Countries are to meet in Kenya from 13-17 November to thrash out a global plastic pollution treaty to be in place by the end of 2024. These talks are the
third round and will mark the
halfway point to a Plastics Treaty. From the international negotiating committee (INC) a “zero draft” version of previous discussions outlines 3 options relating to virgin plastic production and a reduction of primary
plastic: 1. Agreed Global reduction targets 2. Agreed production targets and and 3. individual National reduction targets.All eyes are on the US to soften their objections to these developments. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/12/countries-meeting-nairobi-kenya-global-plastic-pollution-treaty
There are less than 20 days to go until the Conference of Parties (COP28).
This also marks the halfway point for nations to achieve self-determined emission reduction goals by 2030 and limit global
warming below 2 degrees Celsius as part of the Paris Agreement signed at COP21.This included Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announcing ambitious targets for 2030 including 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy
capacity and reducing emissions intensity by 45 percent. India still relies on coal for 55% of its energy, so it still has a big challenge ahead. India's 'balancing' act is worth watching: https://360info.org/indias-energy-transition-requires-a-delicate-balancing-act/
COP28 is set to begin 30 November in the United Arab Emirates. As part of proceedings, it will present the results of the 1st Global Stocktake. An early look indicates that we are not on track to achieve the goals set in the
Paris Agreement. In the attached McKinsey early summary, the findings come in under Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance, Knowledge Sharing and Next Steps. There's an emphasis on urgency of action (not a surprise). "It’s clear that the time is now for international cooperation,
equitable climate action, and sustainable transformation across all
sectors". Worth a read...https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-the-global-stocktake?
Mint Innovation has won the Innovation Australia Energy and Renewables award for its world-leading efforts to recycle gold and other precious metals from old tech devices.In world-first process it uses natural biomass and smart chemistry - in its Sydney factory. Old devices such as computers, smartphones, gaming
consoles and washing machines are put on a conveyor belt, where a hammer
mill breaks them down to the size of a sand granule. The chemical
process then separates the metals and bakes them into a commercially valuable gold-laden ash - for use in new electronics and jewelry.https://www.innovationaus.com/urban-miner-mint-innovation-collects-energy-award/?
Israeli Advanced Manufacturing and Chemical company "Nano
Z Coating" exploits Nano materials to produce innovative carpet like platforms
on dumper trucks' roads. After 4 to 6 months of dry season they then unfold the revolutionary material or
put another carpet layer over. The product is a biodegradable ecological solution designed and tested to suppress up to 75% less dust with an
85% water usage savings. These were the results found by Anglo American in
Brazil when applied on unpaved roads in mines driven with 300 tonne trucks with
a slope gradient of 7%. Photos
and videos + more here: https://israeltrade.org.au/2023/09/14/nano-z-coating-nanometric-coating-solutions/
