The Green Wave Gazette - A round-up of recent sustainabilty news and events around the globe by Synergy International.

Welcome back!

Airlines are not committing to green hydrogen-based fuels

Everyone 🛫 during this Holiday Season should stop to think about why their ✈️ is not burning more Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It's not close to being good enough to tack on a small Carbon Offset change to your ticket cost. One could argue the airline Carbon Offset fee is being used cynically to pacify travellers with a Green Conscious. As 💚🌊 pointed out last week, once again Big Oil is lurking in the shadows as a serious obstacle in the airline industry's industrial transition to NetZero.

👉🏼 Despite bold climate pledges and widespread public awareness, the aviation sector’s shift to truly clean propulsion remains painfully slow. Green hydrogen-based fuels and other advanced energy carriers hold promise for drastically cutting emissions. Yet, entrenched interests and existing supply chains keep airlines tethered to conventional jet fuel. When key suppliers and infrastructure owners have little incentive to accelerate change, progress stalls. Read more...

How the world’s biggest offshore wind company was blown off course

However, it's important to remember that any major industrial transition, especially one as significant as shifting to renewable energy sources, is bound to be a volatile process. 📈📉 Market fluctuations, technological challenges, and policy shifts are all part of the journey towards a more sustainable future. But these challenges shouldn't deter us; instead, they highlight the need for resilience and adaptability in our approach.

A long-term perspective is crucial. 🕰️ Investing in cutting-edge technology and infrastructure today paves the way for the sustainable economies of tomorrow. Companies and governments must commit to consistent support for renewable energy projects, even amidst short-term uncertainties. This commitment will not only help stabilise the market but also foster innovation and job creation in the green sector. 💡👷‍♀️ Read more...

The end of oil

🛢️ Whether it's COP29 in Baku, a Green Tech boom in Saudi Arabia, or an ESG lawsuit in Texas, the oil industry clearly has resources and every intention of maintaining the high ground in the battle over sustainable transition. That's what makes The End of Oil, a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper by Ryan Kellogg, so interesting.

📗 Kellogg dives into the concept of the "Green Paradox," which is the idea that oil companies, anticipating a future drop in demand due to climate policies, might actually accelerate extraction now, increasing near-term CO2 emissions. Read more...

Public-private partnerships in sustainable development

👉🏼 It's worth noting that all of the projects in Synergy International's sustainable energy pipeline are characterised by some form of public-private partnership. So it's worth reflecting on public-private partnerships role in providing finance for sustainable development.

🫵🏼 One of the key takeaways from our experience in 2024 is that these dual-headed structures require double the amount of regulatory preparation and due diligence. The public side and the private capital partners most often need different information, and diverge into different streams, first usually to reach grant approval stage and then subsequently due diligence for private capital FID.

Read more...

21st International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

This event is brought together by a common concern for sustainability from a holistic perspective, where environmental, cultural, economic, and social interests intersect.

25-27 April 2025

ChangeNOW 2025

This three-day summit is returning for its 8th edition, bringing together stakeholders from across the impact sector to plan innovative solutions through workshops, conferences and networking opportunities.