Top Stories
China on the Path towards Putting a Price on
Carbon.—reliability medium.
"According to several reports, the Energy Research Institute (ERI) of
the powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the
Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced on Tuesday that they have completed
their study on the feasibility and necessity of establishing a carbon
tax in China. In their report, ERI and MOF suggest that China should
institute a carbon tax as early as 2012. This is a significant
development given ERI and MOF’s influential role in setting Chinese
policy. ... In this China Daily article, Jiang Kejun, a senior
researcher at ERI, is quoted as saying, 'We can possibly surpass the
United States between 2020 to 2025 in terms of research and development
investment. If this comes true, we can start to dream of becoming a
low-carbon technology leader in the world.'" From NRDC
blog. [Relevant
if your supply chain extends to China.]
EU opens up funding treasure chest for small
green businesses.—reliability high.
"The European Union is on the look out for innovative small green
businesses that can play a role in cutting Europe's environmental
footprint as it seeks to dish out a new €35m (£29.83m) fund. The
European Eco-Innovation fund has just begun inviting applications from
businesses, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs), that have developed environmental products, services,
management practices or processes with a proven track record, but have
failed to reach the mainstream due to what the EU officials describe as
'residual risks'." See BusinessGreen.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Tetra Pak to introduce FSC-labelled cartons
in China.—reliability high.
"Tetra Pak will introduce aseptic cartons bearing the label of the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in China starting this July. ... It’s
expected that Tetra Pak cartons with FSC labels will reach two billion
in 2010 in China alone, with a goal of reaching 14bn FSC-labelled Tetra
Pak packages sold in China in 2011." See FoodBev.
Officially Official: 2011 Ford Fiesta rated
at 40 mpg highway.—reliability medium.
"The EPA has finished calculating the fuel economy of the 2011 Ford
Fiesta and, as the automaker projected, its new baby has hit 40 miles
per gallon. The official numbers from the Feds are 29 mpg in the city
and 40 mpg on the highway for Fiestas with the new 6-speed dual clutch
Powershift gearbox." Includes press release. From Autoblog
Green.
China telecom sector claims 48.5m tonne
carbon saving.—reliability high.
"China's telecom sector saved a similar amount of emissions as the
entire economy of Sweden in 2008, according to a report this week from
WWF and China Mobile. Thanks to teleworking, electronic data
storage and more efficient logistics, their jointly commissioned report
calculated 48.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide were avoided that might
otherwise have been spent on transport, freight and the production of
paper and other materials. ... In the new report, China Mobile insists
such costs are worthwhile because its telecom services have saved five
to six times as much carbon as the company emits." Story in The
Guardian.
CLP India opens wind farm in latest of
India’s renewable energy projects.—reliability high.
"Investor and project manager CLP India has opened a 99MW wind farm in
Tamil Nadu, taking CLP’s total wind power portfolio to 446MW. ... The
wind farm is the latest in a series of renewable energy projects that
have been opened in India since the start of the year." Mentions
several other India wind projects. From NewNet.
Government and
Regulation
Tele towers face switch to solar power for
back-ups.—reliability high.
"The [Indian] government may ask telecom companies to install solar
panels to generate backup power for cellphone towers, a move that could
hurt the sector already troubled by a squeeze in margins. A proposal
being finalised by the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is
aimed at containing the use of polluting diesel gensets to provide
back-up power. The move could increase the cost of network expansion
significantly." From The
Economic Times.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
