[ad_1]
Good day, Earthlings! That is our weekly publication on all issues environmental, the place we spotlight traits and options which are shifting us to a extra sustainable world. (Enroll right here to get it in your inbox each Thursday.)
This week:
- The greenest method to journey throughout Canada could shock you
- The struggle in Ukraine and the oil conundrum
- As soon as the epicentre of oil, Texas is buzzing with wind, solar energy
Why the practice is not the greenest method to journey throughout Canada
After two years of restricted journey, many people are planning summer season holidays that contain visiting family and friends on the opposite facet of our huge nation.
Given what we all know concerning the local weather affect of air journey, a few of you is likely to be questioning if it is extra accountable to spend the additional time and take the practice.
That is what Swedish local weather activist Greta Thunberg, who has given up flying, usually does. Even the airline KLM encourages individuals to “fly responsibly,” which implies taking the practice for shorter distances.
In the meantime, Canada’s VIA Rail payments itself as “probably the most environmentally pleasant mode of intercity transportation.”
Because it seems, in Canada, the query of whether or not the practice is de facto the greenest choice relies on your place to begin and your vacation spot.
In the event you’re travelling someplace between Windsor, Ont. and Quebec Metropolis within the hall that features Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, then sure, the practice might be it, in keeping with Ryan Katz-Rosene, a College of Ottawa professor who research sustainable transportation.
However should you’re heading from Montreal to Halifax or Toronto to Vancouver, the emissions per practice journey would possibly shock you.
“The numbers are loopy. They’re tremendous excessive,” mentioned Katz-Rosene.
He and his spouse had taken the practice throughout the nation from Ottawa a few instances, assuming it was the greener method to go.
However a couple of years in the past, two VIA Rail passengers requested the Crown company for some details about their emissions. Seeing how excessive the numbers had been, the passengers contacted Katz-Rosene, having seen his weblog posts about journey emissions. Katz-Rosene used the numbers to do some comparisons and located the environmental winner for the Toronto-Vancouver route is definitely … air journey.
Taking VIA’s “Canadian” service from Toronto to Vancouver would generate 724 to 4,287 kilograms of CO2 per individual. As compared, an economic system flight between these two cities would generate 464 to 767 kilograms of CO2 per individual.
VIA’s “Ocean” service between Montreal and Halifax generates 218 to 1,292 kilograms of CO2 per individual, in comparison with 152 to 482 kilograms of CO2 per individual for an economic system flight.
Katz-Rosene revealed the findings within the journal The Canadian Geographer and wrote about them on the College of Ottawa web site in 2020. He tried to substantiate the numbers with VIA, however they didn’t verify or deny the figures, regardless of a number of conversations with him.
CBC Information requested VIA Rail concerning the emissions from these routes. It didn’t reply to that query, however despatched an announcement saying it has “over the previous years made appreciable progress relating to GHG discount.” It added that it’s “exploring the alternative of its long-distance and regional fleets working exterior the Hall.”
Ottawa-based Transys Analysis led a 2015 modelling research evaluating emissions from rail to different modes of transport for the U.S. Nationwide Co-operative Rail Analysis Program. That research advised that rail, automotive and air journey had an identical vitality depth per passenger between Toronto and Vancouver when the common variety of passengers in every situation was taken under consideration (though each rail and driving take roughly 4 days, as an alternative of 5 hours by airplane).
Transys Analysis president Gordon English does not assume the numbers in Katz-Rosene’s paper are fairly proper — he particularly thinks there’s an error within the Montreal-Halifax numbers.
“Nonetheless,” English instructed CBC Information in an e mail, “the conclusion that rail’s GHG depth is larger than air for Toronto-Vancouver is an correct assertion for each rail-coach versus air-economy and rail-berth versus air-first class.”
Nonetheless, he mentioned long-distance trains in Canada are a “vacationer expertise” moderately than a mode of transportation, and are not meant to compete with planes. He thinks in the event that they’re an alternative choice to something, it is driving throughout the nation in an RV. “And in these circumstances, rail can be extra environment friendly.”
World statistics present that on common, rail generates fewer emissions per passenger kilometre than driving or flying — so why are issues totally different in Canada?
Katz-Rosene blames “diesel-guzzling locomotives hauling pretty empty trains” — together with sleeping and eating vehicles — on these strains.
English’s research discovered that simply including a snack automotive can enhance a practice’s greenhouse gasoline emissions depth by 19 per cent, and that growing seating density was one of many best methods to chop emissions and vitality use. A double-decker automotive, for instance, might increase vitality effectivity 40 per cent in comparison with a single-level automotive.
Another excuse why passenger rail is greener in different elements of the world, like Europe or Japan, is that it is usually electrical.
Katz-Rosene means that boosting the variety of passengers per automotive, including an electrical locomotive or utilizing greener fuels (reminiscent of biodiesel or hydrogen) are methods VIA Rail might minimize emissions for long-distance practice journey.
Within the meantime, what do you have to do about summer season journey?
“Actually, probably the most consequential [decision] goes to be whether or not you are taking the journey or not,” Katz-Rosene mentioned.
In the event you resolve to journey between Windsor and Quebec Metropolis, take the practice (or drive with a automotive full of individuals). For longer distances, Katz-Rosene suggests flying economic system or driving an energy-efficient automotive full of individuals, as his household is planning on doing.
He additionally recommends getting in contact with politicians concerning the lack of inexperienced journey choices.
“Allow them to know that we have to severely deal with emissions within the transport sector, and we want to take action quick.”
– Emily Chung
Reader suggestions
In response to our story final week on the local weather conundrum posed by mining Ontario’s Ring of Fireplace, Kathy Andrews wrote:
“Concerning the potential mining in Canada’s ‘Ring of Fireplace’ to entry minerals for the batteries of electrical vehicles and wind generators, I might say that our nation must take a tough take a look at changing individually pushed autos. The battery-operated vehicles will create poisonous waste as their batteries have to be changed. As a substitute of the present pattern, the place people purchase and drive their very own vehicles, an enormous funding in a national top-quality public transportation system can be extra in tune with a ‘inexperienced’ future.
“I imagine automotive co-ops for ‘crucial’ driving of vehicles might tremendously cut back the necessity for alternative of petrochemical-run autos … I believe our authorities must have a committee of individuals to deal with this subject correctly for the long-term well being of our communities and surroundings.”
Previous problems with What on Earth? are proper right here.
There’s additionally a radio present and podcast! What On Earth airs Sunday at 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. in Newfoundland. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app or hear it on demand at CBC Pay attention.
The Large Image: The oil manufacturing conundrum
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended many assumptions concerning the world order. Certainly one of them issues the importation of Russian oil and gasoline, which many Western international locations — significantly in Europe — have lengthy acknowledged is likely to be geopolitically unwise however insisted was crucial for the functioning of their economies. Now that a lot of the world is making an attempt to economically isolate Russia, which incorporates threats to boycott its petrochemical merchandise, there was optimistic speak that this may occasionally truly current a chance to speed up the transfer away from fossil fuels solely.
Alas, it is not fairly understanding that method — the dependence on oil stays robust. For instance, the U.S. has been lobbying OPEC to provide extra oil and has even cozied as much as longtime foes Venezuela and Iran as a way to offset the drop in Russian crude.
This short-term pondering has UN Secretary Basic Antonio Guterres’s blood boiling. “International locations might turn into so consumed by the quick fossil gas provide hole that they neglect or knee-cap insurance policies to chop fossil gas use,” Guterres mentioned this week. “That is insanity. Dependancy to fossil fuels is mutually assured destruction.” Guterres has lengthy mentioned we have to hasten our decarbonization efforts, and a brand new report by the College of Manchester supplies some knowledge for a way. It says that as a way to hold world warming beneath 1.5 C, the wealthiest oil and gasoline producers on the planet (together with Canada) have to cease manufacturing by 2034, whereas poorer international locations with oil sources have to halt drilling by 2050.
Scorching and bothered: Provocative concepts from across the internet
As soon as the epicentre of the oilpatch, Texas now buzzing with wind and solar energy
A 12 months after the failure of the Texas electrical grid sparked a backlash towards clear energy, the expansion of its renewable vitality sector hasn’t slowed down.
Texas is the highest wind energy producer in america and is on tempo to turn into No. 1 in photo voltaic electrical energy in a couple of years.
Final 12 months’s winter storm knocked out about half the state’s energy vegetation, triggering broad outages that pushed electrical energy costs to exorbitant ranges and left greater than 200 individuals useless.
Fingers had been pointed at frozen wind generators as the primary purpose a number of elements of the state plunged into darkness for days, together with by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
However the issues had been a lot broader, as different energy vegetation, primarily pure gas-fired services, had been additionally knocked offline and the state’s grid wasn’t in a position to transfer accessible energy to the place it was wanted.
“There was some unfavorable press proper out of the gate,” mentioned Jason Allen, chief government officer of Leeward Renewable Power, throughout an interview on the firm’s Dallas headquarters.
“However general, a lot of the renewable property carried out exceptionally effectively throughout that storm.”
Leeward has developed utility-scale wind and photo voltaic tasks in Texas and has operations in eight different states. The corporate is owned by the Ontario Municipal Staff’ Retirement System (OMERS).
Allen has labored in many various energy technology industries, together with coal, pure gasoline and hydro.
“I’ve transitioned by way of these totally different applied sciences and ended up proper the place I believe the longer term is, and the place we’ll be rising,” he mentioned.
The corporate’s Texas wind farms are clustered south of Sweetwater, a city about 340 kilometres west of Dallas. On this rural space, wind generators outnumber native residents and the cattle that graze among the many cacti.
The variety of wind farms has swelled within the state during the last twenty years, fuelled by loads of land and powerful gusts of air.
Final 12 months’s storm confirmed there are classes to be realized concerning the want for all sorts of energy vegetation to be extra resilient as local weather change causes extra extreme and frequent climate occasions.
On the identical time, extra transmission strains are required inside Texas to allow energy to higher attain storm-affected areas, in addition to elevated connections to neighbouring states’ energy grids to permit Texas to import electrical energy when wanted.
“If you look again at that storm, sure, there have been a great variety of wind generators that went offline, however the major points had been with the thermal producing vegetation,” which primarily had been pure gasoline, mentioned Samantha Bobo Woodworth, a wind vitality analysis analyst with S&P World.
“You will get de-icing stuff for wind generators, however in Texas, why would you?”
In October, the state’s electrical energy regulator adopted a brand new rule requiring corporations to observe winter climate safety measures.
Wind energy accounts for about 21 per cent of electrical energy produced within the state, whereas utility-scale photo voltaic tasks account for about three per cent, in keeping with the U.S. Power Info Company (EIA). Whereas renewable electrical energy is rising, using coal has been minimize in half during the last decade.
The Panhandle area within the northern a part of the state is usually most engaging to wind tasks. West Texas, which has been the epicentre of the American oil growth during the last decade, is the place a number of photo voltaic tasks have been developed.
A number of Canadian corporations have utility-scale renewable energy tasks within the state, together with Algonquin Energy & Utilities, Innergex Renewable Power and Canadian Photo voltaic.
Authorities incentives have helped the wind and photo voltaic industries blossom in Texas, and if handed, U.S. President Joe Biden’s Construct Again Higher plan might gas additional development because it consists of clear vitality subsidies and promotes the event of extra transmission strains.
Authorities funding promotes growth, but it surely’s not crucial for renewables to continue to grow within the state, mentioned Kunal Patel, a senior enterprise economist with the Federal Reserve Financial institution of Dallas.
Whether or not there have been authorities incentives or not, Patel mentioned that when trying on the economics, it was nonetheless cheaper to construct photo voltaic or wind technology in comparison with different choices reminiscent of pure gasoline, coal or nuclear.
At the moment, photo voltaic is the lowest-cost supply of electrical energy, Patel mentioned. On prime of that, the panels generate energy on scorching summer season afternoons when electrical energy costs are the very best.
“Traders have been beginning to look extra at photo voltaic,” mentioned Patel. “It is actually beginning to brighten the outlook for renewables in Texas.”
– Kyle Bakx
Keep in contact!
Are there points you need us to cowl? Questions you need answered? Do you simply wish to share a sort phrase? We would love to listen to from you. Electronic mail us at whatonearth@cbc.ca.
Enroll right here to get What on Earth? in your inbox each Thursday.
Editor: Andre Mayer | Brand design: Sködt McNalty
[ad_2]
Supply hyperlink
