Top Stories
Three quarters of UK finance heads do not
measure carbon footprint.—reliability high.
"Research by The Carbon Trust Standard Company found 74 per cent of
finance decision makers do not measure their carbon footprint, just six
weeks ahead of the registration deadline for the Carbon Reduction
Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme. ... Conversely, 72 per cent
do think the UK’s largest companies anticipate that all businesses will
be required to measure their carbon footprint and more than
three-quarters, 76 per cent, said they think they will have to pay a
price for the carbon they emit." Other highlights of survey results.
See NewNet.
Press release with more details here.
[On the other hand,
this says that a quarter of the 400 finance chiefs surveyed at firms
with 500 or more employees say they do measure their
carbon footprint.]
Global firms applaud new greenhouse gas
yardsticks.—reliability high.
"Sixty-two firms from 17 countries, including household names such as
3M, Deutsche Telekom and IKEA, tested blueprints for two new GHG
protocol reporting and accounting standards. ... According to WRI and
WBCSD, the majority of firms involved in the testing encountered little
difficulty when using the protocols and were able to produce reports
detailing their supply chain, or Scope 3, emissions. ... 'We're really
looking forward to having a standard that can be used globally, for
communication across a broad range of stakeholders,' said Robert ter
Kuile, senior manager of energy and climate change at PepsiCo, one of
the companies in the trial." See story at BusinessGreen.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Russian heat wave dents hopes of climate
'winners'.—reliability high.
"Canada, Nordic countries and Russia have been portrayed as among a
lucky few chilly nations where moderate climate change will mean net
benefits such as lower winter heating bills, more forest and crop
growth and perhaps more summer tourism. Russia's two-month heat wave
... is likely to shift the perceptions of risks." Reuters
article. [Although
far-northern countries may see some benefits from global warming, those
may be outweighed by the negative impacts of climate change. Russia has
been a laggard in thinking about climate change, and Putin has even
said it would be good for the country. Expect no quick turn-around, but
this summer's disasters will strengthen the hands of any factions that
could benefit from emissions reductions or greater participation in
international climate change programs.]
China renewables to power ahead without CDM:
report.—reliability high.
"Investors are sidestepping the Clean Development Mechanism in China
because of uncertainties over its future, a Citibank carbon executive
told Reuters in an interview in Singapore. 'CDM investment in China has
pretty much dried up,' said Nan Li, head of Asian environmental markets
for Citi, who sources carbon offsets for trading products to manage
price risk. 'People are betting on the future of renewable energy
without CDM.' ... Globally, clean energy investments are expected to
grow 25 percent to $200 billion in 2010, the U.S.-based trust said."
See Reuters.
[China, having
brought in billions, is moving beyond CDM financing just as Russia is
taking its first hesitant steps to approve sale of carbon credits from
a few projects.]
Europe's Brisk Energy Transition.—reliability
medium.
"Europe’s evolution toward a heavier reliance on renewable energy is
nicely documented in a report released this week by Eurostat, the
European Union’s statistics agency. ... Renewable energy now accounts
for 18.4 percent of energy production in the European Union, just
behind natural gas, which provides 19.3 percent. Energy intensity – a
measure of how much energy is used to make a unit of economic output –
dropped for the sixth straight year. That means member nations are
learning to use energy more efficiently." From New
York Times Green blog. PDF of report here.
[Or it could mean
Europe is offshoring energy-intensive industries.]
Government and
Regulation
Japan to subsidize energy-efficient plants:
report.—reliability high.
"Japan's government plans to subsidize domestic plants producing
clean-energy and energy-efficient goods under steps to support the
slowing economy, the Nikkei newspaper said". From Reuters.
[Another stimulus
program with a green angle.]
Law requires Illinois utilities to buy solar
power.—reliability high.
"Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed a law requiring utilities to buy a
percentage of their power from solar energy sources by 2015. The law
says utilities must purchase a half-percent of solar power by June
2012. The mandatory percentage doubles each year, until reaching 6
percent in 2015." See Bloomberg
Businessweek. [The Governor,
running for reelection, says this will boost jobs in the state.]
Science and
Economics
Rising temperatures reducing ability of
plants to absorb carbon, study warns.—reliability high.
"Rising temperatures in the past decade have reduced the ability of
the world's plants to soak up carbon from the atmosphere, scientists
said today. ... NPP increased from 1982 to 1999 as temperatures rose
and there was more solar radiation. But the period from 2000 to 2009
reverses that trend – surprising some scientists. ... these rising
temperatures instead caused droughts and water stresses, particularly
in the southern hemisphere and in rainforests" See The
Guardian. Abstract of Science
paper here
(full report behind pay wall).
