Last week Professor Kevin Anderson sent out the following email.

Please find links to three (open access) pieces Alice Bows and I have recently had published: 1) a paper on shipping, 2) a commentary on aviation, and 3) a Tyndall Briefing note on aviation and shipping. In addition Alice Bows et al have led on a special issue on shipping (http://www.future-science.com/toc/cmt/3/6)

Apologies if none of these are of interest and I’m simply blocking your emails.

• Paper on shipping – Executing a Scharnow turn: reconciling shipping emissions with international commitments on climate change   http://www.future-science.com/doi/pdfplus/10.4155/cmt.12.63

On the one hand the shipping industry maintains a strong pretence of contributing towards global commitments on climate change, whilst on the other it is planning for an emission rise of almost 300%. Such high-level declarations contrasting with woefully inadequate policies is all too reflective of the Machiavellian duality exhibited by many industries and nations. Focussing on shipping, the paper clarifies the scale of planned emission growth, concluding that nothing short of a Scharnow turn in the sectors emissions is necessary for even an outside chance of “preventing dangerous interference with the climate system”.
A one page summary can be found at http://kevinanderson.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Executing-a-Scharnow-turn-1-page-overview-Anderson-Bows-Dec-20122.pdf

• Commentary on Aviation – A one way ticket to high carbon lock-in please:  the UK debate on aviation policy   http://www.future-science.com/doi/pdfplus/10.4155/cmt.12.61

Following strident calls by Tim Yeo et al for the urgent expansion of aviation capacity, this commentary tests how their arguments stand up to the evidence on the role of aviation in climate change and economic reform. The article highlights how the presumption that further aviation growth is good for the economy is at best premature and may be dangerously misleading. On climate change the conclusion is unequivocal. Regardless of the EU ETS, aviation growth is incompatible with the UK’s commitments under the Copenhagen Accord, the Cancun Agreements and the 2012 G8 Camp David Declaration.

• Tyndall Briefing Note 47 – Aviation and shipping privileged – again? UK delays decision to act on emissions  http://tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/tynbn47.pdf

Just a week on from the Prime Minister publicly declaring his “Government has the most incredibly green set of energy policies”, DECC chooses to continue ignoring emissions from aviation and shipping. This note illustrates how in 2012 the government a) refused to set a 2030 ‘decarbonisation’ target for electricity generation; b) gave a green-light to shale gas exploitation (a high carbon fossil fuel comprising ~75% carbon); c) proposed up to 37GW of new gas-fired power stations; and d) reversed the decision to rule out a third runway at Heathrow. This note argues such decisions cannot be reconciled with the PM’s claim to lead the “greenest government ever”.

If any of the above are of interest please feel free to circulate as you see fit; all the links are to documents that are open access.
Kind regards
Kevin