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"Carbon emissions set to be highest in
history"—reliability high.
The latest report from the Global Carbon Project show that "Emissions
of man-made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are roaring ahead again
after a smaller-than-expected dip due to the worldwide recession.
Scientists are forecasting that CO2 emissions from burning coal, oil
and gas will reach their highest in history this year." The analysis,
published in Nature Geoscience, "show that national attempts to
stabilise carbon dioxide have been too feeble to have any noticeable
impact on global emissions." From The
Independent. More details and access here.
[In spite of
lingering effects of the economic recession and continuing
efforts to reduce carbon emissions on the part of companies and
governments, 2010 greenhouse gas emissions will be the highest yet. Is
there any chance of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C? Many
recent items suggest the emphasis is shifting from limiting emissions
to dealing with consequences (see previous
post and items below).]
"Air pollution exceeds safety limits in big
Asian cities: report"—reliability high.
"Air pollution in major cities in Asia exceeds the World Health
Organisation's (WHO) air quality guidelines and toxic cocktails result
in more than 530,000 premature deaths a year, according to a new
report" from the Health Effects Institute, says this Reuters story. It
quotes the institute's vice president, Robert O'Keefe: "The levels of
air pollution across Asia routinely exceed WHO guidelines and that is
evidenced in ... significant excess mortality from air
pollution-related disease." See Reuters.
Access the report here. [The very
significant public health impacts (and costs) should eventually call
forth measures to reduce air pollution, such as power plant and vehicle
emissions controls. Particulates are a very large part of the problem,
especially in the developing countries.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
"M&S insists Plan A is ahead of schedule"—reliability
high.
"Marks and Spencer's Plan A programme is on course to meet half of its
180 sustainability commitments four years ahead of schedule, according
to half-year results". "'Plan A is an integral part of our business and
at the heart of the M&S brand,' said new chief executive Marc
Bolland." More on the greening of M&S. See BusinessGreen.
"On heels of IPO, GM makes bold offset
investment"—reliability high.
"Chevrolet yesterday announced plans to invest $40m in carbon offset
projects across the country over the next three to five years." The
projects will account for carbon emissions "roughly the annual
emissions produced by the 1.9 million Chevrolet vehicles to be sold
over the next year." See BusinessGreen
from GreenBiz. [According
to VentureBeat
"The company will make investments through third-party groups like the
non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation." Thus GM is buying
offsets (over a period of years) that will make their 2011 fleet of
Chevys "carbon neutral" for one year. I am still waiting for an oil
company to pull the same stunt.]
Government and
Regulation
"New Yorkers Learn the Troubles Posed by Sea
Level Rise Flow Far Beyond Manhattan"—reliability high.
New York State officials are working to develop development guidelines
that take into account the threat of sea level rise. "Any reforms to
come from the process, starting next week, would affect about 62
percent of New York state's population ... . ...Among other changes,
report authors say some rural infrastructure should be relocated away
from coastlines, while new and existing buildings in the densely packed
New York City metropolitan region should be reconfigured to allow for
periodic flooding and sea intrusion. Planners also need to quickly come
up with solutions to guard underground infrastructure, especially the
flood-prone New York City subway and underground utility cables and
pipes." See New
York Times from ClimateWire.
"Vietnam launches low-carbon master plan"—reliability
high.
"Vietnam will develop solar, wind and biomass resources as part of a
plan to become a low-carbon economy by 2020, under new proposals set
out by the government. According to reports in the Voice of Vietnam,
the government has set a target of generating five per cent of the
nation's electricity from alternative energy sources by 2020. ...
Vietnam also plans to build 14 nuclear reactors by 2030 as part of its
move to a low-carbon economy." From BusinessGreen.
[Five percent
"alternative energy sources" is not "low carbon" by any stretch of the
imagination. Fourteen nuclear plants might significantly reduce the growth of emissions
between 2020 and 2030, though.]
