Biodiversity Catastrophe

• [New] In the next five years, the world will witness third-generation semiconductor materials spring up in areas such as 5G base stations, new energy vehicles, ultra-high-voltage power grids, and data centers.
• [New] California has already mandated that all new vehicles be carbon free by 2035 and its entire power grid be carbon free by 2045.
• [New] Global natural gas production is expected to grow by 24% to 4,857 Bcm in 2040, with most additions coming from North America, followed by Russia and the Middle East.
• [New] In 2021 Hyundai Motor Group will concentrate efforts to become a global electric vehicle powerhouse by launching dedicated electric vehicles built on the E-GMP, including Hyundai Motor's IONIQ 5, Kia's crossover electric vehicle, and Genesis luxury brand's crossover electric vehicles.
• [New] Projections on natural gas demand in Africa show a gradual increase over the next 20 years with global peak gas only expected towards 2035-2040.
• [New] Deep-sea mining could generate up to $20 billion in annual revenue for Norway towards 2050 - compared to around $61 billion from oil and gas in 2019 - and create about 20,000 jobs.
• [New] The National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office will be integral to the federal government's AI efforts for many years to come, serving as a central hub for national AI research and policy for the entire U.S. innovation ecosystem.
• [New] Boris Johnson's Ten Point Plan for the green recovery included a £525m pot to support smaller projects - a proportion of which is expected to go towards Rolls-Royce's 16 mini reactors.
• [New] To reverse the loss of biodiversity, any agreement secured in China later in 2021 will need to be met with more ambitious policy actions.
• [New] We have an enormous opportunity at 2021's biodiversity conference in China to forge an agreement to protect at least 30% of the world's land and ocean by 2030.
• [New] A group of 50 countries has pledged to protect at least 30% of the world's land and oceans by 2030 in a bid to tackle the world's worsening biodiversity crisis.
• [New] Prime Minister Boris Johnson has outlined plans to allocate at least £3bn of the international climate finance that the UK will spend through to 2026 on nature-based solutions.
• [New] Aid groups and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned against a possible designation, saying Yemen was in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades.
• [New] The first facet of the UK's Ten Point Plan for a green recovery was a commitment to hosting at least 40 GW of offshore wind generation capacity by 2030.
• [New] International Data Corporation predicts a five-fold increase in the volume of data generated worldwide in the seven years between 2018 and 2025.
• [New] At least 50 countries, including Germany, have now committed to protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030, pledging to halt the extinction of species and address climate change issues under the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.
• [New] The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which was launched in 2019 by Costa Rica, France and Britain to set a target of protecting at least 30% of the planet by 2030, has now been joined by 50 countries.
• [New] The U.K. will commit at least £3 billion over five years to climate change solutions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity.
• [New] The UK will spend at least £3bn of international climate finance on nature and biodiversity over five years.
• [New] With increased spending to support its economic recovery, China's general government deficit is projected to rise to 18.2% of GDP in 2020, up from 12.6% the year before.
• [New] China, the world's largest producer, is expected to produce 665 kt of natural graphite over the year.
• [New] Dallas-based Taysha Gene Therapies announced plans to invest $75 million in a 150,000-square-foot gene therapy manufacturing facility in Durham County that will employ more than 200 people by the end of 2023.
• [New] Elections - Some countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam will be conducting their general elections in 2021 while the Philippines is set to hold national elections in 2022.

Last updated: 15 January 2021