There is a problem when major production lines use massive amounts of fossil fuels, that directly contributes to climate change.
How did a world leading Norwegian fertiliser company shift gears and go green?
This week on Ticker Climate, Energy Expert Scott Hamilton and Ticker News Presenter Holly Stearnes reported on how Yara is now moving to produce Green Ammonia from renewable energy in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
Yara is one of world’s biggest providers of ammonia, fertilisers and mining explosives.
“This is going to be the biggest industrial scale green ammonia plant in the world.”
Yara has a mission to grow knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. Without mineral fertilizer, the would could only feed 40% of its population.
The problem with production using fossil fuels
The problem is that this production uses massive amounts of fossil fuels which contribute to climate change. That’s why Yara is moving to alternatives, like Green Ammonia.
“This is a game changer, showing the way for other companies to go green”. Holly Stearnes said to Grimes.
Further, the Smart Energy Council’s Zero Carbon Certification Scheme continues to gain traction with Yara, the latest multi-national company to sign up to the scheme.
“The Zero Carbon Certification Scheme is a certificate of origin scheme for renewable hydrogen, renewable ammonia and renewable metals. It’s an absolutely critical step in building the industries of the future,” said Mr Grimes.
“We are very happy to be part of this ground-breaking project in Australia. Certification will be essential to create a market for green ammonia,” said Sammy Van Den Broeck, Vice-President Product and Portfolio, Yara Clean Ammonia.
Solar push for small business
Also in Australia, the state of Victoria is encouraging Victorian small businesses to reduce their energy costs by accessing the benefits of renewable energy under the Solar for Business Program.
This initiative will bring down energy bills for small businesses by reducing the upfront cost of the installation of an approved small-scale solar PV system up to 30kW.
CEO of RACV Solar, Andy McCarthy says “it’s fantastic news” for businesses.
Giant renewable energy power station set for Africa
CWP Global (who was also recently featured on Ticker Climate) last week, announced it is building a massive 30 gigawatt renewable energy power station in Mauritania, north west Africa, which is located just below Western Sahara.
‘To put that in perceptive, the biggest coal power station in Victoria is 2 gigawatts,’ said Hamilton.
Britain is facing a surge in cold weather, with icy conditions and fog expected for much of this week
The UK Met Office has issued a Yellow warning, which means there could be damage to buildings as Britons brace for cold conditions.
Like much of Europe, the UK are bracing for very strong winds on Wednesday, causing disruption to travel and some utilities.
Drivers are also urged to take extra care on the roads, with warnings in place for icy stretches forming on UK roads.
But some residents who are seeking to heat their homes are on edge, as power prices remain high.
Peter Smith is the director of policy and advocacy at National Energy Action, who said the rising cost of living is impacting Britons.
“The average annual bill has almost doubled since this time last year.”
The organisation seeks to close the gaps when it comes to energy affordability. It predicts 6.7 million UK households will be in fuel poverty in the coming months.
This means millions of Britons will be unable to afford living in a warm, dry and safe home.
“So far the milder than usual weather has protected many from the spiralling bills as they haven’t needed to heat their homes as high or as long as usual,” Mr Smith said.
How to keep warm without blowing your bill
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged people to make their own decisions, as he met with world leaders in tropical Bali last week.
“There are things that we can do—all of us—to improve the efficiency with which we use energy, to be careful about it,” he said.
For example, an efficient heater; taking advantage of the sun, where appropriate; and rearranging furniture are some cost-effective methods to reduce the burden on gas and energy bills.
In addition, there are some other cheap ways to reduce dependence on gas and electricity bills, as the temperature continue to plunge.
close off rooms you’re not using
lower the temperature of heating
make sure windows are fully closed
block cold drafts from under doors using door snakes or carpet.
The UK Government has placed a cap freeze on energy prices.
This means households will pay an average £2,500 on their energy bills. But there is a catch: if households use more, they pay more.
National Energy Action believes an additional 2.2 million homes could be in fuel poverty, when compared to the same time last year.
Why are energy prices so high?
As demand increases, so too does the cost of heating homes.
But there is another factor, which has sent prices rising across Europe: the war in Ukraine.
Poland President Andrezj Duda spoke to a hoaxer posing as France counterpart Emmanuel Macron, on the night a missile hit near the Poland-Ukraine border.
The news was confirmed after two Russian pranksters, Vovan and Lexus, posted a recording of the incident, and Duda’s office also affirmed the incident.
During the call, Duda was asking who was responsible for the attack on November 15, wanting to avoid a war with Russia.
The missile landed six kilometres from the border.
Initial reports suggested the missile was Russian-made, but it was later discovered to likely be a Ukrainian air defence missile.
This is the second time the pranksters have targeted the Poland President, who have made their names going after celebrities and politicians, especially those opposed to the Kremlin.
Russian missile hits Poland, as the west assesses the attack on a NATO member
Reports a Russian missile has landed in Poland, killing two people. A projectile struck an area where grain was drying in the village of Przewodów, near the Ukraine border.
An anonymous U.S. intelligence official suggested a barrage of Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian power grid, and spilt into neighbouring Poland.
Poland is a NATO member, therefore, this signifies a potential escalation to the ongoing war. It also marks the first time weapons have impacted a NATO country.
Emergency talks
Currently, the Polish government are holding urgent talks. A Polish spokesman Piotr Mueller has confirmed that top leaders are holding an emergency meeting regarding the “crisis situation.”
Under Article 5 of NATO, an attack on one country is considered an attack on all.
The White House has not confirmed the reports but the Pentagon is assessing the situation.
While NATO has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, including in response to the situation in Syria and the Russian invasion of Ukraine—it has only invoked Article 5 once.
For the first time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States, NATO evoked Article 5 and came to the defence of the United States.