Sweden wants to become the first fossil fuel-free country in the world - how will it work?

The Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven, has announced that his country will work towards becoming "one of the first fossil fuel-free welfare states in the world," in a speech to the UN General Assembly.
The Nordic countries already lead the world in renewable energy, with Sweden generating around two-thirds of its electricity through renewable sources.
On one unusually windy day this July, Denmark produced 140 per cent of its electricity needs through wind power alone, exporting the rest of the energy to its neighbours, Germany, Sweden and Norway (one of the biggest oil producers in the world).
And almost 100 per cent of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources, due to its investment in hydropower and geothermal energy production.
Read more at:http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sweden-first-fossil-fuel-free-country-in-the-world-a6684641.html

United Nations summit on Sustainable Development goals for the next 15 years

 

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

More information at:

 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/summit/

European Union agreement for the World summit of Climate in Paris

 The European Union, with this agreement for the World Summit of the climate in Paris, wants to be the driving force in the fight against climate change with the objective of reducing to zero global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by the end of the century.
La Unión europea, con este acuerdo para la cumbre mundial del clima en París, quiere ser la fuerza motriz en la lucha contra el cambio climático con el objetivo de reducir a cero las emisiones mundiales de GEI (gases de efecto invernadero) para finales de siglo. 
 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/articles/news_2015091801_en.htm

http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/climat/article/2015/09/18/l-ue-adopte-une-position-commune-avant-la-conference-mondiale-sur-le-climat_4762758_1652612.html

Biodiversity loss, fertilizer use, climate change and land use have all exceeded Earth-System limits

Biodiversity loss, fertilizer use, climate change and land use have all exceeded Earth-System limits
Human activity over the past century and a half has pushed the Earth into critical mode, say scientists. New research published in Science finds four out of nine 'planetary boundaries' have now been crossed. Biodiversity loss, fertiliser use, climate change and land use have all exceeded the point at which the risk of sliding into a "much less hospitable" world becomes high.
Passing any one of the nine critical boundaries risks disrupting the complex and delicate interactions that exist on Earth between the land, ocean, atmosphere, ice sheets and people, says the team of 18 researchers.
Read more at:
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/01/scientists-issue-stark-warning-as-earth-passes-into-danger-zone/ 
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2015/01/14/science.1259855 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-human-activity-has-pushed-earth-beyond-four-of-nine-planetary-boundaries/2015/01/15/f52b61b6-9b5e-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.htm 


http://abonnes.mobile.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/01/15/la-planete-a-atteint-ses-limites_4557476_3244.html

2014 is the hottest year registered

Global temperatures were 0.69C (1.24F) above 20th century averages, making 2014 the warmest year in records dating back to 1880, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have all occurred in the 21st century, with 1998 now ranked as the fourth warmest year on record, the experts said.
The experts have attributed the hot year largely to record high global sea surface temperatures, which were 0.57C (1.03F) above the 20th century average. Land surface temperatures were the fourth highest recorded, at 1C above average.
Six months of 2014 were also record breakers, with a record-warm December finishing off a year which also saw May, June, August, September and October experience new highs.
The new figures confirm expectations announced in early December to coincide with the latest round of UN climate change talks, that 2014 was on track to be one of the hottest, if not the hottest, year on record
Read more at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/2014-the-hottest-year-since-records-
began-climate-experts-confirm-9983907.html 
http://abonnes.mobile.lemonde.fr/climat/article/2015/01/16/l-annee-2014-confirmee-comme-la-plus-chaude-jamais-enregistree_4558003_1652612.html 
http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/01/16/ciencia/1421430059_907873.html