Top Stories
Europe Considers New Taxes to Promote
'Clean' Energy.—reliability high.
"David Cameron, the British prime minister, suggested Tuesday new
taxes on the heaviest emitters of greenhouse gases, the latest measure
in Europe aimed at promoting 'cleaner' technologies like nuclear power
and biofuels. Mr. Cameron’s announcement came as the European
Commission debated whether to pursue a Europe-wide minimum tax based on
emissions from motor fuels and heating oil. The European measure would
be aimed at spreading the burden of meeting targets for greenhouse gas
reduction beyond heavy industry to households and farms." Story in The
New York Times. [Such a tax was
recently beaten back in France.]
iPhone 4 and Apple's silence on pollution in
China.—reliability high.
"On April 16, 2010, 34 Chinese environmental organizations, including
Friends of Nature, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs,
and Green Beagle, questioned heavy metal pollution in a letter sent to
CEO Steve Jobs. 50 days have passed, and though the significant
problems with the IT industry's violations of heavy metals standards
have been reported through media, Apple has not given a word in
response." See The
Guardian from China Green News. Apple is not the only
non-responsive company--see Pacific
Environment blog. PDF of report "IT
Brands’ Responses and Consumers’ Green Choice".
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Nine Countries Expected to Surpass 250MW of
Solar in 2010.—reliability high.
"Nine countries will reach solar market sizes over 250 megawatts (MW)
in 2010, up from six in 2009, according to new analyses. Rapid growth
in Italy, Czech Republic and France will generate some 3 gigawatts (GW)
of European demand in 2010, Solarbuzz said in releasing its three
Downstream Regional Reports. ... The race is now on between Italy,
Czech Republic, United States, and potentially even Japan, to become
just the third country member of the elite club to install 1 GW of PV
in a single year." See Sustainable
Business. From a commercial report.
Stellar show by stocks of 'socially
responsible' Indian companies.—reliability high.
"It is often believed that companies that are particular about their
environmental social and corporate governance practices cannot be
fetching very good returns for their investors. But the fortunes of the
S&P ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) India
Index show otherwise. This index returned 140 per cent in calendar 2009
almost double the 75.8 per cent plus return for the C&P CNX Nifty,
said Ms Koel Ghosh, Director of Business Development (South Asia),
S&P Indices." From The
Hindu Business Line.
Report: Trucking Industry Needs to Improve
Carbon Accounting.—reliability medium.
"the American Transportation Research Institute ... reviewed and
analyzed a range of greenhouse gas reporting tools and emissions models
to assess their consistency and applicability to the trucking industry,
and the organization found that current methods of carbon accounting
are often inadequate for today's U.S. trucking fleets. ... Even the
reporting of Scope I emissions are variable. For instance, the report
states that emission factors for biodiesel were not consistent and
leakage rates among refrigerants varied by a factor of five." From 2Sustain.
PDF of report summary here.
Government and
Regulation
Experts demand European action on plastics
chemical.—reliability high.
"In an open letter to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a
group of 60 scientists and health campaigners from 15 countries said
they feared exposure to the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) could damage
health, particularly among vulnerable groups such as babies and
pregnant women. ... The EFSA is expected to publish a new "scientific
opinion" on the safety of Bisphenol A in food packaging next month,
after it was asked by the European Commission to re-assess the risks."
From Reuters.
[BPA is probably
in your supply chain.]
Society
India fury over US 'double standards' on BP
and Bhopal.—reliability high.
"Indians have reacted with fury to President Barack Obama's tough
stance against BP, accusing the US of double standards over industrial
accidents after the failure to convict Americans involved in the Bhopal
disaster of 1984 or to obtain what many view as adequate compensation
for victims. The anger goes beyond that of campaigners or activists
with some of India's best-known writers and journalists weighing in.
... "It seems ridiculous that there are such small punishments for
[Bhopal] and at the same time we are watching the US getting so
agitated about the spill," Haider said." Story in The
Guardian. [Bhopal
has been a focus in India in recent weeks with the verdict and the
Group of Ministers recommending various actions. It is also a political
issue between the government and the opposition. Twenty-five years
after the disaster it is still a hot issue, with a large anti-U.S.
component.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
