this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

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Approval of new gas export terminals will lock in greenhouse gas emissions for decades, say activists, who are pressing Biden to halt these projects

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[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

GHG emissions for just one LNG export project, known as Calcasieu Pass 2 or CP2, would be 20x more than Willow, according to an analysis by Jeremy Symons, policy adv. at EPA.

“The Willow project was a carbon bomb, but the CP2 project is a megabomb when it comes to climate change,” Symons said in an interview.

I don't understand why this is. Why?

My understanding currently is that Methane, when burned, isn't very polluting. But Methane leaking from unwatched rigs is super polluting. Sci American on Methane Leaks

Natural Gas is mostly Methane. So what's the difference that makes this worse than shipping LNG? -- because building infrastructure for it provides a wedge for gas companies to keep pumping well after the conflict is over. It "locks us in."

Finally, what's the proposed alternative? Sounds like Europe is facing this dangerous energy supply shortage thanks to the Russia Ukraine War, (this is what the gas companies want us to think) and short of installing heat pumps in hundreds of millions of homes, buildings, and districts in the past year, Europeans are gonna be burning natural gas to stay safely warm this winter.

European Winter Estimates

All European Countries Aggressively Installing Heat Pumps

Bloomberg: Europe Supply Heat Pumps for War

Bloomberg: New German LNG Terminal

-- So how does CP2 work? Who receives this US-Supplied methane and how?

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is scheduled to open in 2026. Right now Russia cut gas to the EU a year ago and gas storage in the EU is full again. With other redcution preparations, such as more heat pumps being installed in the EU and more LNG import terminals this means the EU is absolutly fine concering gas. Unless something big unforseen happens this winter that is. However every country in Europe is cutting down on gas consumption and has passed laws to that effect and the EU did as well. So over time EU gas consumption is going to go down even further. 2026 is just to late to do any good for Europe.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

OMG. Well, that clears it up. This whole CP2 thing is such bullshit. 😂

[–] neanderthal@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

One plus side to record setting temperatures, heating demands are likely lower. A good stop gap is electric space heaters.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The most important question to me is this: What has the EU done, since the war, to reduce the need to burn Natural Gas?

German Heat Pump Initiative

Guardian: UK vs French Heat Pump Quantities

Has the US supported them in that goal?

US Might send Heat Pumps to EU

Vox: US Defense Production Act

Is this an emergency or is it opportunistic?

Yes, it's opportunistic. The US government is not searxhjng for or building out new solutions to EU energy demands. Prices are remaining high based on marketing about the war. Gas companies are making an enormous profit.

People like me who think "Oh but we need the gas, to replace Russian supply, because of the war" are buying in to a narrative this is useful for profiteering gas corporations.

LA Times: Oppose CP2
Sierra Club: Oppose CP2

Greenpeace: Biden Can Stop CP2

Recent Greenpeace International research debunked the gas industry’s claim that new terminal projects are necessary to address the short-term energy crunch in Europe.

The point that all of these climate activists are getting at is that in order to approve this project, the Department of Energy needs to decide it's in the public interest and has public approval. So while they've never rejected a project based on this clause before, climate activism could potentially meet this as a challenge. If we shout from the rooftops about this, we could pressure the DOE into stopping.

GP: How Gas Profits from the Ukraine War

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

As for what the EU has done to reduce gas consumption:

Other then that EU gas storage is full and as long as there are no large unforseen events, the next winter will be fine and after that gas consumption is likely to drop, but propably at a slower pace then 13.2%.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It seems like these projections are focused on the US' responsibility for emissions, rather than a global approach to.. Global climate change. This supply used to come from Russia, now some of it is coming from the US. Right?

Lmao Biden and the EU signed a ban in Methane in 2021.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/18/joint-us-eu-press-release-on-the-global-methane-pledge/

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://www.symonspa.com/post/analysis-of-nepa-reviews-for-fossil-fuel-projects

Symons' Analysis on his personal website.

Symons has also written Opinion Editorials for the Hill Multiple Times:(1) (2) While it seemed at first he is just attacking Biden for an opportunistic jab, he's been doing the same thing going back a decade. Consistent.