Top Stories
Australia's carbon scheme delayed to 2012.—reliability
high.
"Australia has shelved plans for an ambitious carbon emissions trade
scheme for at least three years due to parliamentary opposition and
slow progress on a global climate pact, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said
on Tuesday." From Reuters.
Kerry, Lieberman Scramble to Avoid Climate
Bill 'Fiasco'.—reliability high.
Discusses "serious concerns among participants and observers who
believe the effort veered backward when Graham, the target of criticism
at home, stepped out of the spotlight. The fear is that other
Republicans could point to his departure, following months in the
legislative trenches, as a reason for voting against the measure. ...
'I don't know whether Senator Graham can be persuaded to continue to
work on this,' Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global
Climate Change and a former assistant secretary of state, said of the
climate effort yesterday. 'I really think that without him, the chances
[of passing a bill] are much diminished. And they weren't terrific to
begin with.'" Story in The
New York Times.
Is India a global trash can?—reliability
high.
"Last year alone, nine containers of hazardous waste imported from
Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Barcelona by three different companies in
Tamil Nadu were caught at the port in a clear pointer to rural India
becoming a waste bin for the developed world." Other instances. "But
why are the developed nations dumping their garbage on Indian soil?
Simply because shipping municipal waste to India is about four times
cheaper than recycling it in their own land. While it costs Rs 12,000
to recycle a tonne of rubbish after segregation in Britain, shipping
the rubbish to India costs just about Rs 2,800." From the Times
of India.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Are Private Equity Firms the Next
Environmental Crusaders?—reliability medium.
"Given the turbulent ride the financial services sector has endured
over the past few years it seems counter-intuitive that anyone in the
sector would be devoting special attention to environmental matters.
That is, however, precisely what has happened. When we here at Capital
C Partners first started working with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
on its Green Returns program more than six months ago, we reached out
to a cross-section of our contacts in the PE world to get a sanity
check on just how receptive investment professionals might be to the
concept that environmental measurement and management practices could
deliver tangible bottom line value." See GreenBiz
blog.
CR Directors Average $151K in Salary.—reliability
high.
"Corporate responsibility directors in North America average about
$151,000 a year in salary, slightly less than what is paid to those in
the same position in mainland Europe, according to the 2010 Corporate
Responsibility Salary Survey from Acona, Acre, and Ethical Performance.
... The survey was based on responses from about 600 professionals."
Story in Environmental
Leader. Access report here.
Juggling the Electric Car Influx: A $1.5B Job.—reliability
high.
"Analyst John Gartner of Pike Research anticipates that a growing need
for 'intelligent management' of electric vehicle charging will create a
$297 million industry in the U.S. as of 2015. That forecast encompasses
the market for tech ranging from applications, servers, networking
equipment and other hardware, to ongoing services for collecting and
monitoring data about vehicle charging. Globally, he expects revenue
from EV management to climb to $1.5 billion in 2015, up from $383
million in 2010." See earth2tech.
[This is just the
impact in the IT sector. How much of it will Google get? Cisco?]
Restaurant puts carbon footprint on the menu.—reliability
high.
"A restaurant is claiming to be the first in the world to carbon
footprint everything it serves. The first in a planned chain of
vegetarian restaurants Otarian opened in New York this week with two
more locations planned for London later in the year. Carbon reduction
company Sustain measured the carbon footprints of each menu item for
the company, which will appear alongside the footprint of a comparable
meat dish. ... The calculations were performed according to PAS 2050 -
the UK Government's widely accepted carbon footprint specification."
From edie.net.
[Lets diners
choose according to footprint, and also might make them feel good by
showing how much less carbon-intense their choices are compared to
meat-based equivalents. Might there be some surprises--meat-based
dishes with lower carbon footprints?]
Business Groups Say Climate Impasse
Undermines Clean Energy.—reliability high.
"The Capitol Hill politics bogging down a climate bill in the Senate
are also hobbling investments in low-carbon energy and prompting calls
from some business groups for action." More on reaction of business to
climate bill's problems in Washington. See The
Wall Street Journal.
Government and
Regulation
India's lessons to learn on emission front.—reliability
medium.
"China is quietly reducing the emissions intensity of its economy even
as it fights against any binding commitment to reduce emissions. In
contrast, India continues to show a strong linkage between growth in
GDP and per capita emissions. As Indian economy enters into double
digit growth, it will spew out harmful substances at an equally fast
pace. ... It is only a matter of time before developed countries step
up pressure on developing countries to put obligatory checks on their
emissions. Since China is already well on its way to putting its house
in order, India runs the risk of facing isolation if it is caught
napping." From the Economic
Times.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]