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New Brunswick Climate Change Hub
News Monitoring | Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, 2009
Older News
Octa.on.ca | Daniel Martins | January 21, 2009
Miramichi Transit buses to hit the road in spring
MIRAMICHI - Springtime is when the new buses of the Miramichi Public Transit Commission are
expected to roll onto Miramichi streets. Coun. Derek Burchill said since putting out tenders for the buses
that will make up the transit system, two proposals came in on time. [more]
February 2
Planetark.com | Krittivas Mukherjee | February 2, 2009
Resist Industry Pressure To Dilute Green Reform: U.N.
NEW DELHI - Industries are pressing governments worldwide to dilute policies on climate change, but the
world must not slacken the fight for a "structural shift" to a green economy, the U.N. climate panel chief
said on Friday. [more]
Planetark.com | Ed Davies | February 2, 2009
Indonesia Aims To Wrap Up Forest-Carbon Rules
JAKARTA - Indonesia hopes to lay out a clear set of regulations before June on using carbon credits to
protect rainforests so the rules can be discussed in upcoming international talks, a top climate official
said. The United Nations has backed a scheme called REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation
and degradation, in which developing nations could potentially earn billions of dollars from selling carbon
credits in return for saving their forests. [more]
Planetark.com | Miho Yoshikawa | February 2, 2009
Sewage Yields More Gold Than Top Mines
TOKYO - Resource-poor Japan just discovered a new source of mineral wealth -- sewage. A sewage
treatment facility in central Japan has recorded a higher gold yield from sludge than can be found at some
of the world's best mines. An official in Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, said the high percentage
of gold found at the Suwa facility was probably due to the large number of precision equipment
manufacturers in the vicinity that use the yellow metal. The facility recently recorded finding 1,890
grammes of gold per tonne of ash from incinerated sludge. [more]
Planetark.com | Nichola Groom | February 2, 2009
VantagePoint Has Over $1 Bln For Green Startups
DAVOS - Silicon Valley venture capital firm VantagePoint Venture Partners will invest more than $1 billion
in green startups over the next 24 to 30 months, Managing Partner Alan Salzman said on Saturday.
"We are aggressively and actively investing," Salzman told Reuters at the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll probably back 10 to 15 companies over the course of
2009." [more]
Planetark.com | Ben Hirschler and Jonathan Lynn | February 2, 2009
Push For Climate Deal As Obama Lifts Hopes
DAVOS - Denmark's prime minister called on rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in
greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of key year-end talks on a new climate treaty he will host in
Copenhagen. [more]
Planetark.com | Nina Chestney | February 2, 2009
Waste Could Be Crucial In Search For Cleaner Fuels
LONDON - What we throw away could soon be used to power our cars, if projects to produce ethanol
from commercial waste are ramped up. Some companies are exploring the environmental and financial
benefits of putting waste to good use and are developing technology to produce bioethanol. [more]
Planetark.com | Matthew Robinson and Richard Valdmanis | February 2, 2009
Oil Price Slump A Challenge To Obama Energy Agenda
NEW YORK - A slide in oil prices may be good for consumers battered by the U.S. economic slowdown,
but it could pose a challenge for President Barack Obama's ambitious plan to revolutionize America's
energy use. [more]
February 3
Timestranscript.com | Gwynne Dyer | February 3, 2009
Climate change: focus on what really matters
World Affairs
The biggest "environmental" issue in Britain for the past year has been the plan to build a third runway at
London's Heathrow airport. The growth of air travel, the protesters claim, is a major cause of global
warming, and John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK, predicted that Heathrow would become "the
battlefield of our generation." So the protesters contacted Jim Hansen, one of the world's leading climate
scientists, to back their campaign. [more]
News.bbc.co | Richard Black | February 3, 2009
Water - another global 'crisis'?
Sharper, more intense rains may reduce the water available to farmers
If you look at the numbers, it is hard to see how many East African communities made it through the long
drought of 2005 and 2006. Among people who study human development, it is a widely-held view that
each person needs about 20 litres of water each day for the basics - to drink, cook and wash sufficiently
to avoid disease transmission. Yet at the height of the East African drought, people were getting by on
less than five litres a day - in some cases, less than one litre a day, enough for just three glasses of
drinking water and nothing left over. [more]
Timestranscript.com | February 3, 2009
New version of Google Earth allows exploration of oceans
Halifax company among the organizations providing a look at ocean terrain
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. yesterday launched a new version of Google Earth that allows users to
explore the oceans, view images of Mars and watch regions of the Earth change over time. The new
features mark a significant upgrade to Google Earth, a popular software program that provides access to
the world's geographical information through digital maps, satellite imagery and the company's search
tools. [more]
Ottawacitizen.com | Bethany Guenther | February 3, 2009
Idling excessively
In preparing for a graduate class on theories of environment, I had spent a great deal of time this
weekend reading depressing statistics about our careless environmental destruction.
I noticed that my downtown street was lined with huge semi-trucks, all with engines idling. After about 45
minutes, I went outside and had a chat with one of the drivers who informed me that the trucks were
waiting to remove snow, but that they had to wait for the tow trucks to remove the cars obstructing them.
[more]
Planetark.com | Nicole Maestri | February 3, 2009
Wal-Mart Testing New Hybrid Trucks For Its Fleet
NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that it will test two new types of hybrid trucks and two
types of trucks powered by alternative fuels as the world's largest retailer tries to make its trucking fleet
more efficient. [more]
Planetark.com | Sujoy Dhar | February 3, 2009
Rising Sea Salinates India's Ganges: Expert
KOLKATA - Rising sea levels are causing salt water to flow into India's biggest river, threatening its
ecosystem and turning vast farmlands barren in the country's east, a climate change expert warned
Monday. [more]
Planetark.com | Martin Roberts | February 3, 2009
Spain Wind Power Firms See Steady Growth In 2009
MADRID - Spanish wind power companies in the world's third-largest producer expect steady growth in
capacity this year despite the credit crunch due to long-term investments, an industry spokesman said on
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Monday. Wind power business group AEE tallied 16,740 megawatts in installed capacity in Spain at the
end of 2008, a rise of 1,609 MW for the year. [more]
February 4
Canadaeast.com | Roberta Clowater | February 4, 2009
New crown forest management plan a step backwards for New Brunswick
environment and industry
GUEST COLUMN — The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is extremely disappointed
with the New Brunswick government's announcement today of a new direction for public forest
management and is calling on government to make changes. [more]
Planetark.org | Laura MacInnis | February 4, 2009
Defiant Argentine Glacier Thrives Despite Warming
LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK - Climate change appears to be helping Argentina's mighty Perito
Moreno glacier, which is thriving in defiance of the global warming that is shrinking its peers. [more]
Bloomberg.com | Todd White | February 4, 2009
California Farms May Die With Changing Climate, Chu Tells Times
Water shortages triggered by climate change may be severe enough by 2100 to put Californian farms out
of business unless global warming is stemmed, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing U.S. Energy
Secretary Steven Chu. [more]
February 5
Canadaeast.com | Beth McLaughlin | February 5, 2009
Living in harmony with the environment
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Our childhood relationship with a corner of the wild (a vacant lot in an urban setting, the old camp beside
the river where your family spent Sundays, a tiny piece of the seashore) is what prompts us to stand up
for our environment later on. Children are losing touch with nature, as the book "Last Child in the Woods:
Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder" (2005) describes. [more]
Canadaeast.com | Megan de Graaf | February 5, 2009
Letters | Province's new forest plan is dangerous
On Friday, Premier Graham revealed the provincial government's new forest management plan. Although
this plan was touted as being a "balanced approach," only industry representatives were smiling. [more]
Planetark.org | Daniel Fineren | February 5, 2009
UK Regulator Sets Tougher Green Energy Guidelines
LONDON - Britain's energy suppliers must abate carbon emissions by at least a tonne for every
residential customer signed up to "green" electricity tariffs under new guidelines set by energy regulator
Ofgem on Wednesday. Suppliers in Britain are already obliged to produce some electricity from
renewable sources, for which they receive a subsidy. [more]
Bloomberg.com | Jeremy van Loon and Todd White | February 5, 2009
Carbon Permits May Remain Cheap for Two Years, IEA’s Birol Says
(Bloomberg) -- Prices for carbon-emission permits may remain near record lows until at least 2011
because of stalled demand from polluting industries and governments, the International Energy Agency’s
chief economist said. [more]
February 6
Canadaeast.com | Sue Bailey | February 6, 2009
Ottawa can't track the green
Report Environment auditor says Ottawa doesn't know if spending is achieving results
OTTAWA - The federal government can't say for sure whether billions of dollars being spent on green
programs are actually protecting health, habitat or air quality, says the environment Commissioner Scott
Vaughn and Auditor General Sheila Fraser hold a news conference after the release of her report in
Ottawa on Thursday. [more]
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Canadaeast.com | Alison Auld | February 6, 2009
Study sees greater global sea level rise
More cities on the east and west coasts of North America would be under water if a massive Antarctic ice
sheet melts completely, according to a new study that claims the rate of sea level rise is higher than
previously thought. [more]
Planetark.org | Gerard Wynn | February 6, 2009
"Green Growth" Puts Climate Spending In Focus
LONDON - The United States, Europe and other nations will spend about $100 billion on projects to fight
climate change under economic stimulus plans, raising questions about how much support the industry
needs. [more]
Planetark.org | Ayla Jean Yackley | February 6, 2009
Turkish Parliament Approves Kyoto Protocol
ISTANBUL - Turkey's parliament on Thursday approved its membership in the Kyoto protocol, the U.N.led pact to combat global warming, the Anatolian news agency said. Turkey had announced in June its
intention to sign the accord, which was first agreed by world governments in 1997 at a conference in
Kyoto, Japan, after years of delays because of concerns about the cost on its economy. [more]
Planetark.org | Alister Doyle | February 6, 2009
Climate Change To Hit Africa Fisheries Hard: Study
OSLO - African nations will be the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change on fisheries, ranging
from damage to coral reefs to more severe river floods, according to a study of 132 nations on Thursday.
[more]
Thestar.com | Andrew Wallace | February 6, 2009
Activists envision crops along Gardiner
Urban farmers push city to grow food instead of grass and flowers in public spaces
Imagine turning the rink at Nathan Phillips Square into a vegetable garden. Or seeing corn stalks along
the Gardiner Expressway. Or filling the median along University Ave. with a row of tomato plants. [more]
Canadaeast.com | Donna Spencer | February 6, 2009
Canada's athletes campaign for a green 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver
Canadian snowboarder Justin Lamoureux is doing what he can to save winter. The 32-year-old from
Squamish, B.C., sold his gas-guzzling truck to buy a small car. He bought $400 worth of carbon offsets
last year to compensate for the carbon-producing flights he took competing around the world. Written on
the nose of his snowboard are the words "Ride Carbon Neutral." [more]
Older News
Octa.on.ca | Daniel Martins | January 21, 2009
Miramichi Transit buses to hit the road in spring
MIRAMICHI - Springtime is when the new buses of the Miramichi Public Transit
Commission are expected to roll onto Miramichi streets.
Coun. Derek Burchill said since putting out tenders for the buses that will
make up the transit system, two proposals came in on time.
Burchill said the commission has met a couple of times to discuss which to
go with.
"I expect that decision will be made this week and the buses will be
ordered," he said, adding the expected delivery time for the buses is
identical for each proposal.
Last month, it was reported the city received an offer of $500,000 from the
provincial Transport Department to cover the cost of four regular transit
buses and one wheelchair accessible one the system will require.
Council approved the appointments to the transit commission late last year
as well.
4
Once the buses have been ordered, Burchill said there are still quite a lot
of issues to be sorted out.
Council's Finance and Administration Committee, which met Monday night,
heard an update on the legal and business side of the transit system and
approved proceeding to the next stage, which would involve city lawyer Mike
Noel drawing up proper bylaws to govern the transit system and the
commission.
Mike McCoombs gave that report after the meeting, which went into
committee-of-the-whole for that item.
"What we're looking at is the new by-laws and stuff that is to be put in
place for the new commission," McCoombs said following the meeting.
"So that's all we're looking at. Stuff for Mike Noel, to come up with some
bylaws and stuff, just for some sense of direction."
When asked about a time frame for the new system, McCoombs said the buses
were soon to come.
"We said Christmas, so now we're hoping for spring," McCoombs said,
referring to when tenders went out for the buses.
As well, Burchill said yesterday the commission's first order of business
after actually ordering the buses is to hire a general manager and staff to
run the system, including drivers, as well as building an estimated 75 bus
shelters.
"So there's a lot of work to be done between now and when the buses arrive,"
Burchill said.
He was unsure of how long exactly it would take before the ordered vehicles
arrived in town, but if all the hiring, shelter construction and other
issues are dealt with by then, the buses could be on city roads very soon
after.
"I would say that's a fair statement," Burchill said.
The city's economic development officer Jeff MacTavish said the commission
was due to discuss the issue yesterday, and would make a choice that would
go to common council for approval.
He said four or five months would be about right for the buses to arrive.
We're not looking for anything that's out of the ordinary," he said. "If
they have them in stock, it could be faster, but we're anticipating a
maximum of 150 days."
Once they arrive, MacTavish said a spring roll-out date was ambitious, but
attainable, although it would depend on how soon they could get the bus
shelters built, which couldn't begin until after the snow is cleared.
He said several options for the shelters are being looked at, with the city
hoping to find one which will allow them to be built in Miramichi.
"That's going to be quite a process in itself," he said. "It's going to be
nice when we see it happen though."
He added progress would also depend on whomever the transit commission
decides to hire for the manager position, as well as how soon drivers can be
hired and trained.
5
"But for all intents and purposes, the spring would probably be a very
attainable goal," he said.
************************************************************************
Opinion Poll February 3, 2009
Do you think Miramichi should have a public transit system?
Yes: 1144 votes (77%)
No: 307 votes (21%)
Undecided: 32 votes (2%)
Total Votes: 1483
http://www.octa.on.ca/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=23&Topic=2565
February 2
Planetark.com | Krittivas Mukherjee | February 2, 2009
Resist Industry Pressure To Dilute Green Reform: U.N.
NEW DELHI - Industries are pressing governments worldwide to dilute policies on climate change, but the
world must not slacken the fight for a "structural shift" to a green economy, the U.N. climate panel chief
said on Friday.
Calling the global economic downturn "a major distraction," R.K. Pachauri said even countries such as
Germany, which was among those leading the climate change war, were under pressure.
"There is a lot of pressure from business and industry now on the leadership to see that they cut back on
some of the professed commitment that they have articulated in the past," said Pachauri, the head of the
Nobel Prize-winning U.N climate panel.
Many industrialized nations are shelving ambitions for the deepest cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by
2020 as economic slowdown overshadows the fight against climate change.
But, the election of Barack Obama as the new U.S. president, has tempered the gloom, Pachauri said.
For many nations, Obama's election is reason for optimism -- many U.S. allies accuse his predecessor
George W. Bush of doing too little to diversify away from fossil fuels. China and the United States are the
top greenhouse gas emitters.
"They are very proactive on this issue," Pachauri told a news conference.
"But it will take them a little time to sort of get all the nuts and bolts together, though I think the speed at
which the new administration is moving gives you some reassurance that things will happen in the right
direction."
Obama has spoken of a "planet in peril" and says he will cut U.S. emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020 - they have risen about 14 percent since then -- followed by far deeper cuts to 80 percent of 1990 levels
by 2050.
He is also pushing for massive stimulus packages that should help a shift from fossil fuels by creating
"green" jobs.
Pachauri rejected suggestions that cheaper oil could undermine the move to cleaner fuel, saying record
high prices in the last year have created a lasting interest in energy conservation and green fuel.
"This time around people have learnt a lesson," he said.
"Anyone who understands the oil market, the energy market would know that we shouldn't be fooled by
the current lull in prices.
"Look, we can not afford to wait much longer...otherwise we are going to create problems that would
become intractable and almost impossible to solve in the future."
(Editing by David Fox)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51415
Planetark.com | Ed Davies | February 2, 2009
Indonesia Aims To Wrap Up Forest-Carbon Rules
JAKARTA - Indonesia hopes to lay out a clear set of regulations before June on using carbon credits to
protect rainforests so the rules can be discussed in upcoming international talks, a top climate official
said.
6
The United Nations has backed a scheme called REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation and
degradation, in which developing nations could potentially earn billions of dollars from selling carbon
credits in return for saving their forests.
Investors from banks to forestry firms and NGOs are lining up to set up REDD schemes in Indonesia and
elsewhere in Asia, Africa and South America.
But the scheme is in its infancy and regulations are needed guide how REDD projects will work, will
ensure the forests remain intact, how much carbon they will save and sequester and how money from
selling the credits will flow to local communities.
Agus Purnomo, head of Indonesia's National Council on Climate Change, told Reuters on Thursday it
was crucial to manage expectations over plans to save huge swathes of forest.
"Money is not going to fall from the sky just because we have forests," said Purnomo, who heads the
council set up last July under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The council coordinates policy and
developing priorities on climate change.
REDD won backing at U.N.-led climate talks in Bali in 2007 and trial schemes are now being developed.
The World Bank in Jakarta says 20 trial schemes are at various stages of development in Indonesia.
Banks, including Merrill Lynch and Macquarie Group of Australia, are among the investors.
Indonesia is also under pressure to curb deforestation, particularly illegal logging.
A report sponsored by the World Bank and Britain's Department for International Development says up to
84 percent of Indonesia's carbon emissions come from deforestation, forest fires and peatland
degradation.
REDD REVENUE
"I am pushing to have REDD ongoing, (a) scheme (that) is clear before June, so that it will also contribute
to the international negotiation process," he said, referring to a round of U.N.-led climate talks in Bonn,
Germany.
The talks are part of a series in the run up to main talks in the Danish capital at the end of the year aimed
at trying to agree on a broader replacement for the U.N. Kyoto Protocol climate pact.
Purnomo said one of the key unresolved issues over REDD was on taxation and the split in revenue for
investors.
"The potential investors have been kicking and screaming with the proposal from the ministry of forestry
but none of them are actually producing a good alternative arrangement," he said.
Some potential investors wanted to be taxed on their net profits, he said, adding this could be tricky since
there would have to be an agreement on the level of costs.
He said that as well as dealing with some grumbles from potential investors the process also sometimes
faced resistance from parts of Indonesia's unwieldy bureaucracy.
"That's why I need political blessing. I'm not supposed to say it that way but basically what I do is kick
some butts," added Purnomo, 50, who previously headed non-governmental organizations such as the
World Wildlife Fund in Indonesia.
He said a climate trust fund, aiming to pool donor commitments to direct the cash at priority areas and
improve transparency, was also due to be launched before June.
He said the election of U.S. President Barack Obama had brought "fresh air" to global climate change
negotiations, although it was unclear how much Washington would be able to commit itself to given the
financial crisis.
"I think that they will have to resolve to a 'less now but more later' type of commitment," he said, adding
that overall progress in December's U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen could hinge on the depth of the
crisis.
Purnomo said he was concerned about pressure on developing countries to shoulder more of the cost of
climate change.
"It's not a winning debate when you ask China, India or other countries...to make commitments to
reductions when our emissions per-capita are very, very small."
(Editing by David Fogarty)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51421
Planetark.com | Miho Yoshikawa | February 2, 2009
Sewage Yields More Gold Than Top Mines
TOKYO - Resource-poor Japan just discovered a new source of mineral wealth -- sewage.
A sewage treatment facility in central Japan has recorded a higher gold yield from sludge than can be
found at some of the world's best mines. An official in Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, said the
high percentage of gold found at the Suwa facility was probably due to the large number of precision
7
equipment manufacturers in the vicinity that use the yellow metal. The facility recently recorded finding
1,890 grammes of gold per tonne of ash from incinerated sludge.
That is a far higher gold content than Japan's Hishikari Mine, one of the world's top gold mines, owned by
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd, which contains 20-40 grammes of the precious metal per tonne of ore.
The prefecture is so far due to receive 5 million yen ($55,810) for the gold, minus expenses.
It expects to earn about 15 million yen for the fiscal year to the end of March from the gold it has retrieved
from the ashes of incinerated sludge.
"How much we actually receive will depend on gold prices at the time," the official said.
Some gold industry officials expect prices this year to top the all-time high above $1,030 per ounce set in
2008, on buying by investors worried about the deepening economic downturn.
(Editing by Hugh Lawson)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51424
Planetark.com | Nichola Groom | February 2, 2009
VantagePoint Has Over $1 Bln For Green Startups
DAVOS - Silicon Valley venture capital firm VantagePoint Venture Partners will invest more than $1 billion
in green startups over the next 24 to 30 months, Managing Partner Alan Salzman said on Saturday.
"We are aggressively and actively investing," Salzman told Reuters at the annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll probably back 10 to 15 companies over the course of
2009."
VantagePoint, one of the biggest backers of early stage "cleantech" companies, has invested in an array
of startups including electric vehicle infrastructure company Better Place, solar thermal energy company
BrightSource Energy and electric car maker Tesla Motors.
For now, the firm is "well funded," Salzman said, in spite of a global economic downturn that led to a 71
percent drop in venture capital fund raising in the fourth quarter of 2008.
"I can't plead poverty at this point," Salzman said.
He pointed out, however, that the capital requirements of green energy companies are very large
compared to the technology and healthcare businesses that venture capitalists have traditionally helped
get off the ground.
"There is probably less than $10 billion available in the venture capital industry over the next 24 months
for cleantech projects," Salzman said, calling it "woefully underrepresented" relative to the burgeoning
industry's potential for growth.
"If you are going elephant hunting, you need an elephant gun. You don't go off with a .22 under your
arm," Salzman said. "You have to look at the capital needs relative to the scale of the projects you are
taking on."
(Editing by Simon Jessop)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51422
Planetark.com | Ben Hirschler and Jonathan Lynn | February 2, 2009
Push For Climate Deal As Obama Lifts Hopes
DAVOS - Denmark's prime minister called on rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in
greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of key year-end talks on a new climate treaty he will host in
Copenhagen.
Hopes that a deal may be possible have increased since the election of what many see as a "green" U.S.
president and business is increasingly enthusiastic about the opportunities thrown up by climate change.
"It is essential to engage heads of state and government stronger in the whole process to ensure a
positive result in Copenhagen," Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the annual meeting of the World Economic
Forum in Davos Friday.
Business leaders meeting in the Swiss ski resort this week have called on governments to create
certainty on the climate issue, so they can plan for the future.
"What I hear business leaders here in Davos say is: We want clarity from governments on where they
intend to go with climate change. We need a clear investment perspective," the U.N.'s top climate official,
Yvo de Boer, told Reuters.
In a statement released Thursday, the forum said clean energy investment needs to more than triple to
$515 billion a year to stop planet-warming emissions reaching levels deemed unsustainable by scientists.
8
This changing business environment would create opportunities for firms, said Royal Dutch Shell Chief
Executive Jeroen van der Veer.
"This is the best opportunity that could come for Shell because we claim to be good at technology, we
have an international mindset, we can invest in it and we happen to know something about it," he said.
However, some have warned the temptation is to switch to cheap, polluting fuels, notably coal, in times of
economic hardship and there was a risk that would offset the effects of lower industrial energy use.
"It's bad news for the long term. Many renewable, nuclear and efficiency projects are being postponed,"
said Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, which advises 28 industrialized
nations.
"The long-term impact is that emissions will go up if governments don't do something," he told Reuters.
OPTIMISM
European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs agreed that recession potentially made it difficult to
push through the EU's ambitious environmental plans, and could complicate the process of getting a deal
in Copenhagen this year, but said events this month had made him feel more optimistic.
The European Commission this week announced funding on carbon capture and storage and, in addition
to the boost provided by Obama's backing for the environment, he said more unlikely supporters had
included Russia and China.
"I am optimistic about what I have heard from leaders... There is a new chance for green growth. It is
important to see the silver lining," he told Reuters.
Rasmussen said world leaders should agree on a long-term goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by
50 percent by 2050, with industrialized countries cutting by 80 percent.
By 2020 -- a timeframe more relevant to political cycles -- the rich world should cut by 30 percent versus
1990 levels and developing countries by 15-30 percent against current trends, he said.
Leading industrial nations agreed at a G8 summit in Japan last July to a "vision" of cutting world
emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050. The European Union wants all developed
countries to cut greenhouse gases by 25 to 40 percent by 2020.
"READY TO LEAD"
Valerie Jarrett, President Obama's adviser on intergovernmental relations, earlier told the Davos meeting
that the United States was "ready to lead" in the fight against global warming, which threatens droughts,
floods, disease and rising seas.
That has raised hopes among those pushing for action.
"For the last eight years a few countries have been hiding behind the U.S.," said Steve Howard, head of
Britain's The Climate Group, a non-profit group working to combat climate change.
"Now there is no place to hide because the U.S. is assuming a leadership position, so the politics took a
fundamental shift."
The recession now gripping the world is set to slow industrial emissions in coming years, which could dim
pressure to commit to cutbacks and divert attention from the issue.
Some economists estimate emissions fell 35 percent in the great depression of the 1930s, and might do
so again.
But de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said countries
from the United States to the European Union to China had been announcing plans and targets since the
crisis broke.
(Editing by Simon Jessop)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51416
Planetark.com | Nina Chestney | February 2, 2009
Waste Could Be Crucial In Search For Cleaner Fuels
LONDON - What we throw away could soon be used to power our cars, if projects to produce ethanol
from commercial waste are ramped up.
Some companies are exploring the environmental and financial benefits of putting waste to good use and
are developing technology to produce bioethanol.
Magazine paper company UPM Kymmene and renewable fuel supplier Lassila & Tikanoja are currently
running pilot tests to produce bioethanol from the pulp-based waste created by the paper industry.
"We will start discussions with the European Union over investment support in February and hope to
make a decision on a full-scale plant by the end of the year," Lassi Heitanen, senior expert at Lassila &
Tikanoja, told Reuters.
By developing waste processing units, Finnish energy company St1 Oy's biofuel division hopes to
produce 70 million litres a year of bioethanol by the end of 2011.
9
Industrial and household waste is vastly under-utilised and is usually burned or disposed of in a landfill.
Decaying waste can generate methane which is even more harmful to the environment than carbon
dioxide.
Using it to produce a cleaner type of fuel could also help reach EU's target that 10 percent of the bloc'
transport fuel should come from renewable sources by 2020.
Ethanol burns with a greater efficiency than gasoline, thereby emitting less carbon dioxide. The world
produced 52 billion litres of ethanol in 2007, mostly in the United States and Brazil.
In a similar move to use waste efficiently, British renewable energy company New Earth Energy has
partnered with waste management group Biossence to generate renewable energy in the northwest of the
UK.
They want to use household and industrial waste as an energy source at two plants in the northwest of
the country by 2010.
(Editing by James Jukwey)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51417
Planetark.com | Matthew Robinson and Richard Valdmanis | February 2, 2009
Oil Price Slump A Challenge To Obama Energy
Agenda
NEW YORK - A slide in oil prices may be good for consumers battered by the U.S. economic slowdown,
but it could pose a challenge for President Barack Obama's ambitious plan to revolutionize America's
energy use.
Obama's plan -- outlined during the campaign last year when oil prices hit a record $147 a barrel -- calls
for doubling U.S. alternative energy use within three years while easing reliance on foreign oil.
Oil prices have tumbled to around $40 a barrel, easing the urgency to solve America's energy crisis.
Analysts now say bigger government subsidies will be needed to lure private investment into less
economical green fuel projects.
"Low oil prices are a very real danger because they do make alternative energy less commercially viable,"
said Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover.
"We need the government to subsidize solar, wind, ethanol, etc. to make them commercially viable
enough to survive this price environment."
The slowing economy has already started to take a toll on alternative energy projects that looked
promising in 2008 when oil costs were soaring.
U.S. wind power capacity in 2008 grew by its fastest rate ever, but development slowed to a trickle late in
2008 as the credit crunch hit. Several ethanol plants have been closed as profits turned to losses with
falling oil prices and volatile prices for corn, the main feedstock for U.S. ethanol.
"The problem is that financing has dried up, so the best thing that Washington can do -- and this is being
discussed as part of the stimulus debate -- is to provide direct financing support," said Pavel Molchanov,
analyst for Raymond James and Associates.
Green energy advocates said steps taken so far as part of the economic stimulus package look
promising.
The Senate Finance Committee this week approved $31 billion in tax credits and financial incentives to
boost alternative energy supplies and promote conservation.
The plan includes most of the $20 billion in energy tax breaks cleared last week by the House Ways and
Means Committee, plus more incentives to help alternative energy companies.
"If your company doesn't qualify for the tax credit you would be eligible for a grant program," said
Molchanov. "Hopefully that will be in the final recovery package."
Still, analysts worry the price drop could send Americans back to their wasteful tendencies, after high
prices at the pump encouraged consumers to drive less and turn in their trucks and SUVs for more fuelefficient vehicles.
"We're already seeing some shift backward as a result of lower oil prices, with movement back toward
SUVs and away from hybrids," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch & Associates.
"The push toward renewable fuels has been lessened."
Other analysts argued that while the economics of alternative energy projects may be depressed by the
drop in oil, lower crude prices will not last forever.
Crude demand -- and prices -- are expected to pick up once the economy starts to rebound.
10
"It's bad now because prices are low but I don't think there's a forecaster who doesn't think prices are
going to go back up," said Sarah Emerson, director of Energy Security Analysis Inc (ESAI). "By the time
all of this is implemented prices will be back up at $60 or $80 anyway."
In addition, the drop in prices could give the Obama administration some breathing room to develop his
energy plan.
"Lower oil prices are giving us a period of less urgency in which we can make a well-though out transition
from traditional energy to different forms of energy," said Beutel.
"All the lower prices have done is take the loaded gun away from our temples and place it on the table in
front of us. But the gun is still loaded."
(Editing by David Gregorio)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51420
February 3
Timestranscript.com | Gwynne Dyer | February 3, 2009
Climate change: focus on what really matters
World Affairs
The biggest "environmental" issue in Britain for the past year has been the plan to build a third runway
at London's Heathrow airport. The growth of air travel, the protesters claim, is a major cause of global
warming, and John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK, predicted that Heathrow would become "the
battlefield of our generation." So the protesters contacted Jim Hansen, one of the world's leading
climate scientists, to back their campaign.
They assumed that Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York,
would back their campaign, for last year he helped to defend six British protesters charged with criminal
damage after occupying a coal-fired power station in Kent. To the obvious astonishment of the Heathrow
protesters, he refused.
Hansen resisted several attempts by President Bush to silence him during the Great Darkness, and
recently wrote an open letter to Barack Obama warning him that he must act decisively on climate change
in his first term. Nor does he deny that planes flying through the stratosphere contribute to global
warming.
He just insists on a sense of proportion -- and he does not think that devoting the energies of the entire
British environmental movement to preventing a third runway at Heathrow is a productive use of its time.
"Coal is 80 per cent of the planet's problems," he said in an interview with The Observer. "You have to
keep your eye on the ball and not waste your efforts. The number one enemy is coal and we should not
forget that."
All fossil fuels are a problem, for they all release carbon dioxide that was buried underground long ago
back into the atmosphere, but coal is by far the worst. A coal-fired generating plant emits twice as much
carbon dioxide as a gas-fired plant that produces the same amount of electricity.
That is where the big cuts must be made soon if we are to escape grave consequences, and going after
aviation emissions now is only a fashionable distraction.
So why do people do it? For the same reason that they think that changing the kind of light-bulbs they use
and driving more fuel-efficient cars will save us from really destructive climate change. Those are bitesized chunks of the problem that seem relatively easy to tackle, whereas the real work of changing the
way the human race generates its energy seems too big to contemplate. Especially since so-called "clean
coal" is probably a mirage.
The technology for capturing and burying the carbon dioxide produced by burning coal does exist, but it
has never been tested at one-hundredth of the scale that would be needed to cope with the emissions of
a typical 500-megawatt power station.
Why? Maybe because the coal industry secretly suspects that the economics of the operation would be
prohibitive, and would rather not know for sure.
But after we have stopped burning coal and gas to generate electricity, and after we have even replaced
oil for most purposes, we will eventually have to deal with aviation's contribution to global warming, for by
then it will constitute a significant part of the remaining problem.
Happily, there is a solution.
The major problem with airliners is not the carbon dioxide they produce as they fly -- and in any case, that
can be solved just by substituting some bio-fuel with a high enough energy content. Several such fuels
are being experimented with now, and will almost certainly be commercially available in 10 or 15 years.
11
The real issue -- three or four times bigger than the CO2 problem, by most estimates -- is the water
vapour that high-flying airliners dump into the stratosphere, which turns into persistent high-altitude
clouds that reflect heat back to the surface and contribute to global warming.
The solution to that, obviously, is to fly lower than 27,000 feet (8,000 m), down in the weather, where the
water vapour turns harmlessly into rain. But that means smaller wings, because the air is denser down
there, and smaller wings mean longer take-off and landing runs. Flying in the troposphere also means
constant turbulence and a lot of air-sickness bags.
But there is a single technology that would solve all of these problems at once.
"If you go to something called circulation control," explains Dennis Bushnell, the chief scientist at NASA's
Langley Research Center, "which is to bleed the engines and inject air backwards at the upper trailing
edge of the wing, you can produce lift coefficients which are easily three or four times what we can get
out of conventional wings."
That means very short take-offs and landings, so short that existing runways could accommodate several
aircraft at once.
And the same circulation control system, used in flight, has "such tremendous control authority" that it can
counter the bumps that are normally part of flying down in the weather and produce a smooth ride.
Problem solved -- in 15 or 20 years, when that technology is incorporated into the civil airliner fleet and
aviation-grade biofuels are available. Even Heathrow's third-runway problem would be solved at that
point, since far more aircraft could use the existing two.
Climate change is a problem caused by technology, and most of the potential solutions are also
technological.
Aviation is a small part of the problem, and the solutions will be along in a while. Concentrate on closing
down the coal-fired power stations and we may get through this without too many casualties.
n Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/559462
News.bbc.co | Richard Black | February 3, 2009
Water - another global 'crisis'?
Sharper, more intense rains may reduce the water available to farmers
If you look at the numbers, it is hard to see how many East African communities made it through the long
drought of 2005 and 2006.
Among people who study human development, it is a widely-held view that each person needs about 20
litres of water each day for the basics - to drink, cook and wash sufficiently to avoid disease transmission.
Yet at the height of the East African drought, people were getting by on less than five litres a day - in
some cases, less than one litre a day, enough for just three glasses of drinking water and nothing left
over.
Some people, perhaps incredibly from a western vantage point, are hardy enough to survive in these
conditions; but it is not a recipe for a society that is healthy and developing enough to break out of
poverty.
"Obviously there are many drivers of human development," says the UN's Andrew Hudson.
"But water is the most important."
At the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where Dr Hudson works as principal technical
advisor to the water governance programme, he calculated the contribution that various factors make to
the Human Development Index, a measure of how societies are doing socially and economically.
"It was striking. I looked at access to energy, spending on health, spending on education - and by far the
strongest driver of the HDI on a global scale was access to water and sanitation."
Different lives
Two key questions arise, then.
Why do some communities have so little access to water? And how will the current picture change in a
world where the human population is growing, where societies are urbanising and industrialising, and
where climate change may alter the raw availability of water significantly?
The UNDP is unequivocal about the first question.
"The availability of water is a concern for some countries," says the report.
"But the scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality, not in
physical availability."
Statistics on water consumption appear to back the UN's case.
Japan and Cambodia experience about the same average rainfall - about 160cm per year.
But whereas the average Japanese person can use nearly 400 litres per day, the average Cambodian
must make do with about one-tenth of that.
The picture is improving to some extent.
12
Across the world, 1.6bn more people have access to clean drinking water than in 1990.
But population growth and climatic changes could change the picture.
In some regions, "the scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis" could become one of physical
availability, especially in places where consumption is already unsustainably high.
"There are several rivers that don't reach the sea any more," says Mark Smith, head of the water
programme at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"The Yellow River is one, the Murray-Darling (in Australia) is nearly another - they have to dredge the
mouth of the river every year to make sure it doesn't dry up.
"The Aral Sea and Lake Chad have shrunk because the rivers that feed them have been largely dried out;
and you can see it on a smaller scale as well, where streams that are important for small communities in
Tanzania may go dry for half the year, largely because people are taking more and more water for
irrigating crops."
Wet and dry
Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) took an in-depth look at how the raw
availability of water might alter in the future as climatic patterns change.
Its projections are derived from computer models of the Earth's hugely complex climate system, and as
such are far from being firm forecasts.
A warmer climate overall means a wetter climate; warmer air can hold more moisture.
But weather patterns are likely to shift, meaning that water will be deposited in different places with a
different pattern in time.
"In general we see drying in the sub-tropics and mid-latitudes, from southern Europe across to
Kazakhstan and from North Africa to Iran," recounts Martin Parry, who as co-chair of the IPCC's working
group on climate impacts oversaw the water report's compilation.
"And the drying extends westwards into Central America. And there are equivalents in the southern
hemisphere - southern Africa, Australia."
In some populated parts of North Africa and Central Asia, he says, people may struggle simply to get
enough to drink.
Other areas, meanwhile, are projected to receive more rain - considerably more, in some cases.
The question then is whether societies can make use of it.
"If you look at India, Bangladesh and Burma, there are indications of an increase in water availability,"
says Professor Parry.
"But when you look in more detail you see that monsoonal precipitation will become more intense - there'll
be a heavier downpour but over fewer days - so you might just end up with more runoff, which could
actually mean less availability of water to the community."
Thirsty work
A changing climate is only one of the factors likely to affect the amount of water at each person's disposal
in future.
A more populated world - and there could be another 2.5 billion people on the planet by 2050 - is likely to
be a thirstier world.
Those extra people will need feeding; and as agriculture accounts for about 70% of water use around the
world, extra consumption for growing food is likely to reduce the amount available for those basic needs
of drinking, cooking and washing.
Industry can also take water that would otherwise have ended up in peoples' mouths.
On the other hand, as a society industrialises it tends to become less reliant on farming - which could, in
principle, reduce overall demand.
It is a tremendously complex picture; and forecasting its impacts makes simple climate modelling look a
trivial task by comparison.
Researchers at the University of Kassel in Germany, led by Martina Floerke, have attempted it.
Their projections suggest that some regions are likely to see drastic declines in the amount of water
available for personal use - and for intriguing reasons.
"The principal cause of decreasing water stress (where it occurs) is the greater availability of water due to
increased annual precipitation related to climate change," they conclude.
"The principal cause of increasing water stress is growing water withdrawals, and the most important
factor for this increase is the growth of domestic water use stimulated by income growth."
The modelling suggests that by the 2050s, as many as six billion people could face water scarcity
(defined as less than 1,000 cubic metres per person per year), depending, most importantly, on how
societies develop - a significant increase on previous estimates.
Ideas pipeline
The irony is that the richer societies are the ones most likely to be able to adapt to these changes perhaps relatively easily.
13
A century ago, a 500km-long pipeline was built to bring water from the Western Australian coast to the
parched inland goldfields around Kalgoorlie; the economics of gold made it viable.
Now that the coastal capital Perth is drying out, there is talk of building an even longer pipeline to bring
water from the north of the state.
The state recently acquired a desalination plant - an effective, but expensive, way of increasing the raw
supply of clean water. A number of Middle Eastern countries are doing the same; it is even being
contemplated near London.
Rivers can be diverted huge distances, as China is contemplating. Spain and Cyprus can take water
deliveries by ship.
But can all societies afford such measures?
In any case, is adaptation possible to some of the really big projected changes, such as the rapid
shrinking of Himalayan glaciers which may lose four-fifths of their area by 2030, removing what is
effectively a huge natural reservoir storing water for more than a billion people?
"In principle you could do it, if you're equipped to do the engineering," says Mark Smith.
"But societies are going to have to get much better at deciding how they're going to use their water.
"And very often, in developing countries where institutions are not well established, decisions are made in
a very ad-hoc way - someone says 'yes let's use this much for irrigation' but you're already using that
much for a sugar mill, and before you know it you've allocated more than you actually have."
Two years ago I stood in a forest clearing in the west of the Amazon basin talking to researchers studying
the deforestation and fires that are an increasing plague in the region.
They told me that some villages around there were experiencing water shortages.
How can that happen, I asked incredulously, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, in one of the most
luxuriously verdant places on Earth?
What had brought the shortages was a combination of increased human settlement, deforestation, and a
drying of some streams, possibly related to climate change.
If even the Amazon can feel these pressures, it is difficult not to think that the same picture will be played
out in much starker and possibly much messier colours in parts of the world that are already feeling the
heat of dwindling supplies and growing needs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7865603.stm
Timestranscript.com | February 3, 2009
New version of Google Earth allows exploration of
oceans
Halifax company among the organizations providing a look at ocean terrain
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. yesterday launched a new version of Google Earth that allows users to
explore the oceans, view images of Mars and watch regions of the Earth change over time.
The new features mark a significant upgrade to Google Earth, a popular software program that provides
access to the world's geographical information through digital maps, satellite imagery and the company's
search tools.
Google Earth 5.0 was unveiled at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, where former
U.S. vice-president Al Gore, singer Jimmy Buffet and others spoke about its capacity to educate the
public about global warming, ocean acidification and other threats to the planet.
"This is an extremely powerful educational tool," said Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work
raising awareness about climate change. "One of my fondest hopes is that people around the world will
use Google Earth to see for themselves the reality of what's happening because of the climate crisis."
Google Earth has been downloaded more than 500 million times since it was launched in 2005. The
software is available for free on Google's website. Researchers and organizations can purchase a more
powerful version for $400.
John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps, said the idea of adding oceans came three years ago
when a scientist pointed out that the software was missing the water that covers almost three-quarters of
the Earth's surface.
Google Earth users can now plunge beneath the ocean's surface, explore three-dimensional images of
the underwater terrain and view articles and videos about marine science contributed by scientists and
organizations such as the National Geographic Society.
The Historical Imagery feature lets users see archive satellite images of individual locations to see how
the region has evolved over time as a result of climate change and other forces. For example, viewers
can observe how the largest glacier in Glacier National Park has melted over the past decade.
14
With Google Mars 3-D, users can view three-dimensional, satellite imagery of the red planet taken during
NASA space expeditions.
A Halifax company is among the organizations that are providing a look at ocean terrain. Eco-Nova
Productions Ltd. produces underwater television documentaries of shipwrecks from around the planet.
Users who click on the shipwrecks tab in the ocean layer of Google Earth are taken to sites that have
been explored by Eco-Nova Productions and are able to view videos and other content generated by the
company.
"With this latest version of Google Earth ... you can now dive into the world's oceans that cover almost
three-quarters of the planet and discover new wonders," Gore said in a statement.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/559655
Ottawacitizen.com | Bethany Guenther | February 3, 2009
Idling excessively
In preparing for a graduate class on theories of environment, I had spent a great deal of time this
weekend reading depressing statistics about our careless environmental destruction.
I noticed that my downtown street was lined with huge semi-trucks, all with engines idling. After about 45
minutes, I went outside and had a chat with one of the drivers who informed me that the trucks were
waiting to remove snow, but that they had to wait for the tow trucks to remove the cars obstructing them.
OK. So huge (emission-causing) trucks are brought in to remove snow to make driving (emissioncausing) cars easier, yet the drivers of said cars cannot be bothered to move the cars, so (emissioncausing) tow trucks have to be brought in to remove the cars, whose owners will then have to take
(emission-causing) taxis to pick them up. And all the while, these immense trucks sit idling their engines.
It might be good for us to remember that our actions do have consequences to the environment.
Emissions lead to greenhouse gases and global warming. We all know that.
A one- to two-degree increase in global temperature will result in a 25-per-cent decrease in world food
supplies. We should all know that.
We should also consider that such a decrease in food would not likely affect those of us who can afford to
own cars, but rather the global poor -- such as those living in countries that export cash crops, like tulips,
because they cannot afford to grow food crops for their own populations.
It might seem like a small thing for people to move their cars out of the way of the snow plows, or for the
city to direct their truck drivers to turn off their engines, but considering the inter-connectedness of our
planet, these small exercises of responsibility are necessary, and even moral.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Idling+excessively/1246511/story.html
Planetark.com | Nicole Maestri | February 3, 2009
Wal-Mart Testing New Hybrid Trucks For Its Fleet
NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that it will test two new types of hybrid trucks and two
types of trucks powered by alternative fuels as the world's largest retailer tries to make its trucking fleet
more efficient.
Wal-Mart said it is working with suppliers, including ArvinMeritor and Peterbilt, to develop and test the
new technologies.
Wal-Mart has one of the largest private trucking fleets in the world, and vowed in 2005 to make its
trucking fleet 25 percent more efficient by the end of 2008. It said the latest tests are an effort to double
its fleet efficiency by 2015, from its 2005 baseline.
As part of the pilot program, Wal-Mart said 15 trucks operating in one of its distribution centers near
Phoenix will be converted to run on Reclaimed Grease Fuel made with the cooking grease from its stores.
At a distribution center in Southern California, Wal-Mart said it will test Peterbilt trucks that operate on
liquid natural gas.
Wal-Mart is also testing a diesel-electric hybrid truck developed by ArvinMeritor, and a Peterbilt heavy
duty hybrid truck that uses a diesel-electric hybrid power system developed by Eaton Corp and Paccar
Inc.
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51442
15
Planetark.com | Sujoy Dhar | February 3, 2009
Rising Sea Salinates India's Ganges: Expert
KOLKATA - Rising sea levels are causing salt water to flow into India's biggest river, threatening its
ecosystem and turning vast farmlands barren in the country's east, a climate change expert warned
Monday.
A study by an east Indian university in the city of Kolkata revealed surprising growth of mangroves on the
Ganges river, said Pranabes Sanyal, the eastern India representative of the National Coastal Zone
Management Authority (NCZMA).
"This phenomenon is called extension of salt wedge and it will salinate the groundwater of Kolkata and
turn agricultural lands barren in adjoining rural belts," said Sanyal, an expert in global warming.
Sea levels in some parts of the Bay of Bengal were rising at 3.14 mm annually against a global average
of 2 mm, threatening the low-lying areas of eastern India.
Climate experts warned last year that as temperatures rise, the Indian subcontinent -- home to about onesixth of humanity -- will be badly hit with more frequent and more severe natural disasters such as floods
and storms and more disease and hunger.
Sanyal and the department of Oceanography at the Kolkata-based Jadavpur University spotted the
mangrove plants, a rare phenomenon along the Ganges river belt, where east India's biggest city of
Kolkata with 12 million people lies.
"We were surprised over the natural regeneration of mangroves along the river bank in Kolkata and it is
worrisome," said Sanyal, who teaches in the university.
Mangroves are more typically found 100 km (60 miles) away in the swampy Sundarban archipelago
spread over a 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq mile) area on the world's largest delta region.
The university said the sea had once extended up to the northern fringe of Kolkata.
"We fear what happened 6,500 years ago might recur and we have already spotted more saline water fish
in the river," he said.
However M.L. Meena, a senior environment department official in West Bengal state, of which Kokata is
the capital, said: "We don't think there is cause for immediate concern."
(Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Jerry Norton)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51435
Planetark.com | Martin Roberts | February 3, 2009
Spain Wind Power Firms See Steady Growth In 2009
MADRID - Spanish wind power companies in the world's third-largest producer expect steady growth in
capacity this year despite the credit crunch due to long-term investments, an industry spokesman said on
Monday.
Wind power business group AEE tallied 16,740 megawatts in installed capacity in Spain at the end of
2008, a rise of 1,609 MW for the year.
"We expect a similar amount (of growth) this year," AEE president Jose Donoso said at a news
conference.
"The situation could be tough for speculative firms with a temporary view, but we have always said that
this business is for long-distance runners, and they are the ones that will survive."
Donoso said Spain's wind farms were on track to meet a government target of 20,000 MW in capacity by
2010.
Last year's increase in capacity was slower than a jump of 3,508 MW in 2007, when producers rushed to
install new generators before the government cut subsidies.
The biggest producer of wind power in Spain is Iberdrola, with 27 percent of capacity, followed by
Acciona on 16 percent and Endesa with 10 percent.
Wind power has boomed in recent years in Spain -- the world's biggest producer after the United States
and Germany -- as the government has sought to reduce heavy dependence on expensive fuel imports
and to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which are far above Kyoto protocol limits.
Wind parks in Spain are entitled to receive a premium above the wholesale pool price, which is designed
to gradually make them competitive with conventional energy.
AEE expects premiums to wind producers this year to rise to about 1.3 billion euros ($1.66 billion) from
1.1 billion last year.
Wind farms installed before January 1, 2008, are entitled to a premium of 40 euros per megawatt-hour
until the end of 2012, whereas those that went online afterwards may receive a maximum of 82/MWh.
16
AEE has said its members can sell 1,000 MW of power to the pool at an average discount of 2
euros/MWh to the pool, and that the total savings outweigh the premiums they receive.
Apart from the credit crunch, Donoso said the sector faced challenges from a lack of connection points to
the national grid and uncertainty over what will happen after a subsidy scheme affecting most installations
expires in 2013.
"When a decision is taken on the new repayment scheme, we would rather the debate didn't just focus on
the tariff deficit, but on our contribution to the balance of payments," he said.
The tariff deficit refers to an estimate by energy watchdog CNE of the gap between generating costs and
the regulated rate at which utilities have to sell most of their power.
Utilities are allowed to recoup the deficit by deferring it to clients' bills in the future. The deficit has
ballooned in recent years and led to a heated debate, but the government and utilities are currently
discussing ways to cut it.
(Reporting by Martin Roberts)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://planetark.org/wen/51441
February 4
Canadaeast.com | Roberta Clowater | February 4, 2009
New crown forest management plan a step backwards
for New Brunswick environment and industry
GUEST COLUMN — The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is extremely disappointed
with the New Brunswick government's announcement today of a new direction for public forest
management and is calling on government to make changes.
This direction is a step backwards for the environment and for the future of New Brunswick's forest
products in the market place. It's out of line with the direction of every other jurisdiction in Canada to
improve forest conservation. It's also out of step with the changes we need in forest management to
address climate change. says .
Unless the strategy is changed, it will lead to a decrease in the amount of forests that are conserved. It
will also lead to a significant loss of old forests and a 45 per cent reduction in forests managed for wildlife
habitat.
Under the strategy, tree plantations will increase from 8 per cent to over one-quarter of the forest — well
above the upper limit considered safe by conservation scientists for preserving biodiversity.
The government appears to have rejected the strong environmental values expressed by a large
proportion of the public during recent consultations. If we are going to conserve biodiversity in New
Brunswick, we need to create a comprehensive network of protected areas - comprising more than 10 per
cent of the public forest.
The government's vague goal of raising the amount of protected forest from four to six and eight per cent
of the province continues to place New Brunswick behind the rest of Canada.
CPAWS wants to work with industry to reverse this unfortunate decision by government. Our aim is to
work with government and industry to conserve our forests and ensure a stable footing for our province's
products in the marketplace. This new forest management strategy will not help us achieve these goals.
Less than 3.5 per cent of New Brunswick is permanently protected, placing it dead last among Canada's
provinces. The proportion of New Brunswick forests certified under the Forest Stewardship Council — the
international gold standard in recognizing responsibly managed forests — is second to last in Canada.
CPAWS' goal is that Canada will protect biodiversity in its eastern woodlands, covering New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario, through creation of a comprehensive network of protected areas and
carefully managed industrial activities.
Roberta Clowater
http://miramichileader.canadaeast.com/search/article/560432
Planetark.org | Laura MacInnis | February 4, 2009
Defiant Argentine Glacier Thrives Despite Warming
LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK - Climate change appears to be helping Argentina's mighty Perito
Moreno glacier, which is thriving in defiance of the global warming that is shrinking its peers.
17
While most of the world's glaciers are melting away because of warmer temperatures, scientists say the
Perito Moreno ice field, known as "The White Giant", is gaining as much as 3 meters (10 feet) a day in
some parts, pushed forward by heavy snowfalls in the Patagonia region.
"Glaciers don't respond solely to temperature changes," said Martin Stuefer, a Patagonian expert from the
University of Alaska Fairbanks.
He said the area's heavy precipitation has apparently increased along with the world's recent climatic
shifts, combining with strong, cold Patagonian winds to reinforce the glacier.
"Climate change is not the same everywhere," Stuefer said by telephone from Alaska.
The creaking Perito Moreno is one of the largest glaciers in South America and by far the most famous
because it is so accessible to tourists despite its location about 3,000 km (1,900 miles) southwest of
Buenos Aires.
Visitors crowd onto boats and viewing platforms to see the 30 km-long (18 mile-long) glacier noisily hurl
huge blocks of blue-tinged ice into Lake Argentino.
Scientists say nearly 90 percent of the glaciers in Antarctica and Patagonia -- at the southern tip of South
America -- are melting quickly. The same is happening in the Arctic, the Andes, the Alps, the Himalayas
and elsewhere in response to climate change linked to human activity.
The average melting rate of the world's mountain glaciers has doubled since the year 2000, the U.N.
Environment Programme and the World Glacier Monitoring Service said in a recent report.
Melting glaciers threaten to cause rising sea levels and dry up steady sources of fresh water that people
now depend on for farming, drinking and even hydropower.
But glaciers are also affected by other factors such as snowfalls, winds, altitude and shade, and the
Perito Moreno is among the few resisting the broad trend.
"A small percentage seems to be doing strange things," David Vaughan, a British Antarctic Survey
glaciologist and member of the United Nations climate panel, said by telephone from a field mission in
Antarctica. "The odd 13 percent are either stable or advancing a little."
There are limits to the Perito Moreno's aggressive advance, however. It periodically reaches as far
forward as it can toward the Magallanes Peninsula and then sheds a large section of its front in a
spectacular phenomena known as "la ruptura," or the rupture.
More than 190 governments have agreed to work out by the end of 2009 a new U.N. treaty to rein in fossil
fuel emissions and slow global warming, fearing that rising seas could swamp low-lying islands or flood
coastal cities from Amsterdam to Sydney.
(Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Kieran Murray)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51455
Bloomberg.com | Todd White | February 4, 2009
California Farms May Die With Changing Climate, Chu
Tells Times
Water shortages triggered by climate change may be severe enough by 2100 to put Californian farms out
of business unless global warming is stemmed, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing U.S. Energy
Secretary Steven Chu.
In his first media interview since taking the job under President Barack Obama, the Nobel-prize winning
physicist said public awareness is lacking, in the report published today. ``I don't think the American
public has gripped in its gut what could happen,'' Chu said.
The new administration's priorities for curbing global warming include public education, billions of dollars
for alternative-energy research and infrastructure, requirements that green energy be bought by utilities,
and a cap-and-trade law to limit greenhouse-gas emissions, the report said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a1.MVWcWjASg
February 5
18
Canadaeast.com | Beth McLaughlin | February 5, 2009
Living in harmony with the environment
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Our childhood relationship with a corner of the wild (a vacant lot in an urban setting, the old camp beside
the river where your family spent Sundays, a tiny piece of the seashore) is what prompts us to stand up
for our environment later on.
Children are losing touch with nature, as the book "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from
Nature Deficit Disorder" (2005) describes.
Just how do we treat our habitat when we have no bond with it or worse, fear it? Need we be reminded
that our ties to the Earth include food and ultimately, cars, paper, clothes, plastics, water and air. Did you
know that deforestation is also one of the main causes of climate change? A cornerstone of the healthy
community includes greening the community and living within the limits of the environment.
The healing properties of nature include its ability to deal with pollutants. Moncton's vision exercise of two
years ago recommended "more trees, more trees." But we also know that we've exceeded nature's
cleansing capacity by the level of nitrates in our rivers, cosmetic pesticides in our bays, car fumes, boil
orders, acid rain, and by the hole in the ozone layer. Throw in "cumulative effects" of these pollutants (the
use of chemicals became widespread after the Second World War -- 60 years and counting), and it
becomes obvious that our accepted practices cannot remain the same.
Restoring natural processes
Ian McHarg, landscape architect and urban planner, founder of the Department of Landscape
Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, outlined eight natural processes and their roles in nature in
his landmark book, "Design with Nature" (1969). Most apply to Metro Moncton: the role of surface waters,
marshes, aquifers, quality agricultural lands, forests, woodlands and steep hills. Sorry -- no room to
explain here! McHarg stated that the city should be considered an ecosystem, and problems should be
approached using this basic idea.
McHarg viewed the city through urban planning eyes, fortified with the roles of nature. His insights
included dealing with smog, that phenomenon of low-lying pollutants, using "air corridors," small forests
planted where strong breezes or winds predominate. A second benefit of "air corridors" is the humidity
and modifying temperatures provided by those urban forests.
McHarg's third recommendation was to use full cost accounting methods, from extraction to landfill, to
compare the long term value of what we could lose (for example, agricultural lands) to what we could gain
(for example, housing). He also noted these costs usually fall on the public sector while the profits go to
the private domain.
Greening and energy use
Reducing the "heat island effect" of the city by greening lowers air conditioning needs, conserving
summer energy use, while absorbing CO2, and improving water drainage. Nature's services include
pollution absorption, flood and erosion control and protection against damaging ultraviolet light.
In an inventory of Canadian energy assets, Torrie Smith and Associates (Ottawa) concluded that simply
through energy efficiency and conservation, a 50 per cent reduction of energy use is possible over 25
years (by 2030), thereby also rendering companies more competitive!
For cleaner air, a city plan whose objective is to reduce energy use includes improved construction
standards for energy efficiency, less car dependency and better public transport. Investment in local
renewable energies (district heating, geothermal, mini-hydro: the latter two developed and manufactured
in New Brunswick). These, along with wind and solar will yield long term returns of cleaner air: long-term
solutions, where the fuel is free and there are no or few waste byproducts.
Greening strategies: Water
". . . We're actually losing water from the hydrological cycle because rain has to catch something green
that can sweat it back into the cycle. It's called transpiration, and we're losing so much plant life to clearcutting, drought and deforestation, the water (molecule) is simply breaking apart and blowing away."
(Maude Barlow, 2008).
Strategies to restore city ecology include planting fruit trees, flowers and herbs. Implement a policy of
using indigenous plants requiring little care, rather than exotic species. Simple projects like installing a
rain barrel reduce pressures on drinking water reserves (and our pocketbooks) for watering gardens.
Sustainable Bathurst organized a rain barrel project several years ago. The Conservation Co-op in
Ottawa collects grey waters (sink, shower and bath) to reuse for garden irrigation. Green roofs absorb
water, reduce the cost of drainage systems and air conditioners, saving heating.
Urban brooks, ponds and marshes are often neglected, filled in or covered over (piped). Sound familiar?
Their protection and restoration revitalize neighbourhoods. Our linear path along the Petitcodiac is a
shining example! Public discussion promotes stewardship and creates new procedures and goals and
how to implement them.
19
Land policies
What else can we do? Community Gardens are great places to make new friends, trade surplus food.
Moncton has had two such gardens, one on the U de Moncton campus, the other near Rocky Stone
Field. Post-Carbon Moncton, a local group, is working on urban food production amongst other projects.
The Nature Trust of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Community Land Trust and the Nature
Conservancy of Canada are groups to which owners can deed over some (or all) of their land to be
looked after in perpetuity. The land is preserved for a park, a garden or farm.
(Next week: Community Culture)
n Beth McLaughlin, of Moncton, has a Master's in Environmental Studies and is a retired teacher. Her
series will appear in this space every Wednesday.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/562282
Canadaeast.com | Megan de Graaf | February 5, 2009
Letters | Province's new forest plan is dangerous
On Friday, Premier Graham revealed the provincial government's new forest management plan. Although
this plan was touted as being a "balanced approach," only industry representatives were smiling.
The new plan will nearly triple the area available for plantations (from the present 10 to 28 per cent). N.B.
scientists recommend plantations not exceed 15 per cent of the land-base.
This means that herbicide applications will also increase almost three-fold.
The new plan will decrease the amount of old forest from 45 to 31 per cent at a time when scientists tell
us that 40 per cent old forest is the survival threshold for species that depend on old forest habitats. The
new plan will also reduce the area of conservation forest.
This means the area of special wildlife habitat zones will be cut by at least half. These habitats are critical
to supporting wildlife populations.
The status quo management plan was scrapped because it was unsustainable (as evidenced by the 20 to
40 per cent reduction in hardwood annual allowable cut coming in 2012) and relied too heavily on a few
narrow markets.
This new plan is little different. There's the same reliance on a few softwood species, the same strangling
tenure system, and the refusal to plan for adaptation to climate change.
Demand for certified wood products is growing, but our provincial government chose to allot more public
forest to be managed by methods that are not certifiable by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The plan is neither smart nor sustainable.
MEGAN de GRAAF
Forest Ecologist, Conservation Council of New Brunswick
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/562392
Planetark.org | Daniel Fineren | February 5, 2009
UK Regulator Sets Tougher Green Energy Guidelines
LONDON - Britain's energy suppliers must abate carbon emissions by at least a tonne for every
residential customer signed up to "green" electricity tariffs under new guidelines set by energy regulator
Ofgem on Wednesday.
Suppliers in Britain are already obliged to produce some electricity from renewable sources, for which
they receive a subsidy.
Some have marketed "green" tariffs to environmentally-concerned customers, often at a premium to
standard price plans, without doing more to combat climate change than the legal minimum.
Britain's big six energy suppliers and green energy retailer Good Energy have signed up to the Ofgem
scheme which means they have to show environmental benefits, beyond those they are already required
to achieve, for each residential customer they sign up.
"Good Energy has been calling for more formal guidelines on green supply for several years to allow
customers to differentiate between genuine green tariffs and mere 'greenwash'," Good Energy founder
and CEO Juliet Davenport said.
Ofgem has now asked them to start work immediately on setting up an accreditation scheme that will
enable householders and small business customers to easily compare green offerings based on the
carbon emissions they reduce.
If the environmental measure is carbon offsetting, suppliers must pay for someone else to reduce their
emissions by at least one tonne a year for every household account and will have to offset more carbon
for small businesses, according to energy use.
20
Other environmental activities that could qualify include investments in community-based renewable
energy projects and suppliers helping improve energy efficiency.
Britain's biggest energy suppliers are Centrica, ScottishPower, RWE npower, EON UK Scottish and
Southern Energy and EDF Energy.
GREEN ANGER
Smaller independent green energy company Ecotricity, which aims to get about half of the electricity it
sells this year from renewable sources, has not signed up to the voluntary scheme which could mean it
makes less money from selling clean energy credits.
"In these guidelines Ofgem are accrediting everything you can imagine except the thing that really counts
-- green electricity," Dale Vince, director of the company that gets four times as much of its energy from
carbon-free sources than required.
Companies that produce more renewable electricity than they are required to can sell the resulting
Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to generators who have fallen short of their targets.
They can also apply to Ofgem to have their output exempted from Britain's Climate Change Levy, which
has to be paid by all businesses, and get Levy Exemption Certificates (LEC) which they can also sell.
Under the new guidelines both these potential sources of income for green energy producers is under
threat.
"If you want to show that something is additional you will have to retire the LECs associated with that
extra renewable output," a spokesman for the regulator said.
Ecotricity, which gets most of its power from wind, argues that getting rid of LECs would harm wind power
generators, forcing them to pass on the cost of the retired LEC to customers.
(Editing by Anthony Barker)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51475
Bloomberg.com | Jeremy van Loon and Todd White | February 5, 2009
Carbon Permits May Remain Cheap for Two Years,
IEA’s Birol Says
(Bloomberg) -- Prices for carbon-emission permits may remain near record lows until at least 2011
because of stalled demand from polluting industries and governments, the International Energy Agency’s
chief economist said.
Many countries have lost interest in forcing companies to pay to release greenhouse gases to stem
climate change as coping with the recession and credit crunch take precedence, the IEA’s Fatih Birol said
in an interview in Berlin.
Ending the credit crisis and recession dominate agendas of governments that had planned to expand
carbon-emission caps to slash greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for climate change. Lack of financing
has delayed or killed about one-quarter of pending energy projects, particularly to build power plants,
Birol said.
“This is bad news for carbon permits,” he said after speaking at an atomic-energy conference in the
German capital. “There is a weakening of the climate-change issue and this is not good news as we are
coming up to the Copenhagen meeting.”
The United Nations has called on 192 countries to negotiate a new climate-protection treaty to be signed
at the end of this year in Copenhagen. The UN wants a new agreement ready to take effect after 2012,
when carbon-emission limits expire for 37 countries under the existing Kyoto Protocol climate treaty.
EU carbon dioxide allowances on the European Climate Exchange in London traded yesterday at a
record low of 9.99 euros ($12.86) to release a metric ton of CO2. They traded as much as three times
higher, or 30.90 euros a ton, on July 2.
The Paris-based IEA advises the U.S., the U.K. and 26 other oil-importing nations on energy policies.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aekWL.wPNfOc
February 6
21
Canadaeast.com | Sue Bailey | February 6, 2009
Ottawa can't track the green
Report Environment auditor says Ottawa doesn't know if spending is achieving results
OTTAWA - The federal government can't say for sure whether billions of dollars being spent on green
programs are actually protecting health, habitat or air quality, says the environment commissioner .
Scott Vaughan's first report to the Commons bluntly concludes that Ottawa too often "does not know the
impact of its efforts."
"Canadians have high expectations that the government will take action to tackle environmental
degradation," said the audit, tabled Thursday in Parliament. "The government needs to know what works,
what doesn't, and why."
Vaughan replaced former commissioner Johanne Gelinas last year after Gelinas was turfed due to
concerns she was taking too much of an advocacy role.
But Vaughan's opening salvo suggests he won't be pulling any punches. He says the Harper government
has repeatedly based claims of environmental effectiveness on flawed or lax analysis.
The audit cites information gaps and missing yardsticks - measures that are "needed for Parliament to
know whether the programs examined are working well or whether they should be adjusted."
For example, Ottawa may never know whether big money flowing to the provinces to fight climate change
is being spent for that purpose. It essentially cut a cheque with no obligation to account for the cash.
"Due to the nature of federal-provincial trust funds, it will be difficult for the government to support its
claim that the $1.5 billion it is spending on the Clean Air and Climate Change Trust Fund will actually
achieve the target it has set for lowering greenhouse gas emissions," Vaughan says.
Nor can the Conservatives back up claims of projected results. The trust fund was announced in 2007 as
part of the Turning the Corner plan to cut emissions and air pollution.
Environment Canada repeatedly estimated the $1.5 billion fund would cut greenhouse gases by 16
megatonnes a year from 2008 to 2012. That's a total cut of 80 megatonnes - more than one-quarter of
quantified emission cuts anticipated from the Climate Change Plan.
The catch? That number was virtually pulled from thin air, Vaughan says.
Environment Canada "conducted almost no analysis to support that figure," he reports. "The little analysis
it did undertake is based on flawed assumptions - for example, that all provinces and territories face
identical opportunities, challenges and economic conditions for achieving emission reductions."
"Since the basis for the estimate is flawed, we cannot determine what a reasonable range of expected
results should have been."
Environment Minister Jim Prentice didn't deny Vaughan's findings. But he stressed that the government is
tweaking its emissions-reduction calculations with input from the National Round Table on the
Environment and the Economy - its own advisory body.
That same panel slammed the Conservative climate-change plan in September 2007, calling it vague and
rife with dodgy accounting methods and inflated estimates of results.
"The information that Environment Canada prepares is based on the best science and the best numbers
that we have," Prentice said Thursday outside the Commons.
Liberal environment critic David McGuinty scoffed at the explanation.
"It can't be credible," he said. The government was told by its own round table advisers "it would not
achieve the targets they pretended it would achieve.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/563617
Canadaeast.com | Alison Auld | February 6, 2009
Study sees greater global sea level rise
More cities on the east and west coasts of North America would be under water if a massive Antarctic ice
sheet melts completely, according to a new study that claims the rate of sea level rise is higher than
previously thought.
The report, to be published Friday in the journal Science, finds the current estimate of global sea rise is
inaccurate because it doesn't consider three geophysical factors if the West Antarctic ice sheet melts.
The paper states that the average estimate of a five-metre sea level rise should actually go up to seven
metres.
The seemingly small difference could submerge much of southern Florida, San Francisco, New York and
Washington, D.C., while inundating parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and British Columbia with
water.
22
"If the West Antarctic ice sheet completely collapses, the U.S. and Canadian coasts will be inundated by
six to seven metres of additional water, not five metres as people previously thought," said Jerry
Mitrovica, a geophysicist at the University of Toronto, who co-wrote the report.
"So that's a lot of excess water on coastal sites that have a lot of population."
The research finds that the sea level rise would be 30 per cent higher in San Francisco and about 25 per
cent higher in Washington, while Tokyo would experience a sea level rise almost 20 per cent greater than
thought earlier.
Communities on Canada's coasts would likely see an increase in excess of six metres.
The scientists said the previous estimate, which is supported by the renowned Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, is too simplistic because it doesn't include several natural effects.
Mitrovica said there is a gravitational pull on the ocean when an ice sheet melts, which in this case would
push water away from the sheet and toward the North American continent.
More water would also be pushed north if the ice sheet melts and fills a depression on the Antarctic
bedrock that supports the large swath of ice.
The melt would also cause the Earth's rotation axis to shift dramatically and cause water to move away
from the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans toward North America and the Indian Ocean, the report
says.
The West Antarctic ice sheet towers 1,800 metres above sea level, has a volume of water 100 times the
amount in all the Great Lakes and is roughly the size of Ontario.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/563625
Planetark.org | Gerard Wynn | February 6, 2009
"Green Growth" Puts Climate Spending In Focus
LONDON - The United States, Europe and other nations will spend about $100 billion on projects to fight
climate change under economic stimulus plans, raising questions about how much support the industry
needs.
Spending money through a recession to boost jobs is well established, but the long term value-for-money
of current support for clean energy is questioned.
Political and business leaders have called for "green growth" spending over the next two to three years to
boost fossil fuel alternatives and cut carbon emissions, and create jobs and help a sector wilting in the
downturn.
Many energy alternatives including wind and solar are not yet cost-competitive with fossil fuels, and so
need incentives.
"The fiscal stimulus simplifies things. It says -- let's not worry about cost efficiency but get things moving
... give the money to somebody making something we want," said Nick Mabey, head of the London-based
environment group E3G.
But in the longer term European supports need to be more transparent, Mabey said, arguing that
suppliers should bid to produce low-carbon electricity, as in some parts of the United States, rather than
get fixed price support as now.
"If we're trying to push a big transformation you want it to be cost-effective."
"The (European) system just makes everything untransparent and gives lots of opportunities for people to
get excess profits. It doesn't seem the best bargain for the consumer or the government."
An additional question is just how much government help electricity producers, for example, need to
produce low-carbon power, rather than invest off their balance sheet.
The EU will force all west European utilities from 2013 to pay for every ton of carbon emissions, a strong
driver for them to invest now in wind power, for example.
But utilities argue that the economics of offshore wind projects, in particular, are finely balanced as a
result of lower oil and gas prices. Exactly how much support they need is difficult to predict.
"This is simply arm-wrestling with the government over who pays what," said Michael Liebreich, head of
researchers New Energy Finance.
"The problem we've got is that calculations (of support) were done at energy prices probably higher than
current prices, and they've gone back and said this project is now marginal."
"Why not use this opportunity to get 200 million of tax breaks (under a fiscal stimulus)?"
One area that public investment is needed is in power grids and other networks to connect new,
renewable sources of energy.
"The argument of value for money can only be pushed to a certain level, for example you need significant
investment in new infrastructure," said HSBC analyst Joaquim de Lima.
ZERO
23
The United States is expected this month to agree about $75 billion spending on climate change related
projects. European countries have proposed about 10 billion euros ($13.03 billion), and other countries
have similar plans.
Asset managers are especially excited about Obama's initiative, because this is a policy shift in a country
where huge private sector funds have barely invested in listed clean energy companies to date, fund
managers say.
But it is not just public equity financing that clean energy companies need. Bank lending is a key plank of
project financing and has come to a standstill.
Falling oil prices have not helped. One of the cheapest forms of alternative energy, onshore wind, is
competitive at a $55 oil price -- estimates investors Impax Asset Management -- far above Thursday's
price of $40.
Zero growth in investment in climate-related companies is expected this year, at about $150 billion,
compared with 60 percent annual growth from 2006-07, say New Energy Finance.
That assumes a pick-up later this year. Growth could be faster if the Obama administration pushed
through a federal minimum standard for producing renewable energy.
Less investment will mean fewer installations. Solar power will not match its breakneck 55 percent annual
growth of the past five years, said Citi analysts. Wind power growth may fall to about 20 percent from
nearly 30 percent last year, estimated New Energy Finance.
A bright spot from the recession will be falling equipment prices. A lack of project finance now is flipping
kit shortages into over-capacity in the wind industry and a glut of solar panels.
Solar-grade silicon prices will fall by more than 30 percent and wind turbine prices by up to 15 this year,
according to New Energy Finance. That will hurt manufacturers but aid developers and operators -- now
top picks for investors.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51496
Planetark.org | Ayla Jean Yackley | February 6, 2009
Turkish Parliament Approves Kyoto Protocol
ISTANBUL - Turkey's parliament on Thursday approved its membership in the Kyoto protocol, the U.N.led pact to combat global warming, the Anatolian news agency said.
Turkey had announced in June its intention to sign the accord, which was first agreed by world
governments in 1997 at a conference in Kyoto, Japan, after years of delays because of concerns about
the cost on its economy.
The Kyoto protocol binds industrialized countries to limit their greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels.
More than 170 nations have ratified the pact, which came into force in 2005.
"Being a party to the protocol is given importance as global warming becomes the world's biggest priority
and most urgent problem in order to show our country's determination to fight climate change and that it's
a country that can be trusted by the international community," according to a draft of the law carried by
Anatolian, the state news agency.
Three lawmakers voted against the law, while 243 approved it, Anatolian also said.
Countries are now in U.N. talks to agree on an expanded deal to rein global warming from 2013.
Developing countries want rich countries to prove they can meet their targets by 2012.
(Editing by Richard Balmforth)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51494
Planetark.org | Alister Doyle | February 6, 2009
Climate Change To Hit Africa Fisheries Hard: Study
OSLO - African nations will be the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change on fisheries, ranging
from damage to coral reefs to more severe river floods, according to a study of 132 nations on Thursday.
Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo were most at risk, according to the report which said it was
the first to rank nations by their ability to adapt economically to projected impacts of global warming on
fisheries.
"Countries of the developing world are going to find it most difficult to cope," said Stephen Hall, head of
the Malaysia-based WorldFish Center which led the study by an international team of scientists.
Two-thirds of a group of 33 countries judged "highly vulnerable" were in Africa with most others in Asia
and Latin America. Russia, with heavy reliance on fisheries, was the main exception in third place in the
ranking.
24
"Although warming will be most pronounced at high latitudes, the countries with economies most
vulnerable to warming-related effects on fisheries lie in the tropics," according to the report, published in
the journal Fish and Fisheries.
Shifts could include damage to corals, which are nurseries for many fish. Inland, droughts or floods can
disrupt fish supplies in lakes or rivers. "Vulnerability is not limited to coastal states," Hall said.
Those most at risk included Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and landlocked Mali in Africa, Peru and
Colombia in South America and Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam in Asia.
"Vulnerability was due to the combined effect of predicted warming, the relative importance of fisheries to
national economies and diets, and limited societal capacity to adapt to potential impacts and
opportunities," it said.
FOOD
Worldwide, more than 2.6 billion people rely on fish for at least 20 percent of their protein intake. Rates of
dependence on fish were higher in many of the vulnerable nations.
But the study lacked data for dozens of nations, including many small island developing states in the
Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Hall said they were also likely to be at risk.
Hall said the study could prompt nations to think about how to safeguard fisheries. The U.N. Climate
Panel says greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels, will bring more heatwaves, disruptions to
rainfall, and rising seas.
"The key measure is to invest in ensuring that the fisheries resources they have are well managed," he
said. Countries should also try to diversify their economies.
The study was by scientists at the WorldFish Center, the University of East Anglia, Britain's Center for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Canada's Simon Fraser University, the University of
Bremen and the Mekong River Commission.
(Editing by Janet Lawrence)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://www.planetark.org/enviro-news/item/51491
Thestar.com | Andrew Wallace | February 6, 2009
Activists envision crops along Gardiner
Urban farmers push city to grow food instead of grass and flowers in public
spaces
Imagine turning the rink at Nathan Phillips Square into a vegetable garden. Or seeing corn stalks along
the Gardiner Expressway. Or filling the median along University Ave. with a row of tomato plants.
That's the dream of food enthusiasts like Debbie Field, who think Toronto should take advantage of its
public spaces and grow food closer to home. That would encourage healthy eating as well as fight climate
change by reducing the distance food travels from farmer's field to kitchen table.
"Why don't we naturalize the side of the Gardiner with corn? Or we could grow pumpkins," Field said
yesterday as she addressed city councillors and others during a discussion on how Toronto can
encourage more urban farming.
"We are still spending a lot of money planting annuals and mowing grass," she said. "Whereas our
movement thinks we can let people grow vegetables and fruits. Rosemary, thyme and all herbs smell
beautiful. Kids love to touch them."
While Field, executive director of FoodShare, used the example of the side of the highway for visual
impact, she conceded testing may be needed to ensure food grown near the Gardiner is safe to eat.
But her point was that there are many areas that could be used for community gardens and urban farms,
from schoolyards to public housing to hospitals.
"There are big chunks of land – acres of publicly owned land that is just sitting there or has grass growing
on it," she said. "We are still paying a lot of people to plant and mow grass, and are often told it's not a
good idea to garden."
As she spoke, FoodShare staff handed out small bags of pea sprouts grown in an old greenhouse at the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, to show how easily something edible can be grown in just six
weeks.
Paula Sobie, who started City Harvest in Victoria, spoke about how much produce can be grown on small
plots of land – and even turned into a profitable business if crops are properly rotated.
Two years ago, together with a friend, she placed online classified ads titled: Garden Wanted.
The response was unbelievable. What started as nine small plots of land in the front and back yards of
private homes became 16 plots totalling half an acre, yielding 300 pounds of produce a week.
Sobie would give the homeowner a weekly sampler basket of organic produce in exchange for use of the
land. The rest was sold to restaurants and at a farmers' market.
25
City staff will be drafting an urban food policy in coming months that takes into account experiences
elsewhere.
A key issue will be zoning – whether people will be allowed to sell food grown in backyards. As well, while
urban farmers would want to see lower property taxes if land is zoned agricultural, the city wants to
maintain its tax assessment base.
Another tricky issue will be what to do about backyard animals: Would residents want their next-door
neighbours raising chickens or goats?
Current bylaws prevent it, but some councillors might support a few hens – though not roosters – in the
yard. http://www.thestar.com/article/583283
Canadaeast.com | Donna Spencer | February 6, 2009
Canada's athletes campaign for a green 2010 Winter
Games in Vancouver
Canadian snowboarder Justin Lamoureux is doing what he can to save winter.
The 32-year-old from Squamish, B.C., sold his gas-guzzling truck to buy a small car. He bought $400
worth of carbon offsets last year to compensate for the carbon-producing flights he took competing
around the world. Written on the nose of his snowboard are the words "Ride Carbon Neutral."
And Lamoureux was one of 74 Canadian athletes who co-signed a letter sent Thursday to the 2010
Olympic Games organizing committee in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., urging chief executive officer
John Furlong to do more to make the Winter Games green.
"Being in the mountains most days of my life and seeing glaciers retreat over the years and things like
that, I want it to stop," Lamoureux said Thursday in Calgary. "I want future generations to be able to play
in the snow."
The athletes are asking the public to endorse their letter via the David Suzuki Foundation website at
www.davidsuzuki.org.
One of Furlong's stated goals is to stage a carbon-neutral Games, which means net zero greenhouse gas
emissions.
Carbon neutrality is achieved by both reducing environmental impact and buying carbon offsets to
compensate for damage that can't be avoided. Carbon offsets are projects such as wind farms or solarpanel installations.
When VANOC asked the David Suzuki Foundation to estimate the impact of the 2010 Olympics, which
run from Feb. 12 to 28, the answer was about 328,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, or the
equivalent of 65,600 cars on the road for one year.
Lamoureux, cross-country skiers Chandra Crawford and Sara Renner, Boston Bruins defenceman
Andrew Ference, speedskater Kristina Groves, Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc and kayaker Adam van
Koeverden are among the athletes who asked Furlong to adhere to his commitment of a carbon-neutral
Games.
These athletes also participate in the David Suzuki Foundation's Play It Cool program, which helps them
calculate their carbon footprint and lives carbon neutral lives.
"Olympics are extremely hard on the environment," said Renner, a three-time Olympian. "Things will have
to change. Vancouver and VANOC can really make that difference."
While VANOC has reduced its carbon footprint by making venues energy efficient, the athletes want to
know how the organizing committee will address energy use at venues, local transportation and travel to
the Olympics by athletes, officials and spectators.
They've also asked VANOC to use its platform to campaign aggressively for the environment and inspire
Canadians address climate change.
"VANOC is on the right track in terms of its vision with respect to a carbon neutral goal," said Deborah
Carlson, who is a climate change specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. "We need more specific,
concrete action.
"They have many opportunities in terms of the media and corporate sponsors to take up this message."
The athletes find the biggest part of their carbon footprint comes from air travel and the Olympics Games
are no different.
The foundation estimated 69 per cent the 2010 Olympics' carbon footprint will come from air travel by
participants, officials, sponsors, employees, media and spectators. The Foundation states that VANOC
could buy carbon credits for less than $5 million to compensate for those flights.
Carbon credits are controversial because the market is unregulated. A common complaint is what is the
point of buying into a carbon offset program to plant trees if the trees aren't cared for and die.
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Another criticism is that carbon offsets don't foster environmental responsibility at home. If you invest in a
wind farm in Madagascar or a solar stoves in Ethiopia, but are environmentally slothful where you live,
how can you be carbon neutral?
The athletes are asking for at least 20 per cent of the carbon offsets VANOC purchases to fall under the
Gold Standard, which are environmental projects backed by the World Wildlife Federation, Greenpeace
and the David Suzuki Foundation.
VANOC says it will release details on how it will deal with greenhouse gas emissions from the Olympics
during the World Conference on Sport and the Environment March 29 to 31 in Vancouver.
"The David Suzuki Foundation has provided VANOC with advice on the carbon plan for the 2010 Games
and we value their input," said Linda Coady, VANOC's vice-president of sustainability, in a statement.
"We are committed to tracking and publicly reporting on both direct Games-based emissions and indirect
emissions from air travel.
"We agree that offsets used to neutralize the carbon footprint of the Games have to be highly credible and
that the Games provide an opportunity to engage athletes and the public on climate solutions."
Vancouver's sustainability budget, which includes the environment, inner-city programs and Aboriginal
participation in the Games, is about $15.6 million out of an operating budget of about $1.6 billion,
according to the foundation.
Some of VANOC's environmental practices included using reclaimed lumber for the six-acre roof of the
speed skating venue in Richmond, as well as caching storm water from the Olympic Oval's roof for the
facility's toilets and irrigation of the grounds.
"They've done well making their venues energy efficient and stuff like that," Lamoureux said. "We're not
heckling or bad-mouthing them. We're just trying to nudge them along."
http://www.canadaeast.com/search/article/563268
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