Newsletter (copy 36)

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Happy Friday, dear reader.

Some good news to kick things off:

• In May, electric models accounted for 47% of new vehicle sales in China, CleanTechnica reported.

• Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon are down 40% in a year, according to the country’s space research institute.

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Thanks for reading.

Nick Hedley

Editor, The Progress Playbook

‘Turning point’ in China’s pivot to clean steel production

China didn’t permit any new coal-based steel projects in the first half of 2024 — a potential “turning point” in the shift to cleaner production methods, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), citing data from provincial governments.

In the first six months of the year, only plants powered by electric arc furnaces — which process recycled scrap steel — were granted permits. This comes after new policies were introduced to support the industry’s decarbonisation.

- Read the full story here.

Cities that reduce speed limits improve road safety and cut emissions, European study finds

The implementation of 30km/h speed limits in numerous European cities has yielded significant benefits for residents, with no meaningful impact on travel times, a new study has concluded.

- Read the full story here.

Renewables climb to 65% of German power production in second quarter as coal hits fresh low

Electricity generation from coal slumped to a record low in Germany in the second quarter of 2024 amid an ongoing surge in renewable energy installations, according to the country’s grid agency, BNetzA.

- Read the full story here.

Amazon hits 100% renewables goal seven years ahead of schedule

Tech giant Amazon says all of the electricity it used in 2023 was matched by renewable energy procurements — a milestone it initially planned to reach only in 2030.

- Read the full article here.

Coal’s share of China’s power mix slumps to 53% in May amid clean energy surge — report

Clean energy technologies generated a record 44% of China’s electricity in May 2024, pushing coal’s share of the mix down to 53% despite growing demand for power, according to a new analysis published in Carbon Brief.

- Read the full article here.

Other articles you might find interesting:

• The EU got more than 50% of its electricity from renewables in first half of 2024

• These cities are building solar plants on trash to save space

• What the world can learn from Copenhagen’s cycling revolution

• Here’s what happened after the city of Anchorage axed parking mandates

• No rooftop? No problem: Inside Germany’s ‘balcony solar’ boom

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Thanks in part to their ambitious renewable energy programmes, Denmark and Estonia are the world leaders in climate action, a recent assessment by a group of non-profit researchers has found.

Both countries aim to complete the transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, notes the 2024 Climate Change Performance Index, which was complied by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network.

Denmark is well on its way, with renewables comprising 88% of its electricity mix in 2023, according to data collated by Ember. Estonia has more work to do, but the share of renewables in its electricity system has surged from 16% to 44% in just five years.

- Read the full story here.