Posted on 14 February 2021 by John Hartz

Story of the Week...

IEA: India is on ‘cusp of a solar-powered revolution’ 

Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash 

India is entering a “solar-powered revolution” that will see it edge out coal as the nation’s top electricity source, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Solar power currently makes up just 4% of the nation’s power supply, but it is set to grow 18-fold and become the new “king of India’s generation fleet” by at least 2040.

The IEA’s India Energy Outlook 2021 finds that the energy demand of the world’s third-largest emitter will expand more than any other nation over the next two decades, edging out the EU to make it the third largest consumer.

Under existing policies, India’s emissions are also expected to grow by 50% during this period, offsetting all the cuts in European emissions.

Even then, its per-capita emissions will still be “well below” the global average, the IEA says, given that India has the world’s second largest populace with an estimated 1.39bn people.

The report also considers how a combination of coal shutdowns and new technologies, such as hydrogen and carbon capture, could get India on a path to net-zero emissions for its energy sector by the mid-2060s.

As the nation continues to industrialise and expand its cities, IEA executive director Dr Fatih Birol says that “all roads to successful global clean energy transitions go via India”. 

Click here to access the entire article as originally published on the Carbon Brief website.

IEA: India is on ‘cusp of a solar-powered revolution’ by Josh Gabbatiss, Energy, Carbon Brief, Feb 9, 2021

El Niño/La Niña Update...

February 2021 ENSO update: library time 

La Niña is still here, but forecasters estimate about a 60% chance that neutral conditions will return this spring. By the fall, the chance that La Niña will return is approximately equal to the chance that it will not. Let’s take a stroll around ENSO’s eclectic bookshelf and see what we can learn. 

Click here to access the entire article as originally published on the Climate.gov website. 

February 2021 ENSO update: library time by Emily Becker, ENSO Blog, NOAA's Climate .gov, Feb 11, 2021

Toon of the Week...

Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page.

SkS Spotlights... 

Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab

CAT*'s new Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab helps turn climate emergency declarations into action, sharing zero carbon solutions to help build resilience where you live.

We provide local authorities, businesses, institutions and community groups with the confidence, skills and understanding to help achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

With technical solutions readily available, the momentum coming from towns and cities to get to net zero is the political and cultural challenge of our generation.

The Zero Carbon Britain Innovation Lab tackles the specific barriers to transforming the complex economic, social and political dynamics here in the UK, and beyond. Working with others, we test and prototype solutions, and create routes for a sustainable future for all.

*Centre for Alternative Technology Charity Limited 

Click here to access the home page of the CAT website.  

Coming Soon on SkS...

• Tips on countering conspiracy theories and misinformation (Baerbel)
• Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessment (Bob Henson)
• SkS New Research for Week #7(Doug Bostrom)
• Drought-stricken Colorado River Basin could see additional 20% drop in water flow by 2050 (Jan Ellen Spiegel)
• Why avoiding climate change maladaptation is vital (Dr Lisa Schipper, Dr Morgan Scoville-Simonds & Dr Katharine Vincent)
• 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #8 (John Hartz)
• 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8 (John Hartz)

Climate Feedback Article Review...

Breitbart article makes numerous false claims about the impacts of climate change, based on Global Warming Policy Foundation post

Analysis of "Study Disputes That Earth Is in a ‘Climate Emergency’"

Published in Breitbart, by Indur Goklany, James Delingpole on Feb 7, 2021

Click here to access the detailed analysis of this claim by a panel of experts. 

Breitbart article makes numerous false claims about the impacts of climate change, based on Global Warming Policy Foundation post, Edited by Nikki Forrester, Article Reviews, Climate Feedback, Feb 12, 2021

SkS Week in Review... 

• Sun: 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #6 by John Hartz (SkS Original)
• Mon: How long might the Arctic's 'Last Ice' area endure? by Peter Sinclair (Yale Climate Connections Repost
• Tue: Environmentalists' Climate Change Myths by Climate Adam (YouTube Video)
• Wed: Skeptical Science New Research for Week #6, 2021 by Doug Bostrom (SkS Original)
• Thu: Investors flee Big Oil as portfolios get drilled by Karin Kirk (Yale Climate Connections)
• Fri: Scientists sceptical of new bat study linking climate change to Covid-19 emergence by Ayesha Taylor (Carbon Brief)
• Sat: 2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #7 by John Hartz (SkS Original)

Poster of the Week...