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Deutsche Bank’s online carbon counter
Phones, flashlights, and sweet solar-powered rides… all that and more in this week’s green tech finds.
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Still have bottled water as a regular item on the grocery list? Or just pick up the occasional bottle when you’re out? It’s so convenient…
As you probably know, that convenience comes at an environmental and social price: documentaries such as FLOW and Thirst, organizations such as the Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund, and even a few of us lowly bloggers, have reported on the costs created by water’s transformation from a freely-available resource to a multi-billion dollar commodity. That bottle of water you buy now contributes to the world’s third-largest industry.
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I was Too Early on Solar Power; Let’s Not Be Too Late
In his State of the Union address, President Obama noted that although America invented solar energy technology, we have fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. He is right of course.
I remember when America was leading the pack on clean energy in the 1970s. We abdicated that leadership thanks to the influence of a fossil fuel industry with deep pockets and friends in the White House. But Obama reminded us of an important aspect of the American character: ingenuity. We are a nation of innovators, and we can harness that resourcefulness again to build a better future.
I saw that ingenuity emerge three decades ago, when the promise of renewable energy became clear to many of us. We were so eager to spread the word about solar power that we created “Sun Day,” the solar equivalent of Earth Day. We had events from Maine to Chicago to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir even agreed to participate in one event.
People were just starting to get excited about pollution-free power, but then Ronald Reagan became president and took the solar panels off the White House and the policies promoting renewable energy were stripped from the books.
In 1975 I produced a short film called “The Solar Film.” The people interviewed in the film say they like how solar power cuts down on their bills, doesn’t have to be imported, and makes them worry less about terrorists. All of those benefits remain extremely relevant today, but we have lost three decades in the effort to extend them to more Americans.
I was too early in my efforts to promote solar power, but now is the time. We are getting a second chance–another American trait. If we don’t seize this moment, we will be too late to get the competitive advantage in a global marketplace, too late for the economic dividends, and too late to stave off the worst of global warming.
The Obama administration wants to see America double our supply of renewable energy in the next three years. Many lawmakers want to pass a national renewable portfolio standard, which would require a certain percentage of our country’s electricity generation to come from clean sources like solar and wind. Congress will likely vote this year on a bill to limit global warming pollution that will dramatically expand the market for clean power. These are the kind of bold, visionary actions we need right now. I urge you to call on your representatives to support them.
In this time of economic crisis and uncertainty, I am reminded of being a child during World War II. I have no nostalgia for the turmoil and suffering of those days, but I do recall the communal effort, the sense that we all rallied around to support the greater good. Today we are trying to achieve the greater good of shared prosperity, and I believe it will be built on a clean and affordable energy economy. With enough resourcefulness, I know we can do it this time around.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 18, 2008 (ENS) – Global warming could potentially damage Ohio economic sectors now worth $126.9 billion that provide 1.9 million jobs, according to a new report issued today by the environmental advocacy group Environment Ohio.
Entitled “What’s at Stake: How Global Warming Threatens the Buckeye State,” the report details the environmental and economic harms that may result from Ohio’s changing climate.
“It’s not just about the polar bears and Arctic ice-caps anymore,” said Amy Gomberg, Environment Ohio’s program director. “Climate change poses threats to Ohio’s environment that could have a negative impact on our economy, as well.”
“Not only could climate change lower the water level in Lake Erie, damaging Ohio’s fishing, shipping and tourism industries, but it also could harm Ohio’s agriculture and timber industries,” she warned
Due to the fact that 86 percent of Ohio’s electricity is generated by burning coal, Ohio is now the fourth largest contributor of carbon dioxide pollution in the country, said Gomberg. Only 23 countries spew more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the state of Ohio.
Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas concentrating in the atmosphere, trapping the Sun’s rays close to the planet.
If carbon emissions continue to rise at current rates, environmental problems that could impact Ohio’s economy may develop, the report warns.
“As part of any strategy to prudently and responsibly manage the risks of climate change, Ohio will have no choice but to limit its greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr. Andrew Keeler, an economist with Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs.
“Congress and the new administration need to act as soon as possible to incorporate a price for greenhouse gas emissions into our market economy to address this problem efficiently,” said Keeler.
“Ohio should be forward-looking in its approach to energy conservation and generation in order to prepare for a strong and prosperous future. In particular, our state should take advantage of and contribute to the parts of a likely economic stimulus plan that spur investments in clean energy and green infrastructure,” he said.
The report breaks down the potential damage to Ohio’s industry by sector.
The $2.9 billion hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing industry with its 48,000 jobs could lose suffer climate damage, the report finds.
Lake Erie’s $16 billion commercial shipping, commercial and recreational fishing, and tourism industries and their 146,800 jobs are threatened.
The timber industry has almost as much at stake – $15 billion and 119,000 jobs.
But it is the state’s $93 billion agriculture industry and its 1.6 million jobs that has the most to lose to the effects of climate change.
“Forty years ago the Cuyahoga River caught on fire and Lake Erie was called America’s Dead Sea. Sportsmen fought for clean water laws, and with cleaner water, the fish came back. Since then recreational opportunities, tourism, and the fishing industry have thrived,” said Jim Doss, president of the Ohio Bass Federation. “Now, climate change threatens Ohio’s chief waterways and in turn, it threatens our economy and the recreational opportunities that depend on them, yet again.”
The report shows that reduced ice cover on Lake Erie during the winter, and increased water temperatures year round will lead to greater water evaporation from Lake Erie and a decrease in its overall water levels.
Some studies show that the Lake’s water level could fall by between three and 6.5 feet over the next 70 years, shifting the shoreline up to several miles in shallow areas of the lake, particularly in Sandusky and Maumee bays.
This could have a devastating impact on the Ohio’s shipping industry because every inch that Lake Erie drops commercial ships must leave behind 270 tons of cargo. A two percent decline in shipping activity could cost the economy over $1 billion, the report estimates.
Rapid changes from global warming would hurt forest ecosystems, potentially cutting forest cover and the industry that relies on it by 50 percent. Additionally, these changes may force Ohio’s state tree, the Ohio Buckeye, to shift its range northward to areas including Michigan.
“For wildlife fans in Ohio, global warming presents two kinds of news – bad and worse,” warned Jerry Tinianow, executive director of Audubon Ohio.
“The bad news is that many of the species we love to observe, like spring warblers and fall waterfowl, will be in short supply or may disappear entirely. The worse news is that species we don’t like, primarily insects and other disease-bearing vectors, may expand their ranges into Ohio, bringing diseases with them that were previously almost unheard of in Ohio,”
Environment Ohio called on President-elect Barack Obama, the new Congress, and specifically Congresswoman-elect Mary Jo Kilroy to enact a green economic recovery plan that makes critical investments in clean energy and green infrastructure to help rebuild the American economy and protect our environment.
The group advocates funding for clean energy projects that put Ohioans back to work making public buildings more efficient and putting solar panels on their roofs, weatherizing homes, training more than 100,000 new workers to install clean energy systems, and increasing public transportation capacity by 10 percent a year.
Additionally, Environment Ohio called on Congress to enact an economy wide cap on carbon emissions that is reduced by at least 20 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050.
Data on which the report is based was drawn from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Climatic Data Center, the World Meteorological Organization, the U.S. Department of Energy, Ohio Sea Grant, and NASA scientists.
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LOS ANGELES, California, November 18, 2008 (ENS) – In Los Angeles today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger welcomed hundreds of attendees from more than 50 states, provinces and countries to the Governors’ Global Climate Summit. At the end of their two-day meeting, participants are expected to sign a declaration outlining their plans for turning climate goals into action.
The summit has already led to a signed agreement between U.S. governors and governors from Brazil and Indonesia to reduce forestry-related greenhouse gas emissions. It is the first state-to-state, sub-national agreement focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and land degradation.
“Tropical deforestation accounts for 20 percent of all human-caused carbon emissions in the world, and the governors signing these MOUs with us manage more than 60 percent of the world’s tropical forest lands,” Governor Schwarzenegger said.
“With this agreement, we are focusing our collective efforts on the problem and requiring our states to jointly develop rules, incentives and tools to ensure reduced emissions from deforestation and land degradation,” Schwarzenegger said. “We are also sending a strong message that this issue should be front and center during negotiations for the next global agreement on climate change.”
The agreement commits the U.S. States of California, Illinois and Wisconsin to work with the governors of six states and provinces within Indonesia and Brazil to help slow and stop tropical deforestation, the cutting and burning of trees to convert land to grow crops and raise livestock, and land degradation through joint projects and incentive programs.
It was signed by Governor Antônio Waldez Góes da Silva, Amapa, Brazil; Governor Eduardo Braga, Amazonas, Brazil; Governor Blario Maggi, Mato Grosso, Brazil; Governor Ana Júla de Vasconcelos Carepa, Para, Brazil; Governor Yusof Irwandi, Aceh, Indonesia; and Governor Barnamas Suebu, Papua, Indonesia.
“There is scientific consensus that the planet is close to a ‘tipping point,’ where continued growth in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will result in successively larger disruptions of global biogeochemical, ecological, economic and social systems,” summit organizers say in a statement introducing the two-day event. “The development of a strong action plan and a global consensus around a post-Kyoto climate accord will be critical if the world hopes to avoid the most catastrophic impacts from climate change.”
The summit is intended to create opportunities for consensus on climate issues ahead of next month’s UN climate change conference in Poland where governments will work towards a climate accord to take effect after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
Four U.S. governors who are working to curb climate change in their own states are acting as co-hosts – Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.
Governor Schwarzenegger says the summit is rooted in the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which made California the first state to impose a cap on all greenhouse gas emissions.
“When California passed its global warming law two years ago, we were out there on an island, so we started forming partnerships everywhere we could,” the governor said. “We teamed up with Great Britain, the Canadian provinces, the Western and Northeastern states and with states like those of my co hosts-Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Wisconsin and more. And right here, for the first time, we have officials from China, India, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and across the world in the same summit, working toward the same goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and growing green economies in our own backyards.”
Following the governor’s remarks, participants saw a pre-recorded video message from President-elect Barack Obama.
“Few challenges facing America – and the world – are more urgent than combating climate change,” Obama said. “Many of you are working to confront this challenge, but too often, Washington has failed to show the same kind of leadership. That will change when I take office.”
Obama will not take office until January 20, 2009, so he will not attend the meeting in Poland, but he has asked members of Congress who are attending the conference as observers to report back to him on what they learn there.
Obama’s approach meets with the approval of Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. “This is exactly the kind of leadership the country and the world have been waiting for,” she said. “President-elect Obama’s statement makes clear that he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and deliver the action that is needed to protect our climate, our economy, and our national security. He is setting the right goals and choosing the right policies.”
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the Governors’ Summit is providing an opportunity for collaboration and sharing of views.
The Summit emphasizes a sectoral approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions with sector-specific breakout sessions focusing on specific actions in the forestry; cement, iron, steel and aluminum; energy; and transportation sectors. Together, these sectors account for the vast majority of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, officials from China, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and the European Union shared sectoral panels with NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy and the Climate Group as well as energy companies like BP America and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Participants heard Leon Panetta, former White House chief of staff and co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission outline ocean policy priorities for the incoming Obama administration and Democratic-controlled Congress.
Panetta urged the new administration to establish a coherent national ocean policy, improve federal coordination of ocean science and resource management, and invest in ocean science to better understand and predict climate change and its impacts on oceans and coastal economies.
Tomorrow, the day will begin with a message from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and will feature a dialogue among the governors and world leaders on what responses the climate challenge has evoked.
“Florida’s rapid progress has been possible only through partnership agreements with the United Kingdom and Germany, and with the help of my good friend, Governor Schwarzenegger,” Florida Governor Charlie Crist said. “Progress comes only as we work together – not at the expense of future economic growth – but as a necessity for the future prosperity of all nations and states.”
“This Summit is an opportunity to strengthen important relationships with business and government officials nationally and internationally and develop climate change strategies that will save us money, create jobs, help secure our world and improve our air and water,” Wisconsin Governor Doyle said.
“There is an incredible opportunity here to get our nation’s economy back on track by creating green jobs and becoming a world leader in the development of clean energy technologies,” Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said. “In Kansas, our farms and fields can produce tomorrow’s energy through biofuels and clean, renewable wind. Rural America is going to play an important part in securing energy independence for our nation.”
“Illinois has been a leader in the Midwest and nationally in developing innovative strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change,” Illinois Governor Blagojevich said. “Playing a leading role in the Governors’ Summit will give us a chance to meet with world leaders and to learn from each other about how to most effectively tackle this urgent global issue and accelerate the transition to a low carbon society.”
Showcasing the economic success of California’s environmental leadership, the Governors’ Summit features more than 30 clean-tech companies displaying green technologies including electric cars, solar-powered flashlights and non-toxic cleaning products during the two-day Climate Solutions Showcase.
To ensure that the summit leaves no carbon footprint, EcoSecurities is donating voluntary carbon offsets from its portfolio to neutralize 100 percent of the emissions associated with the event. The offsets being used are high quality voluntary emission reduction credits, selected to honor visiting country representatives, as well as highlight the first two agricultural methane projects listed by the California Climate Action Registry.
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DENVER, Colorado, August 24, 2008 (ENS) – As delegates from across the country converge on Denver for the Democratic National Convention opening Monday, most of them are buying offsets to neutralize the carbon dioxide emitted to power their planes, trains and cars.
This Green Delegate Challenge is part of the Democrats’ year-long effort to make their 2008 national convention the most environmentally sustainable convention in the party’s history.
“We’re committed to using practical, common-sense solutions to limit our impact on the environment and make this convention one of the most sustainably produced events of its kind,” said Leah Daughtry, chief executive of the Democratic National Convention Committee.
Convention organizers estimate convention activities like air travel, ground travel, accommodations and waste will produce an average of one ton of the greenhouse gas CO2 per person.
To offset the climate-warming effect of that ton of carbon dioxide, delegates are purchasing renewable energy from a portfolio of U.S. projects selected by convention organizers and provided by NativeEnergy. They include wind power for a Colorado school district and a landfill gas-to-energy project in Illinois.
The cost of a carbon offset is modest, just $24 for one person flying 2,500 miles to the convention and back home and staying for five nights in a Denver hotel.
Delegations with the highest percentage of members offsetting their carbon emissions will be recognized in their seating section on the convention floor. All the state delegations are participating and about half of them have chalked up 100 percent participation.
For the first time, the carbon footprint of the whole convention is being calculated. Energy-efficiency for reduction of CO2 emissions is the goal, but where carbon emissions are unavoidable, the DNCC will buy NativeEnergy carbon offsets to neutralize them.
When delegates and media arrive at the convention, they will find compact fluorescent, LED and solar powered lighting, and generators fueled by biodiesel. A percentage of the power supplied to convention venues will be generated by wind farms and purchased by the venues through Green-e certified renewable energy credits.
There are many alternatives to gasoline and petroleum diesel for transportation around Denver.
Freewheelin, the nation’s largest bike-sharing program rolled into Denver this afternoon, bringing 1,000 bikes to the Democratic National Convention for free use all week. Developed by health-benefits company Humana and bike-advocacy group Bikes Belong, the Freewheelin program will also bring 1,000 bikes to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the Republican convention during the first week in September.
The Pepsi Center, the Convention Center, the DNCC Headquarters Hotel and the DNCC offices are all located within walking distance of either light rail or the 16th Street mall shuttle, which is run on hybrid buses. Most delegation hotels are also accessible from these public transportation systems.
The buses used to transport delegates and media from all the hotels to the Pepsi Center will be either hybrid, alternative fuel or run on biodiesel. Bus idling will be kept to a minimum to reduce air pollution.
As official vehicle provider, General Motors is offering hybrid, E-85 and high fuel efficiency vehicles for transport during the convention. All DNCC vehicles and bus miles will be tracked and included in the carbon footprint calculations.
C[mg=/UPLOADS/blog/ecommunity_news/blogpost_data/08_08_18/20080824_01_dnccrew.jpg]Crews prepare the convention floor for the
arrival of delegates on Monday. (Photo
courtesy DNCC)[/img]]
Inside the convention center, the DNCC says on its website that “choosing sustainable materials is at the heart of our greening plan.” Sustainable and recyclable service ware, sustainably-harvested wood products, and rented or reused materials are being used to stage the event. Materials used will be measured, tracked and wherever possible, reused or donated to community organizations and schools at the conclusion of the convention, organizers say.
A comprehensive recycling, composting and waste minimization program aims to divert a minimum of 85 percent of all waste from the landfill.
As official recycling provider, Coca-Cola will recover and recycle all paper products, plastic bottles and aluminum cans recovered at all official convention venues. The company will also provide biodegradable bags, liners, and recycling bins for material recovery. Coca-Cola will use energy-efficient coolers and vending machines to supply beverages and will deliver the beverages on hybrid electric delivery trucks.
The environment in and around Denver will benefit from the work of more than 1,000 convention delegates who will volunteer at community service sites on the first-ever Delegate Service Day on August 27, co-chaired by Michelle Obama and Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter.
Graffiti and litter will be cleaned up in downtown Denver and at Stapleton and groups of delegates will restore areas of Cherry Creek State Park, Confluence Park, and Bicentennial Park as well as the historic Curtis Park neighborhood bordering downtown Denver.
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Rackspace, a premier server solution for individuals and businesses seeking top-notch service, has taken measures to offset the carbon emissions from their digital activities. The environmentally-concerned initiatives of Rackspace are collectively called GreenSpace. GreenSpace is working with NativeEnergy, a leading national marketer of renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon offsets, the IT hosting specialist will be providing support to two new renewable energy projects through the purchasing of carbon offsets.
Rackspace will support two new renewable projects: the Penn England Family Dairy Waste to Energy Project, which will help ramp up a manure digester on a 700 cow dairy farm that displaces onsite fossil fuel use and emissions of methane, and the Farmer Owned Distributed Small Scale Wind Project in Minnesota, which supports the sale and installation of German-designed 40 kW Aeroman wind turbines that are remanufactured and customized for Midwest conditions. There are other initiatives that Rackspace provides funding for, all under the expert guidance of NativeEnergy.
The second prong of the GreenSpace initiative is found in Rackspace’s commitment to helping their customers use their computers more resource efficiently.
For more information on the GreenSpace initiative, please visit www.rackspace.com.
Why is it important for Rackspace to make this commitment to carbon offsetting?
Computers definitely seem like they are good for the environment. They save a lot of paper, they allow the transmission of important documents without any transport cost, they facilitate business meetings from afar and they are relatively compact machines which do not seem to take a great deal of resources to make.
The reality, sadly, is that computers soak up a tremendous amount of electricity when you consider the total amount of computers worldwide and the fact that some computers are never turned off, and others are left on when they are not being used. On average, computers use from 200-1000 watts to operate.
By offsetting carbon emissions, and by helping their customers seek their own energy efficiency methods, GreenSpace is working to change the dynamic of the computer industry towards a more sustainable direction.
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TRENTON, New Jersey, July 17, 2008 (ENS) – A newly proposed cap-and-trade program to reduce emissions of the heat-trapping greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, CO2, in New Jersey may do little to combat global warming, charges Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, a nonprofit association of government workers.
The trading program proposed by the administration of Governor Jon Corzine sets emissions caps above current emissions levels and contains numerous complex offsets and loopholes that undercut its effectiveness.
“While we are pleased that New Jersey is finally moving, this is a very timid and tentative step,” said New Jersey PEER Director Bill Wolfe, noting that the proposed rule is now open for public comment until September 5, 2008.
“How can we cut carbon emissions with caps that are higher than current emissions?” he asked. “This plan says fighting global warming is worth less than 50 cents a month – not even enough for a cup of coffee.”
On drawback of the measure is that, “The initial regional cap is 188 million short tons of CO2 per year, which is approximately four percent above annual average regional emissions during the period 2000 through 2004 for electric generating units that will be subject to the program,” the bill states.
The program was designed to minimize economic impacts and “to provide market signals and regulatory certainty,” PEER says.
As a result, the plan places a $2 per ton price cap in order to hold any increase in current electric rates to less than one percent – about $5.96 per year or 50 cents per month for a typical Garden State household.
PEER says the 200 page proposed rule is littered with industry-specific escape hatches.
Even the proposing agency, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, concedes that its trading program will have more rhetorical than practical effect, when it states in the proposal itself:
“By accelerating national action to address climate change, the Department believes that the proposed rules and amendments will result in broader future environmental benefits beyond the direct emissions reduction benefits achieved through the CO2 Budget Trading Program,” the agency said in a statement.
The DEP said the proposed cap-and-trade program “will result in a more timely adoption of required Federal measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which will reduce environmental impacts to the State and its residents.”
This rule is the state’s contribution to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, RGGI, which includes nine other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States.
RGGI is an ongoing effort, commenced in September 2003, among Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States to develop and implement a regional CO2 cap-and-trade program aimed at stabilizing and then reducing emissions from large fossil fuel-fired electricity generating units in the region.
RGGI only applies to the electricity sector and power generators, which account for about 30 percent of New Jersey’s greenhouse gas emissions.
New Jersey imports about 30 percent of its power, mostly generated by burning coal, but these emissions are not counted by RGGI.
As for addressing the majority of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, New Jersey is already behind schedule, missing a June 30 deadline for its overall plan for the ambitious goals of the Global Warming Response Act signed by Governor Corzine last year.
A public hearing concerning this rule proposal will be held on:
Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 10:00 am at:
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Hearing Room, 1st Floor
401 East State Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Written comments may be submitted at the public hearing, they can be mailed to the New Jersey DEP.
Submit written comments by September 5, 2008 to:
Alice A. Previte, Esq.
Attention: DEP Docket No. 07-08-06/662
Office of Legal Affairs
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
401 East State Street
PO Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 5, 2008 (ENS) – New Zealand, one of the first countries to pledge a carbon-neutral future, is the main host of today’s celebration of World Environment Day 2008. The theme this year, “Kick the CO2 Habit,” is meant to inspire and encourage actions to eliminate the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, CO2, a main contributor to global warming.
The challenge of climate change and threats to polar regions and beyond were spotlighted in Norway as part of World Environment Day 2007.
The focus of the global 2008 celebrations hosted in New Zealand is on the solutions and the opportunities for countries, companies and communities to “kick the habit” and de-carbonize their economies and their lifestyles.
“As part of New Zealand’s drive for greater environmental sustainability, we’ve made a commitment to reduce our emissions,” said Prime Minister Helen Clark. “But to overcome the challenge of climate change, kicking the carbon habit must be a truly global goal.”
At least one New Zealand company is having some success in reducing its emissions.
Air New Zealand announced Wednesday that its fuel savings initiative program is on track to see the airline reduce its carbon emissions by more than 100,000 tons annually and save $43 million a year as well.
General Manager Airline Operations Captain David Morgan says the airline has been a world leader in examining every aspect of its flight operations to reduce carbon emissions by saving fuel.
“Air New Zealand has been at the forefront of finding ways to minimize our environmental impact and so far our flight operations program has delivered 91,000 tons in reduced carbon emissions in just over three years. We had a goal of topping 100,000 tons annually within five years and we look like beating that by almost two years,” Captain Morgan says.
“Our initiatives range from reducing weight on aircraft to more accurate fuel loadings so we are not flying with excess fuel weight, optimizing flight speeds, better use of ground power when aircraft are at the airport gate and improved descent profiles,” he said.
Air New Zealand announced today that it expects to use at least one million barrels of environmentally sustainable fuel annually by 2013.
Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe says the airline is growing increasingly confident that commercial quantities of environmentally sustainable fuels that meet all the airline’s stringent criteria will become available over the next few years.
Air New Zealand plans the world’s first flight test on a large passenger aircraft using fuel sourced from the plant jatropha.
The Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 Rolls Royce powered test flight is expected to take place in Auckland in the last quarter of this year subject to final regulatory approvals and fuel testing by the engine manufacturer.
Jatropha is a plant that grows three meters (10 feet) high and produces seeds that contain inedible oil used to produce fuel. Each seed produces between 30 and 40 percent of its mass in oil and jatropha can be grown in a range of difficult conditions, including arid and non-arable areas.
Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and UNEP executive director, said, “New Zealand is among a pioneer group of countries committed to accelerating a transition to a low carbon and carbon-neutral economy. We are therefore delighted to be holding the main World Environment Day 2008 celebrations in Wellington and in communities across this South Pacific nation.”
“What we need is action to slow, stop and then to reverse the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions. A transition to a low carbon economy is essential to achieving this,” said Steiner.
New Zealand Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said, “While New Zealand’s capital city Wellington will play host to the main UN World Environment Day events, local communities are undertaking their own environmental activities throughout the country through more than 120 community and school-based events.
“There are huge numbers of New Zealanders involved in celebrations, and this is a fantastic indication of this country’s drive towards sustainability and reducing the impacts of climate change,” Mallard said.
The Clark government is moving the country towards becoming carbon neutral, and achieving that goal is going to take work, said Mallard.
“As we work towards carbon neutrality, our program involves a goal of generating 90 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and halving our per capita transport emissions by 2040,” the environment minister said.
“To incentivize climate-friendly behavior we are introducing an emissions trading scheme, which includes all sectors and all gases, an energy strategy, and also tackling climate change at the household, business and science and research levels.”
Mallard said methane from livestock accounts for about half of New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions. “We are now turning our expertise towards research to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of the UN Environment Programme.
World Environment Day is commemorated each year on June 5 in a different city as one of the vehicles the United Nations employs to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action.
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PORTLAND, Oregon, May 12, 2008 (ENS) – Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting Senator John McCain of Arizona today offered his plan to combat global warming.
Speaking at the Vestas wind turbine factory in Portland, McCain said what America needs is market-based cap and trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mobilize innovative technologies, and strengthen the economy.
McCain envisions a cap and trade system that would encompass electric power, transportation fuels, commercial business, and industrial business — sectors responsible for just below 90 percent of all emissions. Small businesses would be exempt.
By 2012, McCain says his plan would return greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels, which were 18 percent above 1990 levels.
By contrast, the Kyoto Protocol requires that by 2012 industrialized nations cut greenhouse gas emissions an average fo five percent below 1990 levels.
By 2020, McCain says his plan would return emissions to 1990 levels, and by 2030, McCain says his plan would cut emissions 22 percent below 1990 levels.
By 2050, McCain aims to achieve at least a reduction of 60 percent below 1990 levels.
By contrast, on April 16, President George W. Bush announced a new national goal to stop the growth in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said McCain’s proposal does not go far enough. “Real leadership means taking this problem head on with a comprehensive, science-based plan instead of halfway measures,” she said. “While Senator McCain’s proposals may be improvement on President Bush’s, that’s not saying much.”
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama supports a market-based cap and trade system to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama says this is the target scientists say is necessary to achieve.
Under McCain’s plan, participants at first would be allowed to either make their own greenhouse gas reductions or purchase offsets, financial instruments representing a reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions to cover 100 percent of their required reductions. Offsets would only be available through a program dedicated to ensure that all offset emission reductions are real, measured and verifiable.
The fraction of greenhouse gas emission reductions permitted through offsets would decline over time. Emissions permits would eventually be auctioned to support the development of advanced technologies.
A public-private agency McCain calls the Climate Change Credit Corporation would oversee the cap and trade program, provide credit to entities for reductions made before 2012, and ease transition for industry with competitiveness concerns and fewer efficiency technology options.
McCain made clear his support for nuclear power as an essential part of the power mix, saying it “requires exactly zero emissions” but not addressing the unsolved problem of nuclear waste storage. “If we want to arrest global warming, then nuclear energy is a powerful ally in that cause,” he said today.
“We have many advantages in the fight against global warming,” McCain said, “but time is not one of them.” Describing the melting glaciers he had seen in Norway and Alaska, and sustained drought in his own southwestern state, McCain said he is convinced that climate change is a real threat that demands response.
“We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that the time is short and the dangers are great,” he said. “The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge.”
The Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean accused McCain of trying to cover up a record of not supporting funding for renewable energy, pointing out that in 2006 and in several earlier years, McCain voted against an amendment to extend the renewable energy production tax credit and clean renewable energy bonds programs. McCain voted twice against establishing national renewable energy standards,
“Senator McCain is once again trying to re-cast himself as a friend of the environment for the general election,” said Dean, “but his record clearly shows that the only friends he really stands up for are his donors and the lobbyists running his campaign.”
League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski said, “To his credit, Senator McCain wants to do something serious about global warming, but his proposal falls far short of what the science says we need to do today.”
“He is right to call for investments in new alternative forms of energy but it is troubling that he continues to support taxpayer subsidies for a mature industry like nuclear which has yet to resolve its waste disposal problem. It would be far more cost-effective to invest in renewable energy like the wind energy plant he is visiting today,” said Karpinski. “Better still would be a call for a renewable electricity standard, something he has voted against time and time again.”
But Republicans for Environmental Protection, a national grassroots organization, was enthusiastic in its support of McCain’s proposals. “Senator McCain’s resounding call for strong action on climate change underscores his longstanding commitment to solving this problem,” said REP President Martha Marks.
“His insightful remarks, along with his long record of climate leadership in the Senate, make it clear that he is the presidential candidate most dedicated and best prepared to fight global warming.”
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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, April 29, 2008 (ENS) – Whether you live in a mansion or you are homeless on the street, whether you enjoy eating only raw fruits and vegetables or you must have filet mignon, whether you are a jet-setter or a home-bound retiree – anyone who lives in the United States contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere as the per capita global average.
A class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, studied the carbon emissions of Americans in a wide variety of lifestyles – from the homeless to multimillionaires, from Buddhist monks to soccer moms – and compared them to those of other nations.
They found that in the United States, even people with the lowest energy usage account for, on average, more than double the global per-capita carbon emission. Those emissions rise steeply from that minimum as people’s income increases.
“Regardless of income, there is a certain floor below which the individual carbon footprint of a person in the U.S. will not drop,” says Timothy Gutowski, professor of mechanical engineering, who taught the class that calculated the rates of carbon emissions.
The results will be presented in May at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment in San Francisco.
While it may seem surprising that even people whose lifestyles are not extravagant, such as the homeless, monks, or children, are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, one major factor is the array of government services that are available to everyone in the United States.
These basic services, including police, roads, libraries, the court system and the military, were allocated equally to everyone in the country in this study.
Other services that are more specific, such as education or Medicare, were allocated only to those who actually make use of them.
The students conducted detailed interviews or made detailed estimates of the energy usage of 18 lifestyles, spanning the gamut from a vegetarian college student and a five-year-old up to the ultrarich – Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.
The energy impact for the rich was estimated from published sources, while all the others were based on direct interviews. The average annual carbon dioxide emissions per person, they found, was 20 metric tons, compared to a world average of four tons.
But the “floor” below which nobody in the U.S. can reach, no matter a person’s energy choices, turned out to be 8.5 tons, the class found. That was the emissions calculated for a homeless person who ate in soup kitchens and slept in homeless shelters.
The analysis was carried out by Gutowski and 21 students in his 2007 class, “Environmentally benign design and manufacturing.”
They derived a system for making such comparisons, which they call environmental life style analysis, or ELSA.
Unlike some other attempts to quantify carbon-emission rates, Gutowski and his students took great care to account for factors that are often overlooked such as the “rebound effect.”
That is when someone makes a environmentally benign choice – such as buying a hybrid car instead of a gas-guzzler – but then uses the money saved from their reduced gasoline costs to do something else, such as taking a long trip by airplane. The net impact, in such a case, may actually be an overall increase in carbon emissions.
“When you save energy, you save money,” Gutowski explains. “The question is, how are you going to spend that money?”
The students looked at the factors within each person’s control that might lead to a reduction in carbon output. They found that achieving significant reductions for the most part required drastic changes that would likely be unacceptable to most people.
In a continuation of the class this semester, another group of students are exploring this question in more detail, looking at just what kinds of things people really can do to limit their environmental impact.
The question they are addressing, Gutowski says, is “can average Americans tighten their belts” in a way that would make a significant difference?
In general, spending money on travel or on goods that have substantial energy costs in their manufacture and delivery adds to a person’s carbon footprint, while expenditures on locally based labor intensive services – such as going to a therapist, taking an art class, or getting a massage – leads to a smaller footprint.
But the biggest factors in most people’s lives are housing, transportation and food.
“The simple way you get people’s carbon use down is to tax it,” Gutowski says. “That’s a hard pill to swallow – politicians don’t like to step up” to support such measures.”
Absent such national actions, he says, it is important to study “what role consumer choices can play” in lowering the nation’s carbon emissions.
If nothing else, the members of his class got a new perspective. “The students really got into it,” Gutowski says. “It raised everybody’s awareness about the issues.”
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