Top Stories
Without Carbon Emissions Cuts, the
'Anthropocene' Looms as an Ugly Epoch -- Study.—reliability
high.
"Choices the world makes about whether to cut man-made carbon dioxide
emissions will determine the severity of climate change over the next
thousand years -- or longer, according to a new report by the country's
leading scientific advisory body, the National Academy of Sciences."
Item in The
New York Times from ClimateWire. Access study here. [Serious
implications. See more
detailed post here.]
How Obama wants to protect oceans: White
House unveils new plan.—reliability high.
"The White House Monday unveiled the nation's first national oceans
policy, which intends to cut through a growing mish-mash of competing
interests – from offshore drilling to fishing to shipping – and create
a comprehensive, integrated stewardship approach toward oceans, coastal
areas, and the Great Lakes. To accomplish that, the new policy mandates
no new federal rules but instead sets up a new National Ocean Council
(NOC) made up of federal agencies, state, and regional groups. The goal
is to have them work together to create a degree of unity in what has
been a highly fragmented area of governance." More details. From The
Christian Science Monitor. [Based on
report of The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, PDF of report here.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Walmart and the Sustainability Index: One
Year Later.—reliability medium.
One year after Wal-Mart launched its Sustainability Index, "Walmart’s
sustainability dreams don't appear to have diminished, though I'm
pretty sure the company has been humbled by the fiendish complexity of
it all. Having watched this unfold and having spoken with those inside
Walmart, the Consortium, and several of its major suppliers, it seems
clear that the reality of a comprehensive and simple rating of products
and companies remains elusive." More discussion. See GreenBiz
blog.
Volkswagen says 3 percent of sales to be
electric cars.—reliability high.
"Volkswagen plans to launch all-electric vehicles in 2013 and expects
these zero-emission vehicles to account for 3 percent of its sales by
2018, Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said on Monday." From Reuters.
[Joining the
throng.]
Honda to sell plug-in hybrid and electric
cars in 2012.—reliability high.
Honda Motor Co plans to launch a plug-in hybrid and battery electric
model in 2012 as part of its strategy to push to the front of a race by
global automakers to develop more fuel-efficient cars. Also from Reuters.
[Trying to catch
up.]
Inside Tesla and Toyota’s deal to co-build
the all-electric RAV4.—reliability high.
"According to the companies, two prototypes already exist, and the car
could be ready for mass production as soon as 2012 — tying Tesla's
all-electric sedan, the Model S, to market. The new RAV4 will be
distributed and sold by Toyota, but Tesla will be providing the secret
sauce: its electric powertrain, including the battery pack." More
details. See VentureBeat.
Underlying press release here.
[Fast follower.]
Government and
Regulation
Environment tribunals hammer polluters with
legal accountability.—reliability high.
By threatening managers with jail new environmental tribunals are
getting results. "the company's immunity from the law came to an end in
2007 when the People's Court of Qingzhen City, under the jurisdiction
of Guiyang, set up a tribunal for environment protection. ... Cai says
the lawsuit against Tianfeng was a civil case. If the company failed to
stop the pollution by the deadline, Dai would have faced criminal
prosecution and a possible jail sentence. ... Guiyang's success in
curbing pollution through environment protection tribunals has become a
model for the rest of the nation in the fight against pollution. Cities
facing pollution in lakes or reservoirs such as Kunming, Yuxi, Qingdao
and Wuxi have also set up tribunals. Yunnan Provincial Higher People's
Court announced that tribunals for environmental protection will be
gradually established." See story at Xinhua.
Bangladesh plans new court to take on
polluters.—reliability high.
"Bangladesh has proposed the setting up of an environment court with
powers to jail polluters for up to five years, officials said Tuesday.
... Any citizen would be allowed to file a case in the court -- with
its headquarters in Dhaka and branches across the country. Targets
could include factory owners and builders who illegally grab land and
waterways. ... 'It is a good initiative to have a court with wider
powers to save the endangered environment,' said Syeda Rizwana Hasan,
leader of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association. 'But how
effective it will be remains to be seen.'" Concerns expressed that
corruption will undercut any court's effectiveness. From Reuters.
