has reduced its 2020 investment plans by 30% from US$33bn to US$23bn. Most of the capital expenditure cut will be located in the Permian Basin in western Texas and in the south-eastern New…
Policy & Regulatory Switzerland will liberalise its power market in early 2021 7 Apr 2020 Switzerland will go ahead with plans to open the electricity market for all customers, with the introduction of an amendment to the Electricity Supply Law (loi sur l’approvisionnement en électricité, LApEl) by early 2021. So far,…
Volume 4 Issue 4, April 2020 City heat Genetically distinct populations of urban lizards, such as male crested anoles (Anolis cristatellus) in Puerto Rico, provide an opportunity to understand rapid parallel evolution of complex thermal traits. A single non-synonymous polymorphism associated with heat tolerance plasticity may explain how these urban…
Volume 10 Issue 4, April 2020 Economic dynamics of coal phase out Coal use is responsible for a large proportion of climate damages, including carbon dioxide emissions, and contributes to public health problems such as respiratory diseases. In this issue, a study by Sebastian Rauner and colleagues shows that phasing…
Policy & Regulatory The US DoE will lease space for 30 mbl of oil in emergency reserve 6 Apr 2020 The US Department of Energy (DoE) has decided to make 30 mbl of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s (SPR’s) oil storage capacity available to US oil producers that are negatively affected by the…
GLOCALFILIA || La Crónica de Hoy || 31 de marzo 2020 Los virus son omnipresentes y cumplen funciones muy importantes en el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y en los procesos evolutivos. Contribuyen a los equilibrios dinámicos entre la diversidad de especies y su distribución y abundancia de sus poblaciones en la biosfera. También…
Policy & Regulatory The Netherlands unveils planned 2023-2030 solar PV net metering scheme 3 Apr 2020 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change of the Netherlands has presented plans for the future net metering scheme for residential PV systems, that will replace the existing one expiring in 2023. The…
Daily Reports Thursday, 2 April 2020 Pandemic update Like you, we’re monitoring the global pandemic, its devastating impacts and how it has disrupted efforts to address our shared challenges. Our team extends our deepest sympathies to members of the international community who are suffering now – and who have lost loved ones….
Policy & Regulatory EU considers tighter GHG emissions cuts by 2030 to reach 2050 targets 2 Apr 2020 The European Commission has launched a public consultation on tightening the European Union’s 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target. The European Union (EU) has set a target to cut GHG emissions by 40%…
Companies Fiddler’s Ferry and Aberthaw B coal-fired power plants shut down (UK) 1 Apr 2020 SSE has closed the remaining units of its Fiddler’s Ferry coal-fired power plant in Warrington, Cheshire (United Kingdom). The power units, totalling around 1.5 GW, were idle and were the last remaining coal-fired units operated by SSE. Read…
Policy & Regulatory Japan maintains 2030 climate goals unchanged in new NDC 31 Mar 2020 Japan has submitted an update to its National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in which the country maintains its target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by…
Actualidad científica: Del 1 al 31 marzo, 2020 Planetas El plasmoide de Urano Urano es uno de los planetas menos conocidos del sistema solar. Viejos datos de la misión Voyager aportan ahora nuevos conocimientos sobre él. Microbiología Identifican un nuevo gen que otorga a las bacterias resistencia antibiótica A pesar…
Policy & Regulatory European Commission maintains EU ETS deadline despite delay calls 30 Mar 2020 The European Commission has decided to maintain the 30 April 2020 deadline for European companies to surrender emissions trading system (ETS) carbon allowances, considering that the existing rules provide enough flexibility for companies to submit verified…
Companies Tokyo Gas aims to boost its power market share in Japan 27 Mar 2020 The Japanese gas utility Tokyo Gas has released its new three-year business plan until March 2023, aiming to raise its profit by 18% to JPN 140bn (US$1.3bn) by this date. The company will focus on expanding…
Policy & Regulatory Estonia’s first renewable auction for 5 GW attracts over 16 GW of bids 26 Mar 2020 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia has received 17 bids in the first renewable energy auction, that offered 5 GW of renewable production capacity. The auction was over-subscribed,…