Indonesia pledged at the recent COP26 climate summit that its greenhouse gas emissions would peak by 2030 and then start to fall.It's also said that it will end deforestation by that same date.But to reduce emissions from its transport sector, it's relying on using more biofuels - production of which can lead to the loss of forested land.So how can it both curb its emissions using biofuels and end deforestation by 2030?What is Indonesia's plan for biofuels?Indonesia is now the third largest producer of biofuels in the world, behind Brazil and the US, and the world's largest producer of biodiesel - a biofuel alternative to regular diesel fuel.ADVERTISEMENTIMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGESImage caption,Advanced research into biofuels is being carried out in IndonesiaBiofuels come from plant material...
Some of the world’s richest men are squaring off in what’s become a rivalry for the ages – the space race. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two richest men on the planet and the CEOs of SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively, have grand designs on the cosmos. They predict a universe where the internet is accessible from anywhere, humans are an interplanetary species, and rotating space stations host permanent residents.But Bill Gates isn’t putting his wealth into these off-planet endeavors.Gates, the fourth richest person alive, according to Forbes, has what he considers higher aspirations right here on Earth. While internet constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s proposed Project Kuiper aim to bring for-profit fixes to the world’s pressing connectivity issues...
Private markets asset management firm Hamilton Lane announced today the interim fund close of its recently launched social and environmental impact-focused fund, Hamilton Lane Impact Fund II, achieving $198.5 million in commitments.Impact Fund II, launched in April, seeks to make direct investments across geographies and strategies, including buyout, growth, late-stage venture, credit and real assets, with an emphasis on investments in transformative technologies, innovation and efficiency. Investments include companies that focus on clean energy transition, sustainable processes, health and wellness and community development.At nearly $200 million, the fund has already more than doubled the size of its predecessor fund, Impact Fund I, which announced its final close in July 2020 with...
The US government will be a net zero contributor to the climate crisis by 2050 by slashing the planet-heating emissions from its operations and transitioning to an all-electric fleet of cars and trucks, according to a new executive order signed by Joe Biden.The federal government is the largest land owner, energy consumer and employer in the US and it will “lead by example in tackling the climate crisis”, the White House said, by eliminating greenhouse gases from its activities.Under the order signed by Biden on Wednesday, the government will cut its emissions by 65% by the end of this decade, before reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.The government’s fleet of 600,000 cars and trucks will be transformed, with all acquisitions of vehicles from 2035 being zero emission versio...
The Government of Canada announced that it will provide up to $200 million over the next five years to fund projects focused on nature-based solutions to addressing climate change.Nature-based solutions, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.” The solutions are one of the key tools to help meet global decarbonization goals, with projects that are typically included in the definition encompassing those focused on redeveloping forests or wetlands, which protect or transform land, improve biodiversity, and enable nature to absorb CO2 from the en...