Remarkable renewable energy expansion
Plus some surprising good news for insects and saving trees in conflict zones
Good morning! I’m Sarah Hartley and this is The Northern Eco’s curated Sunday read from across the globe, The Planet on Sunday. As you’ve received this newsletter then either you subscribed, or someone forwarded it to you. If the latter, then you can return the favour using the handy little button below. The free weekly newsletter from the north of England will be back on Tuesday as usual and includes the latest on river pollution.
🔌 Renewable energy didn’t just grow last year — it expanded at a pace not seen in years. Given this positive news it seemed a good opportunity to look more closely at how this expansion is taking off around the world.
An estimated 507 gigawatts of renewable electricity were added to grids around the world in 2023 — a new record, and an almost 50 percent year-over-year increase from 2022. That’s the fastest growth rate renewable additions have seen in over two decades.
Solar — both utility-scale and rooftop — is the undisputed leader when it comes to new generation. Over 370 gigawatts of solar power were installed around the world in 2023, equal to about three-quarters of the new renewable energy built last year, according to the latest report by the International Energy Agency.
Maria Virginia Olano at Canary Media reports on how, from a geographic perspective, China continues to far outpace every other country; it built as much new solar capacity last year as the entire world did in 2022.
“That blistering growth is expected to continue in the years to come, with the European Union and the United States trailing behind as the second- and third-largest growth regions for renewables. This record-setting growth helped push the global grid to a cleaner mix than ever before. Last year, renewables made up about 30 percent of total electricity generation, up from 25 percent in 2018.”
China’s dominance might soon be threatened. India wants to build a solar manufacturing ecosystem to rival China as Monika Mondal at Climate Home News reports.
“The Indian government wants to supply solar PV to its domestic market and the world. But dependence on its geopolitical rival for components and technology makes it a challenging task.
Analysts at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa) say India’s rise as a manufacturer of solar PV could one day make a dent in China’s dominance.”
🐞 Insect populations flourish in the restored habitats of solar energy facilities
Two solar sites were planted with native grasses and flowering plants in early 2018 and then subjected to 358 observational surveys for flowering vegetation and insect communities, writes Marguerite Huber, at phys.org.
"The effort to obtain these data was considerable, returning to each site four times per summer to record pollinator counts," said Heidi Hartmann, manager of the Land Resources and Energy Policy Program in Argonne's Environmental Sciences division, and one of the study's co-authors. "Over time we saw the numbers and types of flowering plants increase as the habitat matured. Measuring the corresponding positive impact for pollinators was very gratifying."
By the end of the field campaign, the team had observed increases for all habitat and biodiversity metrics. There was an increase in native plant species diversity and flower abundance. In addition, the team observed increases in the abundance and diversity of native insect pollinators and agriculturally beneficial insects, which included honeybees, native bees, wasps, hornets, hoverflies, other flies, moths, butterflies and beetles. Flowers and flowering plant species increased as well.
Around the planet
🇵🇸 In Gaza
The war in Gaza is estimated to have killed more than 25,000 people and forcibly displaced thousands more. The human suffering is incalculable, but the damage to Earth's life support systems is not. According to one analysis (peer review pending), Israel's aerial bombardment and ground assault in Gaza in the first two months of the conflict generated the equivalent of 281,000 tonnes of CO₂ – the same as burning 150,000 tonnes of coal. Jack Marley at The Conversation presents more here.
🇾🇪 In Yemen
Amidst ongoing conflict, efforts to save a tree are threatened. On Yemen’s Socotra island, poverty and political disruption hinder efforts to give its prized dragon’s blood tree a future. This story is part of a collaboration between Ensia and Egab exploring environmental efforts by communities facing potentially more urgent concerns such as war and poverty. Egab is a media startup that helps young local journalists from across the Middle East and Africa get published in regional and international media outlets, with a focus on solutions journalism. Read the article here.
Take Action: If you’d like to support the work of the Conflict and Environment Observatory you can donate via the button below:
🇺🇲 In the USA
Plastic bag bans have already prevented billions of bags from being used. Over the past several years, U.S. cities and states have passed hundreds of policies restricting the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags. A new report says these laws have largely succeeded in their goal of reducing plastic bag use, Joseph Winters at Grist reports.
🇬🇧 In the UK
Key climate language is poorly understood by the majority of people in the UK. Terms such as ‘green’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ understood only by minority, says study. The research involved focus groups and a nationally representative online survey of 1,000 UK adults as Sandra Laville at The Guardian, reports.
🔥 In Borneo
Power of Mama: the women firefighters of West Borneo. The Power of Mama is a women firefighters association in Ketapang, West Borneo. Their goal is to stop arsonists who 'slash and burn' to clear the land, causing polluting peat fires. Watch the video from the BBC here.
🇹🇭 In Thailand
Thai lawmakers earlier this month endorsed a bill aimed at improving Thailand's poor air quality, clearing the way for the kingdom's parliament to start debating draft legislation. For years, environmentalist groups have been pushing for new laws to combat Thailand's unhealthy air pollution levels. But why is Thailand keen on such a law, and how will it work? Tommy Walker at DW reports.
🇨🇦 In Canada
When the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announced plans to build a multibillion-dollar ‘gigafactory’ in Quebec, the proposal was heralded as a win for Canada’s ambitions to become a global green energy powerhouse – and lauded as an environmentally sensitive project which would minimize harmful emissions. Four months later, however, protestors are describing the sprawling plant an “ecocidal disgrace”, and driving steel bars and nails into trees, to prevent the company from clearcutting forests and destroying wetlands ahead of construction, writes Leyland Cecco for The Guardian.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Northern Eco to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.