Panicking about the UN’s scary Emissions Gap Report is a waste of time – here’s what to do instead

Published

2 years ago

October 27, 2022

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The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) just released its Emissions Gap Report 2022 – and let’s just say, the news isn’t good. So brace yourselves: You’re likely to see a slew of frightening, doom-mongering headlines about it today, unleashing a fresh wave of terror over those of us who care about the planet. But rather than panicking, here’s what to do instead.

What the UN’s Emissions Gap Report says

The 99-page report’s title is: “The Closing Window: Climate crisis calls for rapid transformation of societies.”

The UNEP really isn’t messing around with that title, is it?

It undoubtedly wants to light a fire under the bottoms of world leaders ahead of November’s 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, aka COP27, in Egypt. But my heart sank when I read that the UNEP views the year between COP26 and now as “a wasted year.”

Inger Andersen, the UNEP’s executive director, states in the report’s foreword that nations are procrastinating action to fight climate change, and this is what all countries must do:

To get on track to limiting global warming to 1.5°C, we would need to cut 45% off current greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. For 2°C, we would need to cut 30%.

A stepwise approach is no longer an option.

And then Andersen summarizes the part where hope lies – in action:

This report tells us how to go about such a transformation. It looks in-depth at the changes needed in electricity supply, industry, transport, buildings and food systems. It looks at how to reform financial systems so that these urgent transformations can be adequately financed.

She then says something that I found deeply jarring:

Is it a tall order to transform our systems in just eight years? Yes. Can we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by so much in that timeframe? Perhaps not. But we must try.

“Perhaps not.”

An alternative to panic

So after I read over the UNEP’s embargoed report documents, I could feel the climate change anxiety setting in, so I do what I usually do on such occasions: I went into the forest near my house in Vermont to regroup. I dug in the soil and the leaves with my bare hands, getting gloriously dirty. It’s incredibly cathartic to get earth on my face and under my fingernails. And as I was doing that, and taking deep, slow breaths, I thought about how to approach this rather overwhelming UN report.

This report, which asserts that “the international community is still falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid an accelerating climate disaster.”

And it also says really scary things like this:

Policies currently in place, without further strengthening, suggest a 2.8°C hike.

I won’t lie. I initially wanted to hide in the woods and not write this. I felt intimidated. But giving up is a form of passive panic. And the UN report most definitely does not say, “Do nothing.” Rather, I thought about what I choose to do instead of panic every day. I learn and write about clean energy and electric vehicles and batteries. I easily find inspirational things to write about (such as solar over canals, pictured above) because I regularly discover innovative scientific breakthroughs, or big milestones that inspire delight.

I drive an electric car. I am working to electrify my house with solar and storage. And as I do these things, I then share what I learn in my stories in order to make it easier for others to navigate the path to electrification.

I am also a dual US/UK citizen, and I vote in both places. I vote only for people who want to fight for our planet. Thank you, Joe Biden, for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which are catalysts for climate action in the US now. (Doesn’t that count in the “wasted year,” UNEP?) And Boris Johnson, you are a hot mess, but I appreciated you championing clean energy. Rishi Sunak, you must now do the right thing.

Look for the helpers

However – I’m not a scientist. So while digging furiously in the dirt and the leaves, I decided to “look for the helpers,” so to speak. (What can I say? I find Fred Rogers comforting.)

The expert I really wanted to talk to was Michael Mann. He is the presidential distinguished professor and director, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media, at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s a climatologist and geophysicist, and he also thinks panic is a waste of time.

Here is Professor Mann’s take on UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2022:

Hi Michelle,

I would quibble with some of the claims made. They just don’t stand up to the actual peer-reviewed literature.

The claim that “Climate pledges leave the world on track for a temperature rise of 2.4-2.6°C by the end of this century” is misleading if not outright false.

The most comprehensive peer-reviewed work on this, published by a leading team of modeling experts in April in the leading journal Nature, shows that COP26 commitments can keep warming below 2C if they are kept in full and on time.

Where the report is correct is that more work clearly needs to be done if warming is to be kept below 1.5C.

Just months ago, however, nobody foresaw the major policy advances in both Australia and the US with the election of a pro-action Labor government in the former case, and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act by a 50/50 Senate in the latter case. It is estimated that the legislation will lower US emissions by 40% this decade, which puts us very close to our emissions reduction target. And with US leadership, we can expect other major emitters to now come to the table at COP27.

But I would once again emphasize that more has to be done, and those who care about the defining challenge of our time — the climate crisis — need to turn out in droves in the upcoming midterm elections. The president is constrained in what he can do, particularly given the punitive agenda of the current conservative majority on the US Supreme Court. That means it is necessary for Congress to take a leadership role.

The Inflation Reduction Act represents real progress, but only with a larger climate-friendly majority in the Senate will it be possible to pass even more aggressive climate legislation in the US.

Don’t hesitate to let me know if any of this can use further elaboration.

Thanks,

Mike

The UN and Michael Mann align on the fact that more needs to be done.

But not panicking doesn’t mean resting on your laurels. It means actually doing your part. No more “blah blah blah.” And that’s not just a directive for world leaders. That’s a responsibility everyone has to take.

Insulate your house. Get an electric bike. Turn your heating down. Tap into the Inflation Reduction Act rebate for money for a heat pump. Go solar, as it’ll also save you money on your electric bill. Write your representative. Vote for the candidate who will fight climate change. Compost. Never stop learning. Drive an EV sooner rather than later.

Every small change makes a difference.

UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

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Environment

A 100-MW solar farm just broke ground in Wisconsin

Published

15 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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A 100-MW solar farm just broke ground in Wisconsin

Wisconson solar — Image: National Grid Renewables

National Grid Renewables has broken ground on its 100 MW Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin solar farm, which will use US-made First Solar Series 6 Plus bifacial modules, will be constructed by The Boldt Company, creating 150 construction and service jobs. Apple River Solar will generate over $36 million in direct economic benefits over its first 20 years.

Once it comes online in late 2025, Apple River Solar will supply clean energy to Xcel Energy, which serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest. According to National Grid Renewables, the solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 26,000 homes annually. It will also offset about 129,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to taking 30,900 cars off the road.

“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”

Electrek reported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.

To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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Environment

Tesla announces 500 kW charging as it finally delivers V4 Supercharger cabinets

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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Tesla announces 500 kW charging as it finally delivers V4 Supercharger cabinets

Tesla has announced that it will finally deliver 500 kW charging as it is about to install its long-awaited V4 Supercharger cabinets.

The rollout of Supercharger V4 has been a strange one, to say the least.

Tesla has been deploying the new charging stations for two years and calling them “Supercharger V4”, but it has only been deploying the charging stalls.

Supercharger stations are made of two main parts: the stalls, which are where the charging cable is located, and the cabinets, which are generally located further back and include all the power electronics.

For all these new “Supercharger V4”, Tesla was actually using Supercharger V3 cabinets. This has been limiting the power output of the charging stations to 250 kW – although

Today, Tesla officially announced its “V4 Cabinet”, which the automaker claims will enable of “delivering up to 500kW for cars and 1.2MW for Semi.”

Here are the main features of the V4 Cabinet as per Tesla:

Faster charging: Supports 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, including 30% faster charging for Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles enjoy 250kW charge rates they already experience on V3 Cabinet — charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
Faster deployments: V4 Cabinet powers 8 posts, 2X the stalls per cabinet. Lower footprint and complexity = more sites coming online faster.
Next-generation hardware: Cutting-edge power electronics designed to be the most reliable on the planet, with 3X power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.

Tesla reports that its first sites with the new V4 Cabinets are going into permitting now. The company expects its first sites to open next year.

We recently reported about Tesla’s new Oasis Supercharger project, which includes larger solar arrays and battery packs to operate the charging station mostly off-grid.

Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.

While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.

Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:

It took about 8 years, but it sounds like the pieces are now getting actually in place with Supercharger V4, Megapacks, and this new Oasis project.

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Environment

Hyundai is launching an AI-powered EV next year to keep pace in China

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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Hyundai is launching an AI-powered EV next year to keep pace in China

Hyundai has a new secret weapon it’s about ready to unleash. To revamp the brand in China and counter BYD’s surge, Hyundai is launching a new AI-powered EV next year. The new model will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car for the world’s largest EV market.

With the help of Haomo, a Chinese autonomous startup, Hyundai will launch its first EV equipped with generative AI. It will also be its first model designed specifically for China.

A Hyundai Motor official said (via The Korea Herald) the company is “working to load the software” onto the new EV model, “which will be released in the Chinese market next year.” The spokesperson added, “The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5.”

In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is considered a level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) on the SAE scale (0 to 5), meaning it offers limited hands-free features.

With Autopilot, you still have to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, or the system will notify you and eventually disengage.

Haomo’s system, DriveGPT, unveiled last spring, takes inspiration from the OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.

The system can continuously update in real-time to optimize decision-making by absorbing traffic data patterns. According to Haomo, DriveGPT is used in around 20 models as it looks to play a bigger role in China.

Hyundai hopes new AI-powered EV boosts sales in China

Electric vehicle sales continue surging in China. According to Rho Motion, China set another EV sales record last month with 1.2 million units sold, up 50% from October 2023.

Over 8.4 million EVs were sold in China in the first ten months of 2024, a notable 38% increase from last year.

BYD continues to dominate its home market. According to Autovista24, BYD accounted for 32.9% of all PHEV and EV (NEV) sales in China through September, with over half of the top 20 best-selling EV models.

Tesla was second with a 6.5% share of the market, but keep in mind these numbers only include plug-in models (PHEV).

2025-Hyundai-IONIQ-5-prices — 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 (Source: Hyundai)

Like most foreign automakers, Hyundai is struggling to keep up with the influx of low-cost electric models in China. Beijing Hyundai’s sales have been slipping since 2017. Through September, Korean automaker’s share of the Chinese market fell to just 1.2%.

Last month, Hyundai opened its first overseas digital R&D center in China to help kick off its return to the region.

According to local reports, Hyundai is partnering with other local tech companies like Thundersoft, a smart cockpit provider, and others in China to power up its next-gen EVs

With its first AI-powered EV launching next year, Hyundai hopes to turn things around in the region quickly. The new model will be one of five to launch in China through 2026.

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