Dear readers,
Researchers at Dartmouth College in the USA have estimated that the world’s largest companies have caused a total of $28 trillion in climate damage. The results of the study are intended to help in efforts to hold companies financially accountable.
“Here, we describe the scientific and legal implications of an ‘end-to-end’ attribution that links fossil fuel producers to specific warming damages,” the researchers wrote in their findings. The researchers examined pollution from 111 companies, with more than half of the total costs coming from just 10 fossil fuel suppliers—Chevron, BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, Gazprom, Permex, the British Coal Corporation, Coal India, and the National Iranian Oil Co. The researchers calculated that for every 1 percent of greenhouse gases pumped into the planet’s atmosphere since 1990, $502 billion in damage was caused by heat alone. This does not include the costs of other extreme weather such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes. The researchers first examined the known end products—such as electricity from coal-fired power plants or gas—produced by the largest fossil fuel companies, going back 137 years. They then translated the emissions into changes in the planet’s global average surface temperature and compared them to a zero-emissions world using 1,000 different computer simulations. They found that Chevron’s pollution, for example, had raised Earth’s surface temperature by 0.45 degrees Fahrenheit. Mankin said the study “really laid bare how the veil of plausible deniability no longer exists scientifically. We can actually attribute damages to large emitters,” AP reported.
The study, “Carbon majors and the scientific case for climate liability,” was published in the journal Nature.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40269281/ und auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYNOqX0fnvU
A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a sharp increase in electricity demand for AI data processing. In the world’s advanced economies, data centers are expected to account for over 20 percent of the increase in electricity demand by the end of the decade. Meeting the growing electricity demand for these data centers will require a wide range of energy sources, the report states. Renewable energy, along with natural gas, will be the most important sources due to their availability and cost competitiveness in key markets. Global electricity demand from data centers is expected to more than double over the next five years, consuming as much electricity by 2030 as all of Japan does today. In some countries, the impact will be particularly severe. In the United States, for example, data centers are expected to account for almost half of the growing electricity demand, and in Japan, more than half. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdyP3PRqlkxE
Please find attached the current UFOP press release
Consumption of biodiesel for blending has declined continuously since July 2024. In the second half of the year, consumption fell to an all-time low. In December 2024, consumption of biodiesel for blending to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets fell to a historic low of 90,800 tons. In November, it was still around 107,000 tons. According to the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), combined consumption of biodiesel and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) fell to around 2.1 million tons in 2024, a decrease of 20.6 percent compared to the previous year. The Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) has called on the new German government to abolish the double counting of biofuels from certain waste oils and fats listed in Annex IX Part A of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). UFOP is pushing for this change to be implemented as soon as possible within the framework of the upcoming amendment to the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG).
According to ePure, the EU’s continued discrimination against the use of sustainable, plant-based biofuels to reduce transport emissions has led to Europe’s unnecessary reliance on fossil fuels. Many member states continue to miss their renewable energy targets, a new analysis shows. According to updated figures from Eurostat’s SHARES database for 2023, the EU remains predominantly dependent on fossil fuels for transport, with only 10.8% of energy coming from renewable sources. However, a significant portion of reported renewable energy consumption is artificially inflated by multipliers for certain biofuels or renewable electricity. The result is a misleading picture of progress towards climate targets. https://www.epure.org/press-release/latest-eu-data-show-discrimination-against-biofuels-slows-down-transport-decarbonisation/
The University of São Paulo (USP) is testing the world’s first pilot plant for the production of renewable hydrogen from ethanol. The project, carried out by the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI), represents a milestone in the search for clean energy solutions and the transition to a low-carbon economy. The RCGI is an engineering research center (ERC) at the USP’s engineering school, founded by FAPESP and Shell. https://agencia.fapesp.br/university-of-sao-paulo-tests-first-renewable-hydrogen-plant-based-on-ethanol/54552
FincoEnergies launched its FuelEU Pooling service, created for shipowners to enable FuelEU Maritime compliance in a cost-effective and operationally seamless way. FuelEU Maritime, effective from 1 January 2025, mandates the reduction of greenhouse gas intensity of energy used on board ships trading in the EU. Compliance can be complex and costly for many operators, particularly those with limited access to low-carbon fuels. https://www.fincoenergies.com/news/fincoenergies-launches-fueleu-pooling-helping-shipowners-comply-with-fueleu-maritime
China New Energy Group Company has entered into a strategic agreement to commercialize the syngas technology developed by BioEnergy Solutions Inc., an Alberta, Canada renewable energy developer, to launch the first commercial deployment of the bioReactor – a modular, containerized waste-to-energy system. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-energy-group-company-signs-120000275.html
Keenan Recycling geht mit einer bahnbrechenden neuen Flotte von Lebensmittelabfall-Sammelfahrzeugen auf die Straße, die zu 100 % mit Biomethan betrieben werden und die Sammlung und den Transport von Lebensmittelabfällen in Großbritannien revolutionieren sollen. Als größter Lebensmittelabfallsammler des Landes unternimmt Keenan nun einen wichtigen Schritt zur Reduzierung der CO2-Emissionen in seinem gesamten Betrieb und bietet gleichzeitig landesweit nachhaltige, zukunftssichere Lösungen für Gewerbetreibende. Die neuen Fahrzeuge werden ausschließlich mit Biomethan betrieben, einem erneuerbaren Kraftstoff, der durch die anaerobe Vergärung von Lebensmittelabfällen entsteht. https://keenanrecycling.co.uk/keenan-biomethane-food-waste-trucks-uk/
Farmdocs publishes daily data showing that Brazil’s investment in corn ethanol has transformed global corn trade flows. Corn ethanol consumption has increased from just 16 million bushels in the 2015/16 season to 722 million bushels in the 2024/25 season, representing 15% of domestic production, thanks to the 25 corn ethanol plants currently in operation. Another 15 plants are currently under construction. https://www.agweb.com/markets/pro-farmer-analysis/brazils-ethanol-boom-reshapes-global-corn-market
Universal Biofuels received multiple orders totaling $31 million to supply more than 33 million liters of biodiesel to the three state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) in May, June, and July. Further OMC orders are expected throughout the year to ensure continued deliveries to fuel blending terminals and support the Indian government’s target of increasing biodiesel from 1% to 5%. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/aemetis-subsidiary-universal-biofuels-secures-31-million-biodiesel-orders-indian-oil
Anaergia S.r.l. entered into a binding Letter of Intent with Capwatt Biomethane Unipessoal, Lda. Under the terms of this agreement, Anaergia is to design and build nine state-of-the-art facilities for biomethane production from agro-industry waste in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Under the terms of this binding LOI, the projects are expected to be completed within the next 30 months and are expected to generate more than C$60 million in total revenue for Anaergia during this period. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250416557553/en/Anaergia-and-Capwatt-Sign-Binding-Letter-of-Intent-for-Nine-New-Biogas-Plants-in-Europe
The Vietnamese Biofuels Association has asked the Prime Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade to expeditiously implement a 10% ethanol blend requirement for both fuels currently sold in the country, aiming to increase ethanol imports from the US by 1 million tons annually. It also seeks a zero tariff on imports, as opposed to the current 99% tariff, which is intended to protect the domestic industry. The imports, worth $1 billion, would be in addition to domestically produced cassava ethanol. https://vietnamnet.vn/en/vietnam-urged-to-launch-full-scale-e10-biofuel-program-by-october-2025-2392950.html
In January 2025, Mabanaft began supplying airlines at Frankfurt Airport with jet fuel and a HEFA SPK blend. This step marks the company’s expansion into the German aviation market and adds another airport to the ones it already supplies in the UK and Norway. https://www.mabanaft.com/en/news-info/current-news-and-press-releases/news-detail/mabanaft-expands-aviation-fuel-supply-to-airlines-at-frankfurt-airport/
The German nova Institute has analyzed the most important life cycle assessment and carbon footprint studies and their impacts on renewable carbon-based products. The results will be presented in a free webinar on May 7. The lack of harmonization makes interpreting life cycle assessment results difficult, as different frameworks and guidelines use different methodologies. This is especially true for renewable carbon-based products, which often compete with their fossil-based counterparts. https://renewable-carbon.eu/news/free-webinar-lca-for-renewable-carbon-products/