Top Stories
Climate change: Chinese adviser calls for
open mind on causes.—reliability high.
"China's most senior negotiator on climate change said today he was
keeping an open mind on whether global warming was man-made or the
result of natural cycles. Xie Zhenhua said there was no doubt that
warming was taking place, but more and better scientific research was
needed to establish the causes." The remarks were made at a meeting of
China, India, Brazil and South Africa which "called on rich nations to
ensure that $10bn pledged to combat climate change was handed over
before the end of the year." From
The Guardian. [What
is Mr. Xie thinking? If he lets rich countries off the hook by saying
maybe they didn't cause climate change, how is he going to get them to
cough up $10 bln to make up for their past sins? Now the U.S. can say,
"Well if we didn't cause it why should we pay for it?"]
A mistaken claim about glaciers raises
questions about the UN’s climate panel.—reliability high.
There were some mistakes in one of the IPCC's 2007 reports, concerning
how fast Himalayan glaciers would melt away. This article has a good
analysis of where those errors came from and what they mean. The
glaciers will not be gone by 2035, but there is evidence for melting
and retreat. The biggest lesson is that the IPCC's editorial process
needs tightening up, which it now humbly admits. See
The Economist.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Nike Shrinks GHG Footprint to 2007 Levels
and Dumps Carbon Offsets.—reliability high.
"Nike has brought its footprint for greenhouse gas emissions back to
2007 levels and reports progress in other climate and energy areas, but
has revisited its carbon neutrality goals and no longer purchases
carbon offsets, the firm says in its latest corporate responsibility
report." More details of report. The company decided last year to "stop
buying carbon offsets and concentrate instead on curbing business
travel through increased use of tele- and videoconferencing, boosting
energy efficiency initiatives and taking a hard look at the embedded
energy in materials and energy consumed in the manufacturing process." From
GreenBiz. Access report here.
ComEd Signs Up Silver Spring, Tendril for
Smart Grid Pilot.—reliability medium.
Chicago-based ComEd will "be starting a pilot project with 8,000
customers that would be getting four different pricing structures and
various technology options by which to monitor and manage their energy
consumption. Silver Spring Networks will be providing the network
infrastructure and Tendril will be supplying its home energy dashboards
for the pilot" to see what encourages consumers to reduce energy use. See
earth2tech.
Carbon Offsets Come Under Fire.—reliability
medium.
"Mark Shapiro, of Berkeley, Calif.'s Center for Investigative
Reporting, has written a scathing report on the carbon offset industry
in the February edition of Harper's. . . . Shapiro, who traveled to
Brazil and Europe and interviewed a legion of experts to write this
piece, argues that the system is fraught with pitfalls, from grossly
inaccurate readings on the emissions reduced by projects to conflicts
of interest from the third-party firms hired to 'verify' offsets." From
earth2tech. Harper's article here
(subscription required).
Government and
Regulation
How the FCC Will Promote Open Smart Grid
Networks & Real Time Energy Data.—reliability medium.
"Nick Sinai, the FCC’s new Energy and Environmental Director, said
that the FCC will make specific recommendations for how to bring
broadband to the smart grid through the National Broadband Plan due to
the U.S. Congress on March 17 (it was delayed by a month). Those
recommendations will include how to promote open standards and
commercial networks, how to use policies to encourage utilities to
provide their customers with real-time open access to energy data and
potential ways to use federal spectrum bands for utilities' smart grid
deployments." Comments on the implications of these potential
recommendations. From
earth2tech. [There is an element of the FCC wanting to plant its flag
on the smart grid, in competition with the Department of Energy and
other agencies.]
Campaign to boost cycling in Beijing.—reliability
high.
"Twenty years ago, four out of five residents in the Chinese capital
pedalled to work through one of the world's best systems of bicycle
lanes. But the modern passion for cars has made two-wheeled transport
so treacherous, dirty and unfashionable that barely a fifth of the
population dares to use lanes that are now routinely blocked by parked
cars and invaded by vehicles attempting to escape from the jams on the
main roads." Government is looking at policies and incentives to shift
more commuters back to bicycles. "According to the Xinhua news agency,
the government hopes to improve the infrastructure for cyclists,
including restored bicycle lanes and new rental programmes providing
50,000 bikes for hire by 2015. The authorities plan more bike parks
near bus and subway stations in the expectation that half the city's
residents will travel to work by public transport in five years." See
The Guardian.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]