Steve Smith Profile picture
Jun 25, 2020 8 tweets 3 min read Read on X
A key @theCCCuk chart on whether the UK is on track.

They may not want to say this, but might the 5th Carbon Budget be in the bag despite the lack of policy progress? (1/n)

theccc.org.uk/publication/re… Image
The projection on the above chart was made in 2018. Very much pre-lockdown. The CCC report notes that estimates for UK 2020 emissions now range from a 2% to a 13% decline on 2019.

(2/n)
If we start from a 2 or 13% reduction in 2020 and continue the 2018 projections forward, you get the range within the dark blue dotted lines here:

(3/n) Image
Looks like the 5th carbon budget (the final grey bar) is within reach. And given recent trends I believe the lower end of that range more than the upper end.

(4/n)
Several caveats of course, including that a) post-Covid is not likely to be a simple continuation of the projection from a revised 2020 point - we could simply bounce back to old ways, or perhaps push emissions down further with a green recovery...

(5/n)
... and b) carbon budgets are measured against the "net carbon account", not these lines (it's complicated).

(6/n)
But will we see more of what we have seen so far, which is carbon budgets met by a combination of limited climate policies and lower-than-expected demand growth?

(7/n)
Also @theCCCuk making pretty clear that the 6th Carbon Budget will be another big step down. Carbon Budgets 1-5 were all set on the path to an 80% cut, not #NetZero.

(8/8)

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More from @stv_smth

Dec 20, 2023
UK government today unveils some new detail on plans to support greenhouse gas removal:



A good step forward for supporting CCS-based removal methods. Still some details to iron out... (1/6)gov.uk/government/pub…
Key points:
* the plans follow the "contracts for difference" model which has worked well for scaling renewable power in the UK
* 15 yr contracts
* an approach to defining cost elements eligible for inclusion...

(2/6)
* a review published of standards and methodologies:

Will be worth a read, but still work to do on deciding how removals will actually be measured...

(3/6)erm.com/public-informa…
Read 6 tweets
Nov 22, 2022
So, what were the developments in carbon removal at #COP27?

A thread picking out some points across equity, innovation, reporting & accounting, and the texts...🧵
Equity:

On the one hand, carbon capture & storage (CCS) was in discussions, pushed mainly by fossil fuel interests. CCS on fossil fuel isn't carbon removal, but the same infrastructure applies. Inherited skepticism is therefore a real issue for removals.

climatechangenews.com/2022/11/13/oil…
On the other hand, the draft cover text initially included a call for developed countries to go net negative by 2030:

unfccc.int/documents/6241…

Obviously it didn't last, but it shows that "beyond zero" is now part of the discussion around fairness.
Read 12 tweets
Oct 26, 2021
UNEP Emissions Gap Report out today.

unep.org/resources/emis…

Headline: the gap is very much still there!

But also... (1/n)
Lots of countries have been pledging to go #NetZero in the longer term. This year's report has a chapter zooming in on these #NetZero targets. Here are some key messages...
1. If we want to limit climate change to 2°C, 1.5°C, or any other level for that matter, we need global #NetZero.

Meeting the 1.5°C limit implies getting there for CO2 around 2050.
Read 13 tweets
Oct 20, 2021
A thread on one of the new bits in the #NetZeroStrategy: greenhouse gas removals (GGR)...
There are many ways to do removal. @GOVUK splits them between biology (e.g. trees and soils, which it puts in the “Natural Resources” part of its strategy) and engineering.

Here I’ll focus on the engineered ones, but the biological ones are worth a thread, too 🌲🌳🟫
The strategy lists these specific engineered removal approaches as deployable: BECCS, DACCS, wood in construction, enhanced weathering and biochar.

gov.uk/government/pub…
Read 22 tweets
Oct 19, 2021
The new #NetZeroStrategy from @GOVUK:

gov.uk/government/pub…

Here are all the key commitments in one 🧵...
Power
Fuel supply and hydrogen
Read 9 tweets
Oct 19, 2021
On the day the UK's #NetZero strategy is due out, including a strategy on GHG removal, I'm pleased to share this job opportunity:

bit.ly/3aRAHuY

Come work with us on economic policies and incentives for removals, @TheSmithSchool as part of @CO2REhub
It's a 2yr postdoc position, working with the likes of @SamFankhauser, @ElizBaldwin, @abhaney, @camjhep, me and the wider @CO2REhub team...
Incentives are one of *the* key things missing to scale GHG removal successfully - and this is vital for achieving #NetZero (alongside cutting emissions, obvs).

theconversation.com/climate-change…
Read 5 tweets

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