Latest news with #EnvironmentalDefenceFund
The Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
World Cup pollution will be ‘equivalent to 6.5m cars driven for a year', claims report
New research by environmentalists suggests that next year's World Cup, in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be 'the most climate-damaging' in the history of the tournament. With Fifa expanding the 2026 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) has calculated that the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the tournament will almost double the average carbon dioxide equivalent from the last four World Cup finals. This, claims the report, is driven by the 'high reliance on air travel and significant increase in the quantity of matches,' adding that the predicted 2026 total is "equivalent to nearly 6.5 million average British cars being driven for an entire year." The figures will make it the most polluting tournament ever staged, with its nine million tonnes of CO2e being significantly higher than the 5.25 million tonnes generated by Qatar 2022. The number of matches played, in what is the first tournament to be held across an entire continent, will increase by more than 60 per cent from 64 to 104 and, while they will be played in existing stadia, those CO2e figures are much higher than initial estimates. The report was conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Defence Fund, and the Sport for Climate Action Network. Fifa has previously committed to reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and to reaching net-zero by 2040. It has said that is has developed and implemented sustainability strategies that have allowed it "to be aware of its impact and take adequate action". "As a result, on the environmental side, greenhouse gas emissions have been assessed and mitigated, waste has been substantially reduced and tonnes of material have been recycled and diverted from landfill, and stadium construction and operations have been certified according to green building standards," Fifa has claimed. However, a Swiss regulator ruled in 2023 that the governing body made "unsubstantiated claims" about the reduced environmental impact of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
RNZ News
03-07-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Lost satellite cost NZ extra $3m because of delays
Artist rendering of MethaneSat. Photo: Supplied / Environmental Defence Fund A satellite that has been lost in space cost taxpayers $32 million, $3m more than originally planned, because of delays. The extra cost was to staff a mission control that will now never be used to drive the satellite. Leading scientists say too few questions were asked before deciding to invest in the mission, and red flags were missed. However New Zealand Space Agency and scientists who worked on the mission say New Zealand has gained valuable experience. The Space Agency, which sits inside the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), says multiple delays to the satellite's launch meant University of Auckland needed more money to keep employing staff at its mission control centre. The agency says $26m of the total was spent on New Zealand-based organisations. Delays to the launch pushed out the date when the university was meant to take over the mission control. The handover was then delayed another six months when the satellite was handed back to its manufacturer to work on unspecified problems. The handover was finally due to happen in late June, when the satellite was lost. The final cost to the government included $6m to the MethaneSAT organisation for flight software and other items, $12m to Rocket Lab for scoping and establishing the mission control, which it ran for the first year after launch, $6m to the University of Auckland to operate the mission control centre after Rocket Lab handed it over, and $6m to Earth Sciences NZ (formerly NIWA) for a science programme to measure farming's emissions methane from space. The final $2m was for MBIE to manage the programme. Earth Sciences NZ says the agricultural science programme already has a wealth of data and will continue as planned. The lead scientist for MethaneSAT says there's very little chance the satellite will be recovered. The mission is a collaboration with the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. Its chief scientist and MethaneSAT mission lead Dr Steven Hamburg said they did not know what caused the satellite to lose power and become unresponsive on 20 June. "There's a very small chance, we were able to observe it by using another satellite to look at it and it does not currently have power. We are working it, we continue to work it, but we have to be realistic the probability of recovery is diminishing." Hamburg said a group was investigating the cause. RNZ has been asking about problems with the satellite since September and was previously told its issues were "teething problems" . Hamburg said the MethaneSAT had been transparent, and the Space Agency said the mission had kept people as informed "as possible." However University of Auckland physics professor Richard Easther said the space craft carrying the methane detector "seems to have had fairly persistent and deep-seated problems, pretty much from launch." He said for most of the year it had been in orbit, it was not functioning properly. Associate Professor Nicholas Rattenbury of the Department of Physics at University of Auckland said he sympathised with those involved in the mission, but the question needed to be asked of whether New Zealand should have taken a closer look "under the hood" before investing in MethaneSAT. Dr Rattenbury questioned who was asking questions on behalf of taxpayers about the mission design, satellite construction and testing before the government committed the money. He said the science sector had "very limited resources" to spend. Space Minister Judith Collins has declined to comment on the loss or whether the public had been adequately informed during the mission. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Missing satellite cost NZ extra $3m because of delays
Artist rendering of MethaneSat. Photo: Supplied / Environmental Defence Fund A satellite that has gone missing in space cost taxpayers $32 million, $3m more than originally planned, because of delays. The extra cost was to staff a mission control that will now never be used to drive the satellite. Leading scientists say too few questions were asked before deciding to invest in the mission, and red flags were missed. However New Zealand Space Agency and scientists who worked on the mission say New Zealand has gained valuable experience. The Space Agency, which sits inside the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), says multiple delays to the satellite's launch meant University of Auckland needed more money to keep employing staff at its mission control centre. The agency says $26m of the total was spent on New Zealand-based organisations. Delays to the launch pushed out the date when the university was meant to take over the mission control. The handover was then delayed another six months when the satellite was handed back to its manufacturer to work on unspecified problems. The handover was finally due to happen in late June, when the satellite was lost. The final cost to the government included $6m to the MethaneSAT organisation for flight software and other items, $12m to Rocket Lab for scoping and establishing the mission control, which it ran for the first year after launch, $6m to the University of Auckland to operate the mission control centre after Rocket Lab handed it over, and $6m to Earth Sciences NZ (formerly NIWA) for a science programme to measure farming's emissions methane from space. The final $2m was for MBIE to manage the programme. Earth Sciences NZ says the agricultural science programme already has a wealth of data and will continue as planned. The lead scientist for MethaneSAT says there's very little chance the satellite will be recovered. The mission is a collaboration with the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. Its chief scientist and MethaneSAT mission lead Dr Steven Hamburg said they did not know what caused the satellite to lose power and become unresponsive on 20 June. "There's a very small chance, we were able to observe it by using another satellite to look at it and it does not currently have power. We are working it, we continue to work it, but we have to be realistic the probability of recovery is diminishing." Hamburg said a group was investigating the cause. RNZ has been asking about problems with the satellite since September and was previously told its issues were "teething problems" . Hamburg said the MethaneSAT had been transparent, and the Space Agency said the mission had kept people as informed "as possible." However University of Auckland physics professor Richard Easther said the space craft carrying the methane detector "seems to have had fairly persistent and deep-seated problems, pretty much from launch." He said for most of the year it had been in orbit, it was not functioning properly. Associate Professor Nicholas Rattenbury of the Department of Physics at University of Auckland said he sympathised with those involved in the mission, but the question needed to be asked of whether New Zealand should have taken a closer look "under the hood" before investing in MethaneSAT. Dr Rattenbury questioned who was asking questions on behalf of taxpayers about the mission design, satellite construction and testing before the government committed the money. He said the science sector had "very limited resources" to spend. Space Minister Judith Collins has declined to comment on the loss or whether the public had been adequately informed during the mission.
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
Taxpayer funded satellite had 'deep-seated problems' from launch
Artist's rendering of MethaneSAT, the satellite EDF developed. Photo: Supplied / Environmental Defence Fund An Auckland University physics professor says a taxpayer-funded satellite that is missing in space had persistent and deep-seated problems. The government paid almost $30 million towards MethaneSAT which lost contact on 20 June and is believed to be unrecoverable. New Zealand joined the mission in 2019, hoping to boost science, track farm emissions, and grow our space sector. The mission has been plagued by delays , first to its launch date and then to the arrival of its promised data about global methane emissions. The University of Auckland has been waiting to take over the mission control at its new, partly taxpayer-funded Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute. The announcement of the satellite's demise came just two days after the latest deadline for handing control over to university staff and students. University of Auckland physics professor Richard Easther did not work directly on the project but says MethaneSAT has had persistent issues. He told Morning Report losing contact with the satellite was not good news. "There seems to be a consistent effort to put a sort of happy face on the situation but the concern that we have as a community is that MethaneSAT as a space craft seems to have had fairly persistent and deep-seated problems, pretty much from launch." Some of this relates to the decision to use sub systems that don't have what's known as flight heritage, he said. He said for most of the year it had been in orbit, it was not functioning properly. While some good has come out of the mission, it was a lot less than expected, he said. New Zealand Space Agency deputy head Andrew Johnson said every space mission faces risks and unfortunately some had been realised in this mission. Losing contact was "extremely disappointing news, there's no hiding that at all". But the legacy of this investment would live on, he said, like the mission control centre set up at University of Auckland. "That's now given New Zealand the capability to participate in missions in the future." Johnson said he doesn't think the MethaneSAT team mislead anyone. "The reality is all missions face issues, there is a technical judgment about what constitutes 'normal' and that's been an evolving situation but I think when they have had those issues, they have been willing to talk about them and we've certainly had plenty of discussions with them behind the scenes as well." This mission was an important step forward in New Zealand's space industry, he said. EDF, the environmental non-profit behind the satellite mission, says an investigation is underway . "Launched in March 2024, MethaneSAT had been collecting methane emissions data over the past year. It was one of the most advanced methane tracking satellites in space, measuring methane emissions in oil and gas producing regions across the world. "The mission has been a remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment, and for its lasting influence on both industry and regulators worldwide. "The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication. This is expected to take time. We will share what we learn." RNZ has been asking about problems with the satellite since September and was previously told its issues were "teething problems". Asked if the public had been kept adequately informed, Minister Judith Collins said she had nothing to add and questions should go to the New Zealand Space Agency, which is part of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment.
The Age
02-07-2025
- Science
- The Age
A $134 million satellite that keeps an eye on some of the world's biggest companies has disappeared
An $US88 million ($134 million) satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos that detected oil and gas industry emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane has been lost in space, the group that operates it said on Tuesday. MethaneSAT had been collecting emissions data and images from drilling sites, pipelines, and processing facilities around the world since March, but went off course around 10 days ago, the Environmental Defence Fund, which led the initiative, said. Its last known location was over Svalbard in Norway and EDF said it did not expect it to be recovered as it had lost power. 'We're seeing this as a setback, not a failure,' Amy Middleton, senior vice president at EDF, told Reuters. Loading 'We've made so much progress and so much has been learned that if we hadn't taken this risk, we wouldn't have any of these learnings.' The launch of MethaneSAT in March 2024 was a milestone in a years-long campaign by EDF to hold accountable the more than 120 countries that in 2021 pledged to curb their methane emissions. It also sought to help enforce a further promise from 50 oil and gas companies made at the Dubai COP28 climate summit in December 2023 to eliminate methane and routine gas flaring. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20 year period.
