Top Stories
"Climate change is inevitable, says Caroline
Spelman"—reliability high.
In her maiden speech as UK Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman
will say "It is vital that we carry on working to drastically cut our
greenhouse gas emissions to stop the problem getting any worse. But we
are already stuck with some unavoidable climate change. Because of
this, we need to prepare for the best and worst cases which a changing
climate will entail for our country." More on the new emphasis on
adaptation. See The
Telegraph. Another article in The
Independent, with reactions. A series of illustrations from DEFRA
of how sectors might adapt to climate change are in BusinessGreen.
[The apparent
shift from mitigation (reducing emissions to minimize climate change)
to adaptation (deal with the consequences of climate change) is
interesting. Throwing in the towel? Or just budget constraints? Or
Conservative Party philosophy? Maybe connected with recognition of the
apparent futility of international negotiations (see items below)?]
"The US Power Sector is Changing -- Even
Without a Climate Bill"—reliability medium.
Mindy Lubber posts that "the US power sector is undergoing a dramatic
transformation to decarbonize its energy offerings and sell less, not
more, electricity. ... Even without climate legislation, other market
forces are compelling the industry to change." Gives examples from
recent news. See GreenBiz
blog.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
"Toyota readies electric car offensive"—reliability
high.
According to Reuters Toyota says it will have a plug-in version of the
Prius on the market by 2012, along with two battery-electric cars and
six new hybrid vehicles. The plan is to price the plug-in Prius at a
$3,000-$5,000 premium to the hybrid Prius, making it cheaper than the
Leaf's current price and much cheaper than the Volt. More on Toyota's
plans. Reuters
story.
"Daimler intensifies push for electric cars"—reliability
high.
Reuters reports on an interview with Daimler AG research chief, Thomas
Weber, who says "We won't be able to meet the target of 95 grams CO2 in
2020 without electric vehicles with batteries and fuel cells." "But the
new technology is still in its infancy and 'it won't be easy to then
also earn money with these cars.'" Daimler's "cooperation with Renault
and Nissan 'will be expanded to include all three partners as far as
electric motors, batteries and powertrains are concerned.'" More on
Daimler's plans. From Reuters.
[Still far behind
Toyota.]
"Whole Foods to label seafood's
sustainability"—reliability high.
Whole Foods Market Inc. is to introduce a labeling scheme for
wild-caught seafood in its stores based on that of the Monterey Bay
Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute. Green, yellow or red symbols will
indicate the health of the fishery from which the product came and the
environmental impact of its extraction. ""There has been a huge
increase in attention and energy and enthusiasm (on sustainable
seafood) from customers and buyers and fishermen," said Carrie
Brownstein, coordinator of seafood quality standards for Whole Foods."
See MSNBC
from AP. [Note
only wild-caught seafood will be labeled this way, and seafood that is
unsustainably harvested (red label) will still be offered. Grocery
chains are struggling with seafood labeling.]
"Save what? Southern California Edison
launches rate calculator for plug-in vehicles"—reliability
medium.
Eric Loveday posts that "Southern California Edison (SCE) has launched
an intuitive plug-in rate calculator that allows current and potential
electric vehicle (EV) owners to assess the costs of "fueling"
battery-powered vehicles. SCE customers input information like
location, daily power usage, vehicle type (i.e., plug-in hybrid or
battery-electric vehicle), mileage and expected time of day use (on- or
off-peak hours) and the Plug-in Car Rate Assistant spits out an
estimated monthly charging fee. It's an easy way to get a savings
comparison with a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle." See Autoblog
Green. [Check
out the tool here.
You have to enter a SCE-service-area zip code. Rancho Cucamonga City
Hall's zip code is 91730.]
Government and
Regulation
"Greece approves over €2bn of renewable
energy projects in attempt to attract investment"—reliability
high.
"Greece approved a number of green energy schemes worth more than €2bn
in an attempt to attract investment to its fragile economy. The
projects, with a total capacity of 840MW and worth €2.1bn, have been
approved by the country’s Regulatory Authority for Energy. The move
comes alongside a pledge to fast-track approvals and licensing of clean
energy projects as it attempts to hit a 40 per cent renewables share of
its electricity consumption by 2020" See NewNet.
[Green stimulus
lives.]
"Europe's climate chief scolds and praises
China"—reliability high.
Reuters quotes European climate chief Connie Hedegaard regarding
China's commitment to climate negotiations at a recent meeting: "China
was represented by an undersecretary from the local embassy -- that was
not a good sign. China is a key player and they have to commit
strongly." At the same time, she said, "I really strongly believe that
it's very foolish if one mistakes the way they (China) are slow around
the negotiating table with what is happening in reality in China.
Coming from Denmark where it took 30 years to build the world brand
Vestas, I'd say that's quite astonishing how you can build three
companies in the top 10 globally in less than 10 years. It tells us
something about how fast they are moving when they are moving." See Reuters
article. [We
are beginning to see China's strategy on negotiations and especially
its
management of news out of China on international agreement issues, as
before Copenhagen (see below).]
"China says rich-poor divide still dogs
climate pact talks"—reliability high.
Reuters cites comments by Su Wei, the head of the climate change
office at China's National Development and Reform Commission, that
appeared in China Today: "Right now there are still huge differences
between developed and developing countries in the negotiations on
climate change problems." The two factions are still far apart on who
should pay how much for mitigation and adaptation, and whether
developing countries like China should target emission reductions. From
Reuters.
