Moving towards 100% renewable electricity in Europe & North Africa by 2050

In spring 2010, European and international climate experts at PwC, the European Climate Forum, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the International Institute for Applied System Analysis published 100% Renewable Electricity - A roadmap to 2050 for Europe and North Africa. The report examined the potential for powering Europe and North Africa with renewable electricity exclusively by 2050. It set out a series of financial, market, infrastructure and government policy steps that would need to occur if such a "what if" vision was to be achieved. Now, a year on, this latest report provides a complementary analysis to the original roadmap. PwC, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the International Institute for Applied System Analysis, look at whether the vision of 100% renewable electricity has moved closer or further away as a result of current and recent developments over the last 12 months. The report, intended to support the wider debate in this area, examines five areas that are most critical to achieving progress and, through the lens of these five areas, looks at the impact of recent and current events

An alternative to a global climate deal may be unfolding before our eyes

The core objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations to non-dangerous levels quickly enough to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally, while not threatening food production or sustainable economic development. The approach embedded in the Kyoto Protocol, reflecting the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities, has been to start by setting binding emissions targets for industrialized countries, while using carbon markets to mobilize international finance for mitigation efforts in developing countries. The critical challenges for negotiators since then, however, have been in agreeing when the time is right to move towards binding emissions targets for developing countries and what level of financial assistance from developed countries is appropriate and politically feasible, given the well-founded perception that such targets, if sufficiently stringent to limit climate change and unaccompanied by strong financial assistance, could in fact hinder many countries. immediate economic development

Detection of marine neurotoxins in food safety testing using a multielectrode array

Scope: At the European level, detection of marine neurotoxins in seafood is still based on ethically debated and expensive in vivo rodent bioassays. The development of alternative methodologies for the detection of marine neurotoxins is therefore of utmost importance. We therefore investigated whether and to what extent a multielectrode array (MEA) approach can be used as an in vitro alternative for screening of marine neurotoxins potentially present in seafood. Methods: This MEA approach utilizes rat cortical neurons comprising a wide range of ion channels/pumps and neurotransmitter receptors targeted by marine neurotoxins. We tested the effects of neurotoxic model compounds, pure marine neurotoxins, and extracts from contaminated seafood on neuronal activity of rat cortical neurons cultured on commercial 48-well plates to increase throughput. Conclusion: We demonstrate that the MEA approach has a sensitivity of 88% (7/9 model compounds, 6/6 pure marine neurotoxins, and 2/2 marine neurotoxins present in seafood extracts were correctly identified) and a good reproducibility compared to existing in vitro alternatives. We therefore conclude that this MEA-based approach could be a valuable tool for future food safety testing