Wednesday, August 18, 2021

7 Scariest Japanese Ghosts and Ghouls to Haunt Your Dreams

We hope you don’t find yourself alone with any of these yurei and yokai.

By GaijinPot Blog Aug 18, 2021

Summer is really hot in Japan. To cool down, people used to tell really scary stories. So be careful walking alone in the wee hours of the night; Japan is full of ghosts, ghouls and other characters lurking in shadowy corners.

Yurei (ghosts of the deceased) and yokai (mythical spirits) have been part of Japanese folklore for centuries—even far back as the 8th century in the Kojiki (古事記, “Records of Ancient Matters”), which is the earliest record of Japanese mythology, chronicling the creation of Japan. Today, they appear in anime, manga, videogames and movies.

Here are seven of our favorite Japanese ghosts and ghouls to send shivers down your spine this summer season.

7. Yuki-onna

Ever seen a beautiful woman with snow-white skin and long black hair wandering through the frigid winter? It may have been a yuki-onna (snow woman). When she walks along a snow-covered terrain, you won’t find any footprints behind her.

The majority of yuki-onna stories originate from Japan’s snowy, northern prefectures like Aomori and Akita in the Tohoku region. In some versions, she is a snow vampire who sucks the souls out of her victims. In other versions, she uses her supernatural beauty to lure weak-willed men into the cold, then leaves them to freeze to death. Savage.

Some say the yuki-onna was a beautiful woman who was murdered in the snow and now does the same to others as an act of revenge.

6. Chochin Obake

This lantern ghost isn’t malicious like other yokai—he’s just a naughty little trickster who enjoys giving humans a scare. The chochin-obake (paper lantern ghost) will flick its large tongue out, roll its eyes and laugh loudly to frighten passers-by. It’s actually kind of cute.

The chochin-obake does not appear in any of Japan’s mythical stories or legends, and only appears in ukiyo-e and kabuki plays. So there is no origin for this particular yokai. One theory is that he was invented simply to scare children. However, tsukumogami (tool spirit), do appear in Japanese mythology. Tsukumogami are tools or objects which become yokai after 100 years.

Thus, a regular lantern may turn into chochin-obake after 100 years of use. This comes from the ancient Shinto religious belief that all objects—even inanimate ones—have a soul. Maybe don’t visit any temples, izakaya or other places likely to have lanterns if you don’t want to run into one. Then again, they might make for a good drinking buddy.

5. Jorogumo

Kuniyoshi’s print of a monstrous spider.

Translated to English, jorogumo (絡新婦) means “woman-spider.” However, the kanji can also mean “entangling bride” or “whore spider.” They are cunning and appear as seductive young women. They feed on young men who fall for their tricks—trapping them in their webs and devouring them slowly.

The jorogumo legend is based on the real golden-orb weaver spider, which is found all around Japan. When the spider reaches 400 years old, she will transform into a jorogumo and start preying on humans.

There are several stories based on the jorogumo. In Tonoigusa (Night Watchman’s Storybook), a young warrior encounters a beautiful woman. Realizing she is a yokai, he strikes her with his sword, and she flees to the attic. There, they find a dead spider about 30cm long and surrounded by decaying bodies.

Most versions end with him entangled in spider web and wishing he had kept his mouth shut

In Izu, Joren Falls is home to a jorogumo. The legend says a woodcutter encountered the spider when she tried to drag him behind the waterfall. He escaped, warning the village to stay away, but an outsider met the jorogumo. Surprisingly, she let him live as long as he never spoke of it. Unfortunately, the man was the opposite of coy. The story diverges from there, but most versions end with him entangled in spider web and wishing he had kept his mouth shut.

Worse, jorogumo isn’t the only killer spider in Japan. Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛, “dirt/earth spider”), are huge wandering spiders with human-like faces that hide in corners and dark spaces. They were likely influenced by the real-life Chinese bird spider and bandits and soldiers that hid in the shadows and preferred to ambush people.

4. Gashadokuro

The poor, unfortunate bones of those who’ve perished on the battlefield turn into gashadokuro (starving skeleton). These yokai form in places where masses of normal skeletons lie, such as in villages after famine or disease has wiped out the population.

Because they died without a proper burial or funeral rites, the souls and bones come together and create one giant skeleton, 15 times the size of an average person. The skeleton specters feed on lone travelers, biting their heads off, feasting on their bones and drinking their blood, Dracula-style. It is like some sort of boss from Castlevania.

You may have seen this yokai in the famous ukiyo-e “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre” by the famed Kuniyoshi.

3. Yamauba

Are you planning on hiking in the mountains this fall? You may want to rethink that, as that’s where you’ll find the yamauba (mountain witch). These decrepit hags, depicted as old women with messy hair and filthy kimonos, are known to offer shelter to weary travelers only to kill them once they fall asleep.

The yamauba were once regular women but fled to the forest after being accused of crimes. Another theory is they were victims of ubasute (姥捨て), literally “abandoning an old woman.” During hard times such as famine, a family would lead their elderly into the forest to die. Here, they would grow angry and resentful, becoming cannibalistic and practicing black magic.

However, in some stories, they are benevolent. For example, a yamauba might give a kind stranger treasure or good fortune. In Aichi, yamauba are seen as protective gods.

2. Kappa

This small human-like creature has a shell like a turtle, green scaly skin, and a plate on its head that must be filled with water at all times to stay alive. They live in Japan’s rivers, lakes and other waterways.

In Shintoism, kappa (river-child) are respected as gods of water and statues of them can sometimes be seen at shrines around Japan. Kappa quirks include having an affinity for cucumbers (hence the kappa-maki) and never breaking a promise.

In the urban legend version, a more menacing kappa loves to pull lost children and animals into the water to drown and eat. They still like to eat cucumbers but also raw human intestines.

1. Kuchisake-onna

Think twice about answering her question. Or just run.

Kuchisake-onna is a malicious, contemporary yurei, whose name literally translates to “slit-mouthed woman.” Legend says when she was alive, her husband punished her for her acts of adultery by slicing her mouth open from ear to ear.

Thanks to that dick, this ghost appears as a beautiful young woman wearing a surgical mask, holding a sharp weapon like a pair of scissors. She approaches people at night and asks them a question with sinister intentions.

An encounter with a kuchisake onna is a lose-lose situation, always resulting in death.

“Watashi, kirei?” or “Am I beautiful?” she coos. If you answer no, she will kill you instantly. If you say yes, she removes the surgical mask revealing her gruesome mouth. With a big smile, exposing sharp teeth, she’ll ask, “how about now?” An answer of “no” will result in you being dismembered by the ghost. Say yes, and she will make you as “beautiful” as she is by slicing your own mouth from ear to ear. An encounter with a Kuchisake-onna is a lose-lose situation, always resulting in death.

The murderous woman briefly appeared in the 1984 Studio Ghibli movie Pom Poko and several Japanese horror movies have been made with her story as the premise, including the 2007 low-budget horror flick Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman.

Culture

7 Spooky Japanese Superstitions and Their Origins

Familiarize yourself with these eerie Japanese superstitions to prevent yourself from unknowingly summoning spirits or bad luck this summer!

By Erika Van 't Veld Aug 13, 2021 6 min read

Summertime in Japan means matsuri (festivals), hanabi (fireworks) and kakigori (shaved ice), but it’s also the season of wandering ghosts and vengeful spirits. The frightful visits are thanks to Obon, the Buddhist festival that honors the spirits of one’s departed ancestors by inviting them back to the human world.

While spooky stuff is reserved for Halloween in the US, Summer in Japan is the traditional time when friends tell scary stories, haunted houses are erected, and classic Japanese horror movies are streamed on TV.

In the spirit of giving yourself goosebumps, here are seven spooky Japanese superstitions to be aware of this summer.

7. Swimming during Obon will get you spirited away

Uhh… Mom says I need to wait 30 minutes after eating. Sorry.

Flowing water is known as a passageway for spirits coming back to the human world during Obon. This Japanese superstition warns against swimming because the spirits flowing through the water will grab you in the water and take you with them to the afterlife.

This warning could stem from disciplining children who interfered with the safe passage of spirits or obstructing the toro nagashi (lanterns on the river). In this Obon custom, families float lanterns down a river to represent their ancestors transitioning back to the spirit world.

Interestingly, a science-backed explanation for this superstition also exists. During the summer months, Japan experiences its typhoon season, making swimming in the ocean very dangerous. So whether swimmers get taken away by spirits or the tide, be careful about swimming in Japan during the summer!

6. Whistling at night summons snakes

Walking home from a fireworks festival in high spirits might prompt some cheerful whistling at night, but you might reconsider. According to this old Japanese superstition, whistling at night summons “snakes,” which could refer to supernatural monsters, criminals or actual snakes. None of which sounds like something you want to bump into down a dark alley.

This superstition comes all the way from feudal times when outlaws and bandits prowled the roads. These criminals would whistle to each other to communicate at night, and it didn’t take long for the idea that whistling invited other unsavory characters to spread.

5. Hanging your laundry at night invites spirits

Summer days in Japan can be rainy and humid, so why not hang your wet laundry out at night to dry? Bad idea. Especially during Obon when the world is full of wandering spirits. Hanging clothes at night gives these spirits a familiar object to “cling to.” It might also scare your neighbors to bits if they see a white nightgown blowing in the moonlight!

This belief started back when kimonos were handed down generations after the previous owner passed on, and their spirit was thought to latch on to the connection to their former selves.

4. Cutting your nails at night leads to an early death

This superstition originated before nail clippers and electricity indoors were invented, and people used knives to trim their nails by candlelight. Slightly reckless, to say the least. One slip-up and an infection could have actually led to a person’s death.

Other iterations of this superstition say if you cut your nails at night, you won’t be there for your parents on their deathbed—because you died before them! Which makes sense, I guess.

It could also derive from another Japanese superstition. In the past, cutting tools, even the lowly nail clipper, were believed to have spiritual power or reiryoku in Japanese. So cutting anything at night, when the spirits are particularly active, was considered a bad idea.

3. Stepping on the border of tatami mats

Just one small step, and it’s game over!

This is sort of like the Japanese version of “step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” Tatami mats are traditional flooring you find in Japanese homes. They are made using soft rush and materials such as rice straw or compressed wood chips.

The borders are typically edged with decorative cloth, and some families put their family crest on the borders. Hence, stepping on the cloth borders is like stepping on your parents. Worse, it’s like stepping on your ancestors, who we’ve already established like to stick around and are quick to anger.

So next time you are visiting your Japanese in-laws, maybe watch your step?

2. Falling from a persimmon tree

Many older adults in Japan who climbed persimmon trees may remember being scolded by their grandparents. “If you fall, you’ll die in three years,” they’d shout. Or some other curse to bewilder and scare the pants off them. But where does this superstition come from?

Persimmon trees have a deep connection to life and death in Japanese folklore and religion. For example, it was customary in Nara Prefecture to plant a persimmon tree to mark gravesites or the tree’s wood as fuel for cremations. In Nagano Prefecture, spirits are believed to be found under persimmon trees, and souls will cling to persimmon trees near their family homes.

They’re also associated with good luck and longevity. Many families will hang a string of hoshigaki (dried persimmons) in their homes through New Year’s Eve. However, some also believed that eating a “strange” persimmon fruit gave birth to a disabled child.

However, while there is already a lot of superstition surrounding persimmon trees, the “death in three years” story was likely invented just to keep kids from falling out of trees. Persimmon trees are known for having fragile branches. One too many kids coming home with scraped knees and broken bones likely started this tall tale.

1. Sleeping with your head pointed north

Traditional Japanese Buddhist funeral customs position a body so that the deceased’s head points north. North is not only the direction spirits travel in the afterlife, but it is also the direction Buddha laid his head on his deathbed.

Hence, to mimic the position of corpses by sleeping with your (still living) head pointing north may welcome death to your home or summon bad luck. There is even a term for the superstition—kita mukura, literally “north pillow.”

It is similar to the taboo of sticking chopsticks upright into your rice. This stems from the rice bowl with chopsticks called makura meshi, placed next to the body during a funeral. For this same reason, it’s taboo to wear a kimono with the right side overlapping the left side. Only corpses wear their kimonos right-over-left, so if you’re a living person, be sure to wear a kimono left-over-right!

We hope you have a happy haunted summer in Japan, filled with goosebumps and scares (if that’s your thing). Suppose you want to take a stab at provoking the spirits, whistle and hang your laundry out at night. Please note we are not responsible if you get spirited away.

Nuclear scientists hail US fusion breakthrough

The Nuclear Ignition Facility in California is working on getting energy from nuclear fusion, where isotopes are combined, rather than split, as happens in fission Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Tech

Aug. 18 06:00 am JST 25 Comments

LOS ANGELES

Nuclear scientists using lasers the size of three football fields said Tuesday they had generated a huge amount of energy from fusion, possibly offering hope for the development of a new clean energy source.

Experts focused their giant array of almost 200 laser beams onto a tiny spot to create a mega blast of energy -- eight times more than they had ever done in the past.

Although the energy only lasted for a very short time -- just 100 trillionths of a second -- it took scientists closer to the holy grail of fusion ignition, the moment when they are creating more energy than they are using.

"This result is a historic advance for inertial confinement fusion research," said Kim Budil, the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which operates the National Ignition Facility in California, where the experiment took place this month.

Nuclear fusion is considered by some scientists to be a potential energy of the future, particularly because it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.

It differs from fission, a technique currently used in nuclear power plants, where the bonds of heavy atomic nuclei are broken to release energy.

In the fusion process, two light atomic nuclei are "married" to create a heavy one. In this experiment scientists used two isotopes of hydrogen, giving rise to helium.

This is the process that is at work in stars, including our sun.

"The NIF teams have done an extraordinary job," said Professor Steven Rose, co-director of the center for research in this field at Imperial College London.

"This is the most significant advance in inertial fusion since its beginning in 1972."

But, warned Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the same center in London, making this a useable source of energy is not going to be easy.

"Turning this concept into a renewable source of electrical power will probably be a long process and will involve overcoming significant technical challenges," he said.

Australia In The Race For Green Hydrogen

ByDavid Waterworth
Published24 hours ago

There is a green gold rush going on in Australia at the moment. Billions in investment is flowing into the production of green hydrogen. Before you reach for your keyboard, let me stress this hydrogen is green. The plans include massive wind and solar farms. And I am not suggesting it is for use in cars. It will mainly be for our export partners in Asia, particularly Japan, which is pushing for a hydrogen-powered economy.

Although the vast majority of current hydrogen is grey, produced from fracked natural gas, this will be green and some of the current fossil fuel incumbents will be caught with their pants down.

Let’s start with Western Australia.

In the Pilbara, $36 billion is being invested to create the Asian Renewable Hub. Not only will they use solar and wind, but they are also planning to manufacture wind turbines on site. This is cost effective because of the huge distances involved in transporting the massive steel structures. The nearest port is 250 km away. The plan is to produce over 10 million tons of it a year using the power generated by 1743 wind turbines and 25 million solar panels. It is at least a 10 year project. They are going to need a large water source also.

A $94 billion energy hub is being proposed for the Nullarbor (no trees) Plain. This is serious money. The same companies that are behind the Pilbara project are expecting to produce 50 GW of wind and solar power to make 3.5 million tonnes a year of green hydrogen for the export of 20 million tonnes of green ammonia. The traditional owners of the land, the Mirning people, will also hold a stake creating a brighter future for their young people.

Even BP is getting involved, recently doing a feasibility study for a green hydrogen and green ammonia project in Western Australia just north of Perth. They note that costs of production and of providing the infrastructure are still a problem.

Queensland, NSW (they’re going to be using treated wastewater as part of the process) and Tasmania are starting to get interested, but nothing like the scale of Western Australia. Not only are the states racing each other, they must also compete with the EU and the USA. Every country has the ingredients — water and wind and sun. It will be about who can scale up the fastest, who has the will and the determination.

Sources: here, here, here, here, and here.

Related story: Green Hydrogen — Where Is It Useful? Where Is It Not?

UK TORIES

‘Eagerly awaited’ Hydrogen Strategy draws mixed reactions from energy chiefs

Bosses from all corners of the energy sector have shared their thoughts on the UK Government’s flagship Hydrogen Policy.

By H amish Penma

18/08/2021, 12:01 am

Hydrogen: billed as the future of clean energy

Bosses from all corners of the energy sector have shared their thoughts on the UK Government’s flagship Hydrogen Policy.

The long-awaited programme was eventually published on Tuesday, with ministers hailing it as the “start of the UK’s hydrogen revolution”.

It sets out how Westminster plans to lay the foundations for a domestic low carbon hydrogen economy to “transform” the way the country’s energy sector functions.

Government currently has a target of 5 gigawatts (GW) of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

And if the sector flourishes as planned, it’s hoped hydrogen could leverage £4 billion in investment, create over 9,000 jobs and open up new export opportunities, all by 2030.

Unsurprisingly for a programme of this magnitude, the Hydrogen Policy has drawn mixed reactions from the energy industry.

Many have toasted the arrival of the publication, praising it for setting a “clear roadmap” for the development of the fuel.

Meanwhile others feel it falls short on ambition, with some criticising its plans to pursue different forms of low carbon hydrogen.

‘At the moment, we are massively lagging behind Europe’

One person urging the government to go further with its pledges is Tom Crotty, corporate affairs director for Ineos, one of the UK’s largest producers of hydrogen.

The petrochemical giant is calling on the government to move “quickly and decisively” in its support of the hydrogen economy.

Mr Crotty said: “The development of the hydrogen economy is the UK’s best chance of reaching its carbon reduction targets and INEOS stands ready to play its part.

“But the government must start to commit to investment in the development of the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure to enable the zero CO2 energy source to be used in feedstocks, transport and homes. At the moment, we are massively lagging behind Europe and words are not enough.”

Ineos Grangemouth Acorn — Ineos’ Grangemouth oil refinery complex processes oil and gas from the Forties pipeline system from the North Sea

‘Critical issues should have been ironed out’

Criticism of the policy also came from within the government itself, with Philip Dunne, Conservative MP for Ludlow and Environmental Audit Committee chairman, underlining issues that are yet to be addressed.

As part of the strategy, Westminster committed to holding a number of discussions on specific areas of the hydrogen economy.

Most notably, it has launched a public consultation on a preferred hydrogen business model, designed to bring down the cost of the fuel.

Mr Dunne said: “I welcome the eagerly awaited Hydrogen Strategy, which finally gives industry some clarity on the Government’s intention for hydrogen in our low carbon energy mix. When our committee undertook work on hydrogen last year, we heard that the UK is ahead in terms of technology and understanding, but lacked demand signals from Government through a Hydrogen Strategy required to compete in the global hydrogen economy.

“While I welcome this step forward, I have to say it is disappointing that only now – after being promised the strategy in November last year – are the necessary consultations being launched on how to overcome funding issues and how to define ‘low carbon’ hydrogen. These critical issues should have been ironed out in advance of this strategy.

“I urge the Government to act swiftly on the outcomes of these consultations. The UK has a strategic advantage from the prospect of generating green hydrogen from surplus offshore renewable energy generation, but the opportunity should not be missed.”

‘It’s critical to question the government’s ‘twin track’ approach’

UK Government has also been criticised for its commitment to develop a “twin track” approach to support both green and blue hydrogen.

Much debate currently rages in the sector around whether both types of fuel should be given a vote of confidence, or if it would be better for ministers to put all their eggs in one basket.

Low carbon hydrogen is divided into green, which is made using water and renewable energy through a process called electrolysis, and blue, which comes from natural gas, with carbon capture and storage (CCS) used to deal with emissions.

Chris Jackson, CEO Protium Green Solutions

Chris Jackson, chief executive and founder of UK green hydrogen firm Protium, praised the Government for putting stock in hydrogen as a fuel of the future.

But he questioned certain aspects of Westminster’s plans.

Mr Jackson said: “While there are components within the UK’s first hydrogen strategy that the industry should welcome today, it’s critical to question the government’s ‘twin track’ approach. By investing in blue hydrogen, the government will ensure that the UK is locked into a fuel import strategy, that by design cannot be a net zero solution and that will channel billions to the largest energy companies on earth instead of supporting and growing leading UK SMEs.

“Innovators from the UK have been at the forefront of hydrogen technologies and the UK industry has an enormously exciting opportunity to continue paving the way in this field. While this strategy is not necessarily worse than what we had been hoping to have confirmed by the government, it has not introduced a long list of upsides and offers little to support the SME space.

“As we delve deeper into this ‘strategy’ only one week after the IPCC’s report was published, what has become clear is that irrespective of today’s news, now is the time to accelerate action and we hope the government strengthens its support for green hydrogen in years to come.”

‘A clear roadmap’

Nevertheless, many industry leaders have praised the Hydrogen Policy, pointing to the crucial role it will play in turning ambition into reality.

Steve Scrimshaw, vice president at Siemens Energy UK&I, said: “We welcome the publication of the Hydrogen Strategy which sets a clear roadmap for the development of this important sector. In order to make this a reality, we now need to see a real pipeline of projects come to life.

“Not only will this action start us on the path to deep decarbonisation across many sectors, but it will also provide certainty to the supply chain that the UK is a good place to invest.”

‘An important signal of the UK’s commitment’

Dalia Majumder-Russell, a partner in global law firm CMS’ Energy & Climate Change team, described the strategy as a “key plank” in moving the conversation from the “theoretical aims” to a “more real policy framework”.

She added: “Clearly significant work remains ahead – as the strategy recognises with key developments (such as the UK standard for low carbon hydrogen) due to be published later this and next year.

“Given that hydrogen straddles the regulatory regimes governed through gas and electricity legislation, to name but two, and needs its own framework within which to work. At present, the piece-mend approach resembling a mend and do attitude leaves gaps and risks which act as unnecessary hurdles in the development of this sector.

“Given the role that hydrogen is meant to play in the industrial sector, heating and transport, as well as in electricity grid system management, the need for a holistic review and approach to setting the frameworks within with hydrogen projects can develop and operate is critical to achieving the aims the UK government has set itself.

“Still, with this publication the UK joins the 30+ other countries which have hydrogen-specific strategies and this is an important signal of the UK’s commitment to achieving its net-zero greenhouse gas ambitions.”

‘This strategy can help energy communities realise the full potential of this alternative fuel’

Mike Tholen, sustainability director at trade body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK), said: “We welcome the publication of the UK’s much awaited Hydrogen Strategy, which will enable hydrogen to be a vital resource as one of the multitude of low-carbon solutions we now require.

“This provides a clear long-term signal that government is committed to building a world-leading UK hydrogen economy and sets out how it will work with industry to achieve this.

“Consistent with the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan, our North Sea Transition Deal, and our Methane Action Plan alike, this strategy can help energy communities realise the full potential of this alternative fuel.

“The recognised need for the development of green and blue hydrogen is a sentiment we echo – all options should be made viable if we are to transform the UK’s energy system to a sustainable one.

“We look forward to working with the UK Government to consult on this and help develop hydrogen, as well as the other necessary low-carbon solutions we know will be needed to reach ne

Mike Tholen,<br />OGUK Sustainability Director.

Within the policy, the UK Government listed several examples of hydrogen projects that are already “kickstarting Britain’s world-leading low carbon hydrogen economy”.

Among them was Acorn, which is based at the St Fergus gas plant in Aberdeenshire and is being developed by Harbour Energy, Shell and Storegga.

The initiative is exploring repurposing North Sea oil and gas infrastructure to assist in the capture and storage of carbon emissions, a fundamental part of the blue hydrogen process.

Given its location, Acorn is also looking to use natural gas to create the fuel, which could then be exported across Europe.

Commenting on the strategy, Nick Cooper, CEO of Storegga and lead developer of the Acorn CCS and Hydrogen Project, said: “Hydrogen is crucial to rapidly support our low carbon transition and is a major tool in the UK reaching Net Zero. The ambition of the UK’s first Hydrogen Strategy is encouraging and more definition of the details in the 10 Point Plan is welcome.

“The Scottish Cluster is expected to provide 1.3 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030 (ca 25% of the UK Government’s 5 GW 2030 target), and to further scale up to 3.7 GW by 2050. With approximately 35% of the UK’s current natural gas supply arriving at St Fergus, the co-located Acorn Hydrogen Project will provide the foundations for wide scale hydrogen adoption across the UK.

“History shows that the adoption of new fuels such as hydrogen normally takes decades; however the pace of climate change is such that we do not have the luxury of time.

“Blue hydrogen, utilising the Acorn CO2 Storage Site (the UK’s most advanced CO2 store), is rapidly available, cost effective and scalable: enabling customers to begin switching to hydrogen as early as possible.

“The Scottish Cluster is critical to enable and accelerate low-carbon hydrogen deployment; without the Scottish Cluster, hydrogen adoption in Scotland and across the UK will be significantly delayed. The IPCC report last week has evidenced that we do not have time for any more delays.”

Kedar Pandya, director for cross-council programmes at the engineering and physical sciences research council, part of UK Research and Innovation, added: “The UK is internationally recognised for hydrogen research and innovation, and it will play a key role in delivering Government’s strategy. Decades of investment have developed our understanding of production, storage and integration technologies.

“Convergence of UK academic strength, policy need, technology maturity and business readiness in the UK means we are very well placed to realise its potential as an alternative fuel source as part of a Net Zero energy system.

“The latest IPCC report has reaffirmed the need for vital work to meet our net zero commitments and EPSRC will be launching further investment in hydrogen production and integration to better understand our options across the whole hydrogen value chain.”

SHILLING BLUE H2 & CCS FOR BIG OIL
Heavy on hydrogen: A look at the Conservative platform on energy and climate change

Five takeaways from the opposition party's energy plan for Canada

Author of the article:Geoffrey Morgan
Publishing date:Aug 18, 2021 •

The Conservative platform specifically goes after the Liberal government on the issue of plastic waste by blasting the government’s decision to label plastic as “toxic."

PHOTO BY SEBASTIAN GOLLNOW/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

CALGARY — Unlike past iterations of the Conservative Party of Canada’s climate change plan, the version unveiled Monday has teeth.

Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party unveiled its full platform at the beginning of Canada’s federal election campaign this week and it contained multiple promises on how the party would tackle climate change and protect the environment.

The Conservatives have pledged to protect up to 25 per cent of the country’s surface area and its water by banning raw sewage dumping in waterways by municipalities and cruise ships. They would study a carbon border adjustment tariff to tax goods made in jurisdictions without carbon taxes and by taxing “frequent flyers” and buyers of gasoline-burning luxury cars while encouraging more electric car purchases.

The issues where the Conservatives could potentially have the biggest impact on climate and the environment are outlined below. The Financial Post will highlight the policy points from each of the major parties that have a chance at forming government and how they would affect the energy and power industries in Canada during the election campaign.

#1 Plastics as a wedge issue

The Conservative platform specifically goes after the Liberal government on the issue of plastic waste by blasting the government’s decision to label plastic as “toxic,” which had ignited a sharp disagreement between the federal government and Alberta, which has tried to encourage additional petrochemical investments.

The Liberals had previously said that labelling products as toxic is necessary to ensure they’re managed to prevent those products being discarded into the environment. The Conservatives say they would ban the export of plastics from Canada, unless the exporter could show the products would be recycled. They would also try to encourage more “value recovery from plastics” within Canada, including by turning plastic waste into chemicals.

#2 A fuel standard by a different name

The Liberal government’s Clean Fuel Standard was opposed by integrated oil companies with refining operations in Canada, which said the policy could result in refinery shutdowns in Canada.

The Conservative’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard promises to “finalize and improve” the regulations in the Clean Fuel Standard to “reduce carbon emissions from every litre of gasoline” burned in Canada. Based on British Columbia’s existing fuel standard, the Conservatives aim to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in carbon intensity for fuel, while allowing the agricultural and forestry sector to earn land-based credits “by improving the carbon sequestration of agricultural lands and managed forests.”

MIGHT AS WELL SPEND IT ON FINDING BIG FOOT
#3 Money for carbon capture

The Conservatives are pledging to invest $5 billion in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). The platform promises also promises a tax credit “to rapidly accelerate the deployment of CCUS technology in the energy sector and in important industries that have few alternatives to bring fossil fuels, like fertilizer and chemical production.”

The oil and gas industry has been asking for direct assistance on CCUS investments after receiving assurances there would be tax incentives for investing in the CO2-limiting technology.

#4 More renewable natural gas

The Conservative election platform mentions methane twice and both times in relation to capturing methane emissions from landfills and farms and using it as renewable natural gas. The party says it would introduce a renewable natural gas mandate requiring 15 per cent of all downstream natural gas consumption to be renewable by 2030.

Like the low-carbon fuel standard, the party’s plan for a renewable natural gas mandate is based on a target already in place in British Columbia.

#5 Heavy on hydrogen

In many cases, Canada’s various provincial electric grids are better connected with the states down south than they are with their neighbouring provinces. The Conservative platform promises a clean energy strategy that would boost connections between the provinces, increase the use of mass storage and encourage more nuclear, hydrogen and renewable power.

Hydrogen is a major talking point in the platform, garnering 17 mentions in the document, and a key part of the party’s clean energy strategy. In addition, or possibly in conjunction, the Conservative platform also describes a “hydrogen energy strategy that rapidly increases the use of hydrogen — especially green hydrogen — in Canada and builds our export capacity.”

The toughest carbon emissions for companies to capture have climate experts worried

PUBLISHED WED, AUG 18 2021
Eric Rosenbaum @ERPROSE
ESG IMPACT

KEY POINTS

Scope 3 carbon emissions, or those not part of operations or under direct control, represent the majority of the carbon footprint for most companies, in some cases as high as 85% to 95%.

As companies lay out ambitious carbon reduction targets and net-zero pledges for the decades ahead, slow progress on tracking Scope 3 emissions has climate experts worried.
“They are not ready for this,” said one environmental data expert who worked on the GHG Protocol.

A majority (up to 85%) of the emissions from a barrel of oil come when transportation, such as your car, is driven, according to Carbon Tracker. It’s a stark example of how difficult the net-zero goal will be for companies, but far from the only one.
Red Huber | Tribune News Service | Getty Images

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler is moving the market regulator closer to requiring carbon disclosures from companies as investor concerns about the material impact of climate change on financial performance continue to escalate.

Major companies, including Apple, are on board, with its vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa Jackson backing a comprehensive carbon disclosure requirement in April.

But in Gensler’s recent outline of his thinking on how to go about mandating carbon disclosure, he made an important caveat: the SEC may still opt to not include Scope 3 emissions in any forthcoming regulation.

That’s an indication of just how hard it is for companies to track all Scope 3 emissions, the greenhouse gas emissions of other companies in a company’s value chain. But it is also an admission that if it’s “code red for humanity” in slowing climate change, the corporate world has not come nearly far enough in recent decades in figuring out how to track carbon emissions through the entire supply chain. And that is a point of frustration for climate experts who have been working on science-based carbon targets, tracking and accounting for decades.

In a speech he gave in late July, Gensler noted that some companies currently provide voluntary disclosures related to what’s called Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 1 are the direct emissions from a company’s operations, owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 refers to how corporations measure indirect emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat and cooling. But Gensler noted many investors are looking for information beyond Scope 1 and Scope 2, to Scope 3. “Thus, I’ve asked staff to make recommendations about how companies might disclose their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, along with whether to disclose Scope 3 emissions — and if so, how and under what circumstances,” the SEC chair said.
Majority of industrial carbon emissions are Scope 3

That “whether to disclose” looms large because the majority of carbon emissions from industrial sources don’t occur in what are called Scope 1 and Scope 2, but the Scope 3 emissions farthest away from a company’s operations. Carbon Trust research shows that for most companies, Scope 3 emissions represent from 65% to 95% of a company’s broader carbon impact.

But it would put the SEC in line with the existing GHG Protocol — which provides tools for businesses to track and calculate emissions — and advises all organizations to quantify scope 1 and 2 emissions when reporting and disclosing GHG emissions, while Scope 3 emissions quantification is “optional” even though it notes that Scope 3 emission sources may represent the majority of an organization’s GHG emissions.

Being the largest source of emissions means Scope 3 is also the broadest opportunity for carbon reduction. And it implies that as more companies set ambitious targets for carbon reduction and the “net zero” goals in the decades ahead, there will be no way to hold them accountable if Scope 3 tracking and disclosure does not improve.

“Companies will eventually be held accountable for these targets, and they usually include Scope 3, so this has to be solved,” said Cynthia Cummis, director of private sector climate mitigation for the World Resources Institute.

Other climate experts are even less confident.

“They are not ready for this,” said Angel Hsu, assistant professor of public policy and the Environment, Ecology and Energy Program at the University of North Carolina, and founder of the Data-Driven EnviroLab. “It is frustrating and surprising,” said Hsu, who worked on the GHG Protocol. “If companies are not reporting Scope 3 they are missing a huge part.”

Apple and Exxon and carbon reduction

Apple’s embrace of emissions reporting would include Scope 3, according to the company, though the statement was not explicit. ExxonMobil released Scope 3 emissions for the first time in 2021, but noted that the data “is less certain and less consistent because it includes the indirect emissions resulting from the consumption and use of a company’s products occurring outside of its control.” In disclosing the number — 540 million tonnes of CO2 from upstream production, to be exact — the oil giant took multiple digs at the accounting, also stating that “Scope 3 emissions do not provide meaningful insight into the company’s emission-reduction performance and could be misleading in some respects.”

Many companies are reporting to the level of Scope 3 already, and the standard has been available for roughly a decade. According to investor sustainability advocate Ceres, over 3,000 companies have reported Scope 3 under the Carbon Disclosure Project.

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Where companies and politicians stand on the SEC climate risk disclosure

Some companies also have begun to develop their own approaches to Scope 3, and behind the scenes, they have questioned the approach from the “academics and NGOs” that developed the original methods, which companies worry could force them to push supply chain partners to change, rather than work in coordination to reduce their carbon footprint.

Climate advocates like Ceres aren’t buying that, but say there is more work to be done across the many companies that don’t report on Scope 3 yet.

“It does involve emissions outside of the control of a company in the supply chain and does require engagement with suppliers,” said Steven Clarke, director of corporate clean energy leadership at Ceres. “And we do know suppliers, particularly small and medium-sized ones, are overwhelmed by requests from bigger partners.”

One example is industrial giant Honeywell, which earlier this year announced its own Scope 3 carbon accounting and coordination project for its supply chain. The company also noted the effort provides an opportunity for it to sell its own energy efficiency products to the supply chain.

Ceres officials say the corporate-led approach is becoming more common, and not just within one company’s supply chain, but among competitors, too. That has led to things like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, with companies within a sector coming together on Scope 3 targets, acknowledging they don’t know how to meet the requirements today but since they all use the same contract manufacturers and logistics providers, it makes sense to come together to develop technology and engage suppliers so they are not overburdened with surveys and questions.

“We are getting good ambitious commitments, but the realty is Scope 3 is a challenging area to measure and that puts people off,” said Tom Cumberlege, who leads Carbon Trust’s work on value chains. “What Scope 3 really means as far as a main effort is the gap between pledges and calculation. Once it is measured, we’re only at the starting line of action.” He added, “Retailers say they desperately need to figure out science-based targets, that customers are demanding it. It is definitely there and significant in the marketplace.”

Net zero can’t happen without changed supply chains

The efforts are increasing across sectors, too, with coalitions like Transform to Net Zero, in which Microsoft and Starbucks were among the companies that came together in 2020, and the Amazon-led Climate Pledge.

“The data is still hard to ‘wrap their heads around’ for many companies,” said Clarke, but he added, “If you want to thrive in a decarbonized future, you need to address it.”

Cummis noted it’s not as if a ton of work hasn’t been done already. There are 600 valid Scope 3 targets aligned with the GHG Protocol — she was part of the team that developed them. She is most frustrated that there is still an imbalance between the data and the demand, and it is one that has to be fixed for the carbon reduction targets that companies are issuing to be verified.

“We assumed 10 years ago we were creating demand for high transparency data and supply chains, and the companies would be willing to pay for the data and data providers would generate it, or trade groups,” she said.

While the action is picking up from tech giants like SAP to start-ups like Persefoni, so far, Cummis said, third-party databases offering broad estimates for sectors and kinds of businesses are more common. “It is fine to get an estimate to understand a relative proportion of emissions by activity, but now we have targets and we have to track progress, and it is hard to use average emissions databases for that.”

You don’t even know if you’re on a path to net zero without better data.
Cynthia Cummis, director of private sector climate mitigation for the World Resources Institute
It is not a surprise to the climate experts that some companies are trying to figure out the best way to tackle Scope 3 on their own, and companies like Apple and Amazon and its Climate Pledge may be up to the challenge, but that also runs the risk of falling short of the collective action that will be required.

“Amazon wanting to lead on this would be great, because they cover so many product categories,” Cummis said. “But whatever they develop needs to be fully open source so others can have access to the data as well. It will be a higher quality tool that’s more usable if it’s developed in partnership with other companies in the value chain, and not just at the retailer level.”

Food, energy emissions climate challenges

Food companies are a good example of the challenge companies face. Their biggest emissions sources come from primary suppliers like farms where it is difficult to get data, and so they may not know what farms are buying and how to trace those inputs, especially when it comes to commodities.

In work it did with the GHG Protocol, Kraft found that 90% of its emissions were from the supply chain and at the Scope 3 level.

“If there were tools to support them, that would be helpful,” Cummis said, “but the farmers need more incentives, and there are many middlemen in there too if they are buying commodities. It’s not buying direct.”

The oil and gas sector is one of the more stark examples of the Scope 3 issue.

According to Mike Coffin, oil & gas analyst at Carbon Tracker, 85% of the emissions from a barrel of oil come when transportation, such as your car, is driven. When you look at a company like ExxonMobil, Scope 1 and Scope 2 together are a minority of total emissions.

“We really look at if from that lens, and upstream oil and gas companies, whatever targets they do, need to be done on an absolute basis rather than intensity of operations basis,” he said.

Companies from ExxonMobil to Royal Dutch Shell can reduce emissions intensity by adding renewables — which is becoming a bigger part of their climate strategy — or low carbon to the mix, but they are still providing the same amount of CO2 emissions.

“We think it’s crucial that any goals have an absolute basis rather than just intensity basis, but getting their heads around that means producing less of their core product,” Coffin said.

Occidental, seen as an early leader among U.S.-based oil and gas companies on carbon strategy, is still going to fall far short of the mark unless its most ambitious carbon capture technologies are proven.

“Say Oxy reduces emissions intensity by 50%, it’s still just 50% of that 15% that is Scope 1 and does nothing for the 85%,” Coffin said. “The planet doesn’t care about how much energy is used, but reducing CO2, and that’s why it is critical to have absolute targets,” he added.

BP has said it will reduce emissions on an absolute basis, and that can only mean one thing: producing less oil and gas. “That’s what we need,” Coffin said. “Reducing Scope 3 for them is moving away from being an oil and gas producer and it’s really the only option they have, just become smaller or do something else in renewables, or whatever. It doesn’t matter, maybe give money back to shareholders.”

The clock is ticking

Where the corporate world stands today in terms of carbon emissions disclosure is pretty simple.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 — a company better know. How much refrigerant it is buying and the electricity it is using, which they get a bill for every month, is the easy part.

Scope 3 remains complicated, but it could be solved faster if there was more effort. “It’s a solvable problem,” Cummis said.

But so far, even if more players, and some of the right players are stepping up, they haven’t stepped forward fast enough.

“For too long we’ve said if the Apples, Walmarts, and Amazons support this it will happen,” she said. “We’ve made great progress in getting companies to measure Scope 3 and set science-based targets, but there is a big gap in data quality.”

Even if the net zero targets are laid out over decades, the clock is ticking today.

The real crunch time, according to Cumberlege, will come in the decade between 2030 and 2040, the net-zero goal for many companies, but which as a timeline makes him critical of what they are doing today to “realistically and programmatically” tackle the data challenge.

“Lots of companies have spent lots of effort collecting data and setting targets, but they are really only at the start of the race in terms of the effort needed on how data informs the decision-making and what the business would look like in a net-zero world and how to transform the supply chain to fit with that,” Cumberlege said.

The near-term science-based targets need to be measured over a 5- to 15-year timespan, not 20 to 25 years, for companies to be on a path to net zero. “But you don’t even know if you’re on a path to net zero without better data,” Cummis said.

Hsu is encouraged by the fact that the companies now reporting on Scope 3 are no longer the extreme exception to the rule. But the fact that most companies do not mention Scope 3 explicitly in net-zero commitments, and the fact that the total number of companies reporting Scope 3 is “nowhere near complete,” leaves her concluding carbon disclosure will remain an area of major uncertainty.

Research in recent years from the Carbon Disclosure Project on companies reporting Scope 3 showed that even among this group, the data covered less than one-quarter of Scope 3 emissions.

Andrew Behar, a shareholder advocate and CEO of As You Sow, which has long led climate disclosure efforts among investors pressuring companies, and is involved in the Say on Climate initiative, says using the 2050 net zero target as an example — which is the timeline for many companies — means a net 50% reduction by 2030 because once the low-hanging fruit is taken care of, the percentage goals get harder to reach. “That means 5% every year for the next 10 years, and it means Scope 3, and they need to actually report that.”

But he does see the message getting through at some big companies. A recent vote at GE to require net zero goals and Scope 3 emissions on products including traditional power generation, jet engines and wind turbines received 98% support, and the company announced last month it is moving forward with the plan. “It’s real and they are going to do it,” Behar said.

There is a chicken-or-egg issue among the broader set of companies in the slow pace of progress, which is part of what makes it challenging to solve.

“Part of the problem is we can’t expect all the companies to follow through until all the data is available, and we can’t get all the data until more companies disclose,” Hsu said.

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