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Cement makers across world pledge large cut in emissions by 2030

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Construction industryCement makers across world pledge large cut in emissions by 2030Industry responsible for about 8% of CO2 emissions commits to reaching net zero by 2050 without offsetting Fiona Harvey Environment correspondentTue 12 Oct 2021 02.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 12 Oct 2021 02.01 EDTCement makers around the world have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by up to a quarter this decade and reach net zero by 2050, in a move they said would make a major difference to the prospects for the Cop26 climate summit.The industry is responsible for about 7%-8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of more than any individual country except China and the US. Cutting emissions from cement production is difficult, because the chemical processes used to make it and concrete release CO2.The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), which represents 40 of the world’s biggest producers and about 80% of the industry outside China, made the pledge on Tuesday. Several major Chinese cement and concrete companies, which account for about 20% of China’s market, have also joined.Companies have been working for more than a decade on ways to change the chemical processes and use different materials, as well as becoming more energy efficient. Tuesday’s pledge marks the first time that major producers have made a public commitment on the climate.Thomas Guillot, the chief executive of the GCCA, said: “This is an important milestone – it’s a big thing. Concrete is the second …

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India faces electricity crisis as coal supplies run critically low

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IndiaIndia faces electricity crisis as coal supplies run critically lowEight in 10 thermal power stations within days of running out as state blackouts spark protests Hannah Ellis-Petersen in DelhiMon 11 Oct 2021 21.27 EDTLast modified on Tue 12 Oct 2021 06.35 EDTIndia is facing a looming power crisis, as stocks of coal in power plants have fallen to unprecedentedly low levels and states are warning of power blackouts.States across India have issued panicked warnings that coal supplies to thermal power plants, which convert heat from coal to electricity, are running perilously low.China orders coalmines to raise production to address power crunchRead moreAccording to data from the Central Electricity Authority of India, nearly 80% of the country’s coal-fired plants were in the critical, or “supercritical” stage, meaning their stocks could run out in less than five days.Over the weekend, Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, wrote to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, that the capital “could face a blackout” if power stations did not receive more coal.States including Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar have been experiencing power cuts lasting up to 14 hours.Maharashtra shut down 13 thermal power plants and urged people to use electricity sparingly, and in Punjab three power plants halted production. Scheduled power cuts introduced in Punjab, lasting up to six hours at a time, have prompted protests.However, experts have emphasised that the power issues are not due to a shortage of domestic coal …

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California justice department to investigate enormous oil spill

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CaliforniaCalifornia justice department to investigate enormous oil spillAttorney general will seek to determine cause of spill and how it could have been prevented Mark Oliver and agenciesMon 11 Oct 2021 19.22 EDTCalifornia’s justice department is investigating the spill off the coast of Huntington Beach earlier this month, which sent thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean, the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced on Monday.The spill, from an undersea pipeline, polluted the waters near Los Angeles last weekend, blackening beaches and endangering wildlife.Bonta said the state’s justice department would work with other state, local, and federal authorities to determine the cause of the spill and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent or minimize the disaster.Officials have previously said the cause remains under investigation, and they believe the pipeline was probably damaged by a ship’s anchor several months to a year before it ruptured.Why California’s enormous oil spill won’t be its lastRead more“The oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach is an environmental disaster with far-reaching consequences for our fish and wildlife, for our communities, and for our economy,” said Bonta.Experts have warned the spill probably won’t be the state’s last, with numerous ageing oil rigs offshore.The US senator Alex Padilla of California said: “It is unacceptable that Californians are once again facing the devastating effects of an offshore oil spill. The trade-off between oil production and environmental harm is …

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What does the future hold for Calgary's empty office towers?

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After a year-and-a-half out of the office, many Canadians aren’t ready to go back — and they might not ever be ready.

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Moderna won't share its COVID-19 vaccine formula

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Moderna has no plans to share the recipe for its COVID-19 vaccine because executives have concluded that scaling up the company’s own production is the best way to increase the global supply, the company’s chairman said Monday.

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EU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rights

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BrexitEU member states to issue joint warning to UK over reduced fishing rightsFourteen countries likely to take tough stance in future talks about fisheries if access to UK waters does not improve Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Lisa O’Carroll in DublinMon 11 Oct 2021 13.38 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 17.49 EDTFourteen EU member states are preparing to issue a joint declaration accusing the British government of risking “significant economic and social damage” to their fishing communities, as wider relations appear close to breaking point.In the statement, seen by the Guardian, France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Malta and Latvia will call for the UK to act “in the spirit and the letter” of the Brexit deal struck last Christmas Eve.The governments of the UK and Jersey, a British crown dependency, have infuriated the French government in recent weeks over the reduced numbers of licences given out to small boat owners who fish in coastal waters. In a pointed sign of solidarity, the member states will make a thinly veiled threat about the likely impact on future EU-UK fisheries negotiations if the UK does not rethink its stance.The development comes at a febrile time in the EU-UK relationship, as Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner responsible for Brexit, prepares to table proposals on improving the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, warned on Monday that the EU was close to …

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Covid pandemic has pushed poor countries to record debt levels – World Bank

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World BankCovid pandemic has pushed poor countries to record debt levels – World Bank‘Tragic reversal’ has set back progress, president says, as he calls for a comprehensive plan Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Larry ElliottMon 11 Oct 2021 10.57 EDTLast modified on Mon 11 Oct 2021 14.22 EDTThe Covid-19 pandemic has led to a “tragic reversal” in development and pushed debt in poor countries to record levels, the head of the World Bank has said.David Malpass, the bank’s president, warned the virus had widened the gap between rich and poor nations, setting back progress by years and, in the case of some countries, by a decade.Announcing new World Bank figures showing the debt burden of more than 70 low-income nations had increased by a record 12% to $860bn (£630bn) in 2020, Malpass called for a comprehensive plan to ease the debt pressures and for rich countries to make vaccines available to the less well-off.Wealthy nations must share more resources or risk crisis for billions, warns UN chiefRead moreHe said one particular problem was the lack of a bankruptcy process to help in cases where debts had become unsustainable. Under the current system, companies can declare themselves bankrupt but countries cannot.With income per head expected to rise by an average of 5% in developed countries this year compared with 0.5% in developing countries, Malpass said the problem of inequality …

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Tunisia: president appoints new government 11 weeks after power grab

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TunisiaTunisia: president appoints new government 11 weeks after power grabKais Saied will technically head administration after paring back powers of PM’s office A …

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Nobel economics prize jointly awarded to labour market expert David Card

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Nobel economics prizeNobel economics prize jointly awarded to labour market expert David CardCanadian-born academic wins prize with Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens Larry ElliottMon 11 Oct 2021 08.59 EDTFirst published on Mon 11 Oct 2021 08.57 EDTA labour market expert whose work influenced the introduction of the UK’s minimum wage has been named as a joint winner of the Nobel economics prize.David Card, a Canadian-born economist, was one of three US-based academics given the prestigious award for their work on whether economic theory is supported by real-life situations.The trio – Card, Joshua Angrist, an American, and Guido Imbens, from the Netherlands – were cited for their work on natural experiments, which is said to have revolutionised empirical research.UK’s supply chain crisis hits confidence; Nobel prize in economics awarded – business liveRead moreCard, who received half the 10m Swedish kronor (£838,000) prize fund, made his name with a paper that studied whether an increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.25 an hour in 1992 cost jobs in the fast-food industry.Contrary to previous research, Card and his fellow economist Alan Krueger found that employment in New Jersey restaurants increased after the minimum wage was raised.The widely cited paper was seized on by Gordon Brown and his then economics adviser Ed Balls to justify their plans for a UK national minimum wage, which was introduced in 1999. Although there is now cross-party support for …

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Sweatpants forever? Why the 'athleisure' fashion trend may outlast the pandemic

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Your sweatpant size isn’t the only thing that might be ballooning in this pandemic — the number of stores selling them is expanding like an elasticated waistband.

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