Coal: why China and India aren’t the climate villains of COP26 https://theconversation.com/coal-why-china-and-india-arent-the-climate-villains-of-cop26-171879 November 17, 2021

Labelling India and China as the chief villains of COP26 is a convenient narrative. The financial aid which rich countries promised yet failed to deliver as part of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 was supposed to help developing countries dump coal for cleaner sources of energy. And while the world berated India and China for weakening the Glasgow Climate Pact’s coal resolution, few questioned the fossil fuel projects being floated in developed nations, like the UK’s Cambo oilfield and the Line 3 oil pipeline between Canada and the US...  A rapid switch to renewable energy sources is easier when energy demand isn’t growing as fast, like it is in rapidly developing countries. These countries need financial assistance from richer countries to make that leap. 

Comment: on Whats App: Pradeep E ..In my view, during an emergency there is no point in reasoning who is right and who is not, India could still stop coal and go for renewables by taking the renewables path full scale, but they choose to keep coal (for personal corporate interests) for the growth trajectory and will only look at renewables for 30-40% of the power generation that too by 2070. So in my view the time has well past for all this protectionism of corporate interests, we are in an emergency!

There’s an $80-billion hole in India’s net zero pledge by 2070 at Glasgow By Andy Mukherjee, Bloomberg Nov 10, 2021 https://m.economictimes.com/industry/renewables/theres-an-80-billion-hole-in-indias-net-zero-pledge-by-2070-at-glasgow/articleshow/87597623.cms

the world’s lowest-cost solar and second-lowest-cost wind producer can deliver on its pledge, provided a 6 trillion rupees ($80 billion) hole in the heart of the country’s power system can be filled.  That’s the quantum of accumulated financial liabilities at India’s electricity distribution companies, or discoms. This large overhang crimps their ability to pay on time, forcing them to run up operational debt to electricity suppliers and transmission firms. 

Without reforming this bankrupt industry, India will struggle to meet its bold target of raising non-fossil-fuel generation capacity — including hydroelectric and nuclear power — to 500 gigawatts by 2030, up from roughly 150 gigawatts now.

Careers to Solve the Climate Crisis is a short series showcasing current and future careers that will be critical in achieving net-zero by 2050. Cambridge Zero’s Rosa Prosser produced six films to showcase the current and future careers necessary to achieve net zero by 2050. 

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7P8YYBiTmo  Episode one highlights the need for investment in green jobs and addresses how young people can help in the fight against climate change through their career choices. This episode features:  Nigel Topping: The High-Level Champion for Climate Action COP26
Caroline Lucas: Green Party MP for Brighton, Pavilion
Eliot Whittington: Director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s Corporate Leaders Groups.

2. The Pubic Sector  https://youtu.be/kYSUAN1-W0U  How the public sector can lead the way to a decarbonised economy in our fight to tackle the climate crisis. This episode features interviews with:
Dimitri Zenghelis: A Special Advisor at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy
Cristina Peñasco: A university lecturer in public policy at the University of Cambridge
Richard Benwell: Chief Executive at Wildlife and Countryside Link.  

3.  The Built Environment https://youtu.be/5qx3ALZco6g  “The Built Environment”, looks at the various careers required to decarbonise the construction sector and highlights the importance of involving young people in this process. This episode features:
Shaun Fitzgerald: Director at the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge
Tercia Jansen Van Vuuren: A research associate at the Laing O'Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology
Gabriel Okello: A Prince of Wales Research Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.  

4. Nature-Based Solutions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdBoX5FSG8w “Nature-Based Solutions”, explores the potential for nature-based solutions to combat the climate crisis and the role jobs can play in a green economic recovery.  This episode features:
William Baldwin-Cantello: Director of Nature-Based Solutions at WWF-UK
Isabel Key: A research associate at the Nature-Based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford.

5. Creativity and Innovation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EvStUSlvgk  “Creativity and Innovation”, addressed the need for creative thinking when it comes to finding new solutions to tackle the climate crisis. This episode features:
Nicola Davies: A children’s author
Pablo Salas: A Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellows at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Dina Khalifa: A Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellows at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

6. Inspiring Hope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNlOqp_KziE   “Inspiring Hope”, emphasises the take-home message from the series – that young people can take an active role in the transition to net-zero through their career choices, and should feel empowered to do so across all sectors. It features interviews with:
Brighton Kaoma:Global Director at the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth
Forget Shakera: An agronomic engineer and Co-founder at Chashi Foods
Mya-Rose Craig: A prominent British Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist and diversity activist
George Jeffreys: A climate activist and Co-founder of Scoop.  

Climate change: World will need 'carbon sucking' technology by 2030s, scientists warn  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/11/world-will-need-carbon-sucking-technology-by-2030s-scientists-warn  11 Oct 2017

We’re going to have to deploy negative emission technology at scale,” said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics, a science and policy institute. “I don’t think we can have confidence that anything else can do this,” But efforts to store captured carbon underground are “showing no progress … and even backwards steps in some cases”, said Corinne Le Quéré, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.

Similarly, planting more forests – a technology known as Beccs, or bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – raises questions about food security and land rights, scientists said.

 New methods to capture and store emissions, such as planting more forests and pumping carbon underground, 
are currently costly and need testing