[GWSG] Direct ocean capture; 1k big CH4 leaks; industrial alternatives; H2 rules; $ to H; rating ARs

[Tilley, Al]

1. MIT engineers have designed a system to remove CO2 from the ocean. It can be mounted on ships or platforms and costs about a fifth as much as direct air capture. It is expected to be ready for trials in about two years. https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2023/02/engineers-devise-simple-system-to-capture-co2-from-oceans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=engineers-devise-simple-system-to-capture-co2-from-oceans

2. More than a thousand massive methane leaks were detected in 2022, most from commercial gas fields. “The worst single leak spewed the pollution at a rate equivalent to 67m running cars.” Methane could be the largest single threat to meeting the Paris heating goals. 55 new sites pose an additional threat.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/06/revealed-1000-super-emitting-methane-leaks-risk-triggering-climate-tipping-points

3. Heavy industry produces about a quarter of US greenhouse gas emissions. A new program uses $6b from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure bill to support half the cost of developing pilot processes which reduce those emissions. Cement, steel, and chemical manufacture are among the processes covered by the Industrial Demonstrations Program. https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-industry/doe-launches-6b-program-to-slash-emissions-from-heavy-industry?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=249661246&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_osImQBslLeptT4HJ7P0Y2gtpmXW14uxLnE9XBVVThKrNAAMUyKnfwu18OQb2is9lCfA1vfurHaiam1U-Qq5AtTSmMQw&utm_source=newsletter

4. A wrestling match is underway to determine the rules by which the production of green hydrogen may earn federal subsidies. It appears to come down to whether the energy which drives the production must come from renewable sources. The role of H2 as a secondary greenhouse gas is not mentioned. https://grist.org/article/green-hydrogen-tax-credit-ira/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily


5. Shell is putting its money into green hydrogen, while Exxon-Mobile prefers theirs made from commercial methane. Opposition to hydrogen development is hard to find, though it will roast us as yet another greenhouse gas, even if at a reduced rate.  https://cleantechnica.com/2023/03/09/shell-makes-another-green-hydrogen-move-exxon-gets-the-blues/


6. Atmospheric rivers have become so common and so destructive that they have been accorded their own rating scale, from AR1 (Primarily Beneficial) to AR5 (Primarily Hazardous). The scale will make it easier to convey warnings of the severity of the events. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-world-atmospheric-rivers-intensity-hurricanes.html

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