Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 12h

This from the International Renewable Energy Agency is pretty mindblowing compared to a decade ago

www.irena.org/-/media/File...

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 12h

"Alarm bells should be ringing in UK govt that households & businesses are already struggling with worsening weather shocks”

“The Treasury must tax fossil fuel companies who are making billions – it’s the feasible & fair way to fund urgently needed protections”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK must prepare buildings for 2C rise in global temperature, government told

Climate advisers warn that current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 12h

which begs the question where debate about these policy options take place within political parties? To which the answer increasingly seems to me is... nowhere

Ministerial brainwaves are dumped on the world with little debate, just lobbying on the basis of intel & rumours

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 12h

A small gripe in the grand scheme of things but this shows what's increasingly obvious to people attending UK party conferences

Many fringe events are not open discussion of policy & political options, but *adverts* for whoever is paying for the event

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Academic axed from Labour conference panel for criticising energy policy

Sustainability expert was told panellists discussing North Sea oil and gas were meant to ‘agree entirely’ with each other

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 1d

USA seeks to export its climate idiocy in order to undermine an international deal to reduce shipping emissions

Using all the bullying tactics it can muster, USA is threatening other countries with sanctions if they support the deal

www.barrons.com/news/us-thre...

US Threats Cast Doubt On Shipping Emissions Deal

An ambitious plan by the UN's shipping agency to cut maritime emissions could be scuttled at the last minute after the United States threatened to impose sanctions on those supporting it.

www.barrons.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 1d

batteries can almost do 24/7 in some places like Los Angeles, very cost-effectively

Match-up is solar & batteries because diurnal cycle makes it work

Higher latitudes, less solar, more reliant on wind, batteries cannot do it alone, need longer duration storage
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Solar electricity every hour of every day is here and it changes everything | Ember

Batteries are now cheap enough to unleash solar energy’s full potential, getting as close as 97% of the way to delivering constant electricity supply 24 hours across 365 days cost-effectively in the s...

ember-energy.org

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 1d

Comprehensive failure as cowboy builders and inadequate regulation meant 98% of solid wall insulation fitted badly, requiring repair

* Those affected need redress
* insulation, fitted well, still good way to reduce energy costs
* but regulate **properly**

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tens of thousands of homes insulated under government schemes need repairs

Insulation programmes costing billions of pounds have led to widespread problems with damp and mould.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 1d

This from Hydrology Prof at Reading Uni summed it up well

“We can’t keep building defences taller and higher to deal with larger and more frequent floods. Working with natural processes, such as restoring wetlands, planting woodlands, improve our natural environment alongside reducing flood risk.”

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 1d

Insurance industry maps millions of UK homes at increased risk of flooding as climate change impacts ratchet up

Obviously, the insurance industry needs to make money and can't afford claims likely to result from higher flood risks

So... no insurance for some?

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Millions more homes in Great Britain at risk of flooding, investigation finds

Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 2d

The will definitely increase taxes because fiscal rules demand it ( and they want to stick to the fiscal rules). But not as much as they might have to owing to Crown Estate income

Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 2d

That's just a statement of the political reality in UK. If I'd had more chars available might have said 'lower borrowing'

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 2d

One part of the energy revolution

The rapid decline in battery pack prices, matched by increased uptake

Batteries can be used to match the daily cycle of solar energy, discharging in evening/night after being charged during the day

They are solar power enablers

ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 2d

Greenpeace UK says high fees for offshore wind developers to lease the seabed is an abuse of monopoly power by Crown Estate

High fees push up the price of offshore wind & will act as a tax on energy bills, to fund the monarchy & lower taxes

It's time it stopped

www.ft.com/content/c29c...

Greenpeace threatens to sue Crown Estate for pushing up UK energy prices

Cost of offshore wind increased by monopoly ownership of seabed, alleges campaign group

www.ft.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 5d

“I think China is using [clean technology] in a very, very geopolitically savvy way, taking advantage of America’s stupidity and regression back into a petrostate. China just wins. America has abrogated the playing field.”

www.ft.com/content/013e...

The ‘profound’ global impact of China’s rise as an electrostate

The country’s companies now dominate many clean technology industries

www.ft.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 6d

Well, that's one way of handling global ecosystem collapse

Block publication of research that might raise awkward questions about whether UK govt is doing enough about it

Can't see any flaws in that approach....

www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

No 10 blocks report on impact of rainforest collapse on food prices

Downing Street has vetoed release of an assessment that says the loss of the Amazon ecosystem could drive up food inflation as well as lead to mass migration

www.thetimes.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 7d

Sharp rise in UK plastic exports shows how behind the country is

The EU has agreed to ban exports of waste to poorer nations. The ban comes into force in November 2026

The UK does not have a similar ban in place

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK plastic waste exports to developing countries rose 84% in a year, data shows

Campaigners say increase in exports mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia is ‘unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism’

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 8d

Carbon offsetting suffers from deep-seated systemic problems that incremental change will not solve says review paper from Oxford Uni

“We have assessed 25 years of evidence and almost everything up until this point has failed”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says

Analysis of 25 years of evidence shows most schemes are poor quality and fail to lower emissions

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 8d

In the first half of 2025, renewables became the biggest source of global electricity for the first time, as wind & solar growth exceeded global demand growth

Shocking that it's China & India leading - EU & USA have fossil power growing

ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 9d

The US is destroying its chance of global leadership in electric vehicles. EU also lagging

Globally, EVs are on an expanding trend and the tech is set to be dominated by China

This was not inevitable, but the result of poor political choices by the West

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 13d

Absolutely idiotic decision by Kemi Badenoch and UK Tories to walk away from 2008 Climate Change Act

I have explained just how comprehensively idiotic here. It is wrong morally, economically, technically and politically

www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

We all know politicians can get things wrong from time-to-time, right? What's impressive is just how utterly and comprehensively wrong Kemi Badenoch is on her decision to abandon the Climate Cha...

We all know politicians can get things wrong from time-to-time, right? What's impressive is just how utterly and comprehensively wrong Kemi Badenoch is on her decision to abandon the Climate Change ...

www.linkedin.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 20d

“UK experienced worst inflationary crisis in 4 decades, triggered by fossil fuel price spikes, which UK’s monetary policy approach failed to address"

By raising interest rates, Bank of England increased cost of huge public investment needed to exit fossil fuels

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Bank of England urged to do more to tackle climate crisis

Environmental groups mark 10 years since Mark Carney’s ‘short-term horizons’ speech with plea to act ‘while there’s still time’

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 20d

Kier Starmer in 2022 🫠😡

“Many people would be expecting the prime minister of the UK not just to attend COP but to use it as an opportunity to pull world leaders together to deal with climate. If I was prime minister I would be going.”

www.ft.com/content/5f8f...

Keir Starmer has no plans to attend COP30 climate summit in Brazil

Final decision has yet to be made amid ‘big fight inside government’ over trip by prime minister

www.ft.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 21d

Planetary Boundaries are being breached, as humanity lives beyond Earth's ability to cope

We're already exceeding Climate Change, Land System Change, Freshwater Use, Novel Entities (chemicals, plastics) & others

To that list we can now add Ocean Acidification

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

World’s oceans fail key health check as acidity crosses critical threshold for marine life

Scientists call for renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels as seven of nine planetary boundaries now transgressed

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 21d

ICYMI
Global investment in energy likely to hit about $3.3 trillion (£2.4tn) this year

More than $1tn of the total is still likely to flow into fossil fuels

But double that amount – about $2.2tn – expected for low-carbon energy

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Global investment in renewable energy up 10% on 2024 despite Trump rollback

Growth rate slightly lower than previous first-half years but sector still strong and resilient, experts say

www.theguardian.com

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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 22d

BBC calling Trump's address to UN 'remarkable'

Let's call it what it is - unhinged

Anyone who thinks London is heading for sharia law & that climate change is a con is either foolish, malign or misinformed

US President shouldn't be misinformed - it's one of other 2

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...

Trump takes aim at other countries' border and climate policies in wide-ranging UN speech - live updates

Trump says Europe is

www.bbc.co.uk

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