Top Stories
Marine scientists study ocean-floor film of
Deepwater oil leak.—reliability high.
BP has grudgingly released video from its submersibles and academic
experts are calculating that the flow from the Deepwater Horizon gusher
is many times the 5,000 barrels per day that the U.S. Coast Guard has
been using as an estimate. Estimates were in the range of 20,000 to
100,000 barrels per day. There are still many uncertainties. "The
calculation is uncertain, but I am confident enough to say that this is
one of the big ones. It is not 5,000 barrels a day. That much I can
say." See The
Guardian. [BP's
black eye much bigger and blacker than it had let us be led to believe.
BP has been hiding behind that Coast Guard estimate (a gift from the
U.S. Government) but admitted a "worst-case" possibility of 60,000
barrels per day in recent testimony. Speculation is growing that we are
not just dealing with a surface slick, but with a vast underwater plume
which will be much more difficult to track and impossible to control.]
India's Supreme Court dismantles one
obstacle to investment and erects another.—reliability high.
The recent India Supreme Court ruling in the Ambani case that
government can override contracts to set prices of natural resources
may discourage overseas investors. "The idea that the government has
the power to set prices for natural resources is naturally off-putting
to oil and gas firms. It adds massive 'above ground' risks to the
already considerable ones they face beneath the soil. Indeed, the
ruling is likely to worry firms of all kinds in that it appears to
undermine the sanctity of contracts in general." From The
Economist. [This could affect
clean energy investments too, as they depend on long-term power
purchase agreements that could be threatened by government intervention
in markets.]
Common Ground For Going Green.—reliability
high.
"there are no authoritative marketplace criteria to identify green,
greener, or greenest. And for those who think they are green, there's
uncertainty over the best way to communicate the supporting
information. The solution: Develop a comprehensive voluntary industry
standard that enables everyone from raw material suppliers and
manufacturers to retail consumers and policymakers to exchange common
information in a standard format on the environmental performance of
chemical products and processes. ... To that end, the American Chemical
Society's Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) is spearheading an effort to
create the Greener Chemical Products & Processes Standard. This
standard will provide data to allow anyone to evaluate the relative
environmental performance of chemical products and their manufacturing
technologies." See Chemical and
Engineering News. [Excellent feature
article with useful links.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Sony's energy saving TVs watch you while you
sleep.—reliability high.
"Sony last year launched a new addition to its Bravia range of TVs,
which features facial recognition technology similar to that found in
the electronics giants' most advanced cameras. As a result, the TV is
able to "watch" you and can turn the picture off if you nod off in
front of Match of the Day, saving the energy used by the backlight. The
Bravia WE5 also features a heat and motion sensor that similarly allows
the system to turn off the picture if it is left playing to an empty
room, ... 'If you wander off to make as cup of tea you will still be
able to hear the TV but it won’t be wasting energy showing the
picture,' she said, adding that the picture returns as soon as someone
walks into the room." From BusinessGreen.
Singapore sand imports threaten Cambodian
ecosystem, report warns.—reliability high.
"Singapore, which prides itself on being one of the most
environmentally friendly nations in Asia, is expanding its coastline
with irresponsibly dredged sand from Cambodia, according to a report
from an environmental NGO. Global Witness says the lucrative sand trade
devastates ecosystems, lacks regulatory oversight and enriches traders
at the expense of local fishermen. ... After local media reported
the shrinkage of several islands in Indonesia, the government there
banned sales of sand to Singapore in 2008. Malaysia and Vietnam have
imposed similar controls. After the trade moved to Cambodia, the prime
minister, Hun Sen, announced last May that his country too would
restrict exports of sand. But Global Witness says coastal dredging
operations have increased in the year since." See story in The
Guardian. [Gives
new meaning to the term "land use changes". Land is exported to be used
elsewhere.]
Agencies Also on the Hook for P&G's
Green Scorecard.—reliability high.
"The world's biggest advertiser today unveiled its Supplier
Environmental Sustainability Scorecard for key suppliers, with the
first reports due July 1. And neither advertising agencies nor media
companies appear to be off the hook. Indeed, a P&G spokeswoman
noted that WPP participated in crafting the scorecard, adding that
agencies and others won't be held accountable for answering questions
that don't pertain to their industries. ... Clearly, ad agency holding
companies and media players rank among P&G's biggest suppliers."
"Hey you there, sitting in your Manhattan ad agency office in your
organic cotton T-shirt sipping a latte from a cup made out of recycled
paperboard as you book airline tickets online for Cannes: Procter &
Gamble Co. would like to know more about your carbon footprint." See Advertising Age
story. [If
supplier scores can apply to ad agencies,
will they not extend to other service suppliers like consultants, BPO
and law firms?]
Infosys BPO awarded 5-Star rating by BEE.—reliability
high.
"Infosys BPO, the business process outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys
Technologies, today announced that it has been awarded the 5-star
rating for energy efficiency by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for
its building located in its Phase 2 campus in Hinjewadi, Pune." From CIOL.
Some Businesses Will Cut Emissions With or
Without a Climate Law.—reliability high.
"For a growing number of U.S. companies, the potential failure of
Congress to pass a law reducing carbon emissions will not be a
disaster. They will continue reducing emissions anyway because it
increases their profits and helps them find new and often lucrative
markets. 'For some companies, lacking that kind of [regulatory]
certainty makes it very difficult for them to plan. We don't need
that,' explained Beth Shiroishi, who directs AT&T's sustainability
programs. 'If it happens, it could be good for us or bad, depending on
what they do. But we're in a nice spot.'" Gives examples from a number
of big companies. In The New York Times from ClimateWire.
Government and
Regulation
E.P.A. Unveils Rule to Regulate Greenhouse
Gases.—reliability high.
"The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a final rule on
Thursday for regulating major emitters of greenhouse gases, like
coal-fired power plants, under the Clean Air Act. Starting in July
2011, new sources of at least 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year
and any existing plants that increase emissions by 75,000 tons will
have to seek permits, the agency said. ... the rule would apply to
sites accounting for about 70 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas
emissions." Story in The New York
Times.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
