2018 Q2: A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments in climate, energy, tech & the future of civilisation

2018 Q2:
A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments
in climate, energy, tech and the future of civilisation

“Wary shale investors warn against drilling
at all costs”
7th Jan
2016
1st Apr
2018
Says one: “If you outspend cash flow on stupid investments & destroy
capital, I’m not just going to be mad at you, I’m going to punish you…”

China’s Belt and Road grand plan: serious delays,
ballooning debts, mounting sovereignty concerns
7th Jan
2016
1st Apr
2018
The Nikkei Asian Review and The Banker review the progress
of the $1 trillion mega-project in 8 countries.

Underwater melting of Antarctic ice far greater
than thought, ESA satellite altimetry study finds
7th Jan
2016
2nd Apr
2018
The base of ice has shrunk by 1,463 square km 2010 to 2016, an area the
size of Greater London. The implications for sea-level rise are dire.
Section through ice sheet in 2010 Section through ice sheet in 2016

“The world doesn't need a new Facebook,
it needs a new internet” - Arjun Hassard
7th Jan
2016
2nd Apr
2018
“Without mature underlying infrastructure …a blockchain-based social
network ‘for the people’ will struggle to retain users.”

“Russia’s $55bn pipeline gamble on China’s
demand for gas”
7th Jan
2016
3rd Apr
2018
“Russia’s first eastern pipeline is the most striking physical manifestation
of President Putin’s diplomatic pivot towards China”.
It is a bet that China’s green energy tech won’t grow exponentially.

UK's first horizontal well completed
in Lancashire shale, Caudrilla reports
7th Jan
2016
3rd Apr
2018
The driller now waits for government approval to conduct what would
be the first frack since 2011. (The one that led to an earthquake).

The corrupt hide billions in shell companies. US &
UK Beneficial Ownership Registries could stop them
7th Jan
2016
3rd Apr
2018
So suggest Panama Paper journalists Frederik Obermaier and Bastian
Obermayer. The registries would show “ultimate beneficial owners.”

Portugal's electricity consumption was
met 104% by renewables in March
7th Jan
2016
4th Apr
2018
Another first. Highest demand for 40 years met 97% wind & hydro, the
rest solar etc. Average wholesale price €4 less than 2016 (39.75 €MWh).

Google owner Alphabet, biggest corporate
renewables buyer, reaches 100% renewable power
7th Jan
2016
4th Apr
2018
$3 bn investment in wind and solar powers all data centres, where
electricity use grows in double digits % each year.

“We believe that Google should not be in the
business of war”: so say > 3,000 Google employees
7th Jan
2016
4th Apr
2018
An open letter to CEO, in the New York Times, urges the company not to
work on a Pentagon ‘AI surveillance engine’ used for drone warfare.
“Amid growing fears of biased and weaponized AI, Google is already
struggling to keep the public’s trust. By entering into this contract,
Google will join the ranks of companies like Palantir, Raytheon and
General Dynamics. The argument that other firms, like Microsoft and
Amazon, are also participating doesn’t make this any less risky for
Google. Google’s unique history, its motto “don’t be evil”, and its
direct reach into the lives of billions of users set it apart.”

“We believe that Google should not be in the
business of war”: so say > 3,000 Google employees
7th Jan
2016
4th Apr
2018
An open letter to CEO, in the New York Times, urges the company not to
work on a Pentagon ‘AI surveillance engine’ used for drone warfare.

Facebook improperly shared data of 87m people
with Cambridge Analytica, company now says
7th Jan
2016
4th Apr
2018
This is 37m more than reported earlier. It also admits that data of most
of its 2 billion users could have been accessed improperly.

For the first time, global solar capacity grew faster
in 2017 than all fossil fuels and nuclear combined
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
The record 98 GW of new solar built in 2017 increased the world’s
cumulative capacity by a third, to 399GW.
Fossil fuels
Solar
Wind
Hydro
Other renewables Nuclear
Global growth in net electricity generating capacity
(i.e. including retirements of plants)125
100
75
50
25
0
GW
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Solar was the biggest single sector for new global
power capacity additions for the 2nd year in 2017
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
Source: UNEP / BNEF
Solar
98
38%
Wind
52
Coal
35
Gas
38
Large hydro
19
Nuclear
11
GW
Net new
power after
retirements
$160 bn of solar investment: the biggest sector in £280 bn total
renewables investment.

12.1% of world electricity is now generated by
electricity – up from 11% in 2016
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
This corresponds to approximately 1.8 gigatonnes
of carbon dioxide emissions avoided.
Source: UNEP / BNEF

Global investment in renewables grew only 2%
to $279.8 bn
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
45% of the investment was in China: $126.6bn.
Biggest decline was EU, 36%, primarily because of UK, down 65%.
Source: UNEP / BNEF

Solar leads charge as global renewables build
tops 2 TW (2,179 GW)
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
IRENA’s Renewable Capacity Statistics 2018 report
shows 8.3% growth in capacity in 2017.

“IEA accused of undermining global shift
from fossil fuels”
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
None of the IEA’s scenarios hit the Paris target, says OCI. They flag Shell’s
involvement, via 2 IEA secondees on Shell payroll, in drafting.
IEA Sustainable Development
Scenario emissions vs targets
(assuming no negative emissions)

Shell knew about the dire implications of climate
change before the first IPCC report came out in 1990
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
Trove of papers released by Climate Investigations will be difficult to
explain in liability class actions – actions which Shell foresaw!

“China Vows to Fight Trump Tariffs ‘to the End’
as Tension Rises”
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
Shares tumble as Trump considers a further $100bn of tariffs. If China
played tit-for-tat, tariffs would be on all US exports to China.

AI experts call for boycott over killer robots project
teaming a South Korea university with Hanwha
7th Jan
2016
5th Apr
2018
A UN meeting on autonomous weapons convenes in Geneva next week.
> 20 countries have already called for a total ban on killer robots.
The technology to make killer
robots is already here

Carney warns once again of climate change threat
to financial system, & imperative of risk disclosure
7th Jan
2016
6th Apr
2018
BoE Governor says new technology investments & long-term
infrastructure projects will need financing at c. 4x the current rate.

“Why Zuckerberg’s 14-Year Apology Tour Hasn’t
Fixed Facebook”
7th Jan
2016
6th Apr
2018
Zeynep Tufekci: “Facebook's CEO's constant apologies aren't a promise
to do better. They're a symptom of a profound crisis of accountability.”

Twitter exec on Trump election: “We all had this
‘holy shit’ moment …Did we create this monster?”
7th Jan
2016
6th Apr
2018
It would still take months after the election for CEO Jack Dorsey to
concede a responsibility to clean up the social media service.

MIT researchers develop a device that can ‘hear’
words spoken in thought, via neuromuscular signals
7th Jan
2016
6th Apr
2018
The ‘AlterEgo’ device scores 92% transcription accuracy in a 10-person
trial with about 15 minutes of customising to each person.

Elon Musk warns of prospect for “an immortal
dictator from which we can never escape”
7th Jan
2016
6th Apr
2018
This in a documentary on AI and robotics out today, “Do You Trust This
Computer?” Google’s DeepMind is a big step in this direction, he says.
“If one company or small group of people manages to
develop godlike digital superintelligence, they could
take over the world,"

US Homeland Security to compile database for
monitoring of journalists and ‘media influencers’
7th Jan
2016
7th Apr
2018
“24/7 access to a password protected, media influencer database,
including journalist, editors, ….social media influencers, bloggers etc.”

Facebook suspends data firm hired by Vote Leave
over alleged Cambridge Analytica ties
7th Jan
2016
7th Apr
2018
FB says AggregateIQ “may be affiliated with SCL and may, as a result,
have improperly received FB user data.”

HSBC becomes the latest bank to deploy AI
to help spot money laundering
7th Jan
2016
8th Apr
2018
And who programmes the AI? Hopefully not the kind of HSBC staff
who oversaw the “regrettable mistakes” of 2012?

The world's most valuable AI startup targets
nationwide facial recognition
7th Jan
2016
9th Apr
2018
Co-founder of China’s $3 bn SenseTime Group Xu Li: “It will not affect
privacy because only authorized persons can access it.”

Orban immediately targets Soros-backed NGOs
after huge populist win in Hungarian election
7th Jan
2016
9th Apr
2018
OECD describes campaign as “intimidating, xenophobic”. In his previous
term, Hungary’s corruption rating plunged to second worst in EU.

Governments meet in Geneva to consider global
ban on killer robots, with an arms race underway
7th Jan
2016
9th Apr
2018
At least 381 partly autonomous weapon & military robotics systems are
deployed or in development in 12 states, incl. US, Russia, China, UK.

“A Global Arms Race for Killer Robots
Is Transforming Warfare”
7th Jan
2016
9th Apr
2018
Stuart Russell, professor of artificial intelligence at Berkeley: “We have
an opportunity to prevent this, but the window to act is closing fast.”

AI experts call for boycott over killer robots project
teaming a South Korea university with Hanwha
7th Jan
2016
9th Apr
2018
A UN meeting on autonomous weapons convenes in Geneva next week.
> 20 countries have already called for a total ban on killer robots.
The technology to make killer
robots is already here

Apple reaches 100% renewable power for all its
operations in 43 countries
7th Jan
2016
10th Apr
2018
Tim Cook, Apple CEO: “We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of
what is possible ….because we know the future depends on it.”
Solar roof on Apple HQ

EDF warns of yet more delay and cost over-run
at Flamanville nuclear plant
7th Jan
2016
10th Apr
2018
150 “quality deviations” found in welding of pipes used to carry steam.
Extent of addition to existing €10.5 bn bill due in May.

UK and US lawyers launch a joint class action
against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica
7th Jan
2016
10th Apr
2018
US Stored Communications Act involves a minimum $1,000 penalty for
any violation found by a court, meaning FB could face $70bn damages.

“Congress tried to crack Zuckerberg – but Facebook
still has all the power”
7th Jan
2016
10th Apr
2018
“Zuckerberg may not want us to know where he slept last night, but his
company sure as hell knows where the rest of us are sleeping.”

Retired BP executive, one the UK’s most eminent
geologists, suggests The Carbon War is over
7th Jan
2016
11th Apr
2018
Bryan Lovell: “You might perhaps be expected to be in the ranks of
those who have resisted the Anti-carbon Army. I’m not…”

Zuckerberg evasive on tracking, browsing, profiling,
& need to change business model to protect privacy
7th Jan
2016
11th Apr
2018
Congressman Frank Pallone: “Our laws are not working” …”we need
“comprehensive privacy and data protection legislation.”
Congresswoman reads
long list of Zuckerberg’s
apologies, starting in 2003,
as evidence that self
regulation can never work

New Zealand bans future offshore oil and gas
drilling in support of Paris targets
7th Jan
2016
12th Apr
2018
NZ currently has 5 operating offshore fields, and 22 active offshore
exploration licences. Oil lobby expresses surprise and disappointment.

US green group EDF aims to launch a satellite to
spot methane leakage from oil and gas operations
7th Jan
2016
12th Apr
2018
The tens of millions of dollars needed for launch in early 2021
will be raised from private donations.
MethaneSAT

Shell sets out energy transition strategy, telling
investors they see little chance of stranded assets
7th Jan
2016
12th Apr
2018
By 2030 75% of proved + probable oil & gas reserves will be produced,
with demand higher than it is today. Oil demand still 50-60 mbd in 2070.
Chad Holliday
Chairman
Ben van Beurden
CEO

World's first electrified road for charging vehicles
opens in Sweden: 2 km, but part of a national plan
7th Jan
2016
12th Apr
2018
Sweden’s target of achieving independence from fossil fuel by 2030
requires 70% reduction in the transport sector.

Bay Area ferry fleet will transition to 100%
renewable diesel fuel, San Francisco mayor says
7th Jan
2016
12th Apr
2018
Fuel comes from vegetable oils and such sources. It is able to reduce
greenhouse gases in engine emissions by more than half.

Shipping to cut its carbon footprint in half by 2050
under a hard-fought international agreement
7th Jan
2016
13th Apr
2018
A compromise which at least keeps alive the Paris-congruent goal
of total decarbonisation by 2050, given review provisions.

World’s most powerful wind turbine installed
off Scotland: 191 metres, 8.8 MW
7th Jan
2016
13th Apr
2018
Vestas for Vattenfall. Just one rotation of the blades can power the
average UK home for a day.

Fast shale-well depletion means “the oil and gas
infrastructure bubble is over”: John Dizard in the FT
7th Jan
2016
13th Apr
2018
Investors’ dilemma: “No matter how many years’ service the pipes and
plants could provide, there will not be the production to fill them.”

“What Hearings? Advertisers Still
Love Facebook”
7th Jan
2016
13th Apr
2018
Ad agencies expect FB’s $40bn 2017 revenue to rise steeply and FB &
Google to take >65% of all 2018 ad revenue. “Too big to fail,” says one.

Shell urges investors to reject activists’ AGM motion
committing to Paris-congruent emissions
7th Jan
2016
15th Apr
2018
CEO Van Beurden: “If society finds a way to go faster, we will go faster
….but we cannot do it single-handedly.”

US agencies & UK’s GCHQ blame the Kremlin for a
sustained cyber-offensive in recent months
7th Jan
2016
16th Apr
2018
“Millions of machines” targeted in apparent effort to lay foundations
for an assault on network infrastructure devices, they say.
US Air Force video:
The Making of a Cyberwarrior

French oil and gas giant Total takes another
step into renewables
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
It buys 74% of Direct Energie and its 550 MW of operating renewables,
plus 2 GW pipeline, for $1.7bn.

On current trajectory, the energy-related CO2
emissions budget will be blown in <20 years: IRENA
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
Cumulative emissions must at least be reduced by a further 470 gigatons
by 2050 compared to current and planned policies.
Source: IRENA’s
“Roadmap to 2050”

Renewables must be scaled up at least six times
faster to meet the Paris Agreement target: IRENA
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
Additional costs: $1.7 tn p.a. in 2050. But savings from < air pollution, <
environmental damage, & > health = $6 tn p.a. in 2050.
Source: IRENA’s
(85% in
power sector)

Renewables & energy efficiency can provide > 90%
of cuts in energy-related CO2 emissions: IRENA
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
Emissions expected to be flat in the business-as-usual Reference Case,
but must be cut >70% in the Paris-congruent Remap Case.
Source: IRENA’s
94% of
the >70%
emissions
cuts needed

IRENA’s energy transition would generate over 11
million additional energy sector jobs by 2050
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
Job gains in renewable energy and energy efficiency
would greatly exceed fossil-fuel job losses.
Source: IRENA’s

9 years on, the 9-state US carbon trading program is
cutting emissions ….& boosting economies & jobs
7th Jan
2016
17th Apr
2018
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative wasn't designed for economic
development, but ….$1.4 bn of economic benefits in last 3 years.

“Shale Industry Drills More Debt Than Profit”:
DeSmogBlog launches series on $280 bn debt pile
7th Jan
2016
18th Apr
2018
“The American oil and gas boom spurred by fracking innovations may be
one of the largest money-losing endeavors in the nation's history.”

Paris targets will require UK cities to be 90% renewable powered by
2030 (C40), and < 1 in 3 LAs have solar in their environmental strategies.
UK solar industry suggests local governments
can and must solarize faster
7th Jan
2016
18th Apr
2018

UK clean energy projects stifled as energy
networks' charge high fees for connection enquiries
7th Jan
2016
18th Apr
2018
Earlier Tory legislation enables them to do this. Charges are in the £2.5 -
£10k range for small renewables projects – even if they don’t go ahead.

EVs to power the grid in biggest UK trial: 1,000 Ovo
Energy customers will use Nissan V2G charging
7th Jan
2016
18th Apr
2018
The vehicle-to-grid chargers are part of Ovo’s VCharge range which also
includes powerful home batteries, with or without rooftop solar.
An example of Ovo Energy’s combative advertising
…on Valentine’s Day

US trade spokesperson: “Greater access to American arms will ..reduce
their reliance not just on Chinese knock-offs but also Russian systems.”
Trump permits US weapons companies to sell laser-
guided killer drones direct to other countries
7th Jan
2016
19th Apr
2018

In Congress, Zuckerberg dodged questions on whether he would apply
GDPR to Americans, promising GDPR “controls” not “protections.”
Facebook moves 1.5bn users out of reach
of new European privacy law
7th Jan
2016
19th Apr
2018

Vince Cable: Facebook should divest itself of Instagram and WhatsApp
as a condition for EU operation, creating 2 new social media networks.
Former UK Secretary of State for Business calls for
break-up of Google, Facebook and Amazon
7th Jan
2016
19th Apr
2018

Michael Mann et al’s temperature reconstruction from 1999 in blue.
PAGES2K temperature reconstruction 2013 in green. Data record in red.
The “hockey stick” of global average temperature
20 years on: when being right must hurt
7th Jan
2016
20th Apr
2018

This is causing falling production in multiple countries. Meanwhile
“production challenges” are emerging in US shale.
Schlumberger foresees oil supply challenges this
year after “dramatic drop” in E&P investment
7th Jan
2016
20th Apr
2018
Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2017
Consumption by regionProduction by region mbd mbd

Amanda Taub & Max Fisher on role of fake news: “Facebook’s newsfeed
played a central role in nearly every step from rumor to killing.”
“Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook
Is a Match”
7th Jan
2016
21st Apr
2018
Buddhist mob
burns a Muslim
- owned shop
in Sri Lanka,
March 2018

Demand for new diesel cars fell by more than a third in March –
normally the top selling month of the year.
UK’s car industry faces post-Dieselgate crisis: falling
sales & widespread job cuts at multiple companies
7th Jan
2016
21st Apr
2018

The ”crunch year” for strong oil prices will be 2019, one hedge fund
says, emphasising underinvestment and Middle East geopolitics.
“Hedge-Fund Investors Pour Into Oil as Firms
Predict Surge to $80”
7th Jan
2016
22nd Apr
2018
Source: OilPrice.com

“The US shale industry has been a money pit”: FT. Chart shows free cash
flow per barrel produced for a sample of leading companies.
As the oil price rises, some US shale drillers finally
just about recoup the cost of their drilling
7th Jan
2016
22nd Apr
2018
$2
0
-2
-4
-6
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Source: FT

BYD’s first electric bus, just seven years ago, was seen as a joke. Now
China’s e-buses are displacing 233,000 barrels of oil a day.
Every five weeks, Chinese cities are adding 9,500
electric buses – the size of the London bus fleet
7th Jan
2016
23rd Apr
2018
Honda’s Asimo

So Bloomberg reports. Kindle appeared 10 years ago, Echo 4 years ago,
and now a new bet, codenamed “Vesta”.
Amazon has a top-secret plan to build domestic
robots, possibly available to consumers by 2019
7th Jan
2016
23rd Apr
2018
Honda’s Asimo

Jason Calacanis will offer seven “purpose-driven teams” $100,000 each,
aiming to build a billion-user platform that protects privacy.
Tech investment pioneer launches competition to
find and fund a social network to replace Facebook
7th Jan
2016
24th Apr
2018
Jason Calacanis
criticizing
Facebook’s
privacy policy on
YouTube in 2009

A third have renewable energy targets. “We need to see a significant
increase in the level of ambition”, says CERES.
64% of US companies are pledged to act on climate,
but only 36% have set targets, and 9% SBTs
7th Jan
2016
24th Apr
2018
Specific targets
Food sector: 86%
Transport sector: 50%
Financial sector: 35%
Utility sector: 25%

But Europe’s renewable-energy sector was No. 2 in the world in 2014,
but it has now fallen to fifth, behind China, the US, Japan and Brazil.
In 2017, 30% of EU’s power mix was renewable,
74% of Denmark’s & 30% of Germany’s
7th Jan
2016
24th Apr
2018
Renewables mix in power generation %
Source:EuropeanRenewableEnergiesFoundation

1.1 million Europeans now work in renewables, many more than coal.
But the EU still imports 54% of its energy, costing >€200 bn a year.
German citizen energy would rank within Europe’s
top 15 largest energy retailers, if it were a company
7th Jan
2016
24th Apr
2018
Source:EuropeanRenewableEnergiesFoundation

Letter to O&G companies: major hydrocarbon releases “remain a
concern because of their greater potential to lead to fires, explosions
and multiple losses of life. There have been several such releases in
recent years that have come perilously close to disaster.”
Offshore UK OGI “perilously close to disasters” as a
result of neglected gas leakage, HSE warns
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

66% would be happy to have a large renewables project locally.
74% are concerned about climate change.
UK Government poll finds a record 85% public
support for renewable energy, and 87% for solar
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018
Onshore wind:
not so unpopular after all

The Market Stability Reserve (MSR) to be introduced in January 2019
will shrink the supply of carbon allowances (EAUs) as never before.
The price of carbon is being driven up by EU policy:
Carbon Tracker projects 2x by 2021 & 4x by 2030
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018
After years in single figures, the carbon price has tripled in the last year

3 million potential customers identified. Those in southern France can
expect 100% of power needs met in summer. Those in the north 75%.
Engie and sonnen partner on French solar-plus-
battery storage residential offering
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

By 2020, they will have to charge based on such factors as affordability,
reliability, transparency, renewable energy integration, efficiency.
Hawaii adopts world-first law directing utilities to
decouple revenue and capital expenditures
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

e.g. EOG Resources: $1.1 bn loss in 2016. Would have lost $0.7 bn in
2017 but for GOP tax handout of $2.2 bn. It is still $6bn in debt.
US fracking companies tipped from yet more debt
to profit by Trump tax law change at end of 2016
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

Data include only quality-verified pico-solar (<11 W) and solar home
system products, c. 30% of all. Other 70% are generic products.
Global solar lighting sales have essentially stalled
since 2015 …despite steep rise in investment
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018
0
1
2
3
4
5
H2
2010
H1
2011
H2
2011
H1
2012
H2
2012
H1
2013
H2
2013
H1
2014
H2
2014
H1
2015
H2
2015
H1
2016
H2
2016
H1
2017
H2
2017
million
Data source: GOGLA / Lighting Global
<35 million solar light sales in all
> $600 m$207m$75 m$18 m$21 mInvestment:

Peter Diamandis: This is what we can do if private sector efforts work.
The question is, where we all the data be stored. And he has an answer.
“We’re about to see an influx of data from five
billion new minds”
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

Today we produce over 44 billion gigabytes of data per day. In future we
could in principle fit 215 million gigabytes into a single gram of DNA.
By encoding data into molecules of DNA, we could
in principle “fit entire data centers in a few flasks”
7th Jan
2016
26th Apr
2018

Following a crowdfunded challenge by Liberty, the 2016 Investigatory
Powers Act, (the Snoopers’ Charter) must be rewritten within 6 months.
High court rules the UK government mass data
surveillance legislation is incompatible with EU law
7th Jan
2016
27th Apr
2018
Liberty director, Martha Spurrier: “Police and security
agencies need tools to tackle serious crime in the
digital age, but creating the most intrusive
surveillance regime of any democracy in the world is
unlawful, unnecessary and ineffective.”

“The explanations put forward by scientists range from the troubling to
the truly hair-raising.” (OGI leakage & tropical wetlands, respectively).
“Scientists struggle to explain a worrying
rise in atmospheric methane”
7th Jan
2016
28th Apr
2018

He tells Alphabet shareholders of the “great inspiration” that also brings
“new questions and responsibilities”, ….and quotes Charles Dickens.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin joins AI concerns: “It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
7th Jan
2016
28th Apr
2018

In the government-backed project, artificial intelligence algorithms scan
the data for outliers that could indicate anxiety or rage.
Chinese companies conduct ‘emotional
surveillance’ of workers’ via hat or helmet sensors
7th Jan
2016
30th Apr
2018

Starship Technologies: compared to drones, these robots are quiet,
“gently navigate the streets, and cause no inconvenience to people.”
First-ever commercial use of robot delivery drivers:
food deliveries on a Silicon Valley campus
7th Jan
2016
30th Apr
2018

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) says the SOURCE
panels can produce 5 litres of clean drinking water a day.
Solar panels capable of mining water from the air
to be trialed at 150 sites across Australia
7th Jan
2016
30th Apr
2018

Thwaites already loses ice fast: enough to drive 4% of global sea-level
rise, but it is pegged in on a seafloor bump, and it it detaches….
Major US-UK research project targets the world’s
most dangerous glacier: Antarctica’s Thwaites
7th Jan
2016
30th Apr
2018

But the pace slowed in 2017, the LSE report warns. The few hundred
court cases underway could potentially have a “significant impact.”
All 197 signatories of Paris Agreement are now
taking action, with >1,500 climate laws & policies
7th Jan
2016
30th Apr
2018

“Because so much energy comes from coal, slight fluctuations from year
to year can wipe out massive gains in renewables.”
The Paris challenge: renewables growth and retreat
from coal too slow …& oil & gas continue to grow
7th Jan
2016
1st May
2018

The effect of current policies has the world heading for around 3
degrees of global warming by 2100.
The Paris challenge: current policies come nowhere
close to the target, and pledges fall well short
7th Jan
2016
1st May
2018

They must be finalised by the end of this year, at the annual climate
summit in Poland. And old south-north frustrations are simmering.
UN climate talks open in Bonn with the clock ticking
on agreement of rules for the Paris Agreement
7th Jan
2016
1st May
2018

Including 3 billion people breathing deadly fumes from domestic
cooking stoves and fires, causing an estimated 3.8 million deaths.
Air pollution kills 7 million people a year, WHO
reports, and 90% globally breathe polluted air
7th Jan
2016
1st May
2018

The search for a military edge is one driver. But both US and Chinese
companies talk of new potential for open-source collaboration.
“The AI arms race: China and US compete to
dominate big data”: FT
7th Jan
2016
1st May
2018

The Economist: The NPT, INF, and START (due for renewal 2021) treaties
are all under threat, thanks to “complacent, reckless” leaders.
“Despite North Korea, arms control is unravelling”
“a complacent world is playing with Armageddon”
7th Jan
2016
2nd May
2018

Echoes of history here: in 1930, 1,028 economists urged Congress to
reject the protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
>1,000 economists warn Trump his trade views
echo errors that led to the 1930s Great Depression
7th Jan
2016
2nd May
2018

Reuters analysis shows that the slight majority for the GOP during the
2016 election has grown significantly during the Trump Presidency.
US solar and wind energy company donations are
now going far more to Republicans than Democrats
7th Jan
2016
2nd May
2018
US windpower capacity installations by Congressional district

They blame poor quality source images and say the technology will
improve with use.
Welsh police used face scanning software that
incorrectly flagged >2,000 as criminals
7th Jan
2016
5th May
2018

Yet another setback for EDF: a £120 million loss of revenue for the six
months the reactor is (supposedly) offline for repairs.
New cracks in a reactor core at Hunterston raise
questions about reliability of entire UK nuclear fleet
7th Jan
2016
6th May
2018

Use of drones is the biggest growing trend among criminals, including
smuggling gangs, drug cartels, and in robberies.
A criminal gang has used a drone swarm to obstruct
and spy on an FBI hostage surveillance operation
7th Jan
2016
7th May
2018

Berkeley and Davis have laws requiring citizen oversight of surveillance
technology use and Oakland has a bill pending.
California laws seek to keep smart city surveillance
tech in check, especially re who accesses data
7th Jan
2016
7th May
2018

Study including supply chains for food, clothing, transport & hospitality
makes the sector 8% of greenhouse emissions, more than construction.
Greenhouse emissions impact of tourism could be
four times larger than previously thought
7th Jan
2016
7th May
2018

Negotiators became bogged down in the detail, with differentiated
commitments between rich and poor countries an enduring issue.
Extra climate talks scheduled for September in
Bangkok after stalemate in Bonn
7th Jan
2016
8th May
2018

France, Germany and UK express their “regret and concern” and
emphasise their “continuing commitment” to the deal.
Trump violates the Iran nuclear agreement,
imperiling the global non-proliferation regime
7th Jan
2016
8th May
2018

So the FT reports. China is vulnerable, spending more on imported
silicon than oil, prompting a scramble to expand domestic chip supply.
US-China tech wars threaten ‘economic carnage’ as
US seeks to rein in growing power of Chinese tech
7th Jan
2016
8th May
2018

IRENA reports 500,000 new jobs in 2017, up 5.3%, with the potential for
28 million by 2050 if the global energy system is decarbonised.
More than 10 million people now work in
renewables for the first time, 3.4 million in solar
7th Jan
2016
8th May
2018

Wind and solar tariffs have fallen to around Rs 2.4 per unit. Coal
averages Rs 3.7. Of India’s 197 GW of coal plants, c. 40 GW are stranded.
“Cheap renewable energy is killing India’s coal-
based power plants” – 20% of plants are stranded
7th Jan
2016
9th May
2018

Standard market rate for a 10-panel system lowered from £4.6k to £3.2k
via partnership with IKEA and synergistic action by local government.
Solarcentury wins tender to install thousands of
group-purchased discount solar roofs across London
7th Jan
2016
9th May
2018

Energy Commission explains its decision by saying the typical $10k extra
building cost would be earned back and more by energy savings.
California poised to be first US state to require solar
panels on new homes, starting in 2020
7th Jan
2016
9th May
2018

Good news stories from Kentucky show that “mine work today requires
mechanical and technical skills that are transferable to new industries.”
Wind, solar, & storage companies are “recruiting
coal miners for their work ethics & high-tech skills”
7th Jan
2016
9th May
2018

An update report by CERES sees realistic opportunities in the tens of
trillions across an array of asset classes in multiple sectors.
The “clean trillion” - the extra c. $1 tn p.a. needed
through 2050 for Paris 2˚C - is “eminently feasible”
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018
Summary of conclusion in the original 2014 CERES report
on closing the clean energy investment gap

“Isn’t a computer voice that can trick you into engaging in conversation
destined to become the political robocall from hell?”
“Google’s AI fest offers an ominous glimpse of the
robot future”: Richard Waters in the FT
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018
Screenshot from demo at Google’s annual developer conference of
the new virtual assistant, Duplex, booking an appointment
at a hair salon

Electric vertical take-off and landing (Evtol) technology can provide
transit at same price as current car rides, they say, …if enough are built.
Uber reveals plans for flying taxi-service to be
launched by 2023 - with no vehicles yet built
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018

Aeisha Mastagni: “Who is it that holds Mr Zuckerberg to account?” One
share should equal one vote. “Facebook, it is time to act like an adult.”
“Facebook’s dual-class share structure is akin to a
dictatorship”: Calstrs portfolio manager in the FT
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018

At least a dozen U.S.-designated terror groups use Facebook, Bloomberg
discovers, and when banned soon reappear with slight modifications.
“Terrorists Are Still Recruiting on Facebook, Despite
Zuckerberg’s Reassurances”
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018

“In many areas, the country is so far from Mr Putin’s 2024 goals that his
plans appear to be not just ambitious but outright utopian.”
Russia is only 12th in the global economic league
table, and not likely to move up soon: FT
7th Jan
2016
10th May
2018

A Singularity University article posits revolutionising of ecological
research, with no discussion of net upsides / downsides from new tech.
“From Drone Swarms to Tree Batteries, New Tech Is
Revolutionizing Ecology and Conservation”
7th Jan
2016
11th May
2018
Masayoshi Son, Softbank founder and CEO

With $64 bn raised by all VC funds in 2016, the implications include
supercharging a small number of companies: an enormous bet in itself.
The $100bn Softbank - Saudi Vision Fund is placing
huge bets in those it favours across the tech world
7th Jan
2016
11th May
2018
Masayoshi Son,
Softbank founder and CEO

Victor Tangermann: an ‘accessibility aid for the impaired’ sells a lot
better, than a ‘walking death machine, with a machine gun mounted.”
“You'll be able to buy a Boston Dynamics SpotMini
soon, please don't teach it to kill”: Futurism
7th Jan
2016
11th May
2018

Schroepfer told MPs that targeted ads had not been used by Russian
agencies. New evidence released by US Congress shows it was.
Facebook mislead UK Parliament over Russian
interference in Brexit vote, MPs say
7th Jan
2016
12th May
2018
Masayoshi Son, Softbank founder and CEO Mike Schroepfer, Facebook CTO

Offshore wind will provide most of the growth from 2017 to 2025, WWF
suggest, but HMG could & should also use onshore wind and solar.
UK on track to phase-out coal by 2025 without the
need for any new large gas plants: WWF report
7th Jan
2016
13th May
2018

RR aims for its first EV within 10 years, but will phase out its existing
engines over several decades. Prediction: not fast enough.
Rolls-Royce to go ‘fully electric’ by 2040, calculating
UK and France will not be alone in banning ICE sales
7th Jan
2016
14th May
2018

The election hate campaign now leads to “Stop Soros” legislation that
requires NGOs to have a government licence to represent refugees.
Hungarian government repression forces Soros
Open Society Foundations to retreat to Berlin
7th Jan
2016
15th May
2018
Future Today

University of Washington researcher frees the mini-robot of power
wires. Uses include pollution monitoring. No mention of assassination.
Fly-sized robots can now be powered by a laser and
tiny solar photovoltaic cell: a new first in robotics
7th Jan
2016
15th May
2018
Future Today

With Iranian exports soon to be hit by Trump sanctions, some analysts
predict $100 oil again. Energy stock prices are surging.
Collapsing Venezuelan oil exports push oil price to
$78, highest level since the big drop in 2014
7th Jan
2016
15th May
2018

The Spanish oil company “is the first among its peers” to do this,
Bloomberg reports. Production will be limited to current levels.
Repsol will end pursuit of oil and gas growth and
chase energy transition instead
7th Jan
2016
15th May
2018

Solarcentury is the behind-brand delivery partner. Meanwhile, EVs are
reaching a tipping point in the UK. Large-scale V2G not far off?
“Nissan's Following Tesla Into Solar Power and
Home Batteries”
7th Jan
2016
16th May
2018

NASA’s Grace satellites show that areas in northern and eastern India,
the Middle East, California and Australia in particular danger.
Water shortages likely to be the key environmental
challenge of the century, Nasa warns
7th Jan
2016
16th May
2018
Future Today

So an international group of scientists warn, after the most
comprehensive study yet: geographic ranges of 31,000 insect species.
Climate change will cause “major insect wipeout”
with “far-reaching disruption to life on Earth”
7th Jan
2016
17th May
2018
Future Today

The conclusion of an international group of scientists systematically
working through the counter-arguments of a pro-nuclear group.
“There are no roadblocks on the way to a 100%
renewable future”: all issues solvable at low cost
7th Jan
2016
17th May
2018
Future Today

Investment fell 56% in 2017. Meanwhile government is to consult on
dropping planning permission for seismic work and fracking in shale.
UK green investment falls to lowest in a decade
….government moves to make fracking easy
7th Jan
2016
17th May
2018

Unprofitability of fracking means the industry must keep borrowing new
debt to pay back existing debt: “…the very definition of a Ponzi Scheme.”
“How Lousy Shale Economics Will Pull Down The
U.S. Economy”: SRSrocco Report
7th Jan
2016
18th May
2018
Future Today
2015
2016
2017
• Plotting production decline by year
of first flow shows just how fast the
decline rates are
• This plot is of the Permian, the
biggest oil basin, showing e.g. 60%
decline in 2 years from beginning
2016 to end 2017 (red circles)
• Replacing that decline requires
taking on another massive
increment of debt to bankroll new
production
1
2
million barrels / day
1.5
0.5

CTI’s latest concludes: ”A 2°C pathway means that some companies will
lose, but current scenario analyses see everyone winning.”
Carbon Tracker on oil companies’ climate business-
risk assessments: “a large gap remains”
7th Jan
2016
21st May
2018

A US National Bureau of Economic Research study suggests they added
fully 3.2% to the Trump vote and a crucial 1.76% to pro Leave.
Twitter bots may have altered outcomes of both
Trump and Brexit elections by targeting margins
7th Jan
2016
21st May
2018

So estimates a Stanford University economic study published in Nature.
Cost of action to hit the target: $0.5 tn globally in next 30 years.
Hitting 1.5˚C Paris target vs 2˚ will save the world c.
$30 trillion in climate-related damages this century
7th Jan
2016
23rd May
2018
Future Today

Up from 80%, with a new interim target for 2020 of a 56% compared
with the existing goal of 42%. NGOs wanted net zero by 2050.
Scotland sets one of the toughest greenhouse-gas
targets in the world: a binding cut of 90% by 2050
7th Jan
2016
24th May
2018
Future Today

A clear warning: this bubble will burst. Debt began to soar in 1970: from
there, conventional oil production & EROI fell, cost of production rose.
From 2000 - 2017 US GDP grew $10tn to $19.7tn
...while US all-sector debt grew $27.2tn to $68.6tn
7th Jan
2016
24th May
2018

A clear warning from Steve StAngelo in SRSrocco Report: this mountain
of debt will crash the global economy – it is not a matter of if, but when.
In 2017, the global economy grew $3.9tn to $79.3tn
....and global debt grew $21tn to $237tn
7th Jan
2016
24th May
2018

28 governments of the EU implement a new privacy
law: the General Data Protection Regulation
7th Jan
2016
25th May
2018
Valdis Dombrovskis, EC VP:
“time is running out”
It applies to non-EU companies that process personal data of individuals
in the EU. The world watches for the first uses of this regulation….

The warning follows a court order that allows the FBI to seize a website
that the hackers planned to use to give instructions to routers.
FBI says Russians hacked hundreds of thousands of
home and office routers in more than 50 countries
7th Jan
2016
25th May
2018
Future Today

So argues a report by the RAND Corporation. “Mutually Assured
Destruction” policy requires rapid response, and militaries may use AI.
AI increases risk of nuclear war because of risk of
hacking of military communications in time of crisis
7th Jan
2016
28th May
2018
Future Today

They are solar, lighting, data centres and networks, and EVs. Particularly
problematic is that energy efficiency improvements have slowed.
IEA publishes a new monitoring tool showing only 4
of 38 energy sectors are on track with Paris targets
7th Jan
2016
29th May
2018
Future Today
On track: 4
Much more effort needed: 23
Significantly off track: 11

They hope to sell the Trans Mountain pipeline later. Analysts doubt they
can. Protestors label PM Trudeau a climate criminal.
Canadian government bails out a stranded Kinder
Morgan oil pipeline system for $4.5 bn
7th Jan
2016
29th May
2018
Future Today

New Jersey, New York and California invest a collective $1.2 bn in
charging stations and other EV support.
In a single day, the electric car boom is given a
billion-dollar boost in 3 US states
7th Jan
2016
29th May
2018
Future Today

“Especially storms of previously unobserved strength.” Very bad news
for the insurance industry, and all who live in cyclone belt.
“Global warming is making tropical cyclones
stronger”, renowned climatologists conclude
7th Jan
2016
30th May
2018
Future Today

The chart shows all those YouGov polls grouped into monthly averages.
Opinion of Brexit has been negative, on average, for 9 straight months.
“A 14th straight YouGov poll shows Britain wishes it
had never voted to leave the EU”
7th Jan
2016
31st May
2018

150 more weld failures mean the nuclear plant scheduled online in 2012
at €3.5bn is now probably delayed to 2020, at €10.5bn and counting.
Nuclear regulator fears “epidemic” safety-culture
collapse at Flamanville: disaster looms for EDF
7th Jan
2016
31st May
2018

Frederic Samama, co-head of institutional clients: “Until recently, that
question was not on their radar screen. It’s changing, and super fast.”
Europe’s largest asset manager Amundi sees a
“tipping point” in climate-risk aware investing
7th Jan
2016
31st May
2018
Future Today

Beijing “is committing some of the most extensive, and neglected,
human-rights violations in the world” against Muslim Uighurs.
“China has turned Xinjiang into a police state
like no other”
7th Jan
2016
31st Jun
2018
Future Today

China “is ramping up spending on surveillance as it cracks down hard on
restive parts of the country, including Xinjiang.” And bankrolled by?
“World's Biggest AI Startup Raises $1.2 Billion in
Mere Months”: Bloomberg on Sense Time Group
7th Jan
2016
31st May
2018
Future Today

“You Broke Democracy”, a plane-towed banner reads. But no sign of
investors voting with their capital. And still MZ has absolute control.
Zuckerberg and his board suffer a barrage from
investors and protestors at Facebook’s AGM
7th Jan
2016
31st May
2018

71% of US 13-17 year olds used FB in 2015, 51% today. Analyst: this
demographic shift is a “greater existential threat” than privacy concerns.
Teens are abandoning Facebook in dramatic
numbers, a Pew Research Center poll finds
7th Jan
2016
1st Jun
2018

Many smart appliances send data to their manufacturers, and third-
parties like advertisers, with scant regard for permissions or security.
UK homes vulnerable to a “staggering” level of
corporate surveillance, a Which? survey finds
7th Jan
2016
1st Jun
2018
Future Today

Four Greenpeace activists abseil from the ceiling just as Total CEO
Patrick Pouyanné begins his presentation.
Protestors opposing oil drilling off Brazil and French
Guiana make their point in Total’s AGM
7th Jan
2016
1st Jun
2018
Future Today

Proposals in a leaked memo include forcing utilities to buy electricity
from coal and nuclear operators for 2 years.
Trump orders emergency federal action to stem
coal and nuclear plant shutdowns
7th Jan
2016
1st Jun
2018
Future Today

The company will publish an ethical framework for use of AI later this
week. Critics want and expect it to go far beyond military uses.
Google reacts to internal and external pressure and
drops Pentagon project for facial recognition AI
7th Jan
2016
3rd Jun
2018
Future Today

Meanwhile Orban’s state-controlled media pump out scare stories about
migration-linked crime and terrorism, and the “Soros network”.
Hungarian government tables new law that could
jail lawyers advising migrants of their rights
7th Jan
2016
3rd Jun
2018
Future Today

Rana Adib, exec secretary of REN21, warns of “complacency” …“we are
coasting along as if we had all the time in the world. Sadly, we don’t.”
REN21: Renewables growth in heating, cooling, and
transport well behind electricity generation sector
7th Jan
2016
4th Jun
2018
Future Today
Renewable energy in total final energy consumption, by sector, 2015
Source: REN21
Renewables 2018
Global Status Report

51 GW of the 98 were added in China, where solar PV was the single
biggest new source of electricity capacity addition for the first time.
The 98 GW of new solar PV added in 2017 increased
global capacity by almost one third
7th Jan
2016
4th Jun
2018
Future Today
Global solar PV capacity and annual additions 2007 - 2017
Source: REN21 Renewables 2018 Global Status Report
= >40,000 solar panels
per hour all year

Asia added 75% of all new solar PV. The EU was down to just 6 GW.
India added 9.1 GW, 3rd in the world, and 6th in cumulative capacity.
By end 2017, every continent had installed 1 GW of
solar PV and at least 29 nations had 1 GW or more
7th Jan
2016
4th Jun
2018
Future Today
Global solar PV capacity 2007 - 2017: main countries

This is 3x the investment in fossil fuel generating capacity and more than
2x fossil-fuel and nuclear power capacity combined. ….But not enough.
Investment in renewables in 2017 was less than it
was in 2011 …it has essentially been flat since then
7th Jan
2016
4th Jun
2018
Global investment in renewable power and fuels
excluding hydro >50MW
…at least $310 bn if included

Total cost, to be shared with Hitachi and Japanese government: £16bn.
Price of power: £75-77 MWh …much more than solar & wind.
UK government agrees to £5bn public stake in
Welsh nuclear power station in policy U-turn
7th Jan
2016
4th Jun
2018

A US survey suggests 49% of men would be open to sex with an
“enhanced, hyper-realistic” doll. No studies yet of social impacts.
4 companies in $30 billion sex technology industry
now sell robots, one with AI “conversation”
7th Jan
2016
5th Jun
2018

Subsidies cut, installation capped at 10 GW. Solar manufacturers’ stock
prices plunge. Developers overseas anticipate lower prices, but…
Chinese government slams the brakes on domestic
solar, and the global industry braces for the impact
7th Jan
2016
5th Jun
2018
Solar PV capacity and additions 2017: top ten countries

Jerome Pecresse, GE Renewables: “We are inventing things that we did
not even imagine three years ago …renewable baseload is coming fast.”
“Utilities dispel all doubts about renewables' ability
to power planet”: Recharge on Eurelectric summit
7th Jan
2016
6th Jun
2018
Francesco Starace,
Enel CEO:
electrifying the
transport sector “is
not only a winning
strategy, it’s a
must.”

Trump’s hopes to save America’s failing coal-fired
power plants are “all about the base”
7th Jan
2016
6th Jun
2018
“The plan would benefit a handful of firms the president favours at the
expense of consumers” …c. $12bn worth of “cash for cronies.”

The development will be made public at a virtual reality conference in
August in a paper that has just one sentence on ethical concerns.
AI can now manipulate people's movements and
speech in photorealistic fake videos
7th Jan
2016
6th Jun
2018

10 years ago China spent $35 bn on defence. Now $230 bn. Silicon
Valley started out on DoD largesse. Now tech firms distance themselves.
People’s Liberation Army and corporate China
“draw ever closer” as military budget rises: FT
7th Jan
2016
6th Jun
2018

New Facebook revelation: data shared with four
Chinese consumer-device makers, including Huawei
7th Jan
2016
6th Jun
2018
Ren Zhengfei, ex Chinese Army,
Huawei founder and CEO
New questions arise. Has data gone to Chinese servers? Have back
doors been created for Chinese hacking? And users were not told….

Google sets limits on its use of AI, but will work
with the military in “many areas”, and self-police
7th Jan
2016
7th Jun
2018
No work on AI for weapons, CEO Sundar Pichai says. Nor surveillance
technology “violating internationally accepted norms of human rights.”

With bees scarce, a drone pollinates an apple
orchard for the first time ….results yet to be seen
7th Jan
2016
7th Jun
2018
Dan Robitzski of Wired: It is “like putting a bandage over a big,
gruesome cut that we didn’t even clean first.”
New York state

Expect “another wave of oversupply, low profitability and consolidation”
then solar “even more competitive across new markets.”
2018 global solar demand to increase 11%
to 105 GW despite China cuts, IHS Markit forecasts
7th Jan
2016
8th Jun
2018

c. €180bn p.a. new investment needed until 2030 to hit EU share of
Paris targets. Changes include green labels. Axa is a driving force.
Brussels changes rules to boost Paris-congruent
financial products & disclose climate risk of others
7th Jan
2016
9th Jun
2018

“Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy
civilisation,” the Pope tells heads of BP, ExxonMobil and others.
Pope Francis invites oil bosses to the Vatican and
tells them that they must switch to clean energy
7th Jan
2016
9th Jun
2018

Shell: “even if all one-time use plastics were eliminated globally it would
only reduce demand for chemicals by 3-4%.”
Oil groups say backlash against plastics will not
derail the industry’s huge bet on petrochemicals
7th Jan
2016
10th Jun
2018

They can be installed much quicker than onland …and will be
renewable-powered, in this case by tidal, wind and solar.
Microsoft begins to put data centres under the sea,
seeking energy efficiency, beginning off Scotland
7th Jan
2016
10th Jun
2018

US start up Anduril tests AI surveillance tech on the
Mexico border that acts as a virtual border wall
7th Jan
2016
11th Jun
2018
They use tower-mounted sensors to monitor anyone within 2 miles.
Customs say they have helped in 55 arrests of unauthorized crossers.

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, also founder of
Oculus, aims to develop a range of AI military tools
7th Jan
2016
11th Jun
2018
He is a funder of the alt-right and a Trump supporter. Investors include
Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire with the same credentials.

Democracy has regressed in multiple countries
since 2007, and liberal democracy especially
7th Jan
2016
12th Jun
2018
In 1941 there were only a dozen democracies; by 2000 only 8 states had
never held a serious election. But since the financial crisis of 2007-08….

Now AI can be used to track movements of people
through a wall, and model what they are doing
7th Jan
2016
13th Jun
2018
WiFi reflections are unscrambled by machine learning. After 100 people
train the AI, 83% of them can then be recognized by style of movement.

Sea level rise due to Antarctic ice melt has tripled in
the past five years, satellite measurements show
7th Jan
2016
13th Jun
2018
The international Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise,
using multiple satellites, shows most mass change in West Antarctica.

“Oil must face its future as a declining industry”:
Legal & General Investment Management in the FT
7th Jan
2016
13th Jun
2018
The CIO and a commodities specialist suggest that rather than transition
to renewables, oil companies stop investing and return cash.

EU strikes deal on 32% renewable energy by 2030
target, including strong solar provisions
7th Jan
2016
14th Jun
2018
The deal includes an upward review clause by 2023 at the latest, no
charges for solar prosumers and much easier connection to grid.

UK police face legal action over use of automated
facial recognition cameras, if they don’t stop
7th Jan
2016
14th Jun
2018
Cases from Liberty and Big Brother Watch would be based on lack of
regulation and “dangerously authoritarian” privacy violation.

Of the top 50 tech startups by value, 26 are Chinese
and 16 are American, with none from Europe
7th Jan
2016
15th Jun
2018
Of the top 20, 11 are Chinese, 6 are American and 2 are Indian. As a
Sequoia Capital partner puts it: “China is winning the global tech race.”

UK tech leaders say scale of government’s visa cap
removal is not enough to fix skills shortage
7th Jan
2016
15th Jun
2018
This as Brexit and “hostile environment” policy scare away overseas
talent. “This is the best of the best talent …They have a lot of options.”

Police link dozens of murders and serious assaults
to rumours spread on WhatsApp in India
7th Jan
2016
17th Jun
2018
With the platform being used to spread lies in other countries, and 1.5
bn users globally, encrypted fake news now emerges as a problem.

Clean energy investment must be 50% higher for
1.5˚C global warming cap than for 2˚C
7th Jan
2016
18th Jun
2018
IASA-led study is the first to compare capital requirements of 1.5˚C &
2˚C. Annual investment in global energy was $1,700 bn in 2016 (IEA).
132
To 2030 To 2050
303
458
229
1,052
1,567
NDCs NDCs
2˚C
2˚C
1.5˚C
1.5˚C
Average annual investment gap $ bn in RE & EE1,750
1,500
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0

HMG gives UK pension funds green light to dump
fossil fuel investments if they see risk of stranding
7th Jan
2016
18th Jun
2018
DWP says proposed regulations “are intended to reassure trustees that
they can (and indeed should) take account of financially material risks.”

IBM AI holds its own against human debaters,
including jokes and accusations opponents are lying
7th Jan
2016
19th Jun
2018
“Debater” had no foreknowledge of topics and assembled arguments in
real time searching hundreds of millions of articles for evidence.

Battery cost-down will mean wind and PV at a
combined 50% of global power by 2050: BNEF
7th Jan
2016
19th Jun
2018
New Energy Outlook 2018: LCOE of new PV down a further 71% by 2050
and onshore wind 58%, fueling 15x growth in PV and 6x in wind.

As global solar capacity soars in 2017, new solar in
the UK halves for a second year running
7th Jan
2016
19th Jun
2018
21 of the 28 EU markets showed growth, but this wasn’t enough to
compensate for UK losses resulting from subsidy cuts in 2015 and 2016.
Newsolarcapacity,GW

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, a VW board member since
2010, is arrested over diesel cheating scandal
7th Jan
2016
19th Jun
2018
VW’s board had asked Stadler to put it in writing that he knew nothing
of the fraud. After raids at work and his home, police think he did.

Trump's separation of immigrant children from
parents creates a storm of protest in Silicon Valley
7th Jan
2016
20th Jun
2018
But, argues Wired’s Emily Dreyfuss, protest is selective: there is as yet
insufficient reflection on the role of technology in wider societal ills.
Employees objected to contract with US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement to use Microsoft’s Azure cloud
services. President Brad Smith calls for an end to zero
tolerance immigration policy
CEO Mark Zuckerberg raises money for organisations
working at the border
etc
CEO Tim Cook calls the policy inhumane
CEO Chuck Robbins calls on Trump to end the policy

Methane leaks from the US oil & gas industry c.60%
higher than government estimates: new study
7th Jan
2016
21st Jun
2018
9-basin estimate incorporating aerial data suggests 2.3% leakage well-
to-power plant. EPA suggested 1.4%. 2.7% makes gas worse than coal.

7th Jan
2016
22nd Jun
2018
There is a growing “crisis of liberalism”, the
Economist laments – but it can be fixed
The liberal elite has “over-reached” in philosophies, institutions, and
self-enrichment. Reforms must include an end to free movement.

Employees and American Civil Liberties Union
demand Amazon stop facilitating gov’t surveillance
7th Jan
2016
22nd Jun
2018
Employees write imploring Bezos to stop selling Rekognition AI facial
recognition software to government agencies and police.

7th Jan
2016
22nd Jun
2018
In a boost for privacy rights, US Supreme Court
rules police need warrant to track phone data
Chief Justice notes the facility would give police “near perfect
surveillance, as if it had attached an ankle monitor to the phone’s user.”

7th Jan
2016
22nd Jun
2018
Solarcentury sends a gentle message to opponents
of mltinationalism on both sides of the Atlantic

100,000 protestors in London insist on a final
peoples’ vote on Brexit deal, with option to reject it
7th Jan
2016
23rd Jun
2018
x.

Only one new community energy group added to
the UK’s 228 in 2017 as subsidies went to fossil fuels
7th Jan
2016
23rd Jun
2018
So Community Energy England reports in its annual survey. Subsidies to
FF are 30x higher, including >£3bn in 2017 through the capacity market.

Erdoğan narrowly wins Turkish election in “climate
of fear”, assuming quasi-dictatorial powers
7th Jan
2016
24th Jun
2018
A pro-government television station accidentally aired election results 3
days before the polls ..showing the 53 % that Erdoğan actually achieved.

Two federal judges rule against and for hearing of
cities’ suits versus oil companies over climate costs
7th Jan
2016
25th Jun
2018
One throws out San Francisco and Oakland’s case, another rules cases of
San Mateo and other cities can be heard in state court.

UK democracy under threat, says electoral
regulator, calling on government for urgent reform
7th Jan
2016
26th Jun
2018
Recommendations include: no spending by foreign organisations and
individuals, transparency on who pays for online ads, ++

BP, expecting 140k EVs to grow to 12m by 2040,
buys UK's biggest electric car charger for £130m
7th Jan
2016
28th Jun
2018
The rebadged BP Chargemaster will add to the existing 6,500 charging
points fast-charging on all 1,200 BP forecourts over the next year.

Facebook patents a system that can use your
phone's microphone to monitor TV habits
7th Jan
2016
29th Jun
2018
An audio fingerprint embedded in TV shows or ads, inaudible to human
ears, would trigger the phone to turn on the microphone and record.

“Why Tech Worker Dissent Is Going Viral”
7th Jan
2016
29th Jun
2018
“People who signed up to be tech heroes don’t want to be implicated
in human rights abuses”: Google employee.

California passes broadest digital privacy law of any
US state, somewhat like GDPR, to enter force 2020
7th Jan
2016
29th Jun
2018
But even its supporters say it will need revising before then, having been
completed hurriedly in the face of the changing politics of privacy.

2018 Q2: A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments in climate, energy, tech & the future of civilisation

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Ähnlich wie 2018 Q2: A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments in climate, energy, tech & the future of civilisation

Ähnlich wie 2018 Q2: A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments in climate, energy, tech & the future of civilisation (20)

Mehr von Jeremy Leggett

Mehr von Jeremy Leggett (17)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

2018 Q2: A chronology in pictures and charts of selected developments in climate, energy, tech & the future of civilisation