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Transition to electric aircraft progressing: IDTechEx

3 years ago

In its “Manned Electric Aircraft: Smart City and Regional 2021-2041” report, IDTechEx confirms our transition to electric aircraft. However, some companies are skeptical, as purchasers include pilot training and air taxi companies which depend on reliable products to conduct their businesses.

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In the next decade many automakers will switch their lineups to fully electric vehicles, but what will happen after that? BMW is thinking ahead to 2040 when it could introduce a fully recyclable electric car — the ultimate sustainable vehicle.

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Cars, boats, planes, trains, trucks — all vehicles rely on microchips to deliver customers’ orders. But as the global chip shortage continues and demand for electronics exceeds supply, can the market for refurbished electronic devices and a circular economy gain traction?

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As Canada’s need for power grows through the decarbonization of transportation, industry and space heating, the government is proposing a clean energy plan to help the country eradicate carbon emissions and achieve a 100 per cent net-zero-electricity system by 2035.

Energy Profiles

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The mass timber market has never been stronger, with the number of mass timber buildings doubling globally every two years. But the head of Canada’s timber firm Structurlam says there are still substantial hurdles for the sector to overcome.

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PCI Developments is seeking to amend Port Moody, B.C.’s official community plan to build a 12-storey mass timber building. The current property zoning, consisting of two lots with industrial and warehouse buildings, allows for only a maximum of six storeys.

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Glazed windows and limits on lighting are options Winnipeg is considering to save birds from flying into buildings. Approximately 25 million birds die in Canada annually by colliding with windows, according to a study.

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Flanked by apartment towers and a multi-lane highway, the Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke is not somewhere one would expect to see crops. However, it is the location for one of Toronto’s new urban farms, which help reduce carbon emissions.

Canada Green Building Council

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Embodied carbon, or upfront carbon emissions, are released during the mining, manufacturing and construction of a building and its components. They have been ignored by the industry and regulators who, since the 1970s, were preoccupied with operating energy.

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The emissions resulting from retrofitting office buildings can be reduced by about 70 per cent by tapping into smart technology, according to Lateral. With the built environment responsible for 40 per cent of GHG, the environmental impact of retrofitting buildings is “alarming”.

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A challenge when producing cement is that even if fossil fuels are eliminated from the process, producing cement involves heating limestone and producing CO₂. Calix developed a technology called Leilac that addresses the CO₂ problem at a lower cost.

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San Diego startup Measurabl, which makes software that helps commercial real estate companies track the carbon footprint of properties, has raised $50 million in a Series C round of venture capital investment.

Procore

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The CREED (commercial real estate equity and diversity) Council’s 22-member volunteer board of directors hold senior management roles in property management, development, leasing and finance/investment. The Council is involved in several CRE initiatives related to sustainability, proptech and investment.

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Canada’s top public companies are heeding calls for more transparency surrounding their carbon footprints and plans to cut emissions. Financial-consulting firm Millani found 71 per cent of companies on the S&P/TSX Composite Index published sustainability reports for their 2020 fiscal year.

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Investment bank Goldman Sachs announced it would pay $1.9 billion for Dutch asset manager NN Investment Partners. In explaining the purchase, Goldman’s CEO David Solomon said “they have been successful in integrating sustainability, which mirrors our own level of ambition”.

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An investor coalition — consisting of 587 investment firms with a collective $46 trillion in assets — has called on national governments to accelerate policy changes to support investment in climate change solutions, such as strengthening emissions targets and ending fossil fuel subsidies.

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The time is now for Canada to invest in retraining to help workers affected by the transition to a greener economy, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney stated recently.

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“Green” jobs — positions which help reduce carbon emissions — could offset oil and gas job losses. While the “green sector” may surpass the fossil fuel sector in terms of number of jobs, efforts to decarbonize the economy are only just starting.

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For remote communities to successfully transition to a clean energy future, utilities must evolve from providing power through diesel generation to facilitating a more diverse and environmentally friendly energy mix.

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Procter & Gamble announced a comprehensive plan to accelerate its climate action — including a new ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations and supply chain, from raw material to retailer, by 2040; as well as interim 2030 goals.

Industry Events