Top Stories
Japan Offers an $80.6 Billion Stimulus
Package.—reliability high.
"Japan’s governing coalition presented a stimulus package of 7.2
trillion yen ($81 billion) on Tuesday in a bid to buttress the
country’s fragile economic recovery" "Environmental programs, like
incentives to purchase energy-efficient cars and appliances, will
receive $9 billion". From
The New York Times.
Climate change report calls for passenger tax
on flights to reduce CO2.—reliability high.
"Heavy taxes on passengers and a ban on expansion at regional airports
will be needed to curb Britain's insatiable appetite for air travel, a
climate change report will say today." "'This is a very challenging
target,' said David Kennedy, the committee's chief executive. 'Don't be
deceived by the fact that demand can grow. It will have to grow by much
less than if we didn't care about carbon dioxide.'" See
The Guardian. Access the report here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
India's Tata takes on water treatment with
new filter.—reliability high.
"Mumbai-based Tata Chemicals, a division of the Tata Group, said today
it has launched a new, low-cost water purification device expected to
benefit rural India’s low-income population. The portable device,
called the Tata Swach, doesn't need energy or running water to operate,
which are often not available in rural areas." Other info on water
filters. From
Cleantech Group.
10 Best Practices for Building Green Teams.—reliability
high.
"GreenBiz.com and Green Impact have partnered to release a new report,
'Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability.' Based on
interviews with green team leaders from Intel, Yahoo!, eBay and
Genentech, as well as a review of the latest literature on employee
engagement and green teams, the report provides an overview of the best
practices companies are using to support and guide green teams." See
GreenBiz blog. Access report here.
Nitrous oxide concerns cloud future of
biofuels.—reliability high.
"Scientists at the European commission have cast doubt on whether
biofuels could ever be produced sustainably in significant quantities,
dealing a blow to the aviation industry, which sees such fuel as a key
way to reduce its emissions." The issue is nitrous oxide, a potent
greenhouse gas, released when fertilizer is applied to crops. Its
release may make biofuels bigger contributors of greenhouse than fossil
fuels. From
The Guardian.
Corporate Fleets Continue to Innovate for
Emission Reductions.—reliability medium.
"Novo Nordisk, Poland Spring and Carrier are demonstrating that driving
less, selecting more efficient vehicles, and choosing lower-carbon fuel
sources are bedrock principles of the greenhouse gas management
approach Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has long advocated for
corporate fleets to utilize." More on specific actions. From
GreenBiz blog.
Government and
Regulation
Jairam persuades negotiators to join climate
talks.—reliability high.
"Faced with strong protest from negotiators over what they called
change in India's stance on climate talks, the government on Sunday
scrambled to control the damage. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh
held a series of meetings with two negotiators who had threatened to
pull out of Copenhagen talks as they feared that the baseline of
India's stand was being changed in the name of flexibility. The effort
paid dividends with the negotiators -- Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and
Prodipto Ghosh -- agreeing to join the talks in Copenhagen. But they
also drew dark red lines by publicly confirming that they had
differences and highlighting that they had got assurances from Ramesh."
More on the political chaos in India over what its stance in Copenhagen
should be. From
Times of India.
MoDOT to use solar energy to prevent snow,
ice buildup on bridge decks.—reliability high.
"The Missouri Department of Transportation will become one of the first
agencies in the nation to turn to solar energy in an effort to prevent
the buildup of snow and ice on bridge decks" "MoDOT has entered into a
contract with Pave Guard Technologies, Inc., of Lee’s Summit to install
a 'solar warming system' on two bridges" to be open by November 2010.
"MoDOT will evaluate the performance of the systems before making a
decision on whether to install more of them on other bridges." See
Springfield News-Leader. Press release here.
e-Wisdom
Copenhagen: Emissions, Treaties and Impacts.—reliability
high.
Excellent graphics from NYT illustrate GHG emission statistics and
projections, Kyoto protocol results, and expected climate change
impacts. See
New York Times.
Things Talk: Global Environmental Education
for Children.—reliability high.
"'Things Talk' is a worldwide climate change educational project for
children between 10-12 years old. School classes throughout the world
will be invited to work with the subject of climate change for one to
two weeks" Links and details, with video clips. From
The Newsmarket.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]
