EU climate policy will be ‘futile’ without Paris finance deal, warns think-tank
The European Union could overcome a political deadlock at this December’s Climate Summit in Paris if it agrees to pool all its financial resources. Additionally, EU member states should focus on European-wide climate policy rather than domestic mitigation strategies, due to its greater influence on shaping the climate agenda and ability to push for an effective international agreement. These are the stark conclusions of a new report by the Brussels-based Bruegel Institute think-tank, released last week, which warned that unless European nations agree to work collectively, December’s negotiations will fail to reach an agreement, resulting in much of the EU’s climate policy becoming “futile”. Both businesses and consumers would benefit if individual member states were to combine their funds to produce a large EU climate fund, as well as engage more private investors, the report concluded. (Business Green)
Bee harming pesticide wrongly approved by regulator says US
The US Court of Appeal has over-turned the approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) of a controversial bee-harming pesticide, sulfoxaflor, classified as a ‘sub class’ of neonicotinoids, which has also been approved for use in Europe. The Court said regulators approved the pesticide without adequate information about its ‘sub lethal’ effects over time on honey bee colonies. Friends of the Earth bees campaigner, Sandra Bell, said: “US regulators have been caught approving this harmful pesticide without proper evidence about the risks to bees. The European Commission recently approved this pesticide, despite being warned of potential risks… The US ruling should be a warning to the UK Government not to allow any new bee harming products to be used in the UK”. (Blue and Green Tomorrow)
Technology & Innovation
Toyota invests $50 million in Artificial Intelligence collaboration
The research and development of intelligent vehicle and mobility technologies will get a major boost in an ambitious new collaboration between Toyota, Stanford and MIT. Toyota has announced that it will invest approximately $50 million over the next five years to establish joint research centres at the two US universities. The collaboration will look to solve extremely complex mobility challenges using ground-breaking AI research. Research will involve improving the ability of intelligent vehicle technologies to recognise objects in different environments, provide elevated judgment of surrounding conditions and safely collaborate with vehicle occupants, other vehicles, and pedestrians. The announcement follows a New York Times op-ed which last week criticised the trend of tech companies “raiding” talent from universities, entitled “Uber Would Like to Buy Your Robotics Department”. (Just Means)
Strategy
Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking open for participation
The third annual hotel industry study of sustainability performance benchmarking of energy, water, and carbon emissions is now open for participation. Hotel owners and operators of all sizes are invited to participate in the industrywide collaboration, which is an initiative of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research, Greenview, and an industry advisory group. Eleven hotel companies – including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, and Wyndham – supported the previous study, covering over 4,750 hotels globally. “We encourage more hotel owners and operators to join us in this industry effort,” said Maury Wolfe, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability, at IHG. “Collectively we’re able to fill the long-standing gap of providing accurate sustainability benchmarks to stakeholders across the hotel industry.” (Eco-Business)
Environment
Next two years could be hottest ever, says Met Office
The next two years could be the hottest on record globally, says research from the UK’s Met Office. It warns big changes could be under way in the climate system, with greenhouse gases increasing the impact of natural trends. The research shows that a major El Niño event is in play in the Pacific, which is expected to heat the world overall. But it also reveals that summers in Europe might get cooler for a while as the rest of the globe warms. The scientists confirm that in 2015, the Earth’s average surface temperature is running at, or near, record levels (0.68⁰C above the 1961-1990 average). An external reviewer, Prof Rowan Sutton, from the University of Reading, confirmed: “Unless there’s a big volcanic eruption, it looks very likely that globally 2014, 2015 and 2016 will be among the very warmest years ever recorded.” (BBC)
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