The U.N. Secretary General António Guterres described 2024 as a"Masterclass in climate destruction"(1), a damning description of what will most likely be the warmest year on record.(2)
This blog will discuss some of the highs and lows in climate news that we've witnessed in energy, law, business, and politics in 2024.
Energy
Goodbye to coal?
In 2024, the last coal power station in the UK, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, closed down for good.
This is as significant as it is symbolic. The first coal-fired power station in the world, the Holborn Viaduct power station, was built in 1882 in London, and our history had been shaped by coal ever since, until now.(3)
On a small (i.e. not industrial) scale, coal was actually first mined in China, 3,500 or perhaps even 4,600 years ago.(4)
The picture there today is more complicated than people often give it credit.
Yes, China is continuing to build lots of new coal plants, but they are not using coal as much as they could do. The speculation is that China is building them not for use in the near future but as a form of energy security. Pollution is a high-priority political issue in China (people DO NOT want to breathe dirty air), so there are good reasons to hope that their use of coal will go down. The fact that China is building two-thirds of the world’s wind and solar projects, ahead of their own targets, is definitely worth noting.(5)
Hello to cheaper renewable energy
In 2024, renewable energy generated 30% of global electricity.(6)
Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said:
“Renewables are moving faster than national governments can set targets for. This is mainly driven not just by efforts to lower emissions or boost energy security – it’s increasingly because renewables today offer the cheapest option to add new power plants in almost all countries around the world.”(7)
This allows developing countries to leapfrog the adoption of fossil fuels that the so-called developed world needed for progress and economic growth, and go straight for energy expansion that is both clean and cheap. This was not a realistic possibility even a decade ago.
Solar panels are also becoming more efficient, with the development of a new glass-ceramic material that increases the energy absorption.(8)
Scotland's Green Industrial Strategy exemplifies future trends: expanding offshore wind energy, developing carbon capture technology and advancing hydrogen production.(9)
Fossil fuel subsidies remain
Many people and institutions see the need to transition from fossil fuels, fast. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitment Database shows that 1,667 Institutions, with the approximate value of $40.76 trillion are divesting from fossil fuels - this will have an effect over time. (10)
However, the World Economic Forum noted, that the issue of fossil fuel subsidies:
'.. remains one of the most significant barriers to decarbonisation, as subsidies distort energy markets and slow the adoption of cleaner alternatives.'(11)
During COP 29 held in Azerbaijan, nations failed to agree on binding commitments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
While there is much to celebrate in the field of energy transition, the status quo remains stubborn.
Legal
Brilliant wins
Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland concerned a group of 2,000 Swiss women, mostly in their 70s, who argued that climate change impacts, such as heatwaves, had a negative effect on their living conditions and health, and even put them at a greater risk of death due to their age and gender.
They argued that Switzerland's climate policies were inadequate, and this had violated their human rights.
In April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that:
"... there had been a violation of the right to respect for private and family life of the Convention .."
The judgment is legally binding and there is no right of appeal.
Crucially, decisions made in the European Court of Human Rights influence law across its 46 member states, including the United Kingdom.
Separately, in August 2024, the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that the absence of legally binding targets for greenhouse gas reductions for 2031-2049 violated the constitutional rights of future generations, saying that this lack of long-term targets shifted an excessive burden to the future.(12)
An unfortunate setback
Three years ago, a court in The Hague backed a case by Friends of the Earth and 17,000 Dutch citizens requiring Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% - a historic judgment that has inspired climate litigation around the world.
However, in November 2024, the Hague Court of Appeal has overturned this ruling and said that the Dutch civil courts cannot impose a specific reduction target.
This judgment may still be appealed before the Dutch Supreme Court.(13)
Dangers for Earth Defenders and Climate Activists
“As the climate crisis accelerates, those who use their voice to courageously defend our planet are met with violence, intimidation, and murder." (Laura Furones)(14)
The Global Witness Report published an estimated 196 land and environmental defenders were killed around the world in 2023: 79 in Columbia, 25 in Brazil, 18 in Mexico and 18 in Honduras.(14)
Climate Rights International documented the increasingly heavy-handed treatment of climate protests in democratic countries, such as Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, and the US. (15)
When a 77-year-old woman is handed a 20-month prison sentence for a non-violent climate protest on the M25, you might question whether it is safe to attend the next demonstration in the UK.(16)
An article by Six Pump Court highlights that:
"The sentencing of climate protestors is a relatively new phenomenon that courts around the country are grappling with, and which, in doing so, they must give effect to the will of Parliament in enacting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (‘2022 Act').
The 2022 Act has been controversial and Part 3 contains numerous provisions placing limitations on protests which impact directly or indirectly on the rights, freedoms and movements of protestors."
Commenting on the imprisonment of 5 Just Stop Oil activists in 2024, the article states:
''How such lengthy sentences [some 4 and 5 years-long] can be imposed has therefore confounded many, particularly when some convicted of violence and drug offences have received lesser sentences, and at a time when prisons are full."(17)
Business
2024 has seen an explosion of reporting requirements and expectations.
"More than 20 jurisdictions [including the UK], representing over half the global economy by GDP, are taking steps towards introducing disclosure requirements aligned to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards."(18)
However, The EY 2024 Global Climate Action Barometer claims that the quality of disclosures remains 'worryingly low.'(19)
Talk to anyone working in ESG at the moment, and even the most senior specialists will tell you that the sheer amount of change is overwhelming. Leaders have had to get to grips with net zero, biodiversity, regeneration and climate justice - in their own operations and their often complex supply chain - all during a particularly difficult economic situation.
We hope these roles will receive greater resources in 2025 and going forwards, especially as Directors face increased personal scrutiny over climate and nature issues.
In March 2024, the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative, together with Pollination, published a groundbreaking legal opinion entitled 'Nature-related risks and directors' duties under the law of England and Wales', which stated that:
'Directors who fail to give consideration to relevant non-trivial nature-related risks, and take appropriate steps to mitigate them, may be exposed to claims that they have acted in breach of duty.'
Investors are also encouraging business action. In fact, the majority of investors (68%) believe that a company’s transition plan is important when considering making an investment, with 26% describing it as “very important”.(20)
New reporting requirements, pressure on Directors, and clear signals from investors, combined with proper Sector-based Guidance issued by the Transition Task Taskforce in 2024, will hopefully help drive impactful action by businesses.
Politics
In 2024, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist with a doctorate in energy engineering, as President. The United States re-elected Donald Trump.
A few countries have launched new enviable green policies. Portugal, for example, is launching a new €20 monthly train ticket, which allows passengers to travel on nearly all regional, inter-regional and inter-city services operated by a state-owned rail company. (21)
Climate change is a global problem requiring global cooperation. Yet 2024 isn't going to be remembered as the best year for that.
Unfortunately, the 170 nations and 440 organisations that met in South Korea to negotiate a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution have not succeeded. So we still do not have the treaty we all desperately need, as the world generates 400 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, 60% of which end up in our natural environment and only 9% of which is recycled. (22)
Although, many commentators were disappointed in the outcome of COP 29 in Azerbaijan, at least, against all odds, an agreement was reached. Wealthy nations pledged to provide $300 billion of climate finance per year. The target, or a new collective quantified goal, will replace the existing $100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.
It is lower than the $1.3 trillion per year that was demanded, but the key question is: will it actually be delivered?
COP 16 (sometimes referred to as the Biodiversity COP or simply, the other COP), saw a pledge of an additional $163 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. It emphasised supporting countries with fragile ecosystems, such as small island states and economies in transition - a focus we hope will grow in 2025 beyond COPs.
Final thoughts
Although this blog has described many setbacks, it is important to recap just how much progress has been made in 2024:
Renewable energy is cheaper than ever
An international court ruled that climate inaction violates human rights
Global reporting standards are being rolled out worldwide
Climate finance is being discussed and agreed - this would not have been possible even a decade ago.
I want to conclude with a couple of quotes from surely the best book of 2024, 'What if we get it right?' by the brilliant Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. She argues that we already have most of solutions we need: they are at the intersection of science, policy, culture, and justice.
"Moving forward requires that we propel each other - propel our species - out of phenomenally entrenched procrastination.
We don't need more data or a more rigorous cost- benefit analysis: we need to leap." ...
... "And when it all feels too much, return to this simple guiding question: What if we love the future?"
... "What if we get it right?"
Let 2025 be the year we leap forward with love for the future and determination to protect it!
If you got this far, thank you for reading.
You can invite us to host a tailored webinar or a discussion about lessons from 2024 and climate/ESG trends for 2025. We will focus on insights specific to your sector and location. Please e-mail info@privategoodness.com to find out more
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(2) https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/2024-track-be-hottest-year-record-warming-temporarily-hits-15degc
(11) https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/cop29-4-key-takeaways/ (12) https://www.globalelr.com/2024/09/ruling-requires-south-korean-government-to-review-climate-targets/
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