Global Climate News

US-based Bezos Earth Fund, in partnership with Experiment Foundation, announced the winners and finalists of its $1M Greenhouse Gas Removal Ideation Prize. The prize, structured in two phases, awarded funding to projects focusing on diverse greenhouse gas removal technologies, aiming to significantly contribute towards removing gigatonnes of greenhouse gases annually by 2050.

Researchers at Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) published a review paper in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A on the advancements in solid-state battery technology. The research highlights breakthroughs in synthesizing inorganic solid electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium/sodium-ion batteries, focusing on enhancing energy density, life cycle, and safety. The review also addresses challenges like limited compatibility between electrolytes and electrodes.

New Zealand is implementing regulations to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, aiming to reduce emissions from leaks and improper disposal. The scheme, managed by the Trust for the Destruction of Synthetic Refrigerants through their Cool-Safe program, will track refrigerants throughout their lifecycle and require industry-recognized training standards.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and IOSCO have hosted two virtual workshops focusing on climate risks for financial market infrastructures (FMIs). The workshops, attended by over 300 participants, addressed how different types of FMIs are exposed to climate risks, discussed risk management approaches, and explored how the PFMI can be used to identify, monitor and manage climate risks. The workshops highlighted the need for system-wide approaches to climate risk management and the importance of operational resilience for FMIs.

Japan and China held a dialogue on December 18, 2024, in Beijing, to discuss the discharge of ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the sea. The dialogue involved representatives from relevant Japanese ministries, TEPCO, and Chinese research institutes. This follows a similar dialogue held on March 31, 2024.

India's Chennai Metro and Delhi-Meerut RRTS projects have implemented Building Information Modeling (BIM) for vibration management during construction and operation. BIM has optimized design and construction, improving stakeholder collaboration. Mitigation measures included vibration-absorbing rail pads, noise barriers, advanced tunneling techniques, floating slab tracks, and resilient fasteners to minimize vibrations near sensitive areas like hospitals and schools. The projects used global standards (ISO 14837, BS 6472-1:2008, FTA Guidelines) and conducted baseline vibration assessments to evaluate impacts.

The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) published \"Sustainable Cooling: How to Cool the World Without Warming the Planet\", a book exploring sustainable cooling solutions. The book proposes policy recommendations, financing solutions, and technological insights to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon cooling systems and mitigate climate change.

Australia-based AZZO, an energy management software and services company, secured a growth capital investment from Angeleno Group, a clean energy and climate solutions venture capital firm. This investment will accelerate AZZO’s global expansion and development of its EnergyX IoT platform, which helps organizations manage energy, including renewables, for sustainability and resilience. Dominic Drenen will join AZZO as Chairman of the Board.

New Zealand has reopened State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge after extensive repairs following severe weather-related damage that closed the route in August 2022. The 13-kilometer highway between Mangamuka and Kaitaia has been reinforced to improve resilience against future weather events, benefiting approximately 1,300 vehicles per day.