Top Stories
US climate bill to boost economy by $111bn.—reliability
high.
A new study commissioned by Ceres finds that "the stronger the federal
climate policy, the greater the economic reward." "a major study from
three influential universities suggests that a robust climate bill
would . . . boost GDP by $111bn (£66bn) by 2020." It "also indicates
that action to roll out an emissions cap-and-trade scheme and
accelerate the adoption of clean technologies could create between
918,000 and 1.9 million US jobs." "Meanwhile, the average household
income could grow by between $488 and $1,176 as year as a result of the
bill." Mentions a few more highlights of report. See
Green Business. PDF of executive summary here.
[The study give
state-by-state projections of economic impact of the Waxman-Markey
bill. The state with the highest projected increase in real household
income and gross state product by 2020: Wyoming by a large margin.
Second: Nebraska. One reason results differ from other studies is that
it takes into account projected increases in fossil fuel prices due to
rising demand under business-as-usual.]
Global temperatures will rise 6C by end of
century, say scientists.—reliability high.
"Global temperatures are on a path to rise by an average of 6C by the
end of the century as CO2 emissions increase and the Earth's natural
ability to absorb the gas declines, according to a major new study."
"The new study is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how
economic changes and shifts in the way people have used the land in the
past five decades have affected the concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere." Notes conflicting results of other researchers and
difficulties of quantifying long-term trends. From
The Guardian. Abstract here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
PG&E lawsuit spreads down Smart Grid
supply chain.—reliability high.
The plaintiff’s attorneys in the PG&E smart meter lawsuit "say
that PG&E’s suppliers should also be sued — a who’s who of Smart
Grid companies including General Electric, meter maker Landis+Gyr and
communications provider Silver Spring Networks." See
GreenBeat.
Dell Shipping Netbooks in Bamboo Packaging.—reliability
high.
"The bamboo cushions serve as an alternative to foam, molded paper
pulp and corrugated material that is traditionally used in packaging,
according to a press release." "The company is sourcing bamboo from
China under criteria from the Forest Stewardship Council." From
Environmental Leader. Press release here.
Cleantech Open Winners Revealed--EcoFactor
Takes the Grand Prize.—reliability high.
List of winners in Clean Tech Open green entrepreneurs contest. See
earth2tech. Clean Tech Open press
release.
The Real Policy Lesson From the Chinese Wind
Turbine Scare.—reliability medium.
Comments on the underlying reasons that Chinese turbines are being
purchased, in part with stimulus funds, for a wind project in Texas.
Points to inconsistent policy especially the production tax credit. See
Breakthrough Institute blog.
TXU, Marriott Identify $250K in Energy
Savings at 40 Texas Hotels.—reliability high.
"TXU Energy recently conducted energy audits at Texas Marriott
locations, identifying energy saving opportunities. If fully
implemented across Marriott’s 40 properties in Texas, the savings could
amount to 2 million kilowatt hours a year, or about $250,000." From
Environmental Leader. Press release here.
Government and
Regulation
Dutch first in Europe to adopt green tax for
cars.—reliability high.
"Drivers will have to pay per kilometer driven in a bid to end chronic
traffic jams and cut carbon emissions. The system, which will use
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to monitor cars, could be used as a
test case for other countries weighing options for easing crowded
roads. Singapore has a similar scheme for charging according to the
amount of travel." Road taxes and car purchase taxes will be abolished
when the new driving tax comes into effect in 2012. "an average
passenger car will pay €.03 per kilometer (£.04 per mile), with higher
charges levied during rush-hour and for travelling on congested roads."
From
The Independent.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]
