Dear Readers,
Experts warn that the threshold could be exceeded within the next few years, with Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds, noting that “things are all moving in the wrong direction” with global heating and sea level rise.
Forster, leading a recent study with more than 60 leading climate scientists from around the world, found that determined countries continue to “burn record amounts of coal, oil, and gas and clear carbon-rich forests,” which has put the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target at risk. Previous research from 2020 found that there was only about 500 billion tons of carbon dioxide the world could emit to maintain just a 50% chance of avoiding a 1.5-degree overshoot. By early 2025, that amount was just 130 billion tons, the study authors found. Their findings were recently published in the journal Earth System Science Data published. If the current emissions trajectory continues, the world has only about three years before the budget reaches zero, although Forster and Debbie Rosen, research and innovation development manager at the Priestley Centre, reported for Carbon Brief that the remaining budget is an estimate. Humanity could surpass the original 500 billion tonnes later than three years, or even sooner. Despite the concerns, there have been no signs of a slowdown in emissions as greenhouse gas levels have recovered from their decline during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
A report by BirdLife Europe shows that the increasing use of wood for heating in Europe is doing more harm than good to the climate. The report highlights that bioenergy, in particular, is far from climate-neutral and poses serious environmental, economic, and health risks. Organic material such as wood, plants, or animal waste, converted into energy, now provides around 20% of all heating energy in the EU, making it the most widely used “renewable” energy source in the sector. Between 2011 and 2023, the use of biomass for heating increased by 16%. According to national energy plans, one-third of all future growth in renewable heat is to come from bioenergy. This trend is clearly unsustainable and counterproductive if climate, health, and biodiversity goals are to be achieved. More information at the link: https://www.birdlife.org/news/2025/07/02/too-hot-to-handle-burning-wood-for-heat-emits-more-co%E2%82%82-than-coal/
Biofuels can help close the climate protection gap in road transport,” says Elmar Baumann, Managing Director of the German Biofuel Industry Association. The Expert Council for Climate Issues has reviewed the Federal Environment Agency’s forecasts and determined that the European climate targets for 2030 will be missed significantly. The largest share of this is attributable to transport, which falls far short of EU requirements. This means that Germany faces significant fines for failing to meet the targets of the EU Climate Protection Regulation. Even if Germany achieves its national climate target in the overall calculation for 2030, the high CO2 emissions from road transport remain an unresolved problem. Germany will miss its ESR climate targets because, above all, road transport does not sufficiently reduce its use of fossil fuels. From 2027, the European Emissions Trading System for Buildings and Road Transport (ETS 2) will pose a further challenge. If CO2 emissions are not significantly reduced by then, the high CO2 price will hit consumers at the gas station. A timely increase in the GHG quota on the other hand, ensures that CO2 emissions in transport are reliably reduced.
Energy and environmental policy in Germany faces massive challenges between climate targets, security of supply and social justice: While industry benefits from tax relief and hydrogen is seen as a beacon of hope, supply bottlenecks, missed climate aid and drastic environmental impacts due to drought are looming.
With the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association welcomed the inclusion of several important tax provisions that will strengthen the U.S. ethanol industry’s role in advancing American energy security and innovation. Learn more at: https://ethanolrfa.org/media-and-news/category/news-releases/article/2025/07/rfa-applauds-passage-of-obbba-tax-policy-clarity-for-u-s-ethanol-producers
Brazilian corn ethanol production increased by more than 30% in 2024/25, while sugarcane ethanol has stagnated for a decade. Increasing the ethanol blend to 30% will increase demand by an additional 1 billion liters. Although demand increases with the higher blend, sugarcane mills are expected to continue to focus on sugar production rather than ethanol, as corn can fill the gap. The UNICA Secretary General emphasizes that the raw material is less important than low emissions. https://www.worldenergynews.com/news/brazil-corn-ethanol-boom-covers-the-demand-762850
More information about corn ethanol on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBBfjtcPuXk
In a strategic move to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry and leverage the Union market for greater security of supply, diversification, and decarbonization, the Commission has launched the Hydrogen Mechanism within the EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform. The online platform will include various mechanisms for hydrogen, raw materials, natural gas, and biomethane, with the possibility of covering additional products in the future. It aims to enable European companies to procure energy and raw materials efficiently. With this launch, the first mechanism within the platform, the Hydrogen Mechanism, becomes operational. It is designed to support the market development of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives (ammonia, methanol, electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF)). Stakeholders can now register on the platform and join the EU Hydrogen Mechanism. The first round of supply and demand matching is planned for September 2025. More at:https://energy-platform.ec.europa.eu/hydrogen
Cellugy, a Danish industrial biotechnology startup developing biobased solutions to replace fossil-based materials in the personal care sector, has secured $9.47 million to support scaling up the production of its biofabricated cellulose-based rheology modifier material, EcoFLEXY. The new funding comes in the form of a grant from the LIFE Program, the European Union’s funding instrument for projects supporting environment and climate action. https://tech.eu/2025/06/24/cellugy-secures-eur81m-to-eradicate-microplastics-in-personal-care-products-with-biobased-alternative/
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. have received approval in principle from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai for their jointly developed liquid CO₂ (LCO₂)/methanol tanker. This approval for this tanker type is unique worldwide. Technologies for converting CO₂ into fuels or chemical products are gaining increasing importance as they utilize CO₂ in CCUS (Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage). One such approach is the ongoing study to realize a supply chain for the production of synthetic methanol (Note 3) from captured CO₂. Synthetic methanol is expected to contribute to the decarbonization of shipping as one of the marine fuels. https://www.tradewindsnews.com/gas/mol-and-mitsubishi-developing-world-s-first-lco2-and-methanol-combination-carrier/2-1-1839615?zephr_sso_ott=cle0ld
With the opening of its biomethane plant in Germany, KOSTER has taken a decisive step toward a fully sustainable energy supply chain. During the event, six new methane-powered vehicles – four LNG and two CNG – for environmental logistics were unveiled, which have been integrated into the fleet of LOGTER, a group company. The plant is a prime example of energy recovery from organic waste in line with the principles of the circular economy. Designed to produce biomethane from FORSU, it enables the conversion of organic waste into clean energy. This contributes significantly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the value of environmental resources. https://www.gasworld.com/story/koster-opens-italy-biomethane-plant/2161184.article/
The Biofuels that the country is considering a mandatory blending of 5 percent sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. Domestic oil refineries Tupras and Socar will also be required to produce sustainable aviation fuel to support this regulation, as 90 percent of the blended sustainable fuel is needed for loading at Turkish airports. Tupras announced earlier this year that it could produce 20,000 tons of sustainable fuel by 2026. The local biofuel company DB Tarimsal Enerji also plans to produce 100,000 tons annually. https://biofuels-news.com/news/turkey-to-set-saf-mandates-for-airlines-and-suppliers/
Brazil’s National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) has approved an increase in the proportion of biofuels blended with fossil fuels. Effective August 1, the ethanol content in gasoline will increase from 27% to 30%, and the biodiesel content in diesel will increase from 14% to 15%, said Pietro Mendes, Oil and Gas Secretary at the Ministry of Energy. Meanwhile, Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira stated that the change in the biofuel regulation will make Brazil gasoline self-sufficient for the first time in 15 years. https://www.worldenergynews.com/news/brazil-increases-biofuels-sees-self-sufficiency-gasoline-762764
Axens, in collaboration with IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and SMS group, has successfully certified its Carboverseo™ technology. This innovative reverse water-gas shift (RWS) process, which converts CO₂ into CO₂, is now operational and poised to revolutionize the e-fuel industry by providing a robust and scalable solution for converting CO₂ into valuable products. https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/27062025/axens-ifpen-and-sms-group-collaborate-on-new-e-fuels-deployment/
Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that US ethanol production fell to a five-week low of 1.076 million barrels last week. The slight volume decline helped boost production margins at a typical Iowa ethanol plant, even though it was producing only 5,000 barrels per day compared to the previous week. The lower production weighed slightly on inventories, which were 287,000 barrels lower than the previous week at 24.117 million barrels. Ethanol exports continued to rise, rising by 21,000 barrels per day to 131,000 barrels per day. https://agriinsite.com/u-s-ethanol-production-down-slightly-over-past-week/
Anaergia Inc., through its subsidiary Anaergia S.r.l., has entered into a binding agreement with RDR S.p.A., a leading Italian engineering and construction company, which was awarded a public tender by ASA Livorno, the operator of the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Tuscany. Anaergia will supply the capital equipment for the Livorno plant, which will enable the co-digestion of food waste and other separately collected organic matter with sewage sludge to produce renewable biomethane. This project is the first plant in Italy to combine these feedstocks for biogas production. https://www.chemanalyst.com/NewsAndDeals/NewsDetails/anaergia-to-build-italy-first-co-digestion-biomethane-plant-in-livorno-37726
Eni inaugurated in Loudima, in the central-southern part of the Republic of the Congo, the first vegetable oil extraction plant in the country. The production will be destined to Enilive’s biorefineries, where it will be transformed into biofuel to help decarbonize transport sectors, as part of Eni’s sustainable mobility strategy. With the launch of the Loudima agri-hub, the country takes on an active role in the biofuel production chain, in line with Eni’s strategic path to achieve net zero emissions from its products and processes by 2050. https://www.eni.com/en-IT/media/press-release/2025/06/eni-launches-its-first-agri-hub-republic-congo.html