Climate Change

Ask the Expert: Paper or Plastic? The Answer Might Surprise You

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Chemistry professor David Tyler has taken an interest in the environmentally sensitive decisions that confront consumers every day: Plastic grocery bags . . . or paper? Take the car to work . . . or public transit? Disposable cups . . . or a ceramic mug that can be used over and over again?

Tyler has surveyed some of the research on these alternatives and has concluded that the environmental impact of some of our “green” choices can be surprising when you consider their effects from cradle to grave-that is, the total impact from the point a product is created from raw materials, through its manufacturing, distribution and consumer use, ending with its disposal or recycling. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 26, 2012 at 8:30 AM

American Energy Renaissance Redraws Global Energy Map: IEA

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circa 1935: A view of oil wells in California, near Los Angeles.

America’s “energy renaissance” will redraw the global energy map and transform the oil and gas trade triggering trillions of dollars investment, the International Energy Agency forecast today. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 12, 2012 at 4:45 PM

Climate Change is Back on the Table

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Climate change is once again a hot topic in the Untied States.

Hurricane Sandy brought the issue back into the spotlight just days before the presidential election. Pundits were quick to note the irony of a massive superstorm striking after three presidential debates that didn’t mention climate change once. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 9, 2012 at 2:00 PM

NRG Energy Goes Deep on Opening Drive with NFL Solar Deals

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With 30% coal generation in NRG Energy’s fleet, chief executive David Crane cannot exactly be hailed the Sun King. But the photovoltaic roof over the top tier of the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is a crowning solar achievement for what may become the largest independent electricity generator in the US after its pending merger with GenOn is approved.

“Not all renewables are created equal and solar has versatility lacking in other technologies such as wind,” said Crane. “To NRG, solar is the gamechanger.” Keep reading →

 /  Published September 4, 2012 at 8:30 AM

Rio Kicks Off a Global Energy Transparency Rollout

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Rio de Janeiro has seen its share of energy sector action this year, and the rollout of new data underlining the appeal of both renewable energy itself as well as the products made with renewable energy is burnishing the city’s reputation as a leading destination for companies, investors and thought leaders from across the region and the world.

Developing countries are driving growth in renewable energy production and usage as developed nations back away from earlier government commitments to financing mechanisms. Brazil has a swiftly growing wind energy sector that underlines the commitment at both the government and corporate levels to expanding renewable energy use even as the oil and gas sector drive export market oriented investment in new fossil fuel production. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 30, 2012 at 11:45 AM

Appetite Grows Among Consumers for Green Brands in Latin America

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Data show that consumers in Latin America value products made with renewable energy sources, but no single brand currently stands out as having this distinction, giving companies an opportunity to establish a “green” reputation ahead of the curve.

The Global Consumer Wind Study conducted by wind turbine manufacturer Vestas in partnership with Bloomberg quantifies and analyzes the importance people around the world place on addressing climate change and various means of doing so.

Citizens in the Latin American countries analyzed in the GCWS – Brazil, Chile and Mexico – ranked climate change as one of the more serious challenges facing the world today. Greater than 90% of the respondents in these countries said they would like to see an “increased use of” renewable energy over the next five years.

At the same time, fewer than 10% of Latin American respondents want to see an increased use of fossil fuels over the next five years.

Putting Their Money Where Their Mouths Are

Consumers in Latin America also expressed a willingness to pay a premium for a wide range of products including cars, software, cell phones and clothes, if they were made with renewable energy sources. For example over 30% of Latin American consumers “would definitely be willing” to pay a premium for a car manufactured using renewable energy, compared with only 11% in the United States, according to the GCWS.

The evidence appears to show that consumers in Latin America find climate change a pressing global concern that can be mitigated through increased use of renewable energy and would even pay more for products that advanced this goal.

However, there is currently no mechanism in the Latin American countries queried for identifying which products or brands are “greener” than others. In Brazil, 77% of respondents said that a label identifying products manufactured from renewable energy would be “very important” to them. Such a label would be very important to 59% of respondents in Mexico and 54% in Chile.

In addition, 30% to 40% of the respondents in Latin American countries said current guidance about which products are made with renewable energy is “not at all sufficient” and fewer than 10% found this guidance to be “very sufficient.”

The Brazilian Wind Energy Association (ABEEólica) and the Brazilian Clean Energy Generation Association (ABRAGEL) recognize the appetite on behalf of consumers for this kind of information and are launching a clean energy certificate program, “which will be given to companies that buy energy directly from renewable energy generators, such as wind farms, ABEEólica told Breaking Energy in an email.

“This certificate is aimed to enhance socio-environmental responsibilities of companies, and giving consumers information on the environmental impacts of their consumption, and also the option to choose a more environmental-friendly product,” ABEEólica said.

This piece appears on Breaking Energy as part of the Energy Transparency series in partnership with Vestas.

 /  Published August 29, 2012 at 11:30 AM

The ‘Perfect Partner’: Brazil Follows its Own Wind Energy Model

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Brazil is a country blessed by nature. Famous for its beaches, renowned for its beauties, the emerging global economic leader is also blessed by huge energy reserves, ranging from deep sea oil to huge rivers that drive hydroelectric production and some of the best wind resources in the world.

Countries have built wind energy as a complement to their existing power infrastructure, but in few places does the natural setting make wind so much “the perfect partner” for hydroelectric power as Brazil, the Global Wind Energy Council said in a report on regulatory frameworks for the country’s emerging wind industry. That is nature at work, with the wind cycle complementing Brazil’s rainy season by blowing strongest during the dry season. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 22, 2012 at 3:30 PM

Clean Energy Policy: Reducing Climate Change Without the Politics

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This blog-and my career, frankly – has carefully steered clear of politically sensitive issues and focused instead on advocating for smart public policy. But having lived through summer after summer in Washington, D.C., with temperatures continuously climbing above 100 degrees and increasingly violent storms (with scientists echoing that things seem to be progressing more quickly then once thought), I finally am compelled to comment on the topic of climate change.
Given these circumstances, it seems that at long last, a real conversation about climate change is bound to happen. I actually think climate change policy does not have to be mired in politics, especially when the skepticism is concentrated in a small part of the political spectrum in Washington, D.C.

In 2010, I participated as part of a trade delegation to COP-15 in Copenhagen. I was then heading up the GridWise Alliance, and attended the climate negotiations to meet with other business leaders and observe the proceedings. I came away with two distinct impressions. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 28, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Federal Appeals Court Ruling Puts Climate Change into Election Debate

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There hasn’t been much about climate change in the Presidential election campaign – but that’s about to change.

A federal appeals court has put climate change front-and-center in the Presidential election.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit June 26 strongly upheld a series of Environmental Protection Agency decisions over the last three years on regulating greenhouse gases. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 26, 2012 at 3:30 PM

Future of Coal has an Unexpected New Threat: Induced Seismicity

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The potential for underground injections to cause earthquakes was thought to be a problem for natural gas, but a new National Research Council study says the impacted sector will not be gas. It’s a problem for coal.

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), pulling carbon out of emissions from coal-burning and storing it deep underground, has been prominent in clean energy planning over the last decade as a way to keep taking advantage of coal resources to meet energy demand while tackling climate change. Keep reading →

 /  Published June 21, 2012 at 8:30 AM
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