Top Stories
"UK poorly prepared for impact of global
warming, climate watchdog warns"—reliability high.
A new report by the UK Climate Change Committee's adaptation
sub-committee says the nation is very poorly prepared for expected
effects of climate change, "with fewer than one in 15 companies, local
authorities and other public bodies taking action to tackle the issue".
The article says that according to the report "The UK's homes, power
stations, roads and water supplies are at risk from flooding, drought
and heat waves unless the government takes urgent action to
"future-proof" the country". "If we wait it will be too late," said
Lord John Krebs, chairman of the sub-committee. From The
Guardian. Access the report here.
"Climate expert tells NZ to cut the carbon"—reliability
high.
Report on Nicholas Stern's speech at Aukland University. He "says that
the world is embarking on a 'new industrial revolution'" and that "All
countries have to embrace [the industrial revolution] ... or countries
will be reluctant to trade with them. Ten or 15 years from now, those
that produce in dirty ways are likely to face trade barriers." More of
Stern's remarks. From New
Zealand Herald. [This trade issue
is a new angle. Stern is suggesting that excessive embedded carbon
emissions could come to be regarded as health and safety concerns are
under international trade rules today--justifiable grounds for trade
barriers.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
"VantagePoint Venture Partners Announces
US$100 Million Fund in Tianjin, China"—reliability high.
"VantagePoint Venture Partners announced yesterday in China the firm’s
initial closing and launch of a US$100 million (RMB680 million) fund
aimed at the burgeoning CleanTech and Financial Services sectors in
China’s Bohai Rim region. The Tianjin VantagePoint Hi-tech China FIVCE
Fund will be managed in conjunction with Tianjin Hi-Tech Holding Group
and Tianjin Binhai Development Investment Holding Co., and will focus
on investment opportunities in the CleanTech and Financial Services
sectors in the city of Tianjin and the surrounding regions." See Business
Wire.
"Lack of coherent supply chain sustainability
information confuses IT sector"—reliability high.
"A lack of coherent sustainability standards in the IT sector is
confusing customers with what is and is not green IT, says Probrand, a
reseller that deals with more than 1,000 technology vendors. ...
'Standards exist for the energy consumption of IT products, such as the
US Energy Star, and for the disposal of end-of-life kit, such as the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment legislation in force in
Europe,' Probrand business analyst Gary Price told BusinessGreen.com.
'But there is no over-arching sustainability standard.'" More on
confusion of standards, difficulty of life cycle analysis. From BusinessGreen.
"World's largest solar plant wins key
approval"—reliability high.
Reuters reports that "The world's largest solar power plant cleared an
important hurdle on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for a dramatic
expansion in solar energy generation in the United States and around
the world." The plant at Blythe, California would have four 250megawatt
solar thermal units, cost $6 billion, and send its first electricity to
Southern California Edison in 2013. Some further government actions are
still needed to start construction. Reuters
story.
Government and
Regulation
"India May Allow Coal Mining in Dense Forests
to Meet Rising Power Demand"—reliability medium.
Mridul Chadha posts that "The Indian government is considering opening
up densely forested areas of the country to increase supply of coal for
its new thermal power plants. ... there are several environmental and
socio-economic issues related to coal mining, specifically, in forested
areas. One would have to keep in mind the rights of the tribals who
live in the surrounding areas. Additionally, there would be significant
environmental impact, firstly, from the clearing of forests and,
secondly, from the mining activities themselves." See CleanTechies
blog. [This
suggests further conflict and tension between domestic coal production
and environmental/social goals.]
"World Bank invests record sums in coal"—reliability
high.
In the year ending June 2010 the World Bank invested either US$3.4bn
(£2.2bn) or $4.4bn in coal-fired energy (depending on whether you count
dedicated transmission networks for coal-fired plants in India). Story
says "Environmental campaign groups said spending on coal in that
period was 40 times more than five years ago, and claimed there was an
"incoherence at the heart of the World Bank's thinking about energy"
that would damage long term attempts to cut emissions of carbon and
other greenhouse gases from such plants." See article in The
Guardian.
"China Mulls Coal Limit"—reliability
medium.
China Securities Journal is said to quote Wu Yin, deputy director of
the National Energy Administration, suggesting China stop increasing
coal extraction rather than continue to expand it as in the recent
past. "It is far from certain that Wu's proposal will be included in
the 12th Five-Year Plan, which will come before the Communist Party's
Central Committee in October, but analysts see multiple reasons behind
the unusual approach." Some comments regarding the burden imposed on
the economy by ever-increasing production. More on China's coal
problems and strategy. See Radio
Free Asia. [Coal
brings China monster traffic jams on the Beijing-Tibet highway, huge
infrastructure investment requirements in roads and railways to ship
coal, mining accidents, pollution from China's high-sulfur supplies and
significant public health impacts. Do these comments reflect a strategy
to shift to imports or a recognition that there cannot be endless
growth in reliance on coal, perhaps related to the difficulty of
further increasing domestic production? (See "Peak
Coal?" post.]
