CP Daily: Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Published 05:21 on September 4, 2024  /  Last updated at 05:21 on September 4, 2024  /  Newsletters

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

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TOP STORY

Spain’s Ribera seen as most likely pick for EU climate chief

The Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, who was appointed to Brussels last week by her government, is widely tipped for the European Commission’s climate portfolio, but is not certain to be confirmed in time for the COP29 summit in Baku.

ASIA PACIFIC

Latest NZ ETS auction sees another bidless round

The third New Zealand ETS auction for 2024 has failed to clear, with not a single bid being submitted, repeating the results of the last permit sale held in June.

South Korea to expand participation and curb surplus in its national ETS

South Korea is planning to extend participation and curb permit surplus in its emissions trading system, as the government seeks to reverse the dynamics in the struggling market.

Korean steelmakers likely to bear $2.2 bln CBAM costs over next decade, lobby group says

A major South Korean business lobby is urging the government to actively support decarbonisation of the domestic steel industry, as the implementation of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could bring Korean steelmakers additional costs of 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) over the next decade.

Pakistan’s Sindh province to generate millions of voluntary carbon credits through reforestation projects

The government of Sindh province in Pakistan is planning to generate tens of millions of voluntary carbon credits by planting trees along the Indus River in a massive reforestation initiative, an official told Carbon Pulse.

Australia Market Roundup: Clean energy investment ticks up as transport emissions continue to rise

Australian greenhouse gas emissions have continued to flatline, as gains in the electricity sector are wiped out by rising transport emissions, according to government reporting.

India must auction carbon certificates to achieve climate goals, ensure just transition -report

India must allow auctioning of carbon credit certificates (CCCs) under its intensity-based Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), in line with other emissions trading schemes (ETS) globally, in order to achieve its climate goals while also facilitating a just energy transition, a paper released Tuesday has found.

Second human-induced regeneration ACCU project gateway report calls for a focus on in-situ monitoring

A report into Australia’s human-induced regeneration (HIR) projects has argued that on-the ground, or ‘in-situ’, reporting measures are crucial to ensure abatement assurance, because national datasets are unreliable in the remote areas where projects are located.

EMEA

UK renewables auction blows new life into offshore wind developments

The UK awarded contracts for a record 131 renewable energy projects on Tuesday, with price bids coming in well below the maximum set by the government in an auction that the industry welcomed as a sign of renewed investor confidence in the country.

UK acknowledges flagship carbon capture programme faces challenges staying on track

The director of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the UK government acknowledged at a conference on Tuesday that the country faces challenges meeting its capacity targets.

Longship carbon capture project near-complete, on track for 2025 start, confirms Norwegian oil minister

Norway’s pioneering Longship carbon capture and storage (CCS) project is now 80% complete and on-track to begin operations next year, according to the country’s oil minister.

Maritime compliance firm raises €5 mln to expand EU ETS solutions

A provider of emissions data and compliance management solutions for the maritime industry has closed a €5 million Series A financing round, according to a press release.

Jordanian carbon market delayed pending greater clarity on Article 6 -media

Jordan’s voluntary carbon market (VCM) plans have stalled since it announced in 2020 intentions to launch a regulated domestic market – a delay that local media sources attribute to ongoing ambiguity about Article 6 carbon trading under the Paris Agreement.

Euro Markets: EUAs plunge 3.2% to one-month low amid energy weakness

European carbon prices dropped to their lowest in a month on Tuesday as the weight of selling pressure continued to hang over the market, amplified by US traders returning from the annual Labor Day holiday, while an upward revision to France’s expected nuclear generation this year and bearish Chinese economic data added to weakness in the energy complex.

AMERICAS

Brazil’s CCS bill passes Senate committee, goes to plenary

A Brazilian Senate committee approved on Tuesday a long-awaited bill with key carbon capture and storage (CCS) elements, sending it to plenary.

PREVIEW: Traders expect discounted RGGI Q3 auction clear, compliance participation key

Traders favour the Q3 RGGI permit sale to clear at a discount to secondary market prices, with compliance demand a key factor determining the settlement.

PREVIEW: Washington’s Q3 auction forecasts clouded by programme uncertainty

Market participants maintained modest expectations for the upcoming Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) auction on Wednesday in light of the ongoing anxiety surrounding the fate of the state’s cap-and-trade scheme.

Washington CFS overhauls validation, verification in draft regulation

Washington’s draft Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) language includes updates to its third-party verification programme and changes to credit generation, according to information published by the Department of Ecology (ECY) on Friday.

INTERNATIONAL

COP29 host launches support platform to aid developing nations submit climate reports

COP29 host nation Azerbaijan has launched a platform to help developing nations with their submission of climate progress reports.

VOLUNTARY

VCM Report: Signs of life emerge but voluntary carbon market still yet to spark

Signs of life started to emerge in the voluntary carbon market last week, with brokers reporting an uptick in fresh offers and better buying appetite, although prices were little moved and liquidity remained thin.

Kenyan wind power project embroiled in land dispute, unable to sell carbon credits -media

One of the largest renewable energy projects in Kenya, involved in a land dispute with the local community for about a decade, has been unable to trade carbon credits issued from the project, according to a local media source.

Regenerative agriculture firm raises €15 mln to support low-carbon farming transition

A Belgium-based company using carbon finance to incentivise farmers for sustainable practices has raised €15 million in a Series B fundraising round.

Puro approved to supply large carbon removals buyers’ club

Finnish carbon removal standard Puro.earth has seen its issuances approved to supply a multinational credit buyers’ club, the firm announced Tuesday.

Developer using AI to produce carbon removal technology open-sources model

An industrial technology developer using artificial intelligence (AI) to design and deploy new climate technologies has open-sourced an AI model, with its first product set to be a carbon removal technology, in the early stages of commercialisation.

UK carbon removal intermediary secures agreement to sell Bolivian biochar credits

A London-based carbon removal marketplace has secured exclusive access to the remaining credits available this year from a Bolivian biochar developer, the firms announced Tuesday.

Two blockchain platforms link up to offer voluntary carbon credit lifecycle services

Two blockchain platforms have integrated their technologies to offer a streamlined service for the lifecycle of voluntary carbon credits, from issuance to trading, they announced Tuesday.

Malawi has sold fraction of 1.5 mln forest carbon credits generated in past five years, govt says

The government of Malawi has generated 1.5 million carbon credits from forest-based projects and schemes over the past five years, but sold only a small share of these at a little over $1 per tonne, according to government sources quoted in local media.

Dutch direct air capture startup raises €15 mln in Series A funding

A Netherlands-based direct air capture (DAC) startup has raised €15.3 million in funding as it looks to scale the rollout of its patented technology, the company announced Tuesday.

AVIATION

Biofuels need to be diverted and power ramped up to decarbonise EU aviation, says think tank

Diverting biofuel production from road transport to the aviation sector could help it reach its decarbonisation targets, while a massive ramp up of renewable and additional electricity production will be needed to meet the 2050 goals, according to a report by a German climate think tank.

BIODIVERSITY (FREE TO READ)

Cercarbono expects to register a handful of biodiversity credit projects in 2025

Colombian standard Cercarbono expects to certify only a handful of biodiversity credit projects in 2025, hoping to have enough initiatives in its pipeline to test the standard during its first year.

Swedish developer, tech company partner on forestry monitoring for biodiversity credits

A Swedish biodiversity developer has partnered with an Irish forestry management software company to develop a monitoring tool for biodiversity credit projects in forest landscapes, they said on Tuesday.

UK govt sells first statutory biodiversity credits

The UK government is selling its first batch of statutory biodiversity credits under the biodiversity net gain (BNG) scheme to a developer for an estimated total of £35,120.

TNFD calls for bridging gaps in ocean data to meet increasing demand

Existing gaps in ocean data must be plugged to meet growing demand for this information, while improving corporate reporting, executives at the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) told a webinar on Tuesday.

PCX Markets reports 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste diverted through credits

Singapore-based marketplace PCX Markets has said it has prevented 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste from dispersing in nature through plastic credit issuance in the last four years.

Biodiversity Pulse: Tuesday September 3, 2024

A twice-weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

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EVENTS

Carbon Forward Expo – October 8-10, London and Online: Our flagship conference returns to the stunning De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. As the agenda comes together for our ninth annual event, we want to make sure you don’t miss out on our 10% discount offer, which is available throughout August. We’re also offering free passes for offset buyers. Get in touch to find out if you’re eligible and how to apply. Register now!

IETA’s North American Climate Summit – September 24-26, NYC: NACS 2024 is the premier gathering of carbon market practitioners, experts, and governments from across North America and beyond. Attending NACS 2024 presents a unique opportunity to learn from experts, enhance your carbon market expertise, and expand your network of leaders to collaboratively move the needle on delivering climate action and transition finance at scale. Gain insights on the evolving carbon pricing landscape, latest market trends, most relevant regulatory developments and “what to watch” through COP29 Baku and beyond. Organized by IETA, in collaboration with the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), NACS 2024 is an in-person event with recorded plenary and breakout sessions. The program features high-level plenaries, inspirational keynotes, topic deep-dives, cross-cutting breakouts, interactive side events, exclusive roundtables and unmatched networking opportunities to foster meaningful connections. Secure your spot

Eurelectric’s Power Barometer 2024 – October 3, Brussels: Over the past five years, the power sector has faced unprecedented challenges among the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, and mounting competition from China and the US. With new policymakers taking office, political attention is now on energy independence, industrialisation, competitiveness, and the ongoing climate battle. Eurelectric Power Barometer 2024 data report will take stock of these developments with DG ENER Director General Ditte Juul Jorgensen, MEP Niels Fuglsang, and SSE Managing Director Sam Peacock. Make sure to join them at our free launch event! Register here

Chile Carbon Forum – October 8-10, Santiago: The forum will bring together experts, business leaders, and government officials to discuss challenges and opportunities within the carbon market. It will cover topics such as carbon taxes, offsetting mechanisms, climate finance, carbon market regulations, international cooperation, nature-based solutions, and innovative emission reduction strategies. The agenda includes panel discussions, workshops, and keynote speeches that emphasize the importance of these topics in promoting a low-carbon economy and combating climate change. This forum is crucial for understanding and advancing collaborative approaches to sustainability. For more information, visit Chile Carbon Forum.

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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

INTERNATIONAL

US-China – US climate envoy John Podesta will visit China from Wednesday to Friday to discuss cooperation on climate change, China’s ministry of ecology and environment said Monday. The world’s two top greenhouse gas emitters are expected to discuss their respective emissions targets and other multilateral climate policy measures ahead of COP29 in November. The visit follows separate meetings between senior US and Chinese officials in Beijing last week as the two countries look to ease tensions and avoid conflict.

EMEA

Green light – The European Commission has approved, under the EU merger regulation, the acquisition of sole control of certain coal trading assets of Uniper of Germany by EPR of Switzerland. The transaction relates primarily to the thermal coal trading and dry bulk freight trading sectors. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies’ limited market positions resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure, according to the Tuesday announcement by the EU executive.

French nuclear – France is preparing to start up its long-delayed Flamanville nuclear reactor, 12 years behind schedule and after multiple setbacks as the industry looks to a revival with plans for more new plants. Flamanville is the first newly built nuclear reactor in France in a quarter of a century. EDF said late on Monday that the first chain reactions at the Flamanville 3 reactor on France’s Normandy coast were due to get underway overnight. If these are successful, the reactor will be grid connected by year-end, once it has reached 25% of its total 1.65 GW capacity. Flamanville ended up costing more than four times its initial budget at €13.2 bln, and took longer to finish than similar models EDF built in China and Finland that were also hit by delays. (FT)

Mediterranean interconnector – Cyprus and Greece reached an agreement late on Monday on the regulatory framework for the Cyprus-Crete electricity interconnection after lengthy negotiations. The deal involved the governments and regulatory authorities of both countries, the EU’s Directorate-General for Energy, and IPTO, the Greek electricity transmission system operator. The agreement will see the Cypriot government fund IPTO’s expenses from 2025 to 2030 with €25 mln annually, which will come from state revenue from emissions trading, not directly from consumers. The agreement awaits formal approval from the Cypriot Council of Ministers and the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority’s higher authority in the coming days. The project forms part of the broader EuroAsia Interconnector project, aimed at linking the electricity grids of Israel, Cyprus, and Greece.

ASIA PACIFIC

Gearing up – The Indian government has started meeting experts to finalise its strategy in preparation of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, scheduled for November, local newspaper Mint reported. Country’s Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has said that India will represent the Global South, and voice issues faced by developing nations during climate negotiations for adaptation and mitigation. Yadav also added that India will take a call if EU levies taxes under CBAM, starting January 2026. The minister told Mint in an interview that several expert meetings are taking place simultaneously and the strategy for upcoming climate conference will be based on the outcome of these meetings. He also hinted that India’s stand at COP29 will likely be the same as at the previous one, adding that biodiversity conservation may find a place in the country’s latest agenda.

Batteries bolstered – The Australian government has announced the results of the Victoria and South Australia phase of its Capacity Investment Scheme, selecting six battery projects to be underwritten that can run for up to four hours when needed. The tender allocation delivers an additional 1,630 MWh to Victoria and 1,996 MWh to South Australia, following 100 bids, according to the government. Many of the unsuccessful bids were also of high quality and will be given feedback and encouraged to rebid in the next tender slated for the end of the year, the government said. Two more CIS tenders are currently open, one for 6 GW of renewable energy generation across the National Electricity Market, and another for 500 MW / 2,000 MWh dispatchable capacity in the Western Australia market.

To market, to market – Australian oil and gas company Santos has signed a mid-term LNG sale contract with trader Glencore’s Singapore arm for 19 cargoes, or 500,000 tonnes per annum, for three-and-a-quarter years from the company’s portfolio. This is as opposed to supply from a single project. The contract is oil-indexed, which means the gas is priced as a percentage of the price of a barrel of Brent oil. Santos has stakes in LNG projects in Australia and Papua New Guinea. 

Coal credit down – Coal-fired power generators in the Asia Pacific or those companies where this form of power supply accounts for 25% or more of revenue face a worsening credit rating given transition risks, Fitch said this week. Its long term risk assessment factors in transition plans have already been made public but said they will still have to enhance their efforts in energy transition to avoid a negative rating. It did however note that coal power will remain critical for electricity generation in the region. 

AMERICAS

Federal dollars for H2 – The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $62 mln in funding on Aug. 30 to 20 hydrogen-related projects across 15 states to spur private sector investment in US manufacturing. The primary focus of this tranche of funding is to develop advanced hydrogen fueling stations for medium- and heavy-duty commercial-scale trucking. Some of the funded projects will create standards for fueling stations that can be easily replicable, and support the development of advanced components necessary for hydrogen refueling stations. Other supported projects will develop fuel cell-powered equipment for ports, address permitting issues across the hydrogen value chain, and improve the DOE’s community engagement capacity.

Green light for coal plant suit – A federal judge ruled last month that a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club against an Illinois-based coal plant can move forward after the plant petitioned the court to dismiss the case, a local outlet reported last week. Originally filed last year, the suit alleges that Prairie State Generating Company has been operating its coal plant for the last 10 years without proper permits required by the Clean Air Act. The defendants argued that the plant is operating legally under a state-issued permit, and asked the judge to dismiss the suit on grounds that the Sierra Club failed to prove that any rules were broken. Located 45 mi (72.4 km) east of St. Louis, the coal plant is one of the largest emitters in the state, yet provides power to 180 communities across the region. (St. Louis Public Radio)

Mitigating community opposition – A survey conducted by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that renewable energy developers believe that community opposition to utility-scale projects is the biggest barrier to achieving decarbonisation goals. The survey, published in the Energy Research & Social Science journal, found that even though developers are highly concerned with community opposition, developers generally engage the public at a late stage. They recommend that developers strive to give citizens more empowerment during the design process in order to mitigate the impact of community opposition.

EJAC resolution – California’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC), convened under regulator ARB, approved and passed its CCUS and DAC resolution for presentation at the upcoming Sep. 12 board meeting, during its public meeting on Tuesday. The resolution opposes the deployment of CCUS in California and calls for more research and regulatory improvements with regards to CCUS and DAC projects.

VOLUNTARY

Continuing the conversation – Carbon credits used as offsets should not be used to abate Scope 3 emissions, said researchers on corporate climate action and governance at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London and Oxford Net Zero at Oxford University, in a report published Tuesday. The researchers convened across four workshops following the SBTi’s Board suggestion to allow the use of carbon credits within Scope 3, and broadly discussed market-based mechanisms as an instrument to enable companies’ decarbonisation. The researchers also concluded that estimation of Scope 3 emissions would benefit from a sectoral approach to accounting; clearer definitions of responsibility, actions, and assessment across a value chain could improve outcomes; and more work is needed to disaggregate between types of hard-to-abate emissions. The use of safe-guarded voluntary carbon market credits was of contentious discussion among workshop participants, as some questioned why entities opted for market-based mechanisms rather than direct decarbonisation, while others vouched in favour of the positive impacts of collective action.

Going for gold – The Paris 2024 Olympic organising body retired around 1.3 mln carbon credits from Verra and Gold Standard-registered projects over the past week, data showed. This included from a renewables project in Senegal (VCS 1971), a cookstoves activity in the DRC (VCS 2636), and REDD+ units from Guatemala (VCS 1622). Carbon Pulse analysis earlier in the year found that Paris would look to buy credits from a variety of carbon projects in the local region and abroad to offset its residual emissions, while striving to halve emissions compared to previous Games. The estimated climate impact ahead of the event was around 1.5 mln tonnes of CO2 emissions.

New partnership – Circular economy certification standard Riverse has today announced a strategic partnership with climate consultancy and project developer EcoAct, according to a LinkedIn post. The collaboration will see Riverse-certified carbon credits offered to EcoAct’s client network, aiming to drive more finance towards sustainable, high-impact projects in Europe.

Carbon removal collab – CarbonX Climate will collaborate with The Center for Negative Carbon Emissions (CNCE) at the Arizona State University to strengthen its review of carbon removal suppliers, a LinkedIn post said. CarbonX conducts thorough technical reviews of all carbon removal suppliers before entering into offtake or commercial agreements, so by partnering with the ASU Center, will enhance the review process already undertaken by its network of experts. ASU is at the leading edge of creating carbon removal technologies, with more than three dozen inventions focused on the passive capture of CO2, the statement said. It has a facility to quickly screen the performance characterisation of sorbents for carbon capture, which allows for sorbents to be scaled up.

Another Brazilian controversy – Analysis on legislation to suspend two carbon credit contracts signed by the State Foundation for the Environment and Water Resources (Femarh) of Roraima has been suspended by the legislature, reported Roraima em Foco. The decree – sponsored by Deputies Soldado Sampaio and Aurelina Medeiros – will be debated in the legislative plenary next week. Last week, Sampaio requested an audit with the Court of Auditors of Roraima and a popular action in the Roraima judiciary, aiming at the cancellation of these contracts. The deputy argues that the situation requires a thorough investigation to ensure transparency, morality in public management, and avoid damage to public coffers, as the contracts did not follow the appropriate legal guidelines. Sampaio has also asked for the help of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Accounts in investigating the contracts. The contracts with Biosphere Projetos Ambientais S.A. (Bipasa) have as their object the execution of environmental management services, including the carrying out of inventories, quantifications, qualifications, pricing and certifications of carbon credits in conservation areas of the Lower Rio Branco. According to a press release by Bipasa, the contract was formalised in May of this year for 323,000 hectares in the Parque Estadual das Nascentes and 622,000 hectares in the Itapara-Boiacu Sustainable Development Reserve. Folha de Boa Vista reported that the contracts are worth approximately R$3.3 bln ($580 mln) and Sampaio’s lawsuit involve concerns that the areas border federal parks and Indigineous areas and possible lack of consultation with traditional communities. Fermarh has said it followed all legal norms and the rights of commmunities, but the former head of the organisation, Glicerio Fernandes, was dismissed on Aug. 28, according to the national outlet.

Brazilian biochar – Amsterdam-headquartered automaker Stellantis plans to pursue the production of biochar in Brazil to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and to help meet its decarbonisation goals, reported Movimento Economico. The company aims to achieve zero emissions by 2050, and will use coffee husks as a raw material for the biochar, noting that it has a large plant in Minas Gerais, which is a major producer for coffee. Joao Irineu, Stellantis’ vice president for regulatory affairs for South America, said the company’s presence in Brazil will not pursue carbon credits because of the fluctuating nature of the market, although other pats of the company do so. Stellantis said its desired emissions reductions can be achieved through product initiatives – including and engagement with manufacturing, supply chain, logistics. Additionally, the company said it is betting on the hybrid car due to its lower cost and the lack of infrastructure for electric cars, also noting that sugarcane producers will be supported by the use of sugarcane in hybrid cars, as well as to make biochar.

INVESTMENT

Struggling for cash – Clean tech startups that easily raised money from venture firms just two or three years ago are now struggling to get hold of cash due to the impacts of high interest rates and some delays from federal tax credit support, the FT reports. In August, battery startup Moxion Power that raised funds from Amazon, filed for bankruptcy, and so too did SunPower, a publicly traded US solar company controlled by Total. Battery company Ambri also filed for bankruptcy, as did Enviva, a wood pellets provider. While solar and battery provider Swell Energy has said it is winding down operations in its current form. Part of the trouble is the capital intensity required to scale up impactful climate solutions, said an expert, while clean tech is also competing for funding with other sectors like AI, life sciences, and defence tech.

SCIENCE & TECH

A long ways – Approximately 50 MtCO2 was captured annually by operational CCUS facilities in 2024, data firm Statista reported Tuesday. This accounts for 0.1% of global CO2 emissions. CCUS capacity would reach roughly 435 MtCO2 by 2030 should large-scale CCUS projects advance in entirety, but this would still leave a gap of about 600 MtCO2 to be on track with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario, the firm added.

AVIATION

Aviation tax scrapped – Sweden will get rid of its tax on airline tickets from the middle of next year, striving to cut prices and boost availability, said the government and its Sweden Democrats alliance partner on Tuesday. The tax was introduced in 2018 by the then ruling centre-left government. (Reuters)

SAF deal – Biomass-to-clean fuels provider Haffner Energy and green hydrogen developer IdunnH2 have signed an agreement to integrate Haffner Energy’s technology in the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility under development by IdunnH2. The 65,000 tonnes/year facility is located near Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. It’s expected to combine green hydrogen produced from Iceland’s green grid, with biogenic carbon from Haffner Energy’s patented biocarbon gasification technology to produce SAF. Haffner Energy claims that its innovation to supply biochar and gasify it onsite generates a fundamental change for SAF economics. Production is scheduled to start in 2028 and the project aligns with the SAF EU mandate for airports to contain a minimum proportion of SAF starting from at least 2% in 2025, scaling up to 20% by 2035, and eventually 70% by 2050.

Aviation offsets – Turkish Airlines has offset 61,100 flights taken by its employees while on duty, with carbon credits equating to 11,000 tonnes of CO2, via a partnership with Net Zero Climate Investments, a LinkedIn post said. The projects have co-benefits that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the amount covers all flights taken between Aug. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023.

Flying sharkskin – Japanese air carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) has redeployed its first aircraft equipped with a special emissions-reducing coating, the company reported in a press release Monday. The AeroSHARK coating, jointly developed by a subsidiary of airline Lufthansa Group and chemical multinational BASF, is applied over the aircraft’s fuselage and engine, and has microscopic riblets that help reduce aerodynamic drag on the airframe, emulating the way a shark’s skin reduces underwater drag to allow the fish to swim faster. Applied on a Boeing 777, the coating can save an aircraft 250 tonnes of fuel to avoid 800 tCO2 emissions/yr. Globally, there are now almost 20 aircraft in service currently using the AeroSHARK coating.

SAF prices – Price reporting agency Fastmarkets launched its first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) prices for the North American market on Tuesday. The company pointed to the confluence of growth in commercial air traffic and EU regulations as drivers behind increasing demand and launch of its product.

AND FINALLY…

Cooler corals – Ocean waters in Florida have been cooler this year than they were in 2023, meaning the state’s coral reefs finally caught a break this summer after a run of dangerous conditions that included months of historically hot ocean temperatures and the world’s fourth global coral bleaching event, reported E&E News. Following recent challenges, a few hardy coral strains successfully reproduced this summer, although the four that did so were much less than the 20 typical for a summer. However, scientists say the cooler temperatures say could mean less late-summer bleaching. Additionally, they say those that survive could pass on their resilience to the next generation, with the outlet citing Alice Grainger, senior director of strategic engagement at the Coral Restoration Foundation, as saying “the fact that even one of these spawned I think is a glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been a pretty dark time for coral reefs in Florida”.

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