ICJ rules polluters need to be held accountable for climate change
International news: The United Nations’ highest court ruled on Wednesday that wealthy countries must comply with international commitments to curb pollution or risk paying compensation to nations severely affected by climate change.
The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, Judge Yuji Iwasawa read out that “states must cooperate to achieve concrete emission reduction targets,” and failure to comply with “stringent obligations” would place them in breach of international law.
This means countries are responsible for the actions of companies under their jurisdiction or control. Failure to rein in fossil fuel production and subsidies would result in “full reparations to injured states” through “restitution, compensation and satisfaction” as long as the law of state responsibility is met.
The case will set a precedent guiding future climate cases in the ICJ, and the movement was started by three students in a classroom in Fiji. With the support of the government of Vanuatu and World’s Youth for Climate Justice, the group formed Students Fighting Climate Change to lobby the UN on the issue. More by Reuters.
Climate change is driving up food prices
A new study published in the research journal Environmental Research Letters has found that, with the exception of rising heat, food prices are the second most frequently cited impact from climate change globally.
Climate extremes, food price spikes, and their wider societal risks report on the results of econometric analysis that correlates the Earth’s abnormally high temperatures directly with higher food prices. The impact on agricultural production is directly translating into supply shortages and food price inflation.
It also includes examples from recent years in which food prices of specific goods spiked in response to heat, drought and extreme precipitation. For example, due to heatwaves in East Asia in 2024, prices of Korean cabbage rose (70 per cent higher between September 23 and 24), Japanese rice (48 per cent higher), and vegetables (30 per cent higher) in China.
OpenSolar hits $10 billion solar sale
OpenSolar, an Australian-based free solar software, has hit $10 billion in solar sales and installations through its technology. The software provides solar installers and other users with end-to-end information, from design and product sales to project management and beyond.
According to co-founder and CEO Andrew Birch, the software is used by more than 260,000 professionals in 160 countries. The software is completely free to use and generates revenue through partnerships with hardware and finance providers.
Birch says the company has remained steadfast in keeping the software open and free and is growing by 36 per cent a year. The company estimates that its services have prevented 63 million metric tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
Netherlands builds microplastic trap
Engineers in the Netherlands have developed the world’s first self-sorting microplastic trap, which is powered solely by river flow.
Mechanical engineers from Delft University of Technology, along with the environmental group Clear Rivers, have developed a system that utilises precisely shaped underwater vanes placed across riverbeds and banks.
The vanes create microvortices (plural to microvortex) and Bernoulli pressure zones, which would steer microplastics under 5 mm into a collection basin. The design and geometry that allows debris to pass while isolating plastic particles is inspired by fish gills.
Despite not needing pumps, filters, or electricity, field tests of Nieuwe Maas, a branch of the Rhine River, showed an 82 per cent capture efficiency.
NSW launches heat pump feasibility grant but…
On 13 July, the NSW government launched its heat pump feasibility grant, which, in summary, provides $30,000 to cover 75 per cent of the cost of a feasibility study on installing heat pumps in a business.
The conditions are quite stringent, with money released at each of the three milestones.
- Milestone 1 would cover up to $ 5000 or 75 per cent of the cost of identifying whether the heat pump is suitable for the business site and identifying potential barriers and solutions
- The second milestone requires applicants to develop a heat pump design, but no additional grant money would be available for this stage
- The third milestone offers up to $25,000 to cover up to 75 per cent of costs to develop a detailed feasibility study
Applicants must have an NSW business site address and use between 5,000 and 10,000 gigajoules of gas per year. Businesses also need to have a specialist consultant who can complete the assessment on hand.
Strangely, the total funding amount of the grant is only $1 million. The fine print of the guidelines states that the grant is part of a pilot program and will only benefit 29 participating businesses. It also states that the grant is part of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water’s business decarbonisation program, a $22 million initiative.