AFP UK

Australia vowed Thursday to keep mining coal for export and said global demand was rising, rejecting a study that warned nearly all its reserves must stay in the ground to address the climate crisis.

Researchers warned in a study published in the journal Nature this week that 89 percent of global coal reserves — and 95 percent of Australia’s share — must be left untouched.

Such restraint, they said, would still only offer a 50 percent chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the current global goal.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday Australia’s energy exports were needed to power developing countries, and predicted technology would enable them to be burned “in a much more climate-friendly way” in the future.

“We will keep mining the resources that we’re able to sell on the world market,” Morrison told a news conference when asked if he would put an “expiration date” on the coal mining industry.

“We obviously anticipate that over time world demand for these things may change.”

Under existing agreements, developing countries are able to use Australian resources “well into the future”, Morrison said.

Negotiators from 196 countries will join the 26th edition of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties — COP26 — in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November.

The 12-day meeting, the biggest climate conference since landmark talks in Paris in 2015, is seen as a crucial step in setting worldwide emissions targets to slow global warming.

Climate scientists warn extreme weather and fierce fires will become increasingly common due to manmade global warming.

Environmentalists argue inaction on climate change could cost Australia’s economy billions of dollars as the country suffers more intense bushfires, storms and floods.

But Canberra has refused to adopt a net-zero emissions target and remains one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters.

Australian Resources Minister Keith Pitt said coal remained Australia’s second-largest export, after iron ore. 

Coal exports brought in Aus$50 billion (US$37 billion) a year and the industry provided direct jobs for 50,000 Australians, he said.

“The reality is that global demand for Australian coal is increasing and forecast to continue rising into the next decade at least,” Pitt said in a statement, promising coal industry workers they had a “long-term commitment” from the government.

A smoke alarm sounded Thursday in Russia’s segment of the International Space Station (ISS) and astronauts smelled “burning” on board, Russia’s space agency and NASA said.

The incident, which the Russian space agency Roscosmos said happened at 01:55 GMT ahead of a scheduled spacewalk, is the latest in a string of problems to spur safety concerns over conditions on the Russian segment.

“A smoke detector was triggered in the Zvezda service module of the Russian segment of the International Space Station during automatic battery charging, and an alarm went off,” Roscosmos said in a statement. 

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said “the smell of burning plastic or electronic equipment” wafted to the US segment of the station, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a NASA broadcast.

The Russian crew turned on a filter and after the air was cleaned up the astronauts went back to sleep, Roscosmos said.

The space agency said that a planned spacewalk would go ahead as scheduled. 

Russia’s Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov are scheduled to leave the station to continue work on the Nauka science module that docked in July.

“All systems are operating normally,” Roscosmos said.

The Russian segment of the ISS has experienced several problems recently and a space official warned last month that out of date software could lead to “irreparable failures”.

The Zvezda service module, part of the Russian segment, has experienced several air leaks, including earlier this year and in 2019.

Citing concerns stemming from ageing hardware, Russia has previously indicated that it plans to leave the ISS after 2025 and launch its own orbital station. 

In July, the entire ISS tilted out of orbit after the thrusters of the Nauka module reignited several hours after docking.

The European Medicines Agency has listed the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis, as a “very rare” side effect of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

A causal relationship was “considered at least a reasonable possibility”, the EMA said in an update Wednesday after a total of 833 cases of the syndrome had been reported worldwide by July 31, from about 592 million doses of the AstraZeneca “Vaxzevria” shot administered.

“GBS should therefore be added to the product information as a side effect of Vaxzevria,” the Amsterdam-based agency said.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome was a “very rare” side effect, occurring in under one in 10,000 people, it added.

The disorder is a nerve inflammation that may cause temporary paralysis and difficulty breathing.

In the United States, the very rare syndrome affects an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people each year and most go on to recover.

The EMA recommended that a warning be added to information on the vaccine that tells people to seek medical attention if they develop weakness and paralysis in the extremities that can progress to the chest and face.

The European drug regulator had in July listed Guillain-Barre syndrome as a “very rare” side effect of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which uses the same adenovirus technology as the AstraZeneca jab.

The US Food and Drug Administration also warned in July of an “increased risk” of developing the neurological syndrome with Johnson & Johnson’s dose.

Both regulators stressed that the vaccine’s benefits outweighed the potential risks.

Greenpeace has accused the British government of lying to the public after leaked emails seen by the environmental group appeared to show backtracking on climate commitments to secure a trade deal with Australia.

In the correspondence, Greenpeace UK on Wednesday said senior ministers Liz Truss, David Frost and Kwasi Kwarteng “are named as agreeing to ditch references to the temperature commitments in the Paris Agreement on climate in order to get the Australian trade deal ‘over the line’.” 

In response, the government insisted it “will not sign trade deals that compromise our high environmental protections”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to environmental NGOs promising that any deal with Australia would “include a chapter on trade and environment which not only reaffirms commitments to multilateral environmental agreements, including the Paris Agreement, but also commits both parties to collaborate on climate and environmental issues.”

But Greenpeace said “details from the leaked email demonstrate that what Boris Johnson wrote in that letter was a lie”.

“The reality of the government’s plans to bulldoze over the Paris Agreement temperature commitments… completely undermines trust in the government as host of the upcoming UN climate summit, COP26,” it added.

– ‘Caving in to Australia’ –

The 12-day event is due to be held in Glasgow in November, and is seen as a crucial step in global action to set new emissions targets to prevent runaway climate change.

Australia, however, has refused to adopt a net-zero emissions target and remains one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters.

The UK government maintained that all the deals it was pursuing “have committed to securing provisions that will help trade in low carbon goods and services, support research and development, innovation in green sectors, and maintain our right to regulate in pursuit of decarbonisation”.

While not directly addressing the climate claims, Australia’s trade minister Dan Tehan said the free trade agreement with the UK would “include commitments relating to a number of environment issues”.

“Australia has remained consistent that all our FTAs should focus on international co-operation and meeting existing multilateral environment commitments,” he said in a statement.

Tehan added that the two nations have agreed to work together on emissions reduction research and development in areas such as clean hydrogen, small modular reactors, and carbon capture technologies.

Britain in June unveiled the major free trade agreement with Australia, after similar deals with Japan and the European Union following London’s divorce with Brussels.

The deal eliminates tariffs on UK exports to Australia and on imported Australian goods such as wine, swimwear and confectionery goods.

But John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said the deal had come at an environmental cost.

“The UK government caving in to Australia over the climate just adds to a list of issues over this trade deal particularly when it comes to food and farming,” he said.

“Australia still uses hormone growth promoters banned in the UK in 1998.

“It continues to use 20 pesticides no longer in use here, including highly toxic neonicotinoids, which are extremely harmful to bees and other pollinators.

“No food should be imported using methods that are banned in the UK,” he added.

The Biden administration said Wednesday the United States should aim to garner nearly 50 percent of its electric supply from solar energy by mid-century, unveiling the latest component of its climate change strategy.

A report released by the Department of Energy (DOE) said solar could account for much as 40 percent of the power supply by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050, up from its current level of just three percent.

However reaching this level would require the United States to quadruple its annual solar capacity additions, the department said in a statement. 

This future also depends on extensive public investments in a power grid originally built for power from coal and natural gas, as well as policy changes to disincentivize carbon-based energy, the department added.

The report comes as President Joe Biden presses for aggressive action on climate change and renewable energy as Congress debates massive proposals to overhaul the country’s infrastructure against a backdrop of worsening tropical storms and forest fires in the United States.

It also comes on the heels of a White House announcement last month that set a 2030 target for half of all cars sold in the United States to be zero-emission — another bold goal that will depend on a confluence of public policies, private sector investments and consumer preference to become a reality.

As with other ambitious climate targets such as “Net zero” emissions by 2050, Biden’s solar goals are “aspirational not practical,” said Dan Pickering, founder of Pickering Energy Partners in Houston.

“Trillions will be spent trying to get there. Moving that direction EFFICIENTLY is hugely critical… and hugely valuable.”

– Congressional debate –

The DOE release included some policy objectives, but leaves much of the detail and decisions to Congress. 

The report foresees some $562 billion in additional cost in the buildout through 2050, but did not lay out a target for the public share of investment.

The analysis described the investment as cost-effective, saying some $1.7 trillion would ultimately be saved through “avoided climate damages and improved air quality.”

The big jump in deployment rests on “continued technological advances” that would limit electricity prices and an increase in storage capacity of solar capacity to build in resilience.

“The study illuminates the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest-growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all of the homes in the US by 2035,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

“Achieving this bright future requires a massive and equitable deployment of renewable energy and strong decarbonization polices —  exactly what is laid out in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.”

A $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package focuses primarily on roads and bridges, leaving significant climate-related investments to a $3.5 trillion plan backed by Biden’s Democratic party that faces longer odds. 

But congressional Republicans have balked at Biden’s strategy, particularly the larger package. 

Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian advocacy group backed by the Koch Brothers, has dismissed the total $4.7 trillion in planned legislations as “wasteful, partisan wish lists” and called for Washington to “stop the spending spree.”

But Biden highlighted the need for action during a visit Tuesday to parts of New York and New Jersey ravaged by Hurricane Ida last week, saying the world faces a “code red” danger on climate.

The report came as the Solar Energy Industry Association on Wednesday called for dynamic action to expand solar capacity, including a long-term extension of the solar investment tax credit and other policies promoting clean energy.

SEIA endorsed Biden’s plan, saying on Twitter, “with significant policy advances, we can achieve the blueprint laid out in this @ENERGY study. Let’s get it done.”

Also endorsing the goal was environmental group NRDC, which called on Congress “to fully fund the clean electricity investments in the current budget process to make this plan a reality.”

The Biden administration said Wednesday the United States should aim to garner nearly 50 percent of its electric supply from solar energy by mid-century, unveiling the latest component of its climate change strategy.

A report released by the Department of Energy (DOE) said solar could account for much as 40 percent of the power supply by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050, up from its current level of just three percent.

However reaching this level would require the United States to quadruple its annual solar capacity additions, the department said in a statement. 

This future also depends on extensive public investments in a power grid originally built for power from coal and natural gas, as well as policy changes to disincentivize carbon-based energy, the department added.

The report comes as President Joe Biden presses for aggressive action on climate change and renewable energy as Congress debates massive proposals to overhaul the country’s infrastructure against a backdrop of worsening tropical storms and forest fires in the United States.

It also comes on the heels of a White House announcement last month that set a 2030 target for half of all cars sold in the United States to be zero-emission — another bold goal that will depend on a confluence of public policies, private sector investments and consumer preference to become a reality.

As with other ambitious climate targets such as “Net zero” emissions by 2050, Biden’s solar goals are “aspirational not practical,” said Dan Pickering, founder of Pickering Energy Partners in Houston.

“Trillions will be spent trying to get there. Moving that direction EFFICIENTLY is hugely critical… and hugely valuable.”

– Congressional debate –

The DOE release included some policy objectives, but leaves much of the detail and decisions to Congress. 

The report foresees some $562 billion in additional cost in the buildout through 2050, but did not lay out a target for the public share of investment.

The analysis described the investment as cost-effective, saying some $1.7 trillion would ultimately be saved through “avoided climate damages and improved air quality.”

The big jump in deployment rests on “continued technological advances” that would limit electricity prices and an increase in storage capacity of solar capacity to build in resilience.

“The study illuminates the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest-growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all of the homes in the US by 2035,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

“Achieving this bright future requires a massive and equitable deployment of renewable energy and strong decarbonization polices —  exactly what is laid out in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.”

A $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package focuses primarily on roads and bridges, leaving significant climate-related investments to a $3.5 trillion plan backed by Biden’s Democratic party that faces longer odds. 

But congressional Republicans have balked at Biden’s strategy, particularly the larger package. 

Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian advocacy group backed by the Koch Brothers, has dismissed the total $4.7 trillion in planned legislations as “wasteful, partisan wish lists” and called for Washington to “stop the spending spree.”

But Biden highlighted the need for action during a visit Tuesday to parts of New York and New Jersey ravaged by Hurricane Ida last week, saying the world faces a “code red” danger on climate.

The report came as the Solar Energy Industry Association on Wednesday called for dynamic action to expand solar capacity, including a long-term extension of the solar investment tax credit and other policies promoting clean energy.

SEIA endorsed Biden’s plan, saying on Twitter, “with significant policy advances, we can achieve the blueprint laid out in this @ENERGY study. Let’s get it done.”

Also endorsing the goal was environmental group NRDC, which called on Congress “to fully fund the clean electricity investments in the current budget process to make this plan a reality.”

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck near Mexico’s Pacific resort city of Acapulco left at least one person dead and damaged hospitals, homes, shops and hotels, authorities said Wednesday.

More than 200 aftershocks were recorded after the powerful tremor, whose epicenter was 11 kilometers (seven miles) southeast of Acapulco in Guerrero state, the National Seismological Service reported.

The earthquake, which hit on Tuesday evening, shook buildings in the capital Mexico City several hundred kilometers away.

One person was killed by a falling pole in the city of Coyuca de Benitez in Guerrero, authorities said.

The government offices in Guerrero suffered structural damage and broken windows, along with other public and private buildings, the state’s governor, Hector Astudillo, said.

Only minor damage was reported in other parts of the country, including in the earthquake-prone capital, which is built on a former lake bed.

“We know that there was no serious damage in Puebla, in Oaxaca, in Morelos, here in Mexico City,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference.

– ‘Nervous breakdowns’ –

Flights resumed from Acapulco airport, although initially only for private planes.

Utility poles and other debris fell on a number of vehicles in the city, and the facade of a church collapsed, according to an AFP correspondent.

Tourists evacuated hotels as a series of aftershocks, including several of magnitude 4 or above, rattled nerves.

“I was taking a bath and suddenly I felt a very strong movement, and then I was scared and screamed,” said a tourist from Mexico City who fled outside in only a bath towel.

“I came with my mom and we’re on the 11th floor of the hotel,” he said, hugging his 86-year-old mother, who was crying.

Acapulco Mayor Adela Roman said that the tremor sparked “nervous breakdowns” in the city.

“Yesterday we suffered fear and panic,” she told Milenio television.

“However, we were able to visit many places in Acapulco. We were visiting the places where it was said that there were problems of gas leaks,” Roman added.

Several hospitals suffered structural damage, although experts were still assessing the gravity, she said.

Authorities in Acapulco had opened sports centers for people to sleep in if they were afraid to go home.

Workers cleared fallen rocks from roads in the city.

– ‘Very scared’ –

The earthquake was felt strongly in Mexico City, sending residents and tourists spilling into the streets from homes and hotels.

“I’m very scared. I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight. I’m worried about my daughter. I woke her up to take her outside and I didn’t even put my shoes on,” said 49-year-old resident Laura Villa. 

There were no immediate reports of serious damage in the capital, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Twitter.

Flashes of light were seen in the sky above the capital during the earthquake, which hit at a time when Mexico is facing a third wave of Covid-19 infections as well as severe flooding in some areas.

Bordered by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Mexico is one of the most seismically active places in the world, sitting atop five tectonic plates including three major ones.

On September 19, 1985 an 8.1-magnitude quake in Mexico City killed more than 10,000 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings.

On the anniversary of that earthquake in 2017, a 7.1 quake left around 370 people dead, mainly in the capital.

Solar power could account for nearly half of the United States’ electricity supply by the middle of the century, according to a government study released Wednesday.

The report, released by the Department of Energy, said solar could account for much as 40 percent of the power supply by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050, up from its current level of just three percent. 

However reaching this level would require the United States to quadruple its annual solar capacity additions, the department said in a statement. 

This future also depends on extensive public investments, as well as policy changes to disincentivize carbon-based energy, the department added.

“The study illuminates the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest-growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all of the homes in the US by 2035,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

“Achieving this bright future requires a massive and equitable deployment of renewable energy and strong decarbonization polices –-  exactly what is laid out in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.”

The report comes as President Joe Biden presses for aggressive action on climate change and renewable energy as Congress debates massive proposals to overhaul the country’s infrastructure and social services.

Biden highlighted the need for action during a visit Tuesday to parts of New York and New Jersey ravaged by Hurricane Ida last week, saying the world faces a “code red” danger on climate.

The report came as the Solar Energy Industry Association on Wednesday called for aggressive action to expand solar capacity, including a long-term extension of the solar investment tax credit and other policies promoting clean energy.

The James Webb Space Telescope, which astronomers hope will herald a new era of discovery, will launch on December 18, NASA said Wednesday.

The $10 billion observatory, which is a joint project by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, will blast off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Spaceport in French Guiana.

It is currently stowed at contractor Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach, California, where it is awaiting shipping.

“Webb is an exemplary mission that signifies the epitome of perseverance,” said Webb’s NASA program director Gregory Robinson in a statement.

“We are extremely honored to orbit NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope with Ariane, a first for Arianespace and the European space team,” added Stephane Israel, CEO of Arianespace.

Researchers want to use the space telescope, the largest and most powerful ever built, to look back in time over 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies that formed, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

A key feature is its ability to detect infrared, as by the time the light from the first objects reaches our telescopes, it has shifted towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum as a result of the universe’s expansion.

The current premier space telescope, Hubble, only has limited infrared capacity.

Astronomers also hope the James Webb Space Telescope will supercharge the discovery of alien worlds. 

The first planets to orbit other stars were detected in the 1990s and there are now more than 4,000 exoplanets that have been confirmed.

A pool table that changes into a dining table, a bookshelf that transforms into a filing cabinet and noise-cancelling panels to facilitate home-working: adapting to life after coronavirus was on the minds of many exhibitors at Milan Furniture Fair this week.

After months cooped up at home, many people’s houses and apartments have been transformed into offices, schools, gyms and playgrounds, blurring the lines between public and private spaces.

“The home has become a refuge for its inhabitants, a welcoming place that reflects the personality of each of them and offers both comfort and a certain flexibility,” Maria Porro, head of the Salone del Mobile fair, told AFP.

“Hence the search for materials that feel nice to touch, and multifunctional pieces that allow spaces to be modulated and personalised.”

– Modular billiards –

A pool table in canaletto walnut laid with plates and candles draws the eye of visitors, who stop to feel its smooth surface and take photos.

“Demand has increased with the pandemic because people have rediscovered their home and want a games area that transforms easily into a dining table or desk,” said Guido Rossi of the manufacturer MBM Biliardi.

Nearby, Ferrimobili offers tailor-made products including a shelf that houses an extendable desk, adapted for the needs of people working from home.

“It’s the ideal solution for small spaces. With the pandemic, clients want a home that is more functional but also still elegant,” said Domenico Tescione from the Rimini-based firm that saw its revenues increase by 20 percent last year.

The wider Italian furniture industry had a difficult 2020, when the country endured months of coronavirus lockdowns, with turnover falling 8.9 percent to 21.2 billion euros ($25 billion).

In the first half of 2021, however, sales soared and even overtook pre-pandemic levels, at 14.3 percent higher than the same period in 2019.

– Bright colours –

Comfort has become increasingly important. “Working for hours on an old table and repurposed chair is unacceptable,” said Andrea Bottoli of office furniture firm Martex.

Home-workers who spend much of their day in videoconferences are also focusing more and more on their image. 

“They put the company logo as a backdrop, they try to find the most attractive part of their house and adapt the light so they don’t look too tired,” Bottoli said.

Before the pandemic, “clients looked for office furniture that made it feel more like home — and now it’s the reverse. They want an office at home, without it looking like a workplace”, added designer India Mahdavi.

Another trend during lockdowns was that “people wanted their house to be a happy place, so with more colour and greenery”, she told AFP.

The trend of searching out durable, solid and  sustainable material was highlighted by the fair’s “urban forest”, 100 maples, oaks, lime, apple and plum trees that welcomed visitors and will later be replanted around Milan.

“The pandemic has revealed a huge appetite in people for creating, for renovating their homes, because they are staying at home, they don’t travel so much,” said French designer Pierre Yovanovitch.

He believes “people want comfort, sensuality”, not cold, white interiors: “They are searching for more playfulness, more colour, more joy.”