Climate Live: Toyota to launch hydrogen fuelled car in 2015 and Greenpeace steps up Arctic campaign

By John Parnell

– The day’s top climate change stories as chosen by RTCC
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– Updated from 0900-1700 BST (GMT+1)


Latest news – Tuesday 14 August

1710 A Yale climate change communication project has found that US Presidential candidates will fare better in swing states if they take a pro-climate action position. So far both candidates have been quiet on the issue.

1630 The US Agriculture Secretary has announced financial assistance for 106 rural renewable energy projects. The awards total more than $8.5m with a $5m loan for a biomass project in North Carolina the centrepiece.

1530 Aberdeen, the UK’s oil and gas hub, is to get Europe’s largest fleet of hydrogen buses. The EU-backed £3.3m scheme will build Scotland’s first hydrogen refuelling station and will operate 10 buses in its initial phase.

1415 There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the severe drought currently experienced in the US could become a more common occurrence. A paper in the journal Nature Climate Change earlier this month has been found to provide striking similarities with existing climate models.

1345 Unilever has announced plans to convert some of its unrecyclable plastics back into fuel oil. The process, known as Pyrolysis, can reclaim 60% of the energy locked into its packaging. The company uses a lot of unrecyclable plastics in the developing world where more affordable single use packets are more common than larger bottles and containers.

1245 While the White House continues to assert its confidence that US wind subsidies will continue after the current plan’s 2012 expiry date, EarthTechling has reports of jobs already leaking out of the sector.

1115 California’s Governor Jerry Brown has launched a new website to dispel climate change myths. California is one of the most active states in the US with emissions trading, ambitious renewable energy targets and efforts to limit emissions from vehicles.

1050 The G20 nations could organise an emergency session to discuss soaring food prices. President Obama has announced state aid for the struggling US agricultural sector which has been left reeling after a severe drought.

0930 The IEA has called on Canada to follow in the steps of several US states, Australia, South Korea, the EU and parts of China and put a price on carbon. Such a move would create a new tax burden on the country’s carbon intensive tar sands industry.

0845 New research has found that increased proportions of freshwater in the oceans can increase the strength of tropical storms by 50%. Around 60% of the world’s population is affected by tropical storms.

0835 Good news for hydrogen fans as Toyota announces a 2015 launch date for its mass production hydrogen car. The FCV-R will have a range of 435 miles and a pleasantly realistic price tag of $50,000.

Toyota FCV-R at NAIAS 2012

Top tweets

Greenpeace is ramping-up its Save the Arctic campaign with executive director Kumi Naidoo entering the lion’s den in Russia.

Reading list

A welcome début on our reading list for The Engineer. Interesting technology perspective on the Rio+20 summit here, why sustainable development needs technology, technology that is already available so how do we roll it out?

Good piece by AOL Energy on why energy issues could be key the US Election outcome.

“It’s Alaska. Expect delays and keep your sense of humor.” The trials and tribulations of doing climate science in the Arctic.

Read more on: RTCC General News |