Looking to recap everything green and good that happened this past month? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! From NASA hiring someone to clean up space to countries proposing a billionaire tax to help tackle the climate crisis, we’re giving you the scoop on 10 of the weird and wonderful things that happened around the world in May or so.
- Space is full of trash. NASA is finally hiring someone to clean it up
Our insatiable appetite for growth is causing harm to the Earth’s ecosystems, contaminating the land, air, and seas, and endangering the accessibility of these essential resources for future generations. Yet, the destructive impact of human activities extends beyond our planet’s confines. As humanity rapidly expands its presence into space, unchecked growth poses a threat to the safety and accessibility of low-Earth orbit for the explorers of tomorrow. This growing concern has prompted NASA to take action.
Charity Weeden, leading NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, emphasises the shift witnessed in space over the last decade. “It’s not just communication satellites anymore,” she notes. “We’re seeing a rise in in-orbit services, space transportation, and potential commercial destinations for humans. With this rapid growth coupled with decades of space exploration often without thorough consideration, uncertainty looms over the activities of space operators and our collective interactions.” In response, NASA has unveiled its “Space Sustainability Strategy” and is set to appoint a director of space sustainability, charged with implementing the strategy across the agency’s diverse divisions and offices, comprising nearly 18,000 employees. This strategic move aims to ensure that NASA remains proactive in preserving space amidst its expanding utilisation.
- G7 nations agree to end use of unabated coal power plants by 2035
Earlier this month, ministers from the G7 nations reached an agreement to phase out unabated coal power plants by 2035, with provisions for countries with substantial coal reliance. Following extensive discussions in Turin, Italy, they issued a commitment to eliminate existing unabated coal power generation in their energy systems by the first half of the 2030s, aiming to curb the surge in global greenhouse gas emissions. This milestone agreement marks a significant stride in climate action for the G7, comprising the UK, US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, who had grappled with coal phase-out negotiations for years.
Led by Italian minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the meeting touched on the groundbreaking nature of setting a clear path and target regarding coal, representing a forceful call to action from industrialised nations. The agreement notably addresses unabated coal, allowing countries to continue coal use for electricity generation provided they employ carbon-capture technology to mitigate emissions. Furthermore, it offers flexibility to nations such as Japan and Germany, acknowledging their heavy coal dependence and offering the option of aligning with a timeline aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
- Deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon fall to a 5-year low
The forest clearing identified by Brazil’s deforestation alert system has reached its lowest point in almost five years, as per data released by the country’s space agency, INPE, last week.
INPE’s satellite-based tracking system documented 162 square kilometres of deforestation in March, contributing to a total loss of 4,816 square kilometres over the past twelve months, marking the lowest annual level recorded since May 2019. This twelve-month total represents a 53% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Imazon, an independent Brazilian NGO, operates a deforestation alert system that has reported an even greater decline of 65% for the year ending February 29, 2020. Remarkably, this reduction in deforestation comes despite a severe drought affecting much of the Amazon basin, leading to stranded communities, disrupted river traffic, decreased hydroelectric power generation, and wildlife fatalities. Additionally, fires in northern Brazil are reaching unprecedented levels in terms of both frequency and intensity.
- 1,000 ad agencies refuse work from fossil fuel industry
Clean Creatives, an award-winning campaign group against fossil fuels in the advertising and PR industry, celebrates a significant milestone: 1,000 creative agencies worldwide have pledged to reject ad campaigns from Big Oil.
Over the past three years, Clean Creatives has exposed the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to shape public opinion through misinformation and greenwashing, facilitated by major advertising and PR firms. The world’s six largest advertising and PR companies—Omnicom Group, WPP, Interpublic Group (IPG), Publicis Groupe, Dentsu, and Havas—are reportedly linked to the fossil fuel industry.
Clean Creatives offers a pledge for agencies and individuals to refuse collaboration with fossil fuel polluters. With over 1,000 agency signatories, doubling since last April, this milestone highlights the campaign’s growing influence and the increasing concern within the creative industry about ethical practices in the face of climate change.
- EU lawmakers vote to leave treaty used by investors to sue over climate policies
European lawmakers have voted to exit a treaty that allows investors to sue governments in private courts for implementing policies that stop the planet from heating.. Fossil fuel companies have used the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), an international trade agreement from the 1990s, to demand billions of euros from taxpayers through opaque tribunals designed to protect investors. Despite several European countries announcing their departure from the treaty, efforts to coordinate an EU-wide withdrawal faced resistance from some member states.
Anna Cavazzini, a German MEP from the Green group who led the proposal, stated that the “absurd” treaty had hindered climate protection efforts and cost taxpayers billions. She said that international fossil fuel investors can no longer bypass ordinary courts and challenge climate policies with extrajudicial lawsuits. Energy companies have sued governments for expected profits lost due to decisions like phasing out coal and banning offshore oil exploration.
- NYC Budget Will Consider Climate Impacts of Spending
New York has become the first major US city to integrate climate considerations into its budget decisions. This approach, known as climate budgeting, aims to assess the impact of city spending on emissions, identify areas needing more investment, and enhance the city’s resilience. From now on, the city will project future emissions trajectories—something it hasn’t done before—and use a specialised method to ensure capital projects align with its climate goals, according to a report from the Office of Management and Budget released Tuesday. “Every dollar now has to serve a dual purpose,” said Meera Joshi, New York’s Deputy Mayor for Operations, in an interview. “It must fulfil its primary function, whether it’s building infrastructure or providing energy, while also reducing emissions, cooling, and absorbing water. This is the only way New York City will survive.”
Climate budgeting was first implemented in Mayor Eric Adams’ (D) fiscal 2025 executive budget, released April 24. This process resulted in allocating $4 million and 36 full-time staffers to enforce a new mandate requiring building owners to reduce carbon emissions, and $85 million to develop the south Brooklyn Marine Terminal into an offshore wind hub.
- Coal no longer accounts for majority of India’s energy supply
India’s power sector has reached a significant milestone with coal’s share dropping below 50% for the first time in decades, signalling a major shift towards renewable energy. In the first quarter of 2024, India added a record-breaking 13,669 MW of power generation capacity, with renewables making up a substantial 71.5% of this new capacity. This development is pivotal, marking the first time since the 1960s that coal’s share of the total power capacity has fallen below 50%. According to a quarterly report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), these figures indicate that India is on track to achieve its goal of 50% cumulative power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, well ahead of schedule.
Although coal continues to be a significant source of electricity, the substantial addition of renewable capacity points to a more sustainable future for India’s electricity sector. This shift aligns with a global trend of declining coal demand in G7 countries, which recently committed to phasing out unabated coal power generation by 2035. Experts attribute the surge in renewable projects to the world’s recovery from recent pandemic and geopolitical shocks, positioning India as a leader in renewable energy.
- Renewable Energy Passes 30% Of World’s Electricity Supply For The First Time
Renewable energy surpassed 30% of global electricity for the first time last year, driven by a rapid expansion of wind and solar power, according to new data. A report by climate think tank Ember indicates that the world is on the verge of reducing fossil fuel generation, despite increasing overall electricity demand. Clean electricity has significantly slowed fossil fuel growth by nearly two-thirds over the past decade, with renewables increasing their share from 19% in 2000 to over 30% last year.
“The future of renewables has arrived,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s director of global insights. Solar power, in particular, is advancing faster than anticipated, becoming the main contributor to electricity growth in 2023. Ember’s report highlights that solar generated more than twice the new electricity compared to coal last year.
- Researchers Develop a Plastic That Digests Itself
A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has developed a biodegradable plastic that starts breaking down upon contact with soil or compost. This innovative plastic is a type of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), commonly used in products like memory foam cushions, floor mats, and shoes. The newly created TPU includes spores of the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which remain dormant until the plastic reaches compost. Once in the compost, the bacteria become active and begin decomposing the plastic by interacting with nutrients.
To create this biodegradable plastic, the research team combined the bacteria with TPU in a plastic extruder, melting and mixing the materials. They tested the plastic by placing strips of it in compost, setting up two compost environments with the same temperature (37 degrees Celsius) and similar humidity levels (44% to 55%): one sterile and the other microbially active. The results showed that the plastic achieved over 90% biodegradation within five months in both environments. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
- Germany, Spain and France propose billionaire tax to help tackle climate crisis
Leaders from Germany and Spain are advocating for a global tax on billionaires to help cover the costs of the climate crisis. Brazil, which currently chairs the G20 group of the world’s largest economies, initially proposed this tax on the super-rich during a meeting of finance ministers in February. Now, finance chiefs from Germany, Spain, and South Africa have joined Brazil in developing the proposal, which aims to impose a minimum 2 percent levy on the wealth of the world’s 3,000 billionaires.
According to the finance ministers, this 2 percent wealth tax could generate an estimated €233 billion in annual global tax revenue. A significant appeal of this plan is that the additional funds could address some of the world’s most pressing public needs and injustices, including climate change. They note that €233 billion is approximately the economic damage caused by extreme weather events last year.
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