Two 'catastrophic' years melt away 10% of Swiss glacier volume: study

Nina Larson with Alexandre Grosbois
Thu, September 28, 2023 

The study showed a dramatic retreat of Swiss glaciers and warned the situation would only get worse (Fabrice COFFRINI)

Two consecutive years of extreme warming in the Alps have obliterated 10 percent of Swiss glacier volume -- the same amount lost in the three decades prior to 1990, a report revealed Thursday.

Amid growing concerns over the dire toll of climate change, the study by the Cryospheric Commission (CC) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences showed a dramatic glacial retreat, and warned the situation would only get worse.

"Swiss glaciers are melting at a rapidly increasing rate," it said in a statement.

2022 marked the worst year on record for glacier melt in the Swiss Alps, with six percent of the total ice volume lost.


The glaciers have not fared much better this year, the CC report showed, with another four percent of ice volume destroyed, "representing the second largest decline since measurements began".

"The acceleration is dramatic, with as much ice being lost in only two years as was the case between 1960 and 1990," it said.

The result of two consecutive extreme years had been collapsing glacier tongues and some smaller glaciers vanishing all together.

"All glaciers melted a lot," Matthias Huss, head of Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), told AFP.

"But for the small glaciers, (the) melting is especially dramatic because these small glaciers are really disappearing right now."

- 'Dead ice' -

GLAMOS, which monitors 176 of Switzerland's some 1,400 glaciers, recently halted measurements at the St. Annafirn glacier in the central Swiss canton of Uri since it had all but disappeared.

"We just had some dead ice left," Huss lamented.

The massive glacier loss seen in Switzerland was linked in large part to a winter with very low snow volumes, as well as soaring summer temperatures.

"It's a combination of climate change that makes such extreme events more likely, and the very bad combination of meteorological extremes," Huss explained.

"If we continue at this rate... we will see every year such bad years."

Scientists have already warned that the Swiss glaciers could all but disappear by the end of the century without more action to rein in global warming.

"We have seen such strong climate changes in the last years that it's really possible to imagine this country without any glaciers," Huss said.

- 'Stabilise the climate' -

He stressed the need to "stabilise the climate by bringing the CO2 emissions to zero as soon as possible".

But Huss acknowledged that even if the world managed to meet the Paris targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, only around a third of glacier volume in Switzerland would be saved.

That means that "all the small glaciers will be gone anyway, and the big glaciers will be much smaller", he said, but stressed that at least "there will be some ice in the highest regions of the Alps and some glaciers that we can show to our grandchildren."

This year's melt impacted glaciers across Switzerland, with those in the south and the east of the country particularly hard-hit.

The average ice thickness loss there was up to three metres (9.8 feet) and was "considerably higher than the values recorded in the hot summer of 2003", the researchers said.

The study showed that even some glaciers above 3,200 metres (10,500 feet), which until recently had "preserved their equilibrium", had seen several metres of ice melt away.

The year was marked by barely any precipitation at all over the 2022-23 winter months, meaning far less snow cover than usual, followed by the third-warmest summer in the Alps since measurements began.

It got so warm that at one stage, the freezing point above the mountain range rose to 5,298 metres (17,381 feet) -- way above the highest peaks and beating by far the zero-degree line record.

As thaw accelerates, Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume in the past 2 years, experts say

JAMEY KEATEN
Updated Thu, September 28, 2023 






- Team members of ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) glaciologist and head of the Swiss measurement network Glamos, Matthias Huss, arrive at the Rhone Glacier that is partially covered near Goms, Switzerland, June 16, 2023.

 (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss Academy of Sciences panel is reporting a dramatic acceleration of glacier melt in the Alpine country, which has lost 10% of its ice volume in just two years after high summer heat and low snow volumes in winter.

Switzerland — home to the most glaciers of any country in Europe — has seen 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year on top of a 6% drop in 2022, the biggest thaw since measurements began, the academy’s commission for cryosphere observation said.

Experts at the GLAMOS glacier monitoring center have been on the lookout for a possible extreme melt this year amid early warning signs about the country's estimated 1,400 glaciers, a number that is now dwindling.

“The acceleration is dramatic, with as much ice being lost in only two years as was the case between 1960 and 1990,” the academy said. “The two extreme consecutive years have led to glacier tongues collapsing and the disappearance of many smaller glaciers.”

Matthias Huss, head of GLAMOS, which participated in the research, said in an interview that Switzerland has already lost up to 1,000 small glaciers, and that “now we are starting to lose also bigger and more important glaciers.”

“Glaciers are the ambassadors of climate change. They make it very clear what is happening out there because they respond in a very sensitive way to warming temperatures,” he said. “The study underlines once again that there is big urgency to act now if you want to stabilize (the) climate, and if you want to save at least some of the glaciers.”

The team said the “massive ice loss" stemmed from a winter with very low volumes of snow — which falls on top of glaciers and protects them from exposure to direct sunlight — and high summer temperatures.

All of Switzerland — where the Alps cut a swath through most of the southern and central parts of the country — was affected, and glaciers in the southern and eastern regions melted almost as fast as in 2022's record thaw.

“Melting of several meters was measured in southern Valais (region) and the Engadin valley at a level above 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), an altitude at which glaciers had until recently preserved their equilibrium,” the team said.

The average loss of ice thickness was up to 3 meters (10 feet) in places such as the Gries Glacier in Valais, the Basòdino Glacier in the southern canton, or region, of Ticino, and the Vadret Pers glacier system in eastern Graubuenden.

The situation in some parts of the central Bernese Oberland and the Valais was less dramatic — such as for the Aletsch Glacier in Valais and Plaine Morte Glacier in the canton of Bern, because they enjoyed more winter snowfall. But even in such areas, “a loss of over 2 meters of the average ice thickness is extremely high,” the team said.

Snow depths measured in the first half of February were generally higher than in the winters of 1964, 1990 or 2007, which were also characterized by low snowfalls, the team said. But snow levels sank to a new record low in the second half of the month of February, reaching only about 30% of the long-term average.

Over half of automated monitoring stations above 2,000 meters that have been in place for at least a quarter-century tallied record-low levels of snow at the time.

After that, an extremely warm June caused snow to melt two to four weeks earlier than usual, and mid-summer snowfalls melted very quickly, the team said.

Swiss meteorologists reported in August that the zero-degree Celsius level — the altitude where water freezes — had risen to its highest level ever recorded, at nearly 5,300 meters (17,400 feet), which means that all the Swiss Alpine peaks faced temperatures above freezing.

Swiss glaciers get 10% smaller in two years

Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
Thu, September 28, 2023 

The radiantly blue glacial lakes on the Findel Glacier were covered by dozens of metres of ice a decade ago

Switzerland's glaciers have lost a further 4% of their volume this year - the second biggest loss ever - after last year's record melt of 6%.

The statistics come in the annual report of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos), whose team of researchers have been monitoring 176 of Switzerland's 1,400 glaciers for years.

They warn it may now be too late to save many of the alpine ice fields, even if climate targets are met.

"It's terrible," said the Glamos chief.

In just two years, Switzerland's glaciers have lost 10% of their total volume - as much as they lost in the three decades between 1960 and 1990.

Glaciologists measuring the ice take no comfort in the fact that this year's melt is slightly smaller than last year's record.

"It was still the second most negative year since measurements started," Matthias Huss, the head of Glamos, told the BBC. "It's terrible to see that this extreme of last year is just repeating."

The researchers say the loss is due to consecutive very warm summers, and last winter's very low snowfall. If these weather patterns continue, they say, the thaw will only accelerate.

Some of Switzerland's smaller glaciers have already disappeared.

This year the researchers stopped monitoring the St Annafirn glacier because there was no ice left worth measuring.

Others are shrinking so fast it is unlikely they can be saved, even if global temperatures are kept within the Paris target of a 1.5C rise.

Without a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases linked to global warming, glacier experts warn that even the bigger glaciers like the Aletsch, whose ice now is 800m (2,624 ft) thick in parts, could disappear within a generation.

"Every time I come back to these sites that I have monitored for many years, it's different,' said Mr Huss. "The ice is smaller, thinner, more grey. It's very sad."

But losing the glaciers is about more than losing a stunning view.

The ice, which traditionally builds up in winter and melts slowly in summer, provides fresh water vital to Europe's rivers, to irrigate Europe's crops or to cool its nuclear power stations.

Last year and again this year, shipping on the river Rhine, a key waterway for Europe's freight, had to be restricted because the water had become too shallow.

During the record heat of 2022, fish were removed from Swiss rivers and stored in tanks, because the river water itself had become too warm and too scarce for the fish to survive.

"Glaciers are very important for communicating climate change, because they are so visible," said Mr Huss.

"If there is no climate mitigation, we are going to lose all the glaciers in the alps by 2100."

Switzerland’s glaciers lose ‘mind-blowing’ volume of ice in just two years

Laura Paddison, CNN
Thu, September 28, 2023 

Glaciers in Switzerland are shrinking at a “mind-blowing” rate. A total of 10% of their ice volume has disappeared over a period of just two years as a combination of low snowfall and soaring temperatures cause unprecedented melting, according to figures released Thursday.

In 2023, the country’s glaciers lost 4% of their total volume, according to data from the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. This level melting is second only to the record set in 2022, when 6% of glaciers were destroyed.

To put this into perspective, Swiss glaciers have lost as much ice over this two-year period as was lost over the three decades between 1960 and 1990.

“The losses we’ve seen in 2022 and 2023 are simply mind-blowing and beyond everything we have experienced so far,” said Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS), an organization that collects and evaluates glacier data and works with the Swiss Academy of Sciences.

“Even though glaciers have constantly and quickly been losing mass for many decades, this is a tremendous acceleration,” he told CNN, adding these extremes “would have been impossible without climate change.”

Ice on the Vadret dal Murtèl glacier melted rapidly even in mid-September at an altitude of 3,100 meters (10,170 feet). - Matthias Huss/GLAMOS

The two extreme years have led to glacier tongues collapsing and many small glaciers in the country disappearing altogether. The St. Annafirn glacier, for example, in the Uri canton in central Switzerland, has shrunk so much that GLAMOS has stopped monitoring it.

Ice loss was even recorded at high altitudes, which usually don’t see such declines. Several meters of ice disappeared in southern Valais and the Engadin valley at altitudes of more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), according to GLAMOS.

The losses, which affect glaciers across the country, have come after a winter with very low snow. Snow levels in the second half of February reached a record low, at around 30% of the long-term average.

This was followed by a summer of high temperatures. A very hot and dry June meant snow melted two to four weeks earlier than usual, according to GLAMOS.

In August, a weather balloon launched by the national meteorological service, MétéoSuisse, had to climb 5,298 meters (17,382 feet) before the temperature fell to 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) – marking the highest “zero degree” line since records began.

High temperatures, which continued into September, meant that summer snowfalls melted quickly.

The disappearance of the ice ridge at the Piz Murtèl in Grisons, Switzerland. - Matthias Huss/GLAMOS

The huge glacier melt of the last two years has stark implications. It “means a significant re-shaping of the high-alpine landscape,” Huss said.

It is creating dangerous conditions with unstable rock threatening dangerous rockslides.

Receding glaciers are also leading to grim discoveries. In July, the remains of a German mountain climber who went missing 37 years ago while hiking along a glacier near Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn were recovered.

There are temporary advantages as the water runoff from the glaciers has helped relieve the severity of the drought the country has experienced and fill hydropower reservoirs, said Huss.

“However, this benefit is transient and short-lived,” he added. As they shrink, glaciers are rapidly losing their important role to contribute water when people need it. “This will aggravate water scarcity during heat waves in the near future,” Huss said.

The long-term picture for Switzerland’s glaciers is alarming. “Glaciers in the Alps will continue to massively shrink and retreat to the highest mountain peaks,” said Huss.

In June, Swiss voters agreed a new law to significantly reduce levels of planet-heating pollution, the impetus for which came from climate groups demanding an end to fossil fuels in order to save the glaciers.

But time is running out as climate change accelerates. Recent research found that even if ambitious climate targets are met, up to half of the world’s glaciers could disappear by the end of the century.

Swiss glaciers lose 10% of volume in worst two years on record

Thu, September 28, 2023


Visitors walk in a fleece covered ice cave inside the Rhone glacier in Obergoms

By Cecile Mantovani and Denis Balibouse

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's glaciers suffered their second worst melt rate this year after record 2022 losses, shrinking their overall volume by 10% in the last two years, monitoring body GLAMOS said on Thursday.

The one-two punch for Swiss glaciers during the country's third hottest summer on record means they lost as much ice in two years as in the three decades before 1990, it said, describing the losses as "catastrophic".

"This year was very problematic for glaciers because there was really little snow in winter, and the summer was very warm," Matthias Huss, who leads Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS), told Reuters.

"The combination of these two factors is the worst that can happen to glaciers."

More than half of the glaciers in the Alps are in Switzerland where temperatures are rising by around twice the global average due to climate change.

This year, low winter snowfall combined with an early start and a late end to the summer melt season dealt the heavy losses, GLAMOS said.

In the peak melt month of August, the Swiss weather service said the elevation at which precipitation freezes hit a new record overnight high, measured at 5,289 meters (17,350 ft), an altitude higher than Mont Blanc's summit. This exceeded last year's record of 5,184 meters.

Pictures posted by Huss on social media during data collection trips in recent weeks showed for the first time on record new lakes forming next to glacier tongues, streams of melt water running through ice caves, and bare rock poking out from thinning ice. In some places, bodies lost long ago have been recovered as ice sheets have shrunk.

"We are really losing the small glaciers," Huss said. "The remnant ice is becoming covered by rocks and debris, regions that have been snow and ice covered over the last decades and centuries are becoming just black slopes that are dangerous because of rockfall."

In some places, GLAMOS had to cease monitoring due to the melt.

"We have closed down one of our monitoring programs on a small glacier in central Switzerland because it just became too dangerous to measure," Huss said. "It became very small and therefore unrepresentative."

Swiss records go back to at least 1960 and as far back as 1914 for some glaciers.

(Writing by Emma Farge; editing by Timothy Gardner)

NASA scientist issues grim warning 35 years after his original prediction: ‘[W]e knew it was coming’

Stephen Proctor
Wed, September 27, 2023 


James Hansen, who was a NASA climate scientist when he first warned the world that the planet was heating in 1988, is back with another stark warning — this time hoping for different results.

When Hansen appeared before the United States Senate in June of 1988, the world had just experienced the warmest first five months of any year in recorded history, The New York Times reported at the time.

Up until that time, scientists had been cautious about blaming the warming of the planet on pollutants put into the air by human activity. But Hansen told the committee that NASA was 99% certain that the warming trend was caused by the buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere.

Sadly, the problem has continuously gotten worse worldwide in the decades since. And Hansen has continued his fight to bring attention to the issue. In 2011, he was one of 140 people to be arrested while protesting the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

In a recent statement released by Hansen alongside two other scientists, Hansen predicted the warming of the planet to accelerate in the coming years, musing about a “new climate frontier.”

“There’s a lot more in the pipeline, unless we reduce the greenhouse gas amounts,” Hansen told the Guardian. “These superstorms are a taste of the storms of my grandchildren. We are headed wittingly into the new reality — we knew it was coming.”

Speaking of the heat waves that have ravaged much of the Northern Hemisphere recently, Hansen told the Guardian he cannot help but feel “a sense of disappointment that we scientists did not communicate more clearly and that we did not elect leaders capable of a more intelligent response.”

Of the lack of response by humanity as a whole, Hansen added, “It means we are damned fools. We have to taste it to believe it.”

Though it’s been 35 years since Hansen first warned the world in Senate testimony about what we’re now seeing with our own eyes, there is reason for optimism.

The move away from dirty energy is kicking into high gear. Sales of electric cars continue to rise, with an expected growth of 35% from 2022 to 2023, electric boats with solar-powered charging stations are now available, and grassroots efforts to make renewable energy more widely available are underway.

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Trump’s Michigan rally for union auto workers may have drawn the wrong crowd

Martha McHardy
Thu, 28 September 2023 

Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures while speaking at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer and supplier, in Clinton, Michigan (AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump skipped the second GOP debate to hold a rally for auto workers on strike in Michigan - but the crowd has come under suspicion after some attendees reportedly revealed they don’t fit in that category.

Mr Trump visited Drake Enterprises, a non-unionized auto parts factory, on Wednesday night while seven of his rivals in the 2024 election faced off in California.

In a speech during his visit, Mr Trump claimed “thousands of people” had gathered to meet him in Michigan.

But the composition of the audience is now under scrutiny after a report by The Detroit News claimed one attendee holding a “union members for Trump” sign admitted that she is not in a union, while another holding an “auto workers for Trump” sign said he was not an auto worker.

The event drew a crowd of about 400-500 Trump supporters, according to The Detroit News, while Drake Enterprises only has around 150 employees.

Auto workers are currently on strike in Detroit over pay and working conditions.

President Joe Biden made history on Tuesday as the first US president to join a picket line when he visited members of the United Auto Workers union.

Mr Biden was invited to visit the UAW members by the group’s president, Shawn Fain, who has sometimes been critical of Mr Trump.

Mr Fain refused to meet with Mr Trump during his Michigan visit, criticizing the GOP candidate as someone who “serves the billionaire class” and calling his appearance at the non-unionized facility a “pathetic irony.”

During his visit, the former president went on an incoherent and inaccurate rant about electric cars, telling Drake Enterprises workers electric vehicles would be the death of the American car industry.

He falsely claimed that EVs are actually bad for the environment.

“People have no idea how bad this is going to be for the environment, you know those batteries when they get rid of them, and lots of bad things happen, and when they dig it out of the ground to make them, is going to very bad for the environment,” he claimed.

Mr Biden and Mr Trump’s visits to Michigan come as Republicans and Democrats alike focus on the electorally important Midwestern “Rust Belt’’, where blue-collar workers such as UAW members form a vital voting bloc.

Mr Trump poked fun at his GOP rivals during his speech, calling them “job candidates” in the presidential race.

“We are competing with the job candidates, they are all running for a job. They are all job candidates. They will do anything, Secretary of something, they even say VP. Has anyone seen a VP in that group? I don’t think so,” Mr Trump told the crowd.

Mr Trump has refused to take part in any of the Republican presidential primary debates so far.

The former president currently has a 42.2-point lead in the polls over Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to Real Clear Politics.

 RIP

Michael Gambon has died at the age of 82. 

Sir Michael Gambon has been remembered as one of the greats after his death at the age of 82.

The actor – who was best known for The Singing Detective and for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in several Harry Potter films – passed away after suffering from pneumonia, with his family by his side.

Former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host Jeremy Clarkson was among the first to pay tribute following the sad news.

Read more: Harry Potter proof copy found in school library fails to sell at auction

"I’m so sad to hear that Michael Gambon has died," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"He was hugely amusing, and such a tremendous guest, we even named a corner after him."

Actor Peter Egan posted: "Deeply sad to see this.

"One of the funniest men on the planet and a great actor."

"I'll miss him," he added.

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (PA Images/Alamy)

Piers Morgan's son Spencer shared a clip from Harry Potter and a quote from Dumbledore.

The moving quote read: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

David Baddiel tweeted: "First time I ever went to see any Theatre with a capital T it was Michael Gambon in Brecht’s Life Of Galileo at The National in 1980.

"It’s still the best stage acting I’ve ever seen."

"RIP," he added.

Actor Richard E Grant shared a snap of the late star, and wrote: "Sir Michael Gambon - THE GREAT GAMBON."

Swimming star Sharron Davies shared a photo of the actor and one of him in Harry Potter, tweeting: "Rest in peace Professor."

Fans also shared their sadness, with one posting: "Oh no, not Michael Gambon.

"A mesmerising actor, truly electrifying on stage."

Read more: Train strikes don't stop Hogwarts Express on Harry Potter celebration day

Another said they were "absolutely devastated".

Shell staff say they are ‘deeply concerned’ by shift from green energy in open letter to chief

James Warrington
Wed, 27 September 2023 a

shell energy transition

Shell employees have said they are “deeply concerned” by the oil giant’s shift away from green energy in a blistering open letter to the chief executive.

Wael Sawan, chief executive of Shell, has set out plans to scale back the company’s investment in renewables in a bid to boost profits.

The strategy could involve the FTSE 100 company selling a stake in or even spinning off its global renewable power business entirely. It recently scrapped the role of global head of renewables.

The open letter, which was posted on Shell’s internal website and seen by Reuters, read: “For a long time, it has been Shell’s ambition to be a leader in the energy transition. It is the reason we work here.

“The recent announcements at and after the capital markets day deeply concern us ... We can only hope the optics of the CMD [Capital Markets Day] announcements are deceiving us and that Shell continues its path as a leader in the energy transition.”

The letter, which was addressed to Mr Sawan and Shell’s executive committee, was signed by Lisette de Heiden and Wouter Drinkwaard, two employees in the company’s low-carbon division.

The public rebuke was viewed more than 80,000 times on Shell’s internal website and prompted a string of responses from other employees.

Responding to the letter, Mr Sawan said: “For an organisation at the crux of the energy transition, there are no easy answers and no shortage of dilemmas or challenges. We might not always agree on the way forward, but I feel good about the role Shell is, and will continue, to play.

“I am proud of how we provide affordable and secure energy to people every day, while we work hard to provide lower-carbon solutions to our customers, as we transition over time to a net-zero emissions business.”

Public rebuke of chief executive Wael Sawan's plans was viewed more than 80,000 times on Shell's internal website - REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare

The internal backlash highlights the dilemma facing Shell as it tries to navigate the shift to renewable energy sources while managing investor demands.

Shares in rival BP, whose chief executive announced his shock resignation earlier this month, have underperformed in recent years as it pumps money into renewables amid surging energy prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Separately on Wednesday, French energy group Total said it will boost fossil fuel production over the next five years in a sharp reversal of its previous policy.

A Shell spokesman denied that the company had changed its strategy, insisting it was still committed to its aim of becoming a net zero emissions business by 2050.

The spokesman added: “We appreciate that our staff are engaged in and have passion for both the energy transition and Shell. That is important and we welcome an open dialogue.

“Shell is playing a meaningful role in addressing the energy transition, and at our recent Capital Markets Day we set out those areas of the energy system of today and tomorrow where we are best placed to invest, compete and win.

“In particular, we have competitive advantages in producing lower-carbon oil, selling LNG [liquified natural gas] that replaces coal, and offering customers low-carbon solutions through EV charging, biofuels and renewable power.”

Only 7% of coffee sold in the UK meets Fairtrade standards, research shows

Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Thu, 28 September 2023 



Only 7% of coffee sold in the UK meets Fairtrade standards even though a “staggering” 98 million cups are consumed every day, according to new research.

The Fairtrade Foundation said the standards are a “critical lifeline” for coffee farmers, enabling them to cover their costs and build resilience against the threat of climate change.

Ahead of International Coffee Day on October 1, the Foundation is launching a campaign aimed at informing coffee lovers about the importance of fair prices for coffee.


The foundation said the average non-Fairtrade coffee farmer lives on as little as £1.37 a day, has little negotiating power in coffee supply chains and yet bears most of the risk.

The price farmers are paid fluctuates dramatically and has dipped this summer to below the cost of production.

Meanwhile, the climate crisis is disrupting coffee production, reducing quality and yield, and increasing farming costs.

More than 90% of Fairtrade Kenyan coffee farmers have already experienced the effects of climate change, citing erratic rainfall and an increase in pests and diseases, said the foundation.

Michael Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. Too many farmers still reeling from the pandemic and the climate crisis now have to contend with market prices that have dropped below the cost of production.

“This is forcing farmers to make difficult choices. I’d encourage everyone to choose Fairtrade coffee, which offers farmers the safety net of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium – and so much more.”

Fairtrade Coffee farmer Gerardo Carvajal from Cooperative Manizales in Colombia said: “It’s very difficult to grow coffee now because rainfall patterns have changed and my farming costs have gone up. When production reduces, you lose income.

“Fairtrade gives me a safety net through the Minimum Price and Premium and the specialist training I receive from the Fairtrade producer network in Colombia.”

Longstanding Fairtrade ambassador Melissa Hemsley, a cookery writer, chef and sustainability expert who has visited coffee farmers in Kenya, commented: “Too many farmers struggle to put food on their tables while growing treats for us such as coffee. But we can change that through choices we make when we shop.”

UK 

Train and Tube strikes: Dates and services affected

Jack Simpson
Thu, 28 September 2023 

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan (centre) with striking rail workers on the picket line outside London Euston station - EDDIE MULHOLLAND for The Telegraph.

Passengers across the UK face further disruption after train drivers union Aslef and Tube workers union RMT announced yet more industrial action.

Members of Aslef have timed their latest walkouts to disrupt the Conservative Party Conference. The union has so far, called 12 one-day strikes during its 16-month dispute over pay.

The latest strikes will force 16 train operating companies to cancel all services, while a ban on overtime on separate days will seriously disrupt the network.


Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “While we regret having to take this action – we don’t want to lose a day’s pay, or disrupt passengers, as they try to travel by train – the government, and the employers, have forced us into this position.

Our members have not, now, had a pay rise for four years – since 2019 – and that’s not right when prices have soared in that time.

“Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago.”

London Underground workers, meanwhile, have announced fresh strikes in a dispute over job cuts and working conditions.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch says station staff ‘have a vital role to play’ assisting passengers across the rail and Tube network - Peter Byrne/PA

The union’s general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Station staff have had enough of having their livelihoods threatened by job losses and attacks on their terms and conditions.

“Station staff have a vital role to play assisting vulnerable passengers access the network safely and ensuring that the Tube is a safe environment for passengers. These job cuts and attacks on conditions are going to lead to more unstaffed stations, temporary closures and rising passenger anger.

“TfL has had its budgets slashed but the savings made by these station staff cuts will be negatable and will lead to shortages that are unacceptable.

“This strike action will lead to the Tube being shutdown and we call on Mayor Sadiq Khan to meet us urgently to discuss this matter.”
When are the train and Tube strikes?

The Aslef union will hold strikes on:

Saturday September 30 – train strike


Wednesday October 4 – train and Tube strike


Friday October 6 – Tube strike

Members will stage an overtime ban across the rail network on:

Friday September 29


From Monday October 2 to Friday October 6
Which rail companies are affected?

The train companies affected are:

Avanti West Coast


C2C


Caledonian Sleeper


Chiltern Railways


CrossCountry


East Midlands Railway


Gatwick Express


Greater Anglia


GWR


GTR Great Northern Thameslink


Heathrow Express


Island Line


LNER


Northern Trains


Southeastern


Southern


Gatwick Express


South Western Railway main line


Stanstead Express


SWR depot drivers


TransPennine Express


West Midlands Trains.
Advice for travelling during train strikes

National Rail warns passengers to expect “significant disruption” on strike days. Services are also likely to be disrupted and start later on the day immediately after.

National Rail has recommended that passengers:

Use its Journey Planner. Passengers should check close to the time of each strike date


Use its Live Trains page for the most up-to-date information about arrivals and departures


Plan ahead and check before you travel. This includes checking your entire journey, especially if you’re travelling on the first and last trains of strike days
Train station ticket office closures

Nearly all railway station ticket offices are being shut and staff moved on to station platform and concourse duties, according to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Ticket office facilities will remain open only at the busiest stations.

Posters are being displayed in stations informing passengers about potential closures. The Government will make the final decision on which offices will be axed following a consultation. It is not known how quickly the first offices will shut, but the closure programme is expected to last for three years.
Why are Aslef striking?

Aslef members are taking industrial action as they push for a pay rise.

The union has criticised the government from failing to meet its negotiating team – general secretary Mick Whelan, assistant general secretary Simon Weller, and executive committee president Dave Calfe.

They last met representatives of the employers, the Rail Delivery Group, under the agreed post-pandemic framework of the Rail Industry Recovery Group, in April.

Mr Whelan added: “Do you remember Where’s Wally? Well, what we want to know is Where’s Harper?

“We last saw the Secretary of State for Transport in December.

“We last saw Huw Merriman, the Rail Minister, in January.

“And we last saw the train companies in April.

“Since then, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not a letter, not an email, not a text message, not a phone call, not a WhatsApp. Not a word!”

POST-FORDISM

Mitsubishi forced out of China after competition from cheap rivals

James Warrington
Wed, 27 September 2023 

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Mitsubishi has been forced to pull out of China amid tough competition from cut-price rivals.

The Japanese car giant is said to be in final withdrawal discussions with its Chinese partner Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) to end production in the country.

It comes after Mitsubishi said in July that it was suspending production in China indefinitely and would cut jobs amid a sharp drop in car sales.


The group has now decided not to resume operations at its factory in the Hunan province, Nikkei reported.

Mitsubishi’s sales in China have slumped in recent years amid growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and more affordable local brands such as BYD and Nio.

The Japanese company sold 38,550 cars in China in 2022, down 60pc on the previous year.

While the company released the hybrid Outlander SUV to the Chinese market late last year, this has failed to reverse the downward trend.

As part of the exit arrangement, Mitsubishi will withdraw its 50pc investment in the joint venture, which is held by the group’s trading house as well as its automotive company.

GAC is expected to maintain the venture as a corporate entity and use the Hunan factory for EV production.
New focus for the car giant

Mitsubishi will reportedly now focus on south-east Asia and Oceania, which account for around a third of its sales.

A spokesman for Mitsubishi said the company was currently discussing future plans with shareholders but insisted nothing had been finalised.

Mitsubishi began exporting cars to China in the 1970s and formed the joint venture with GAC in 2012. At its peak in 2018, the company sold 140,000 vehicles in the country.

But Mitsubishi is not the only Japanese carmaker to encounter difficulties in China after being slow to embrace EVs and coming up against tough local competition.

A price war across the EV sector, sparked by Elon Musk’s Tesla, has added to pressure on margins.

Honda and Nissan have both suffered falling sales in China over recent years, while Toyota’s sales fell last year for the first time in a decade.

Makoto Uchida, chief executive of Nissan, has admitted that the company is struggling to make a profit in China and said it was reviewing its operations in the country.

UK

Why is Rosebank going ahead and why does it face such opposition?

Danny Halpin, PA Environment Correspondent
Wed, 27 September 2023 

Regulators have given the go-ahead for the Rosebank oil and gas field to start developing and producing fossil fuels, angering environmentalists and some MPs.

The Government has said it will boost the economy and energy security with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) – the body that approves oil and gas licences, which is tasked with “maximising the economic recovery” of oil from the North Sea – having given its consent for Rosebank to be developed.

Why is Rosebank going ahead and why is there such opposition? The PA news agency looks into the controversies around the oil and gas field, why some believe it should progress and why others believe it should be scrapped.

Rosebank oilfield locator. See story ENERGY Rosebank. Infographic PA Graphics. An editable version of this graphic is available if required. Please contact graphics@pamediagroup.com.

– What is energy security?

The UK Government has said energy security is one of its “greatest priorities” and mentioned the term 40 times in its Powering Up Britain report published earlier this year after establishing the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz).

Despite this, it has been unable to provide a clear definition of what energy security means, implying that it could signify a more reliable energy supply for the UK, increased self-sufficiency or using fossil fuels as a stop-gap while renewable power is built up, though without committing to either explanation.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines it as: “The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price.”

– Why is Rosebank so controversial?

Opponents of its development believe that uninterrupted availability of affordable energy could and should come from renewable sources, while the Government and the oil and gas industry say abandoning North Sea reserves would only result in greater dependence on foreign oil producers.

Rosebank is thought to contain up to 350 million barrels of oil, according to owners Ithaca Energy and Equinor, who say it is capable of producing 69,000 barrels a day – about 8% of the UK’s projected daily output between 2026 and 2030 – and 44 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Currently the UK imports around half of its gas, mostly from Norway, which also provides around half the amount of oil the UK imports.

Russia was the largest source of refined oil until the Ukraine invasion, and the UK Government says developing more North Sea oil and gas will further offset this dependency while protecting consumers from volatile international price hikes.

On the other side, many researchers, campaigners and opposition MPs say rapid development of renewables would better protect consumers as they would not need oil and gas to power their cars and homes, adding that clean power also has the benefit of not producing emissions that are heating the planet to dangerous levels.

– Will Rosebank lower bills?

The owners say it is expected to start producing in 2026-2027 so there will be no immediate relief for consumers in the current energy crisis.

As oil and gas prices are set internationally and as much as 80% of the oil produced is expected to be sold outside the UK, Rosebank is unlikely to have any significant impact on consumer bills in future either, having “at most, a marginal effect”, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

– How many jobs will it provide?

Ithaca and Equinor say Rosebank will support around 1,600 jobs at its peak during construction and around 450 over the long term.

They also said the project is estimated to create £8.1 billion of direct investment, of which £6.3 billion is likely to be invested in UK businesses.

– How does it fit in with the Government’s net zero plan?

Planned electrification of North Sea rigs means they will increasingly draw their power from renewable energy sources, therefore fitting in with how the UK Government counts its emissions reductions to net zero.

The emissions from the oil and gas once burnt are not included in the Government’s net zero calculations.

North Sea reserves are declining regardless of political decisions, with the Government wanting to use what is available.

Labour has said it would not grant any new licences if it wins the next election but would honour those already in place – including Rosebank.

– How will these emissions affect the rest of the world?

The CCC, which advises the Government on how to reach net zero, said it is very difficult to understand how this extra fuel would affect global markets, whether it would add to consumer demand or replace oil and gas produced in other countries.

This is because of the complexities of climate policies in various countries aiming to phase out fossil fuels as well as the volatility of the international market.

The IEA said in its global pathway to net zero by 2050, published two years ago, that no new oil, gas or coal is needed, though it did not single out specific projects such as Rosebank.

Developing Rosebank oil field ‘wrong decision’, says Scottish First Minister


Danny Halpin, PA Environment Correspondent
Wed, 27 September 2023 

Developing Rosebank is “the wrong decision” while new oil and gas licences will slow down the energy transition, Scotland’s First Minister has said.

Humza Yousaf expressed his opposition to the project after the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) announced it had given its consent for the largest untapped oil reserve in UK waters to be developed.

The UK Government said it supports the decision and wants hundreds of new licences to be awarded to producers of North Sea oil and gas.

Doorstepped at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Yousaf told Bauer Media: “What I would say is I think Rosebank is the wrong decision. The decision that has been made today it is not the right decision to be made.

“Scotland’s future, the north east’s future, is as the net zero capital not just of Europe but of, I hope, the world.

“And, of course, new oil and gas licences being given the go-ahead will slow the pace of that transition down.

“I want to accelerate that transition and take the workers with us.”

The UK Government said Rosebank will provide more jobs and reduce the need to import fuel from hostile countries such as Russia.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho said it “makes sense to use our own supplies” of North Sea oil and gas, although any fuel extracted from Rosebank will mostly belong to Equinor, whose largest shareholder is the Norwegian state.

As the majority of this fuel is expected to be sold internationally, many researchers, campaigners and opposition MPs have questioned whether adding a significant amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is worth any economic and security gains.

Ms Coutinho said: “The jobs and billions of pounds this is worth to our economy will enable us to have greater energy independence, making us more secure against tyrants like (Vladimir) Putin.

“We will continue to back the UK’s oil and gas industry to underpin our energy security, grow our economy and help us deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy.”

Rosebank’s owners say its development will create 1,600 jobs during the peak of its construction and 450 over the long term, while producing £6.3 billion that could be invested in UK businesses.

The oil and gas industry currently supports tens of thousands of jobs in Scotland and Rosebank has been the centre of a debate around how fast North Sea rigs should be shut down, if at all.

Labour’s policy of stopping the approval of new licences was criticised by the leader of the GMB union who called the policy “naive”, while the Scottish Government has been reluctant to take a strong opposing view until today.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at Cop27 last year that it was important to move away from fossil fuels, but did not take a stand on Rosebank specifically.

After the NSTA announcement she wrote on social media that she agrees with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who described the decision to give consent to Rosebank as the “greatest act of environmental vandalism in my lifetime”.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Agree with @CarolineLucas. Also, by consuming scarce resources that could be going to renewables, it risks slowing the green transition and the jobs that come from it.

“That’s not in interests of those who work in oil & gas – they need that transition to happen at pace.”

The Climate Change Committee, which advises the UK Government on how to reach net zero, said many jobs will also be created by replacing oil and gas with renewable power.

The International Energy Agency said that globally, replacing fossil fuels with renewables and going net zero by 2050 would save the world economy 12 trillion dollars (£9.8 trillion).

Rosebank ‘trashes’ UK’s global reputation, says Lord Goldsmith

Danny Halpin, PA Environment Correspondent
Wed, 27 September 2023



Allowing the development of the Rosebank oil and gas field damages the UK’s reputation internationally, Conservative Lord Zac Goldsmith has said, as he hinted at voting for an opposition party come the next election.

The North Sea Transition Authority’s decision to grant consent to Equinor and Ithaca Energy to begin developing the largest untapped reserve of oil in UK waters has ignited fury among climate-minded politicians such as Lord Goldsmith, who accused the Government of losing sight of its climate commitments.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, the Tory peer said: “It just trashes the UK’s reputation as a reliable, grown up member of the global community, it’s done us immeasurable harm.”

He also attacked the delay to net zero policies such as a ban on new petrol and diesel cars announced last week by the Prime Minister, saying the Conservative Party seems to be in “disarray” and that he may not be able to vote for it.

“If this is the direction that the party is determined to take, and it seems to be, there’s no way I can vote for a party that positions itself, that the Conservative Party is currently positioning itself, on climate and nature,” he said.

“The party that loses sight of the overall goal is not one that deserves to be given the privilege of power.”

The Government said issuing new oil and gas licences and allowing those approved to be developed, such as Rosebank, would boost the UK’s energy security, though when asked, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero was unable to provide a definition of what energy security means.

Ministers also argue that it would mean less oil is imported from hostile countries such as Russia.

As Rosebank will take until 2026-2027 to begin producing, it will be unable to offer immediate relief to consumer bills and because most of the fuel is likely to be exported, it would at best have only a marginal impact on bills in the future, the Climate Change Committee has said.

Labour’s policy if it wins the next election is to put a stop to new oil and gas licences, though it would honour any that are in place at the time the party gains power.

Speaking to Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast, Sir Keir Starmer said this is a “deliberate” policy to ensure stability in the economy.

“What we’ve said is no new licences to be granted when we’re in power, but we won’t revoke anything, any licences that are granted before we come into power,” he said.

“I’m mindful of the fact that if there’s one thing that has killed growth in the last 13 years, and it has been killed, it’s the chopping and changing lack of strategic thinking.

“And, therefore, as a matter of principle, we will accept, as it were, the baseline that we inherit from the Government if we win that election.”

Environmental Secretary Therese Coffey insisted the new oilfield was part of a transition as the UK “gradually” divests from fossil fuels.

Ms Coffey told C4 News: “We’re still on a journey of transition and it’s important that we still have sources of oil as we make our way to net zero.”

She also defended a reported multimillion-pound taxbreak being handed to the company behind Rosebank.

“It’s important that we continue to attract investment as part of getting towards net zero, that will be done in a variety of ways, one of those is about supporting some of these energy companies in that regard,” she said.

SEE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/09/uk-rosebank-oilfield-fury-as-3.html