Top Stories
Global carbon emissions budget 10% off track
for 2000-2050, and could run out by 2034.—reliability high.
Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers "estimates a maximum global carbon
budget for the period from 2000 to 2050 of just under 1,300 GtCO2, with
national breakdowns for the G20 on an annual basis, to give the world a
fair chance of limiting global temperature rises to no more than 2ºC
(relative to pre-industrial levels), without sacrificing long term
economic growth." It finds that most countries are way off track and
are spending this carbon budget much faster than is sustainable,
ensuring that the planet will overshoot 2ºC if policies and practices
don't change. See
PwC site.
Despite Denmark's Chill, Commercial
Opportunities are Hotting Up.—reliability medium.
Carbon Disclosure Project CEO Paul Dickinson says: "It will be
business innovation which will deliver the solutions to climate change
and which hold the key to a successful low carbon economy. Climate
change is often viewed as a business risk, we hear from climate change
skeptics that the cost to business of reducing emissions will be too
big to bear, but if you look at the evidence across the whole of
business, this just doesn't stack up. The commercial opportunities in
helping to solve the challenges of climate change are enormous." Gives
examples from telepresence, transportation, energy and utilities,
efficiency. "Climate change represents the first ever predictable
industrial revolution." From
GreenBiz blog.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Braskem and Novozymes to make green plastic.—reliability
high.
"Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in Latin America, and
Novozymes, the world’s leading producer of industrial enzymes, today
announced a research partnership to develop large-scale production of
polypropylene from sugarcane." See
Novozymes press release.
India Leather industries adopt 'green'
measures.—reliability high.
"According to president of UP Leather Industries Association (UPLIA)
Taj Alam, several leather units have been adopting cleaner technology
for leather production, tannery solid waste generation and byproduct
management and management of chromium containing waste for curbing
pollution in the Ganga." More about pollution abatement actions in the
industry. From
Times of India.
Government and
Regulation
NOAA Proposal Aims to Spur Cap-And-Trade
Management of Fisheries.—reliability high.
"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's proposal
encourages regional fishery managers to use 'catch shares' in a bid to
end overfishing and restore depleted stocks. The plan calls for
establishing a support system and laying out federal guidance to
expedite efforts by fishery management councils that want to switch to
the new management systems." "Catch shares -- used by a minority in
U.S. fisheries management -- differ from traditional fishery management
by giving commercial fishers ownership in the system." See
New York Times from Greenwire. PDF of proposal here.
Technology and
Geek Corner
MIT re-invents the wheel, for bicycles.—reliability
medium.
"The Wheel, shown at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, has
a bright red hub stuffed with electronics. 'When you brake, your
kinetic energy is recuperated by an electric motor and then stored by
batteries within the wheel, so that you can have it back to you when
you need it. The bike wheel contains all you need so that no sensors or
additional electronics need to be added to the frame and an existing
bike can be retrofitted with the blink of an eye.' The wheel also has a
Bluetooth connection to the user's iPhone, which can be mounted on the
handlebars. The system can 'monitor the bicycle's speed, direction and
distance traveled, as well as collect data on air pollution and even
the proximity of the rider's friends,' says MIT. It can also send you
an SMS message if the bike is stolen." With video. See
The Guardian technology blog. [Global Coolness.]
Can You Save The Planet? Just Pick the
Policy Target . . .—reliability high.
"Play the role of a climate change negotiator at the Copenhagen summit
and use this tool to see how different emission levels affect global
temperature" From
The Guardian. [does
any combination of targets guarantee staying below 2 degrees C
warming?]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]
