Despite adverse conditions, carbon market still grew by 11% in 2011 http://ow.ly/btLQ0 rioplussocial
Climate Change
Despite adverse conditions, carbon market still grew by 11 percent in 2011 http://ow.ly/btLQ0
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Hundreds of people attend the Earth Show 30 May 1992 in Rio de Janeiro prior to the opening of the Earth Summit which ran from 03 to 14 June 1992.
Forget “climate change” and grand master plans. Focus on “sustainability” and accountability.
Twenty years after world leaders met for the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero, the global plans envisioned to limit human damage to the environment have not materialized, but sustainability initiatives are making a difference, experts told Environmental Law Institute (ELI) teleconference this week. Keep reading →
The world needs to invest an extra $36 trillion in clean-energy technologies between now and 2050 in order to have a shot at limiting long-term global temperature rise to 2 degrees C, the International Energy Agency said on Monday.
In its annual Energy Technology Perspectives report, the Paris-based organization said that although the global adoption of clean-energy technologies is lagging behind its goals, there is still time to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that would limit climate change by the middle of the century. Keep reading →
Strong direction from G8 on climate, renewables, ending fossil subsidies is clear message for UN climate talks http://1.usa.gov/JZhZxL
By Peter GardettStrong direction from G8 on climate, renewables, ending fossil subsidies is clear message for UN climate talks http://1.usa.gov/JZhZxL CFigueres
With global talks on climate change just inching along, governments can move forward on some climate goals through trade agreements to cut tariffs and facilitate commerce in “green” goods like wind turbines and solar panels, experts told a Brookings Institution session this week.
For years, the US and European Union have avoided negotiating bilateral trade deals because they might undercut the Doha Round, the tariff reduction talks the World Trade Organization begun in 2001. Keep reading →
U.S. electric power plants, oil refineries and natural gas installations are at increased risk from flooding as a result of rising sea levels in coming decades, according to a new report from the climate research group Climate Central.
In a report presented to Congress on April 19, the research group identified 287 energy facilities in 22 coastal states that are located less than four feet above the high-tide line where flooding becomes increasingly likely with global sea-level rise. Keep reading →
A project to measure the carbon footprint of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, may lead to tougher greenhouse-gas reporting standards for “mega cities” such as London and Rio de Janeiro.
A research team, led by Silicon Valley technology firm Picarro, installed monitors in Davos and on a nearby mountainside to measure the carbon emissions tied to the annual gathering of high-powered government and corporate officials. But weeks before the WEF began Jan. 25, emissions were already 35% higher than expected, Picarro says. Keep reading →
Not much expected, not much gained – except for a significant all-inclusive twist.
The United Nations’ latest Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change followed the usual script. A couple of weeks of acrimonious debate leading to near failure, followed by heroic last minute efforts to save the conference from total ruin, just so the attending delegates could fly home in time for the holidays and report to their respective governments that they will be attending another event in a year’s time in Qatar. Keep reading →
A major European bank closed its US carbon trading business this week in a sign that 2012 is a “make-or-break” year for cap-and-trade programs designed to fight climate change.
London-based Barclays determined the US carbon market, currently comprised of a handful of states, is too small to justify the expense of a dedicated trading desk in New York, according to sources familiar with the decision. Barclays was a major player in US greenhouse-gas trading programs on the East and West coasts and remains active in Europe’s carbon market, the largest in the world. Seth Martin, a Barclays spokesman, declined to comment. Keep reading →
As a child growing up during the Korean War, I studied by candlelight. Electric conveniences such as refrigerators and fans were largely unknown. Yet within my lifetime, that reality changed utterly. Easy access to energy opened abundant new possibilities for my family and my nation.
Energy transforms lives, businesses and economies. And it transforms our planet – its climate, natural resources and ecosystems. There can be no development without energy. Today we have an opportunity to turn on the heat and lights for every household in the world, however poor, even as we turn down the global thermostat. The key is to provide sustainable energy for all. Keep reading →
