Isramart news:
Bursa din Sibiu a lansat contractul futures avind ca activ suport certificatele de emisii de gaze cu efect de sera (EGES) – cu simbolul CO2 RON 2008-2012.
Mărimea contractului este 100 de certificate de emisii de gaze cu efect de sera (EGES), iar pasul de tranzactionare 0,01 lei (un leu/contract). Contractul initiat la inceputul fiecarei sesiuni de tranzactionare are scadenta in aceeasi zi. O singura scadenta zilnica va fi disponibila permanent in timpul sesiunii de tranzactionare.
“Lansarea acestor derivate – ne-a declarat Teodor Ancuta, presedintele Sibex – inseamna patrunderea Sibex pe o piata cu un imens potential. Este stiut ca alocarea certificatelor de emisii este principalul instrument al Uniunii Europene de a lupta impotriva incalzirii globale, iar prin lansarea acestor instrumente in premiera pe piata autohtona de capital Bursa din Sibiu ajuta, practic, Romania sa se alinieze normelor europene care obliga ca aceste certificate sa fie tranzactionate prin burse. De asemenea, speram ca, de acum inainte, existenta unui cadru organizat sa impiedice tranzactionarea acestor certificate prin «inţelegeri prin apartamente» favorabile doar unora, cum s-au făcut la un moment dat”.
Certificatul EGES este titlul care confera dreptul de a emite o tona de dioxid de carbon echivalent, intr-o perioada definita valabila numai pentru indeplinirea scopului Hotaririi Guvernului 780/2006 privind infiintarea schemei de comercializare a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de sera si care este transferabil in conditiile prevazute de aceasta hotarire.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Isramart : Brazilia isi mentine tinta pentru emisii
Isramart news:
Brazilia isi mentine tinta de reducere a emisiilor cu 39% pana in 2020 in ciuda esecului negocierilor din cadrul summitului de la Copenhaga, transmite Reuters.
Potrivit declaratiilor ministrului brazilian al mediului, presedintele tarii va semna o lege prin care aceste tinte vor deveni obligatorii si vor fi verificate.
Delegatia braziliei la summitul ONU de la Copenhaga a incercat sa impuna un plafon similar la nivel international, la inceputul acestei luni. Cu toate acestea, cele aproximativ 192 de tari reprezentate in capitala Danemarcei nu au ajuns la un acord post-Kyoto.
Brazilia este unul dintre cei mai mari emitatori de gaze cu efect de sera, mai ales din cauza defrisarii padurii tropicale amazoniene.
Brazilia isi mentine tinta de reducere a emisiilor cu 39% pana in 2020 in ciuda esecului negocierilor din cadrul summitului de la Copenhaga, transmite Reuters.
Potrivit declaratiilor ministrului brazilian al mediului, presedintele tarii va semna o lege prin care aceste tinte vor deveni obligatorii si vor fi verificate.
Delegatia braziliei la summitul ONU de la Copenhaga a incercat sa impuna un plafon similar la nivel international, la inceputul acestei luni. Cu toate acestea, cele aproximativ 192 de tari reprezentate in capitala Danemarcei nu au ajuns la un acord post-Kyoto.
Brazilia este unul dintre cei mai mari emitatori de gaze cu efect de sera, mai ales din cauza defrisarii padurii tropicale amazoniene.
Isramart : S Korea to start carbon emissions trading late next year
Isramart news:
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea announced Monday it will launch a pilot greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme as early as late next year in a bid to encourage carbon emissions reduction.
The Ministry of Environment said in a statement the Korea Exchange (KRX), the country's bourse, will serve as a platform for carbon emissions trading, also known as cap and trade, starting as early as late next year.
Under the program, participating organizations will be issued emission permits, a right to emit a certain amount that should not exceed the limit set by the government, and can trade remaining allowances or buy them from those who emit less.
A total of 641 organizations will be participating in the three-year pilot scheme, including the country's 14 local governments, 446 public organizations, 29 workplaces and 166 retailers, with the goal of cutting 1 percent to 2 percent of carbon emissions compared to the annual average from 2005 to 2007, according to the ministry.
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea announced Monday it will launch a pilot greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme as early as late next year in a bid to encourage carbon emissions reduction.
The Ministry of Environment said in a statement the Korea Exchange (KRX), the country's bourse, will serve as a platform for carbon emissions trading, also known as cap and trade, starting as early as late next year.
Under the program, participating organizations will be issued emission permits, a right to emit a certain amount that should not exceed the limit set by the government, and can trade remaining allowances or buy them from those who emit less.
A total of 641 organizations will be participating in the three-year pilot scheme, including the country's 14 local governments, 446 public organizations, 29 workplaces and 166 retailers, with the goal of cutting 1 percent to 2 percent of carbon emissions compared to the annual average from 2005 to 2007, according to the ministry.
Isramart : UK well-placed to use IT for cutting CO2, says study
Isramart news:
The UK is one of the best prepared countries in the world to use IT to cut its CO2 emissions, according to a study presented at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The ICT Sustainability Index, launched on Thursday 10 December, modelled and predicted the size of the reductions in CO2 emissions that each country in the G20 group of nations could achieve by using new technologies.
Countries were then ranked in order of those whose economy, infrastructure and laws put them in the best place to realise the biggest cuts, with the UK placed joint third with Brazil, France and Germany.
The UK is one of the best prepared countries in the world to use IT to cut its CO2 emissions, according to a study presented at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The ICT Sustainability Index, launched on Thursday 10 December, modelled and predicted the size of the reductions in CO2 emissions that each country in the G20 group of nations could achieve by using new technologies.
Countries were then ranked in order of those whose economy, infrastructure and laws put them in the best place to realise the biggest cuts, with the UK placed joint third with Brazil, France and Germany.
Isramart : Sarkozy sees EU, Africa agreement on CO2 targets
Isramart news:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday there was agreement between European Union member states and African countries on targets for reducing carbon emissions.
"Africa and the European Union are on the same line," he told reporters after a working lunch with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who is representing Africa at the Copenhagen talks on climate change.
"The alliance between Africa and Europe is absolutely crucial," he said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday there was agreement between European Union member states and African countries on targets for reducing carbon emissions.
"Africa and the European Union are on the same line," he told reporters after a working lunch with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who is representing Africa at the Copenhagen talks on climate change.
"The alliance between Africa and Europe is absolutely crucial," he said.
Isramart : Schaeffler Porsche Cayenne Drops CO2 By 10%
Isramart news:
Well, it’s a start, I guess. When you think of the Porsche Cayenne, efficient or eco-friendly aren’t the first things to spring to mind. For me, words like “useless” and “insulting” are what pop up first, but that’s not the subject at hand at the moment. No, what we have here is a Porsche Cayenne that has been worked over by an outfit called the Schaeffler Group, and they say it’s spewing out 10% less CO2.
The Schaeffler Group is a German bearing supplier, and their new concept based on the Porsche Cayenne, was made to demonstrate the possibilities for CO2 reduction through friction reduction. No, seriously. You don’t think of that as a way to make things greener, but hey, Schaeffler obviously got to where it is by worrying about little things.
Schaeffler worked with Porsche on this modded out Cayenne, officially dubbed the CO2ncept-10% Cayenne (and guys, you got to work on better names, OK? Shoot, hire me, my rates are low). The Schaeffler Group supplied new bearings for the differentials as well as various improved engine components. Just how picky-picky-picky were Schaeffler? Let’s just put it this way, the differentials bearings, which used to be tapered roller bearings, were replaced with angular contact ball bearings. That picky.
The Schaeffler Group Cayenne was shown at the ATZ/MTZ Congress in Esslingen, Germany and featured a whole slew of minute tweaks. For example, the stock from Porsche hydraulic cam-phasing hardware was changed out for a new and more efficient electromechanical system. The Schaeffler Group was able to get further friction reductions by optimizing the tappets an belt and chain drive systems.
Also, the former hydraulic roll stabilizer has been supplanted by an electrical version. So how does this save gas and make things more efficient? Think of it as the same way that changing out a conventional hydraulic power steering system with electrical/electromechanical equivalents can help make things more efficient by reducing drag and parasitic losses
Well, it’s a start, I guess. When you think of the Porsche Cayenne, efficient or eco-friendly aren’t the first things to spring to mind. For me, words like “useless” and “insulting” are what pop up first, but that’s not the subject at hand at the moment. No, what we have here is a Porsche Cayenne that has been worked over by an outfit called the Schaeffler Group, and they say it’s spewing out 10% less CO2.
The Schaeffler Group is a German bearing supplier, and their new concept based on the Porsche Cayenne, was made to demonstrate the possibilities for CO2 reduction through friction reduction. No, seriously. You don’t think of that as a way to make things greener, but hey, Schaeffler obviously got to where it is by worrying about little things.
Schaeffler worked with Porsche on this modded out Cayenne, officially dubbed the CO2ncept-10% Cayenne (and guys, you got to work on better names, OK? Shoot, hire me, my rates are low). The Schaeffler Group supplied new bearings for the differentials as well as various improved engine components. Just how picky-picky-picky were Schaeffler? Let’s just put it this way, the differentials bearings, which used to be tapered roller bearings, were replaced with angular contact ball bearings. That picky.
The Schaeffler Group Cayenne was shown at the ATZ/MTZ Congress in Esslingen, Germany and featured a whole slew of minute tweaks. For example, the stock from Porsche hydraulic cam-phasing hardware was changed out for a new and more efficient electromechanical system. The Schaeffler Group was able to get further friction reductions by optimizing the tappets an belt and chain drive systems.
Also, the former hydraulic roll stabilizer has been supplanted by an electrical version. So how does this save gas and make things more efficient? Think of it as the same way that changing out a conventional hydraulic power steering system with electrical/electromechanical equivalents can help make things more efficient by reducing drag and parasitic losses
Isramart : A Basic Guide To Carbon
Isramart news:
During the second week of COP15, it seems very appropriate, not to mention timely, to discuss all things carbon. Let’s start off with a basic fact: There is more than one type of carbon. Keep reading to find out about the rainbow of carbon ‘colors.’
First, we will look at good ole basic black carbon, also known as soot. It is produced by diesel engines, coal-fired power plants, industrial processes, and outdoor cooking stoves in Asia and Africa. Black carbon is the second biggest contributor to rising global temperatures, and is responsible for 18 percent of the earth’s warming, according to recent studies. Carbon dioxide is in the number one spot, and is responsible for 40 percent of earth’s warming.
Black carbon can be reduced using simple technologies. Over half of the world’s population burns fuel indoors to heat their homes and cook their food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One study found that 60 million low-soot cooking stoves, if sold in India for $5 each, would cost $300 million, which is much cheaper than the cost of many technologies. Envirofit International, a Colorado-based non-profit group sold over 100,000 low-soot cooking stoves in southern India. The stoves were sold mostly out of vans.
As Steven Chu, U.S. energy secretary said, “The energy problem can be advanced a long way by pretty low-tech stuff.”
Next we will go down a hue and look at brown carbon. Brown carbon both cools the earth’s surface and warms the atmosphere. Arizona State University research scientist, James Anderson said brown carbon has “light absorbing properties that lie between strongly absorbing black carbon and materials that only scatter light and do not absorb.” Anderson also said brown carbon needs to be factored into climate change models.
Now we move on to green carbon, which is stored in the Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests. It is also known as carbon sequestration. Forest soils and vegetation store about 40 percent of all carbon. Deforestation exceeds regrowth globally. Land use change, namely tropical deforestation, releases an estimated 1.6 billion tons of carbon every year, which is equivalent to 25 percent of the carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
A study by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) Sweden concluded that preserving forestland is five times better than carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to reduce carbon emissions. Stopping forest loss is also the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change next to energy efficiency, according to the study.
WWF Sweden CEO General Lasse Gustavsson said, “One Swedish krona to stem deforestation results in the same emissions reductions as five kronor for the controversial carbon capture and storage technique.” Gustavsson added, “We should always prioritize solutions that are best for both the environment and our wallets, especially during the ongoing financial crisis. Sweden’s cautious attitude in this area is therefore very surprising.”
Finally, we will look at blue carbon, or carbon stored in the world’s oceans. Of all the carbon stored on earth, 93 percent is in the oceans. Protecting oceans is cost effective. “Protecting the world’s oceans will cost governments far less than the amount they spend on subsidies for fishing fleets and will lead to bigger catches in the long run,” according to a study by WWF International and Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The study estimated that a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) covering 30 percent of the world’s oceans would cost $12 billion to 14 billion a year. Subsidies to commercial fisheries total $15 billion to $30 billion a year.
During the second week of COP15, it seems very appropriate, not to mention timely, to discuss all things carbon. Let’s start off with a basic fact: There is more than one type of carbon. Keep reading to find out about the rainbow of carbon ‘colors.’
First, we will look at good ole basic black carbon, also known as soot. It is produced by diesel engines, coal-fired power plants, industrial processes, and outdoor cooking stoves in Asia and Africa. Black carbon is the second biggest contributor to rising global temperatures, and is responsible for 18 percent of the earth’s warming, according to recent studies. Carbon dioxide is in the number one spot, and is responsible for 40 percent of earth’s warming.
Black carbon can be reduced using simple technologies. Over half of the world’s population burns fuel indoors to heat their homes and cook their food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One study found that 60 million low-soot cooking stoves, if sold in India for $5 each, would cost $300 million, which is much cheaper than the cost of many technologies. Envirofit International, a Colorado-based non-profit group sold over 100,000 low-soot cooking stoves in southern India. The stoves were sold mostly out of vans.
As Steven Chu, U.S. energy secretary said, “The energy problem can be advanced a long way by pretty low-tech stuff.”
Next we will go down a hue and look at brown carbon. Brown carbon both cools the earth’s surface and warms the atmosphere. Arizona State University research scientist, James Anderson said brown carbon has “light absorbing properties that lie between strongly absorbing black carbon and materials that only scatter light and do not absorb.” Anderson also said brown carbon needs to be factored into climate change models.
Now we move on to green carbon, which is stored in the Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests. It is also known as carbon sequestration. Forest soils and vegetation store about 40 percent of all carbon. Deforestation exceeds regrowth globally. Land use change, namely tropical deforestation, releases an estimated 1.6 billion tons of carbon every year, which is equivalent to 25 percent of the carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
A study by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) Sweden concluded that preserving forestland is five times better than carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to reduce carbon emissions. Stopping forest loss is also the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change next to energy efficiency, according to the study.
WWF Sweden CEO General Lasse Gustavsson said, “One Swedish krona to stem deforestation results in the same emissions reductions as five kronor for the controversial carbon capture and storage technique.” Gustavsson added, “We should always prioritize solutions that are best for both the environment and our wallets, especially during the ongoing financial crisis. Sweden’s cautious attitude in this area is therefore very surprising.”
Finally, we will look at blue carbon, or carbon stored in the world’s oceans. Of all the carbon stored on earth, 93 percent is in the oceans. Protecting oceans is cost effective. “Protecting the world’s oceans will cost governments far less than the amount they spend on subsidies for fishing fleets and will lead to bigger catches in the long run,” according to a study by WWF International and Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The study estimated that a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) covering 30 percent of the world’s oceans would cost $12 billion to 14 billion a year. Subsidies to commercial fisheries total $15 billion to $30 billion a year.
Isramart : Gulf Air announces comprehensive measures to reduce its carbon footprint
Isramart news:
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has introduced a series of initiatives, which will result in an annual reduction of around 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its aircraft.
The significant fuel reductions are expected from the proactive initiatives being rolled out by the Gulf Air Fuel Conservation Committee, which is exclusively charged with looking at ways for the airline to reduce its carbon foot print.
Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali said, “As a pioneering airline in the region, Gulf Air believes it can play a positive role in protecting the environment and help build a better future for our children, the local community and the world."
He added, “What better occasion there can be than announcing our comprehensive carbon-emission reduction measures, when countries of the world have converged in Copenhagen to discuss climate change? As a responsible corporate citizen we are fully committed to this global cause and these are some of our proactive measures towards this commitment.
Besides, as a long-standing member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), we are in tune with the world body’s commitment to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020.”
One of the key initiatives the airline has introduced to reduce fuel consumption include flying a more direct route to certain destinations resulting in the reduction of around 22,600 tons of Co2 emissions per year.
In another initiative, the airline has combined the two in-flight magazines, Gulf Life and the in-flight entertainment guide, On Air into one magazine. The new look, Gulf Life magazine, is being produced using a slightly lower weight (gsm) paper to reduce the overall weight carried on board. In addition, the airline will reduce the number of spare in-flight magazines carried on board and instead make provision for storage and replenishment on the ground at its Bahrain hub and outstations. The combined benefit of these measures will result in the reduction of approximately 600 tons of carbon dioxide (Co2) emission per year.
In another environment-friendly measure, Gulf Air has also reduced the amount of potable water it carries on board its flights by 25%, which will save around 1,800 tons of Carbon emissions each year.
Other fuel conservation measures include reduced contingency fuel, acceleration height management and flight spare kit weight reduction that will together save approximately 8300 tons of Co2 emission- all intended to improve efficiency while maintaining the highest levels of flight safety and schedule reliability.
Captain Nasser Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the Fuel Conversation Committee said: “We have an objective to conduct all our operations with a genuine, balanced and proper regard for the need to sustain natural resources. From reducing the weight of our in-flight magazine to investing in clean-air technology, we are looking at every single area of our operations to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and help maintain a better environment in accordance with international standards and regulations related to environmental protection.”
Recently, the airline has also chosen the most fuel-efficient options to power its new fleet. The A320 Airbus aircraft on order - three of which that already joined the fleet - will be powered by CFM56-5B engine that will reduce emissions by 200 tons per aircraft per year.
Following the signing of a pledge in October 2008, Gulf Air is also working with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group on commercialization, certification, and provision of a viable market in order to accelerate the development of alternative fuels. The group is made-up of airlines, aircraft manufactures, research institutions and NGOs all committed to using bio-fuels, when it is proven to be completely sustainable. Members of the group include Air New Zealand, Boeing, Yale University, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has introduced a series of initiatives, which will result in an annual reduction of around 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its aircraft.
The significant fuel reductions are expected from the proactive initiatives being rolled out by the Gulf Air Fuel Conservation Committee, which is exclusively charged with looking at ways for the airline to reduce its carbon foot print.
Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Samer Majali said, “As a pioneering airline in the region, Gulf Air believes it can play a positive role in protecting the environment and help build a better future for our children, the local community and the world."
He added, “What better occasion there can be than announcing our comprehensive carbon-emission reduction measures, when countries of the world have converged in Copenhagen to discuss climate change? As a responsible corporate citizen we are fully committed to this global cause and these are some of our proactive measures towards this commitment.
Besides, as a long-standing member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), we are in tune with the world body’s commitment to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020.”
One of the key initiatives the airline has introduced to reduce fuel consumption include flying a more direct route to certain destinations resulting in the reduction of around 22,600 tons of Co2 emissions per year.
In another initiative, the airline has combined the two in-flight magazines, Gulf Life and the in-flight entertainment guide, On Air into one magazine. The new look, Gulf Life magazine, is being produced using a slightly lower weight (gsm) paper to reduce the overall weight carried on board. In addition, the airline will reduce the number of spare in-flight magazines carried on board and instead make provision for storage and replenishment on the ground at its Bahrain hub and outstations. The combined benefit of these measures will result in the reduction of approximately 600 tons of carbon dioxide (Co2) emission per year.
In another environment-friendly measure, Gulf Air has also reduced the amount of potable water it carries on board its flights by 25%, which will save around 1,800 tons of Carbon emissions each year.
Other fuel conservation measures include reduced contingency fuel, acceleration height management and flight spare kit weight reduction that will together save approximately 8300 tons of Co2 emission- all intended to improve efficiency while maintaining the highest levels of flight safety and schedule reliability.
Captain Nasser Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the Fuel Conversation Committee said: “We have an objective to conduct all our operations with a genuine, balanced and proper regard for the need to sustain natural resources. From reducing the weight of our in-flight magazine to investing in clean-air technology, we are looking at every single area of our operations to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint and help maintain a better environment in accordance with international standards and regulations related to environmental protection.”
Recently, the airline has also chosen the most fuel-efficient options to power its new fleet. The A320 Airbus aircraft on order - three of which that already joined the fleet - will be powered by CFM56-5B engine that will reduce emissions by 200 tons per aircraft per year.
Following the signing of a pledge in October 2008, Gulf Air is also working with the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group on commercialization, certification, and provision of a viable market in order to accelerate the development of alternative fuels. The group is made-up of airlines, aircraft manufactures, research institutions and NGOs all committed to using bio-fuels, when it is proven to be completely sustainable. Members of the group include Air New Zealand, Boeing, Yale University, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Isramart : Chinese frugal tradition helps global carbon fight
Isramart news:
Zhao Jiagui, a farmer from central China's Henan Province, prefers the lights off when helping prepare dinner at a villa in Beijing's southern suburbs for her relatives.
"Why should I turn on the lights if I can see clearly enough?" she asks.
The 65-year-old is one of hundreds of millions elderly Chinese who continue their frugal ways in an era of fast economic growth and greatly improved living conditions.
For them, frugality means not only saving money but also cherishing precious daily resources. "Being able to afford the water bill does not mean you can waste water," He Shulan tells her daughter and son-in-law.
"Big cities like Beijing are short in natural resources like water, and we have no excuse to squander them," she says.
She has fitted all the lights in her Beijing home with energy-saving bulbs and habitually flushes the toilet with waste water from the kitchen.
POWER, WATER, PAPER
More younger Chinese are also taking up the frugal ways to live low-carbon and energy-saving lives.
When Keke Quei hosts her weekly Sunday evening book club at her Shanghai villa, the arriving bookworms keep their jackets on.
Quei's central heating stays off, although the temperature in the 200-square-meter home is only 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
"I don't care about electricity bills, but the power saved. I turn off lights in vacant rooms because it is sensible," says Quei, chief executive of Shanghai-based Kinnogene Inc. a business consultancy firm.
"I don't have a car and don't plan to buy one. There are already so many cars in Shanghai, emitting so much exhaust and making people uncomfortable. And I don't want to add to the traffic," says club member Wang Qiong.
Wang walks, cycles or takes the subway.
Quei drives a Jeep Cherokee as an outdoor enthusiast, but she avoids driving whenever possible and plans to change to a smaller car next year.
"My car is not very fuel-efficient and taking public transportation for me to go around in Shanghai makes more sense," Quei says.
Quei's e-mails are all tagged "Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail."
Some city dwellers see frugality as an inconvenience, but Quei believes that a low-carbon living should be a philosophy.
Zhou Dadi, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), says a low-carbon lifestyle is greatly conducive to energy saving and carbon cuts, and a change in living habits is inevitable to build a low-carbon society.
"A high-end lifestyle equals a high energy-consuming lifestyle. We don't need to live like monks, but a low-carbon life and the traditional Chinese virtue of frugality are commendable," Zhou says.
"The luxury lifestyles of some Westerners are unsustainable and must not be repeated in China," says Li Ang, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace China.
It's hard for the newly-affluent to take environmental actions on their own -- cutting out air-conditioning and motoring -- especially in a developing country like China, so such moves should be praised, Li says.
MORE IMPROVEMENT ROOM
In the former "kingdom of bicycle" the cyclist is not king.
Li says city planners should endeavor to better protect cyclists' rights on their lane, which could help to ease traffic jam and save energy.
"If every Chinese can change a 60-watt incandescent bulb to an energy-efficient one, it can save the power volume generated annually by China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, and prevent 65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission," Li adds.
An energy efficient bulb can be up to 80 percent more efficient in electricity use than an incandescent one, Greenpeace figures show.
She says two thirds of China's light bulbs are incandescent, especially in rural areas, partly due to underfunding, as Chinese low-earning farmers are more price aware.
The government is stepping up low-carbon building construction, using energy-efficient construction materials and improving the metering and energy conservation of heating systems in northern China, says Wu Yong, an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
"China still has room in developing energy-efficient construction, to save more electricity, heating and water," says Zhang Zaidong, chairman of Tiptop International, a Beijing-based property firm that specializes in energy-efficient apartments.
The government announced last month that by 2020, the country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) will be reduced by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 level.
"To achieve this aggressive goal, we cannot only rely on government efforts. Chinese people's commitment and environmental protection awareness also carry weight," the NDRC's Zhou Dadi says.
Zhao Jiagui, a farmer from central China's Henan Province, prefers the lights off when helping prepare dinner at a villa in Beijing's southern suburbs for her relatives.
"Why should I turn on the lights if I can see clearly enough?" she asks.
The 65-year-old is one of hundreds of millions elderly Chinese who continue their frugal ways in an era of fast economic growth and greatly improved living conditions.
For them, frugality means not only saving money but also cherishing precious daily resources. "Being able to afford the water bill does not mean you can waste water," He Shulan tells her daughter and son-in-law.
"Big cities like Beijing are short in natural resources like water, and we have no excuse to squander them," she says.
She has fitted all the lights in her Beijing home with energy-saving bulbs and habitually flushes the toilet with waste water from the kitchen.
POWER, WATER, PAPER
More younger Chinese are also taking up the frugal ways to live low-carbon and energy-saving lives.
When Keke Quei hosts her weekly Sunday evening book club at her Shanghai villa, the arriving bookworms keep their jackets on.
Quei's central heating stays off, although the temperature in the 200-square-meter home is only 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).
"I don't care about electricity bills, but the power saved. I turn off lights in vacant rooms because it is sensible," says Quei, chief executive of Shanghai-based Kinnogene Inc. a business consultancy firm.
"I don't have a car and don't plan to buy one. There are already so many cars in Shanghai, emitting so much exhaust and making people uncomfortable. And I don't want to add to the traffic," says club member Wang Qiong.
Wang walks, cycles or takes the subway.
Quei drives a Jeep Cherokee as an outdoor enthusiast, but she avoids driving whenever possible and plans to change to a smaller car next year.
"My car is not very fuel-efficient and taking public transportation for me to go around in Shanghai makes more sense," Quei says.
Quei's e-mails are all tagged "Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail."
Some city dwellers see frugality as an inconvenience, but Quei believes that a low-carbon living should be a philosophy.
Zhou Dadi, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), says a low-carbon lifestyle is greatly conducive to energy saving and carbon cuts, and a change in living habits is inevitable to build a low-carbon society.
"A high-end lifestyle equals a high energy-consuming lifestyle. We don't need to live like monks, but a low-carbon life and the traditional Chinese virtue of frugality are commendable," Zhou says.
"The luxury lifestyles of some Westerners are unsustainable and must not be repeated in China," says Li Ang, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace China.
It's hard for the newly-affluent to take environmental actions on their own -- cutting out air-conditioning and motoring -- especially in a developing country like China, so such moves should be praised, Li says.
MORE IMPROVEMENT ROOM
In the former "kingdom of bicycle" the cyclist is not king.
Li says city planners should endeavor to better protect cyclists' rights on their lane, which could help to ease traffic jam and save energy.
"If every Chinese can change a 60-watt incandescent bulb to an energy-efficient one, it can save the power volume generated annually by China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project, and prevent 65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission," Li adds.
An energy efficient bulb can be up to 80 percent more efficient in electricity use than an incandescent one, Greenpeace figures show.
She says two thirds of China's light bulbs are incandescent, especially in rural areas, partly due to underfunding, as Chinese low-earning farmers are more price aware.
The government is stepping up low-carbon building construction, using energy-efficient construction materials and improving the metering and energy conservation of heating systems in northern China, says Wu Yong, an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
"China still has room in developing energy-efficient construction, to save more electricity, heating and water," says Zhang Zaidong, chairman of Tiptop International, a Beijing-based property firm that specializes in energy-efficient apartments.
The government announced last month that by 2020, the country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) will be reduced by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 level.
"To achieve this aggressive goal, we cannot only rely on government efforts. Chinese people's commitment and environmental protection awareness also carry weight," the NDRC's Zhou Dadi says.
Isramart : COP15: Low-carbon and renewable energy will need investment of US$10.5tr by 2030
Isramart news:
The world must invest in renewable energy and other low-carbon energy sources immediately, because every year of delay adds US$500 billion to the cost of protecting the global environment, says the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“While the details of a binding agreement may not be completely worked out in Copenhagen, it is more important than ever that participants send a strong, indicative and ambitious signal that can guide energy investment and policy decisions globally,” Nobuo Tanaka told the UN climate change conference COP15 in Copenhagen.
“The economic crisis, with the resulting fall in global energy-related CO2 emissions of 3% in 2009, gives us a unique window of opportunity to change our current, highly unsustainable energy path.”
The IEA has proposed an energy policy and technology blueprint for an ambitious climate goal, placing energy efficiency at the core of a carbon reduction strategy in both the near and the long term, he explained. “Current pledges point in the right direction, but fall short of what is needed to keep the global temperature rise to around 2°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Energy accounts for 84% of global CO2 emissions and, based on current trends without new measures, global energy-related CO2 emissions will reach 40 Gigatonnes (Gt) by 2030 vs 29 Gt in 2007, and will continue rising, Tanaka warned. The world would need to retire a significant portion of current coal-fired electricity stations by 2030, before the end of their lifetime, and early closures would equal today’s total coal-based power generation in Japan, EU and the United States.
Renewable energies would need to generate 37% of global electricity by 2030, with nuclear generating 18% and fossil-fired plants with carbon capture and storage accounting for 5%, while hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles would need to represent 60% of car sales by that time, compared with 1% today, he noted. The bulk of emissions reduction could be achieved through energy efficiency, which is an “absolute prerequisite” for the deployment of the more-expensive low-carbon and renewable energy supply.
In industry, buildings and transport, the additional US$8.3 trillion of required investment would lead to US$8.6tr in savings between now and 2030, said Tanaka. “The social, economic, environmental and energy security benefits of energy efficiency are too large to be missed, yet experience shows that proper policy frameworks are needed to reap these benefits.”
To support a global transition to more-efficient low-carbon and renewable energy systems, the IEA estimates that US$10.5tr is needed by 2030, which would allow global CO2 emissions to decline after 2020 and to be lower than current levels by 2030. “The wave of investments that will come with the economic recovery must be climate friendly; a strong signal is needed now,” he added. “Every year of delay adds US$500bn to the energy sector cost of reaching 450 ppm.”
The IEA has produced roadmaps on key technologies and to guide decision-makers on the path to innovations in wind, carbon capture, electric vehicles and cement production. While the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the UN’s Kyoto Protocol “has achieved a lot in certain sectors, it has not curbed the growth in emissions in developing countries,” added Tanaka.
“The current crisis alone will not put us on the right path to green growth and a stabilised climate,” he explained. “There are very clear co-benefits that would come with CO2 emission reductions, over and above the avoided climate change. There are benefits for health, through lower pollution. There are also benefits for energy security (lower energy imports), and also in reduced energy costs.”
The IEA forecasts that renewable energy and biofuels would produce 23% of the global carbon abatement by 2030, compared with 10% for nuclear and 57% for efficiency.
The world must invest in renewable energy and other low-carbon energy sources immediately, because every year of delay adds US$500 billion to the cost of protecting the global environment, says the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“While the details of a binding agreement may not be completely worked out in Copenhagen, it is more important than ever that participants send a strong, indicative and ambitious signal that can guide energy investment and policy decisions globally,” Nobuo Tanaka told the UN climate change conference COP15 in Copenhagen.
“The economic crisis, with the resulting fall in global energy-related CO2 emissions of 3% in 2009, gives us a unique window of opportunity to change our current, highly unsustainable energy path.”
The IEA has proposed an energy policy and technology blueprint for an ambitious climate goal, placing energy efficiency at the core of a carbon reduction strategy in both the near and the long term, he explained. “Current pledges point in the right direction, but fall short of what is needed to keep the global temperature rise to around 2°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Energy accounts for 84% of global CO2 emissions and, based on current trends without new measures, global energy-related CO2 emissions will reach 40 Gigatonnes (Gt) by 2030 vs 29 Gt in 2007, and will continue rising, Tanaka warned. The world would need to retire a significant portion of current coal-fired electricity stations by 2030, before the end of their lifetime, and early closures would equal today’s total coal-based power generation in Japan, EU and the United States.
Renewable energies would need to generate 37% of global electricity by 2030, with nuclear generating 18% and fossil-fired plants with carbon capture and storage accounting for 5%, while hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles would need to represent 60% of car sales by that time, compared with 1% today, he noted. The bulk of emissions reduction could be achieved through energy efficiency, which is an “absolute prerequisite” for the deployment of the more-expensive low-carbon and renewable energy supply.
In industry, buildings and transport, the additional US$8.3 trillion of required investment would lead to US$8.6tr in savings between now and 2030, said Tanaka. “The social, economic, environmental and energy security benefits of energy efficiency are too large to be missed, yet experience shows that proper policy frameworks are needed to reap these benefits.”
To support a global transition to more-efficient low-carbon and renewable energy systems, the IEA estimates that US$10.5tr is needed by 2030, which would allow global CO2 emissions to decline after 2020 and to be lower than current levels by 2030. “The wave of investments that will come with the economic recovery must be climate friendly; a strong signal is needed now,” he added. “Every year of delay adds US$500bn to the energy sector cost of reaching 450 ppm.”
The IEA has produced roadmaps on key technologies and to guide decision-makers on the path to innovations in wind, carbon capture, electric vehicles and cement production. While the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the UN’s Kyoto Protocol “has achieved a lot in certain sectors, it has not curbed the growth in emissions in developing countries,” added Tanaka.
“The current crisis alone will not put us on the right path to green growth and a stabilised climate,” he explained. “There are very clear co-benefits that would come with CO2 emission reductions, over and above the avoided climate change. There are benefits for health, through lower pollution. There are also benefits for energy security (lower energy imports), and also in reduced energy costs.”
The IEA forecasts that renewable energy and biofuels would produce 23% of the global carbon abatement by 2030, compared with 10% for nuclear and 57% for efficiency.
Isramart : China undertaking low-carbon development: official
Isramart news:
China is reconciling its traditional development and consumption patterns with low-carbon development so as to achieve ultimate harmony between humans and nature, a senior Chinese official said Tuesday.
In his speech to be delivered at a United Nations (UN) climate change seminar, Xie Zhenhua promised that China would strive to achieve this harmony by closely integrating the Chinese stage of development with its unique national situation.
Xie is vice minister of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission.
According to Xie, China will push forward its low-carbon development through the following steps.
Firstly, China will enhance policy guidance and macroscopic coordination, as low-carbon economy is an integrated topic for which balanced coordination and guidance are important. The Chinese government is planning to distribute holistic guiding policy documents.
Secondly, China will implement various policy measures. The Chinese government will incorporate the development of a low-carbon economy into the country's 12th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development. China will develop a low-carbon economy through the transformation of economic development patterns, industrial restructuring, increasing energy efficiency and the improvement of energy efficiency.
Thirdly, China will arrange pilot efforts for the development of a low-carbon economy. China will select representative regions or areas for demonstration projects on low-carbon economy, and work out and deliver plans to develop local low-carbon economy.
Fourthly, the country will upgrade capacity building for the development of a low-carbon economy. The Chinese government is organizing relevant departments to reinforce and improve the construction of monitoring, statistical and management systems for greenhouse gases and setting up cross-field multi-disciplinary science teams to achieve breakthroughs in key areas.
Fifthly, China is to enhance communication and education to upgrade public awareness. The Chinese government will promote all forms of communication and education activities for the development of a low-carbon economy and urge society to adopt low-carbon lifestyles and consumption patterns.
Sixthly, the country will organize international communication and cooperation. The Chinese government will boost dialogue and cooperation with other countries and international organizations with an open and practical attitude. China will introduce advanced concepts and experiences of developed countries and create a uniquely Chinese model for developing a low-carbon economy.
Another senior Chinese official, Zhao Baige, vice minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, told the same seminar that China is dealing with climate change using integrated and comprehensive insight.
She said that China is moving forwards on the path of low-carbon economy and social development under the framework of sustainable development and the interaction of various sectors: politics, economy, society, culture and ecology.
The Chinese government has adopted a set of actions that integrate climate considerations into the Chinese economic policy, such as stricter control of loans to sectors featuring high-carbon emissions and the increase of credit-support to low-carbon industries, said Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Program.
She said that these moves confirm what the international community already hailed as one of the most important steps from the Bali Road Map: the Chinese commitment to pursue a path of low-carbon development through the reduction of carbon intensity.
In recent years, China has also been leading the way in developing and adopting affordable low-carbon technologies and solutions.
Khalid Malik, UN resident coordinator in China, told Xinhua at the seminar that it is possible for China to improve the lives of people but also reduce carbon emissions at the same time.
"So we had to make certain that we avoid the lessons and the mistakes that other countries have made and that we learn the lessons from it," he said. "There is enough knowledge and technology around for us to bring it together and to produce a more sustainable part."
China is expected to release the "National Human Development Report" during the UN climate change talks. The report will initiate the development of low-carbon economy in China and a sustainable society for the future.
China is reconciling its traditional development and consumption patterns with low-carbon development so as to achieve ultimate harmony between humans and nature, a senior Chinese official said Tuesday.
In his speech to be delivered at a United Nations (UN) climate change seminar, Xie Zhenhua promised that China would strive to achieve this harmony by closely integrating the Chinese stage of development with its unique national situation.
Xie is vice minister of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission.
According to Xie, China will push forward its low-carbon development through the following steps.
Firstly, China will enhance policy guidance and macroscopic coordination, as low-carbon economy is an integrated topic for which balanced coordination and guidance are important. The Chinese government is planning to distribute holistic guiding policy documents.
Secondly, China will implement various policy measures. The Chinese government will incorporate the development of a low-carbon economy into the country's 12th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development. China will develop a low-carbon economy through the transformation of economic development patterns, industrial restructuring, increasing energy efficiency and the improvement of energy efficiency.
Thirdly, China will arrange pilot efforts for the development of a low-carbon economy. China will select representative regions or areas for demonstration projects on low-carbon economy, and work out and deliver plans to develop local low-carbon economy.
Fourthly, the country will upgrade capacity building for the development of a low-carbon economy. The Chinese government is organizing relevant departments to reinforce and improve the construction of monitoring, statistical and management systems for greenhouse gases and setting up cross-field multi-disciplinary science teams to achieve breakthroughs in key areas.
Fifthly, China is to enhance communication and education to upgrade public awareness. The Chinese government will promote all forms of communication and education activities for the development of a low-carbon economy and urge society to adopt low-carbon lifestyles and consumption patterns.
Sixthly, the country will organize international communication and cooperation. The Chinese government will boost dialogue and cooperation with other countries and international organizations with an open and practical attitude. China will introduce advanced concepts and experiences of developed countries and create a uniquely Chinese model for developing a low-carbon economy.
Another senior Chinese official, Zhao Baige, vice minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, told the same seminar that China is dealing with climate change using integrated and comprehensive insight.
She said that China is moving forwards on the path of low-carbon economy and social development under the framework of sustainable development and the interaction of various sectors: politics, economy, society, culture and ecology.
The Chinese government has adopted a set of actions that integrate climate considerations into the Chinese economic policy, such as stricter control of loans to sectors featuring high-carbon emissions and the increase of credit-support to low-carbon industries, said Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Program.
She said that these moves confirm what the international community already hailed as one of the most important steps from the Bali Road Map: the Chinese commitment to pursue a path of low-carbon development through the reduction of carbon intensity.
In recent years, China has also been leading the way in developing and adopting affordable low-carbon technologies and solutions.
Khalid Malik, UN resident coordinator in China, told Xinhua at the seminar that it is possible for China to improve the lives of people but also reduce carbon emissions at the same time.
"So we had to make certain that we avoid the lessons and the mistakes that other countries have made and that we learn the lessons from it," he said. "There is enough knowledge and technology around for us to bring it together and to produce a more sustainable part."
China is expected to release the "National Human Development Report" during the UN climate change talks. The report will initiate the development of low-carbon economy in China and a sustainable society for the future.
Isramart : “Google phone” may dilute the company’s promise of carbon neutrality
Isramart news:
Google committed to carbon neutrality back in 2007, but that’s prior to an overt entry into the mobile phone hardware business through a partnership with someone like HTC. The Nexus One, what many are referring to as the “Google phone”, changes the game a bit because previously Google took into account “. . . purchased electricity, employee commuting, business travel, construction, and server manufacturing” in calculating its carbon footprint.
Add a tight partnership with a mobile device manufacturer to that list and Google’s carbon output is sure to skyrocket. The search giant has committed to re-evaluating its carbon footprint every year and it will be interesting to see how it accommodates the new volume. Other companies already in the mobile space are taking differing approaches to the problem.
Sprint is experimenting with devices like the Samsung Reclaim that use recycled and recyclable materials while reducing the amount of packaging, and it also provides a drop off point for old phones to keep them out of the landfill. Verizon doing things like reducing the heat generated by its network of computer chips and circuit boards, digging up decommissioned network lines, and using hybrid vehicles in its fleet.
The bottom line? Neither Sprint nor Verizon has dedicated itself to carbon neutrality like Google. So in addition to the Nexus One’s tight integration with Android OS through Google’s 100% oversight, and the possibility of it being a contract-free device, Google has a green endorsement giving the Nexus One a lift.
Google committed to carbon neutrality back in 2007, but that’s prior to an overt entry into the mobile phone hardware business through a partnership with someone like HTC. The Nexus One, what many are referring to as the “Google phone”, changes the game a bit because previously Google took into account “. . . purchased electricity, employee commuting, business travel, construction, and server manufacturing” in calculating its carbon footprint.
Add a tight partnership with a mobile device manufacturer to that list and Google’s carbon output is sure to skyrocket. The search giant has committed to re-evaluating its carbon footprint every year and it will be interesting to see how it accommodates the new volume. Other companies already in the mobile space are taking differing approaches to the problem.
Sprint is experimenting with devices like the Samsung Reclaim that use recycled and recyclable materials while reducing the amount of packaging, and it also provides a drop off point for old phones to keep them out of the landfill. Verizon doing things like reducing the heat generated by its network of computer chips and circuit boards, digging up decommissioned network lines, and using hybrid vehicles in its fleet.
The bottom line? Neither Sprint nor Verizon has dedicated itself to carbon neutrality like Google. So in addition to the Nexus One’s tight integration with Android OS through Google’s 100% oversight, and the possibility of it being a contract-free device, Google has a green endorsement giving the Nexus One a lift.
Isramart : A price target for carbon
Isramart news:
In this column for National Journal I argue that (supposedly) binding quantity caps for GHG emissions are not the most productive way to co-operate on climate change. Converging on a gradually rising carbon price would get better results.
We need a form of cooperation that economizes on momentous international treaties and cross-border obligations — which are difficult to frame in the first place and impossible to enforce once they exist. Instead, we need policies that can be sold to voters country by country, and that conform to a broad international effort, instead of seeming to be dictated by multinational (i.e., other people’s) goals.
Curbing global warming does need to be an international effort — because it is the stock of global gases that drives the process. There is no point in one country cutting its emissions if others do not. But this does not mean that a Kyoto-type approach — a global treaty specifying exact binding limits on emissions, regardless of the consequences — is the way to go. The difficulties in that method are obvious and have been amply demonstrated.
For one thing, achieving equity across countries is difficult. In setting hard targets, allowance has to be made for the fact that poor countries such as India and China emit less per capita than the United States. But how? Putting the political focus on questions like that, and trying to answer them once and for all at events like the Copenhagen conference — then holding the entire process hostage to the answers — is not the way to get things done.
In this column for National Journal I argue that (supposedly) binding quantity caps for GHG emissions are not the most productive way to co-operate on climate change. Converging on a gradually rising carbon price would get better results.
We need a form of cooperation that economizes on momentous international treaties and cross-border obligations — which are difficult to frame in the first place and impossible to enforce once they exist. Instead, we need policies that can be sold to voters country by country, and that conform to a broad international effort, instead of seeming to be dictated by multinational (i.e., other people’s) goals.
Curbing global warming does need to be an international effort — because it is the stock of global gases that drives the process. There is no point in one country cutting its emissions if others do not. But this does not mean that a Kyoto-type approach — a global treaty specifying exact binding limits on emissions, regardless of the consequences — is the way to go. The difficulties in that method are obvious and have been amply demonstrated.
For one thing, achieving equity across countries is difficult. In setting hard targets, allowance has to be made for the fact that poor countries such as India and China emit less per capita than the United States. But how? Putting the political focus on questions like that, and trying to answer them once and for all at events like the Copenhagen conference — then holding the entire process hostage to the answers — is not the way to get things done.
Isramart : Copenhagen was horribly disappointing, but it was not an unmitigated failure
Isramart news:
In keeping with the somewhat sordid seasonal traditions of the office Christmas Party, world leaders will find themselves waking up this week feeling secretly ashamed at their behaviour, while trying to convince themselves that no one noticed and everything will turn out all right in the end.
The sad truth is that almost all the epithets thrown at the Copenhagen Summit in the past 48 hours - chaotic, farcical, depressing, laughable - are entirely justified. On many fronts, political, diplomatic, organisational, and most importantly scientific, the past two weeks have been little short of disastrous.
Amid the brinkmanship and back-biting one critical issue appeared to be forgotten. The summit may have ended with the world order slightly tilted in favour of China, with new alliances formed and old enmities reignited, with Ed Miliband's political standing enhanced and Barack Obama's prestige bruised, but one thing did not change – the science.
Whether you blame Chinese intransigence, American arrogance, or the willingness of a small cabal of Latin American nations to hijack the final hours of the summit for some good old-fashioned socialist grand-standing is somewhat irrelevant when you consider we remain on track to see average global temperatures rise by around four degrees by mid-century.
Countries may have come together to recognise the seriousness of climate change and the need to limit temperature increases to two degrees for the first time. But without solid and detailed commitments world leaders simply resemble a modern day King Canute, ordering temperatures to stop rising while proving themselves increasingly incapable of stopping them from doing so.
There is so much for green businesses and those committed to building a low carbon economy to be angry about. How can China say in one breath that it is serious about tackling climate change, and then dismiss out of hand attempts to adopt even modest global emissions targets? Why did the US attempt to shame China and other emerging economies into greater action, when its own planned emission cuts fall grotesquely short of what is required? They might not think much of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in Washington, but when he compared the US offer of $10bn in climate aid with its $700bn a year military budget plenty of the world's poorest countries would have been nodding their assent.
And yet, despite their understandable frustration, the arguments from NGOs and environmental groups that the Copenhagen Accord represents an unmitigated failure are both premature and unhelpful.
There is only one measure of success for the international treaty which we still hope will replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012: whether it sufficiently accelerates the development of a global low carbon economy in order to deliver deep and sustainable cuts in carbon emissions of a magnitude that will avert the worst impacts of climate change.
In this respect, the Copenhagen Accord is not a failure. On its own, it will not significantly accelerate the transition to a low carbon, but nor will it apply the brakes.
If the talks had genuinely collapsed then the global low carbon economy would have undoubtedly suffered, but as it stands they have simply received yet more political endorsement.
The fears that the Copenhagen process will now descend into the endless round of wrangling that has all but destroyed the Doha trade talks may yet end up proving justified, just as the predictions that a deal will remain elusive for as long as China opposes any form of binding emission targets are probably accurate.
But there is also plenty of optimism to fuel the 2010 negotiations. Amid all the condemnation at the Copenhagen Accord the blank two pages at the end of the document have been largely forgotten.
The first promises "quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020" for annex 1 industrialised countries, while the second promises "nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing country parties". The text also promises that these two appendices will be filled in with commitments from each and every country by the end of next month.
It remains possible, perhaps even probable, that before the spring of 2010 there will be an international political agreement featuring medium-term emission targets for all industrialised countries and detailed climate change action plans from all developing countries. Moreover, the liklihood is that it will have been signed by all but a handful of countries.
Business leaders keep saying they want greater certainty over their low carbon investments, but not only is this certainty almost upon us, growing numbers of progressive low carbon businesses are increasingly recognising this demand for absolute clarity over the future as something of an excuse for inaction. The Copenhagen Accord, coupled with the national climate change strategies and emission targets that will follow, makes the direction of travel explicitly clear, which is why clean tech remains the most exciting and fastest growing investment opportunity around.
In addition, meetings are even now being scheduled to finalise the agreements on forest protection schemes and reforms to the UN's carbon offsetting scheme that came so tantalisingly close to being signed off in Copenhagen, while the more complex discussions on verifying emission reductions and raising $100bn in climate funding by 2020 will for the first time get underway with the tacit support of all the world's largest emitters.
A huge amount of work will need to be done in the New Year to overcome the bad blood that has developed between a number of countries at the Copenhagen Summit, but there is still a huge appetite for that work to be done.
A genuinely meaningful international agreement remains possible. An agreement that would lead to the further acceleration of low carbon investments and move us ever closer to the point where low and zero carbon technologies prove more cost effective than carbon-intensive alternatives – the point at which a low carbon economy becomes not just viable, but inevitable.
It may be a long way from the perfectly wrapped Christmas present green businesses had been hoping for, but the Copenhagen Accord not only ensures that the transition to a low carbon economy maintains its momentum, it also holds out the promise of plenty more gifts to come.
In keeping with the somewhat sordid seasonal traditions of the office Christmas Party, world leaders will find themselves waking up this week feeling secretly ashamed at their behaviour, while trying to convince themselves that no one noticed and everything will turn out all right in the end.
The sad truth is that almost all the epithets thrown at the Copenhagen Summit in the past 48 hours - chaotic, farcical, depressing, laughable - are entirely justified. On many fronts, political, diplomatic, organisational, and most importantly scientific, the past two weeks have been little short of disastrous.
Amid the brinkmanship and back-biting one critical issue appeared to be forgotten. The summit may have ended with the world order slightly tilted in favour of China, with new alliances formed and old enmities reignited, with Ed Miliband's political standing enhanced and Barack Obama's prestige bruised, but one thing did not change – the science.
Whether you blame Chinese intransigence, American arrogance, or the willingness of a small cabal of Latin American nations to hijack the final hours of the summit for some good old-fashioned socialist grand-standing is somewhat irrelevant when you consider we remain on track to see average global temperatures rise by around four degrees by mid-century.
Countries may have come together to recognise the seriousness of climate change and the need to limit temperature increases to two degrees for the first time. But without solid and detailed commitments world leaders simply resemble a modern day King Canute, ordering temperatures to stop rising while proving themselves increasingly incapable of stopping them from doing so.
There is so much for green businesses and those committed to building a low carbon economy to be angry about. How can China say in one breath that it is serious about tackling climate change, and then dismiss out of hand attempts to adopt even modest global emissions targets? Why did the US attempt to shame China and other emerging economies into greater action, when its own planned emission cuts fall grotesquely short of what is required? They might not think much of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in Washington, but when he compared the US offer of $10bn in climate aid with its $700bn a year military budget plenty of the world's poorest countries would have been nodding their assent.
And yet, despite their understandable frustration, the arguments from NGOs and environmental groups that the Copenhagen Accord represents an unmitigated failure are both premature and unhelpful.
There is only one measure of success for the international treaty which we still hope will replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012: whether it sufficiently accelerates the development of a global low carbon economy in order to deliver deep and sustainable cuts in carbon emissions of a magnitude that will avert the worst impacts of climate change.
In this respect, the Copenhagen Accord is not a failure. On its own, it will not significantly accelerate the transition to a low carbon, but nor will it apply the brakes.
If the talks had genuinely collapsed then the global low carbon economy would have undoubtedly suffered, but as it stands they have simply received yet more political endorsement.
The fears that the Copenhagen process will now descend into the endless round of wrangling that has all but destroyed the Doha trade talks may yet end up proving justified, just as the predictions that a deal will remain elusive for as long as China opposes any form of binding emission targets are probably accurate.
But there is also plenty of optimism to fuel the 2010 negotiations. Amid all the condemnation at the Copenhagen Accord the blank two pages at the end of the document have been largely forgotten.
The first promises "quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020" for annex 1 industrialised countries, while the second promises "nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing country parties". The text also promises that these two appendices will be filled in with commitments from each and every country by the end of next month.
It remains possible, perhaps even probable, that before the spring of 2010 there will be an international political agreement featuring medium-term emission targets for all industrialised countries and detailed climate change action plans from all developing countries. Moreover, the liklihood is that it will have been signed by all but a handful of countries.
Business leaders keep saying they want greater certainty over their low carbon investments, but not only is this certainty almost upon us, growing numbers of progressive low carbon businesses are increasingly recognising this demand for absolute clarity over the future as something of an excuse for inaction. The Copenhagen Accord, coupled with the national climate change strategies and emission targets that will follow, makes the direction of travel explicitly clear, which is why clean tech remains the most exciting and fastest growing investment opportunity around.
In addition, meetings are even now being scheduled to finalise the agreements on forest protection schemes and reforms to the UN's carbon offsetting scheme that came so tantalisingly close to being signed off in Copenhagen, while the more complex discussions on verifying emission reductions and raising $100bn in climate funding by 2020 will for the first time get underway with the tacit support of all the world's largest emitters.
A huge amount of work will need to be done in the New Year to overcome the bad blood that has developed between a number of countries at the Copenhagen Summit, but there is still a huge appetite for that work to be done.
A genuinely meaningful international agreement remains possible. An agreement that would lead to the further acceleration of low carbon investments and move us ever closer to the point where low and zero carbon technologies prove more cost effective than carbon-intensive alternatives – the point at which a low carbon economy becomes not just viable, but inevitable.
It may be a long way from the perfectly wrapped Christmas present green businesses had been hoping for, but the Copenhagen Accord not only ensures that the transition to a low carbon economy maintains its momentum, it also holds out the promise of plenty more gifts to come.
Isramart :Climate Bonds Initiative aims to open taps on low-carbon finance
Isramart news:
The development of so-called climate bonds could play a major role in raising the financing necessary to fund the global transition to a low-carbon economy, according to an international think-tank which this week launched a campaign to promote the adoption of climate change-focused financial instruments.
The Network for Sustainable Financial Markets announced that is has teamed up with the Carbon Disclosure Project to undertake research into the policies, best practices and standards that could accelerate the development of climate bonds. The groups said they would also help countries develop proof-of-concept projects and bond issues to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model.
The Climate Bonds Initiative is also backed by an advisory panel, including James Cameron, vice chairman of investment firm Climate Change Capital; Nick Robins of the HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence; and Jeremy Leggett, founder of Solarcentury.
Cameron said that bonds have a proven track record of funding the kind of ambitious infrastructure projects that will be required to decarbonise the global economy. "Bonds have allowed us to finance the building of Europe's sewer systems, the growth of America's highway system, and the funding of two World Wars," he observed. "We can now use Climate Bonds to finance the quick, global transition required to head off runaway climate change."
Robins added that the development of new financing instruments would also provide businesses and individuals with a way of navigating the gloomy prognosis that has emerged from much of the Copenhagen talks. "Putting the emphasis on private financing allows a different perspective," he argued. "In place of always talking about the costs of climate change, we can talk instead about investment opportunities."
Sean Kidney, Climate Bonds Initiative convenor, said climate bonds were urgently needed to provide investors with a safe alternative to carbon-intensive investments. "In the wash-up of the financial crisis, fund managers the world over are re-weighting their portfolios towards fixed-interest debt," he said. " But most of the bonds on offer lock institutional investors into the carbon-intensive economy. Discussion with institutional investors such as pension funds has found a large appetite for bond investments related to climate mitigation projects – as long as they first meet accepted risk ratings and rates of return."
The development of so-called climate bonds could play a major role in raising the financing necessary to fund the global transition to a low-carbon economy, according to an international think-tank which this week launched a campaign to promote the adoption of climate change-focused financial instruments.
The Network for Sustainable Financial Markets announced that is has teamed up with the Carbon Disclosure Project to undertake research into the policies, best practices and standards that could accelerate the development of climate bonds. The groups said they would also help countries develop proof-of-concept projects and bond issues to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model.
The Climate Bonds Initiative is also backed by an advisory panel, including James Cameron, vice chairman of investment firm Climate Change Capital; Nick Robins of the HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence; and Jeremy Leggett, founder of Solarcentury.
Cameron said that bonds have a proven track record of funding the kind of ambitious infrastructure projects that will be required to decarbonise the global economy. "Bonds have allowed us to finance the building of Europe's sewer systems, the growth of America's highway system, and the funding of two World Wars," he observed. "We can now use Climate Bonds to finance the quick, global transition required to head off runaway climate change."
Robins added that the development of new financing instruments would also provide businesses and individuals with a way of navigating the gloomy prognosis that has emerged from much of the Copenhagen talks. "Putting the emphasis on private financing allows a different perspective," he argued. "In place of always talking about the costs of climate change, we can talk instead about investment opportunities."
Sean Kidney, Climate Bonds Initiative convenor, said climate bonds were urgently needed to provide investors with a safe alternative to carbon-intensive investments. "In the wash-up of the financial crisis, fund managers the world over are re-weighting their portfolios towards fixed-interest debt," he said. " But most of the bonds on offer lock institutional investors into the carbon-intensive economy. Discussion with institutional investors such as pension funds has found a large appetite for bond investments related to climate mitigation projects – as long as they first meet accepted risk ratings and rates of return."
Isramart : New Jersey scientists oppose cap-and-trade, support carbon tax
Isramart news:
"Cap-and-trade is a pretty lousy idea," says Paul Falkowski, Ph.D., director of Rutgers University's Energy Institute. "It doesn't reduce emissions in the near term, and we have to reduce, not just keep emissions steady. If we put a cap on and start trading, we'll slowly get off a carbon diet, but it's not going to be a steep curve, and it's going to be painful."
Falkowski, who researches the carbon cycle — the uptake and release of carbon — in the oceans, is one of many scientists who view cap-and-trade, the creation of a market for carbon-based substances, as an impractical solution to climate change.
Karina Schäfer, Ph.D., a Rutgers ecosystem ecologist, is similarly skeptical about a carbon market: "Cap-and-trade will be the next bubble. We've seen how unstable the financial and housing markets are - we've watched them increase and crash. Do we want to have the earth's climate rely on those instruments?"
"I favor a simple carbon tax," said Falkowski. "It costs ‘x' amount of money to put ‘x' amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and everybody pays that cost. We know the sources of oil everywhere in the world and how much oil is put on the market every day-futures trading is based on it. We know most of sources of coal and every major supplier of natural gas. We can tax the suppliers."
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore believes cap-and-trade is more likely to be adopted in Congress, since it will be supported by industries that can benefit from a trading scheme. Politicians are loath to propose taxes of any kind, due to their unpopularity with the voters.
"New Jersey has the third lowest gas tax in the country," Falkowski observed. "If we raise gas two cents a gallon per month over the next two years, we'll solve most of our budget deficit problems. There will be screaming and crying for a couple of years, and then that will die down. This idea is anathema to the people in Trenton, but that's reality."
Carbon credits
Another problem some scientists see with the cap-and-trade scheme is the inclusion of carbon credits for areas that operate as "carbon sinks", such as forests and wetlands that sequester carbon in plant matter and soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. Industries and utilities can buy credits as part of their obligation to reduce emissions, lessening the financial pressure to build renewable sources of energy.
Falkowski opposes carbon credits on principle. He remarked, "Imagine this scenario. A burglar comes in and steals everything in your house. You're left with nothing. You go out and ask for $5 for dinner. The burglar gives you $5 and then wants a tax credit for being so generous. We have deforested the eastern lands, and we want a carbon credit now that we're letting a little bit of it grow back. It's a political game."
Schäfer's work involves measuring carbon output and retention in the Meadowlands, part of New Jersey's effort to obtain carbon credits as a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade agreement by ten New England and Middle Atlantic states. The agreement, signed in 2005, went into operation on January 1, 2009, and has a goal of stabilizing emissions by 2014, with ten percent reduction of emissions by 2018. (So far the proceeds of RGGI have been used to fund weatherization and energy efficiency programs.)
Wetlands and forests operate as carbon sinks in summer, absorbing more carbon dioxide through photosynthesis than they give off through respiration. In winter, they are carbon sources, as photosynthesis does not occur in leafless trees, while respiration continues. The net effect across all seasons is generally removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
However, Schäfer noted, "Forests can become a carbon source under some conditions. For instance, if there's a defoliation event-when an infestation of insects eats all the leaves-or if there's a drought. Old-growth forests become balanced or eventually become a source, as trees respire more when they're older."
Scientists agree that the carbon cycle's complexity makes it difficult to measure and evaluate. Richard Lathrop, Ph.D., head of a Rutgers research team, is using computer and statistical models in an attempt to estimate how much carbon is sequestered in New Jersey's forests and soils.
Lathrop explained the purpose of his project: "The question would be, can you set aside enough acreage to make the carbon sequestration significant? We are trying to determine, if you set aside an acre of land, this is the amount of carbon you might expect to sequester over 100 years."
Such calculations are required to put a price on carbon credits. "For instance," says Lathrop, "if I were a forest landowner, and I put 1000 acres aside, how much are you going to pay me?"
Lathrop feels his team has made "a good first pass" at creating a model that weights such variables as aboveground and belowground biomass, geographic location, tree species, and soil composition. There are less data available on shrubs and down and dead wood.
"We're not taking into account changes in climate — there's definitely an amount of uncertainty," he said. "The budget's not big, and the timeframe is short. We could play with different scenarios, if climate changed, include temperature, precipitation, then how much [CO2] change would there be — we could do it as a follow-up."
"Cap-and-trade is a pretty lousy idea," says Paul Falkowski, Ph.D., director of Rutgers University's Energy Institute. "It doesn't reduce emissions in the near term, and we have to reduce, not just keep emissions steady. If we put a cap on and start trading, we'll slowly get off a carbon diet, but it's not going to be a steep curve, and it's going to be painful."
Falkowski, who researches the carbon cycle — the uptake and release of carbon — in the oceans, is one of many scientists who view cap-and-trade, the creation of a market for carbon-based substances, as an impractical solution to climate change.
Karina Schäfer, Ph.D., a Rutgers ecosystem ecologist, is similarly skeptical about a carbon market: "Cap-and-trade will be the next bubble. We've seen how unstable the financial and housing markets are - we've watched them increase and crash. Do we want to have the earth's climate rely on those instruments?"
"I favor a simple carbon tax," said Falkowski. "It costs ‘x' amount of money to put ‘x' amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and everybody pays that cost. We know the sources of oil everywhere in the world and how much oil is put on the market every day-futures trading is based on it. We know most of sources of coal and every major supplier of natural gas. We can tax the suppliers."
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore believes cap-and-trade is more likely to be adopted in Congress, since it will be supported by industries that can benefit from a trading scheme. Politicians are loath to propose taxes of any kind, due to their unpopularity with the voters.
"New Jersey has the third lowest gas tax in the country," Falkowski observed. "If we raise gas two cents a gallon per month over the next two years, we'll solve most of our budget deficit problems. There will be screaming and crying for a couple of years, and then that will die down. This idea is anathema to the people in Trenton, but that's reality."
Carbon credits
Another problem some scientists see with the cap-and-trade scheme is the inclusion of carbon credits for areas that operate as "carbon sinks", such as forests and wetlands that sequester carbon in plant matter and soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. Industries and utilities can buy credits as part of their obligation to reduce emissions, lessening the financial pressure to build renewable sources of energy.
Falkowski opposes carbon credits on principle. He remarked, "Imagine this scenario. A burglar comes in and steals everything in your house. You're left with nothing. You go out and ask for $5 for dinner. The burglar gives you $5 and then wants a tax credit for being so generous. We have deforested the eastern lands, and we want a carbon credit now that we're letting a little bit of it grow back. It's a political game."
Schäfer's work involves measuring carbon output and retention in the Meadowlands, part of New Jersey's effort to obtain carbon credits as a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade agreement by ten New England and Middle Atlantic states. The agreement, signed in 2005, went into operation on January 1, 2009, and has a goal of stabilizing emissions by 2014, with ten percent reduction of emissions by 2018. (So far the proceeds of RGGI have been used to fund weatherization and energy efficiency programs.)
Wetlands and forests operate as carbon sinks in summer, absorbing more carbon dioxide through photosynthesis than they give off through respiration. In winter, they are carbon sources, as photosynthesis does not occur in leafless trees, while respiration continues. The net effect across all seasons is generally removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
However, Schäfer noted, "Forests can become a carbon source under some conditions. For instance, if there's a defoliation event-when an infestation of insects eats all the leaves-or if there's a drought. Old-growth forests become balanced or eventually become a source, as trees respire more when they're older."
Scientists agree that the carbon cycle's complexity makes it difficult to measure and evaluate. Richard Lathrop, Ph.D., head of a Rutgers research team, is using computer and statistical models in an attempt to estimate how much carbon is sequestered in New Jersey's forests and soils.
Lathrop explained the purpose of his project: "The question would be, can you set aside enough acreage to make the carbon sequestration significant? We are trying to determine, if you set aside an acre of land, this is the amount of carbon you might expect to sequester over 100 years."
Such calculations are required to put a price on carbon credits. "For instance," says Lathrop, "if I were a forest landowner, and I put 1000 acres aside, how much are you going to pay me?"
Lathrop feels his team has made "a good first pass" at creating a model that weights such variables as aboveground and belowground biomass, geographic location, tree species, and soil composition. There are less data available on shrubs and down and dead wood.
"We're not taking into account changes in climate — there's definitely an amount of uncertainty," he said. "The budget's not big, and the timeframe is short. We could play with different scenarios, if climate changed, include temperature, precipitation, then how much [CO2] change would there be — we could do it as a follow-up."
Isramart : Germany assures cooperation in railway, CDM, HRD sectors
Isramart news:
A German delegation Friday called on Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and discussed matters of mutual interests and future cooperation in railways, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and human resources development.
The delegation comprised German Consular Head Press and Economic Section Dr Gregor Schotten and Minister Counselor Deputy Head of Mission Stephan Roken.
During the meeting, the railways minister sought German cooperation in CDM and infrastructural development including signaling, environment and low carbon emission.
He requested the German government to provide grants or soft loans in the aforementioned sectors and added that both Pakistan and Germany enjoy decades old friendly ties and growing cooperation in different sectors would further strengthen these ties.
Bilour also sought cooperation in freight train management, adding that in 1970, the Islamabad Carriage Factory was established following technical and economic cooperation by the German government.
The delegation assured the government of Pakistan for maximum possible cooperation in CDM, human resource development and hinted at support for standard gauge for new railway lines from Gwadar to Afghanistan, Iran and Havelian to China.
The delegation said Pakistan railways is environment friendly so it can be realized that investment can be made by German government in Pakistan’s railways sector to make it more environment friendly and pollution-free. In addition,the delegation reassured cooperation in Rolling Stock and highlighted various aspects of Pak-German historic ties in economic and other sectors, hoping that these relations would enrich in future.
Secretary Ministry of Railways and Chairman Pakistan Railway briefed the delegation about functioning of Pakistan railways and its ongoing projects with the cooperation of different international partners.
A German delegation Friday called on Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and discussed matters of mutual interests and future cooperation in railways, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and human resources development.
The delegation comprised German Consular Head Press and Economic Section Dr Gregor Schotten and Minister Counselor Deputy Head of Mission Stephan Roken.
During the meeting, the railways minister sought German cooperation in CDM and infrastructural development including signaling, environment and low carbon emission.
He requested the German government to provide grants or soft loans in the aforementioned sectors and added that both Pakistan and Germany enjoy decades old friendly ties and growing cooperation in different sectors would further strengthen these ties.
Bilour also sought cooperation in freight train management, adding that in 1970, the Islamabad Carriage Factory was established following technical and economic cooperation by the German government.
The delegation assured the government of Pakistan for maximum possible cooperation in CDM, human resource development and hinted at support for standard gauge for new railway lines from Gwadar to Afghanistan, Iran and Havelian to China.
The delegation said Pakistan railways is environment friendly so it can be realized that investment can be made by German government in Pakistan’s railways sector to make it more environment friendly and pollution-free. In addition,the delegation reassured cooperation in Rolling Stock and highlighted various aspects of Pak-German historic ties in economic and other sectors, hoping that these relations would enrich in future.
Secretary Ministry of Railways and Chairman Pakistan Railway briefed the delegation about functioning of Pakistan railways and its ongoing projects with the cooperation of different international partners.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Isramart : Lege noua in China pentru mai multa energie verde
Isramart news:
China are o noua lege care impune tuturor operatorilor de energie sa cumpere toata electricitatea produsa de generatorii de energie curata pentru a creste proportia de energie provenita din surse regenerabile, anunta Reuters.
Legea energiei regenerabile a fost adoptata sambata de catre comitetul Congresului National al Poporului din China.
China beneficiaza de cantitati semnificative de energie eoliana, multumita subventiilor oferite de guvern pentru promovarea si sporirea utilizarii energiilor curate.
Cu toate acestea, spun expertii, multe ferme eoliene nu au fost plasate tocmai corespunzator, iar o treime din capacitatea de energie eoliana instalata a Chinei nu este conectata la reteaua electrica.
China a stabilit ca 15% din productia de electricitate a tarii sa provina din surse regenerabile, pana in 2020, cu 9% mai mult fata de procentul actual.
China are o noua lege care impune tuturor operatorilor de energie sa cumpere toata electricitatea produsa de generatorii de energie curata pentru a creste proportia de energie provenita din surse regenerabile, anunta Reuters.
Legea energiei regenerabile a fost adoptata sambata de catre comitetul Congresului National al Poporului din China.
China beneficiaza de cantitati semnificative de energie eoliana, multumita subventiilor oferite de guvern pentru promovarea si sporirea utilizarii energiilor curate.
Cu toate acestea, spun expertii, multe ferme eoliene nu au fost plasate tocmai corespunzator, iar o treime din capacitatea de energie eoliana instalata a Chinei nu este conectata la reteaua electrica.
China a stabilit ca 15% din productia de electricitate a tarii sa provina din surse regenerabile, pana in 2020, cu 9% mai mult fata de procentul actual.
Isramart : Certificate de emisii gaze cu efect de seră, tranzacţionate în premieră pe bursă
Isramart news:
Bursa Monetar Financiară şi de Mărfuri Sibiu (BMFMS) va lansa, începând de luni, contractul futures având ca activ suport certificatele de emisii gaze cu efect de seră (EGES). Potrivit BMFMS, acestea vor avea simbolul CO2 RON 2008-2012.
Mărimea contractului este 100 certificate de emisii gaze cu efect de sera (EGES), pasul de tranzacţionare va fi de 0,01 lei (un leu/contract), iar contractele vor avea scadenţă zilnică. Contractul iniţiat la începutul fiecărei sesiuni de tranzacţionare are scadenţa în aceeaşi zi, o singură scadenţă zilnică fiind disponibilă permanent în timpul sesiunii de tranzacţionare.
'Lansarea acestor derivate înseamnă pătrunderea Sibex pe o piaţă cu un imens potenţial. Este ştiut faptul că alocarea certificatelor de emisii este principalul instrument al Uniunii Europene de a lupta împotriva încălzirii globale, iar prin lansarea acestor instrumente în premieră pe piaţa autohtonă de capital, Bursa din Sibiu ajută practic România să se alinieze normelor europene care obligă ca aceste certificate să fie tranzacţionate prin burse. De asemenea, sperăm ca de acum înainte existenţa unui cadru organizat să împiedice tranzacţionarea acestor certificate prin înţelegeri prin apartamente favorabile doar unora, cum s-au făcut la un moment dat', a declarat preşedintele Sibex, Teodor Ancuţa.
Certificatul EGES este titlul care conferă dreptul de a emite o tonă de dioxid de carbon echivalent, într-o perioadă definită valabilă numai pentru îndeplinirea scopului Hotărârii Guvernului 780/2006 privind înfiinţarea schemei de comercializare a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră şi care este transferabil în condiţiile prevăzute de această hotărâre.
Bursa Monetar Financiară şi de Mărfuri Sibiu (BMFMS) va lansa, începând de luni, contractul futures având ca activ suport certificatele de emisii gaze cu efect de seră (EGES). Potrivit BMFMS, acestea vor avea simbolul CO2 RON 2008-2012.
Mărimea contractului este 100 certificate de emisii gaze cu efect de sera (EGES), pasul de tranzacţionare va fi de 0,01 lei (un leu/contract), iar contractele vor avea scadenţă zilnică. Contractul iniţiat la începutul fiecărei sesiuni de tranzacţionare are scadenţa în aceeaşi zi, o singură scadenţă zilnică fiind disponibilă permanent în timpul sesiunii de tranzacţionare.
'Lansarea acestor derivate înseamnă pătrunderea Sibex pe o piaţă cu un imens potenţial. Este ştiut faptul că alocarea certificatelor de emisii este principalul instrument al Uniunii Europene de a lupta împotriva încălzirii globale, iar prin lansarea acestor instrumente în premieră pe piaţa autohtonă de capital, Bursa din Sibiu ajută practic România să se alinieze normelor europene care obligă ca aceste certificate să fie tranzacţionate prin burse. De asemenea, sperăm ca de acum înainte existenţa unui cadru organizat să împiedice tranzacţionarea acestor certificate prin înţelegeri prin apartamente favorabile doar unora, cum s-au făcut la un moment dat', a declarat preşedintele Sibex, Teodor Ancuţa.
Certificatul EGES este titlul care conferă dreptul de a emite o tonă de dioxid de carbon echivalent, într-o perioadă definită valabilă numai pentru îndeplinirea scopului Hotărârii Guvernului 780/2006 privind înfiinţarea schemei de comercializare a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră şi care este transferabil în condiţiile prevăzute de această hotărâre.
Isramart : Poluarea strică liniştea apelor
Isramart news:
Oceanele devin, din cauza noxelor, tot mai permeabile la zgomot. Acest lucru perturbă viaţa mamiferelor care trăiesc în apele marine. Oceanografii americani arată că nivelul ridicat al sunetelor de joasă frecvenţă ar putea genera eşuarea în masă a balenelor pe plaje şi surditate temporară la delfini.
Arderea combustibililor fosili nu este un proces poluant doar pentru aerul din atmosferă. O mare parte din emisiile de dioxid de carbon ajunge în mări şi în oceane, transformându-se în acid carbonic.
Aşa se explică creşterea acidităţii apelor oceanice. Sunetele de frecvenţă joasă, care se propagă în apă, sunt produse de ploaie, de valuri, de fauna marină şi de activităţi umane precum navigaţia, construcţiile şi utilizarea sonarelor.
Intensitatea sunetelor depinde de concentraţia din apă a unor compuşi chimici, cum ar fi sulfatul de magneziu, acidul boric şi ionii carbonaţi, legată direct de aciditatea ei, dată de PH, explică doi oceanografi, de la Universitatea Hawai şi de la Institutul de Cercetări acvatice de la Monterrey, California, citaţi de Agerpres.
PH-ul oceanelor, care a scăzut uşor de la începutul revoluţiei industriale, s-ar putea micşora de şase ori până la sfârşitul secolului. „Absorbţia sunetului ar putea scădea, prin urmare, până la 60% la latitudinile înalte", anticipează oamenii de ştiinţă, care adaugă că Atlanticul de Nord figurează printre regiunile vizate în mod special, din cauza activităţii industriale foarte puternice.
Surditate temporară la delfini
„Nivelul mare de sunete de joasă frecvenţă ar putea avea efecte biologice şi comportamentale asupra faunei marine. Din cauza folosirii sonarelor cu frecvenţe medii în timpul exerciţiilor militare s-ar putea produce chiar fenomenele de eşuare în masă a cetaceelor pe plaje şi de surditate temporară la delfini", se mai arată în studiu.
Balenele cu cocoaşă şi-ar putea părăsi habitatul dacă sunt deranjate prea mult de zgomotul vapoarelor care trec în apropiere. Pentru că sunetele se propagă mai uşor în apele acide, acestea ar putea face ca animalele să comunice pe distanţe mai mari, fenomen cu efecte necunoscute încă.
ALTE EFECTE NEGATIVE
Creşterea acidităţii din oceane poate afecta fertilitatea nevertebratelor marine, determinând extincţia coloniilor de arici de mare, de homari, midii şi de stridii, potrivit unul alt studiu recent, realizat de australieni.
Oceanele devin, din cauza noxelor, tot mai permeabile la zgomot. Acest lucru perturbă viaţa mamiferelor care trăiesc în apele marine. Oceanografii americani arată că nivelul ridicat al sunetelor de joasă frecvenţă ar putea genera eşuarea în masă a balenelor pe plaje şi surditate temporară la delfini.
Arderea combustibililor fosili nu este un proces poluant doar pentru aerul din atmosferă. O mare parte din emisiile de dioxid de carbon ajunge în mări şi în oceane, transformându-se în acid carbonic.
Aşa se explică creşterea acidităţii apelor oceanice. Sunetele de frecvenţă joasă, care se propagă în apă, sunt produse de ploaie, de valuri, de fauna marină şi de activităţi umane precum navigaţia, construcţiile şi utilizarea sonarelor.
Intensitatea sunetelor depinde de concentraţia din apă a unor compuşi chimici, cum ar fi sulfatul de magneziu, acidul boric şi ionii carbonaţi, legată direct de aciditatea ei, dată de PH, explică doi oceanografi, de la Universitatea Hawai şi de la Institutul de Cercetări acvatice de la Monterrey, California, citaţi de Agerpres.
PH-ul oceanelor, care a scăzut uşor de la începutul revoluţiei industriale, s-ar putea micşora de şase ori până la sfârşitul secolului. „Absorbţia sunetului ar putea scădea, prin urmare, până la 60% la latitudinile înalte", anticipează oamenii de ştiinţă, care adaugă că Atlanticul de Nord figurează printre regiunile vizate în mod special, din cauza activităţii industriale foarte puternice.
Surditate temporară la delfini
„Nivelul mare de sunete de joasă frecvenţă ar putea avea efecte biologice şi comportamentale asupra faunei marine. Din cauza folosirii sonarelor cu frecvenţe medii în timpul exerciţiilor militare s-ar putea produce chiar fenomenele de eşuare în masă a cetaceelor pe plaje şi de surditate temporară la delfini", se mai arată în studiu.
Balenele cu cocoaşă şi-ar putea părăsi habitatul dacă sunt deranjate prea mult de zgomotul vapoarelor care trec în apropiere. Pentru că sunetele se propagă mai uşor în apele acide, acestea ar putea face ca animalele să comunice pe distanţe mai mari, fenomen cu efecte necunoscute încă.
ALTE EFECTE NEGATIVE
Creşterea acidităţii din oceane poate afecta fertilitatea nevertebratelor marine, determinând extincţia coloniilor de arici de mare, de homari, midii şi de stridii, potrivit unul alt studiu recent, realizat de australieni.
Isramart :Proiect de peste 58 de milioane de euro pentru reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare din Timişoara
Isramart news:
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare Comisiei Europene, în cursul lunilor noiembrie-decembrie 2009, 6 proiecte majore de investiţii în infrastructura de mediu. Aceste proiecte vizează sectorul de apă/apă uzată (judeţele Bistriţa şi Vrancea), sectorul managementului integrat al deşeurilor (judeţul Arad) şi termoficare (oraşele Bacău, Iaşi şi Timişoara).
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare în municipiul Timişoara în vederea conformării cu standardele de mediu privind emisiile în atmosferă şi pentru sporirea eficienţei energetice în procesul de furnizare a termoficării urbane” are o valoare totală de 58.346.720 de euro şi se adresează celor aproximativ 224.360 de locuitori ai municipiului Timişoara care beneficiază de serviciile sistemului existent de încălzire şi distribuie energie termică.
Proiectul presupune investiţii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente şi a reţelelor de distribuţie a energiei termice în municipiul Timişoara. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 17%, a oxidului de azot cu aproximativ 47% şi a concentraţiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 25%, care în prezent depăşesc limita maximă admisă. Investiţiile în sistemul de termoficare va contribui la îmbunătăţirea eficienţei energetică a acestora, prin reducerea pierderilor de căldură din reţele
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare Comisiei Europene, în cursul lunilor noiembrie-decembrie 2009, 6 proiecte majore de investiţii în infrastructura de mediu. Aceste proiecte vizează sectorul de apă/apă uzată (judeţele Bistriţa şi Vrancea), sectorul managementului integrat al deşeurilor (judeţul Arad) şi termoficare (oraşele Bacău, Iaşi şi Timişoara).
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare în municipiul Timişoara în vederea conformării cu standardele de mediu privind emisiile în atmosferă şi pentru sporirea eficienţei energetice în procesul de furnizare a termoficării urbane” are o valoare totală de 58.346.720 de euro şi se adresează celor aproximativ 224.360 de locuitori ai municipiului Timişoara care beneficiază de serviciile sistemului existent de încălzire şi distribuie energie termică.
Proiectul presupune investiţii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente şi a reţelelor de distribuţie a energiei termice în municipiul Timişoara. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 17%, a oxidului de azot cu aproximativ 47% şi a concentraţiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 25%, care în prezent depăşesc limita maximă admisă. Investiţiile în sistemul de termoficare va contribui la îmbunătăţirea eficienţei energetică a acestora, prin reducerea pierderilor de căldură din reţele
Isramart : Câinele, desemnat animalul de companie cel mai poluant din lume
Isramart news:
Câinele, considerat cel mai bun prieten al omului, ar putea fi unul dintre cei mai mari inamici ai mediului înconjurător, deoarece poluează de două ori mai mult decât un vehicul 4X4, potrivit unui studiu publicat în revista New Scientist.
Aceste informaţii, publicate iniţial în cartea "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living", scrisă de neo-zeelandezii Robert şi Brenda Vale, i-a supărat pe stăpânii de câini, care s-au simţit lezaţi de faptul că sunt consideraţi singurii care creează probleme.
Soţii Vales, profesori de economie durabilă la Universitatea Victoria din Wellington, au analizat cele mai cunoscute branduri de hrană pentru animale şi au calculat că un câine de mărime medie mănâncă aproximativ 164 de kilograme de carne şi 95 de kilograme de cereale pe an.
Suprafaţa necesară obţinerii hranei pentru un câine de talie medie este de 0,84 de hectare, fiind de peste două ori mai mare ca suprafaţa necesară obţinerii carburantului pentru un vehicul 4X4, care rulează pe o distanţă de 10.000 de kilometri, într-un an, în care se include şi energia cheltuită pentru fabricarea acelui vehicul (0,41 hectare).
Pentru a confirma rezultatele acestui studiu, editorii revistei New Scientist l-au rugat pe John Barrett de la Institutul Stockholm Environment din comitatul York din Marea Britanie, să calculeze emisiile de carbon pe baza propriilor date. Rezultatele obţinute au fost identice.
Nici alte animale nu sunt prea "blânde" cu mediul, au explicat soţii Vale.
"Pisicile au o amprentă ecologică de aproximativ 0,15 hectare, doar cu puţin mai mică decât emisiile produse în urma conducerii unui automobil Volkswagen Golf timp de un an, iar o pereche de hamsteri produc aceeaşi cantitate de noxe ca un televizor cu ecran plat. Chiar şi un micul caras auriu poluează la fel ca două telefoane mobile.
Însă Reha Huttin, preşedinta fundaţiei pentru drepturile animalelor 30 Million Friends, consideră că impactul avut asupra oamenilor de dispariţia animalelor de companie ar fi la fel de devastator.
"Animalele de companie sunt benefice împotriva depresiei, ne ajută să învingem stresul şi sunt bune la bătrâneţe", a explicat Reha Huttin.
Impactul animalelor de companie asupra mediului înconjurător nu se limitează la emisiile de carbon, deoarece câinii şi pisicile devastează viaţa sălbatică din jurul reşedinţelor în care trăiesc, răspândesc diverse maladii şi poluează sursele de apă, au declarat experţii australieni.
Cu un total de 7,7 milioane de pisici în Marea Britanie, specialiştii au estimat că 188 de milioane de animale sălbatice sunt vânate, ucise şi devorate de micuţii prădători felini, care ucid, în medie, 25 de păsări, mici mamifere şi broaşte în fiecare an.
Şi câinii distrug biodiversitatea din jur, în timp ce fecalele lor produc creşterea nivelului bacterian din râuri şi izvoare, făcând ca apa acestora să devină nepotabilă, distrugând oxigenul şi fauna acvatică.
În ciuda acestor viziuni "apocaliptice" despre impactul animalelor domestice asupra mediului înconjurător, există totuşi şi soluţii, printre acestea aflându-se şi scăderea cantităţii de carne îmbogăţită cu proteine din hrana animalelor.
O altă soluţie este evitarea plimbării câinelui în zonele sălbatice şi ţinerea pisicii în interiorul locuinţei pe timpul nopţii, pentru a o împiedica să vâneze.
Câinele, considerat cel mai bun prieten al omului, ar putea fi unul dintre cei mai mari inamici ai mediului înconjurător, deoarece poluează de două ori mai mult decât un vehicul 4X4, potrivit unui studiu publicat în revista New Scientist.
Aceste informaţii, publicate iniţial în cartea "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living", scrisă de neo-zeelandezii Robert şi Brenda Vale, i-a supărat pe stăpânii de câini, care s-au simţit lezaţi de faptul că sunt consideraţi singurii care creează probleme.
Soţii Vales, profesori de economie durabilă la Universitatea Victoria din Wellington, au analizat cele mai cunoscute branduri de hrană pentru animale şi au calculat că un câine de mărime medie mănâncă aproximativ 164 de kilograme de carne şi 95 de kilograme de cereale pe an.
Suprafaţa necesară obţinerii hranei pentru un câine de talie medie este de 0,84 de hectare, fiind de peste două ori mai mare ca suprafaţa necesară obţinerii carburantului pentru un vehicul 4X4, care rulează pe o distanţă de 10.000 de kilometri, într-un an, în care se include şi energia cheltuită pentru fabricarea acelui vehicul (0,41 hectare).
Pentru a confirma rezultatele acestui studiu, editorii revistei New Scientist l-au rugat pe John Barrett de la Institutul Stockholm Environment din comitatul York din Marea Britanie, să calculeze emisiile de carbon pe baza propriilor date. Rezultatele obţinute au fost identice.
Nici alte animale nu sunt prea "blânde" cu mediul, au explicat soţii Vale.
"Pisicile au o amprentă ecologică de aproximativ 0,15 hectare, doar cu puţin mai mică decât emisiile produse în urma conducerii unui automobil Volkswagen Golf timp de un an, iar o pereche de hamsteri produc aceeaşi cantitate de noxe ca un televizor cu ecran plat. Chiar şi un micul caras auriu poluează la fel ca două telefoane mobile.
Însă Reha Huttin, preşedinta fundaţiei pentru drepturile animalelor 30 Million Friends, consideră că impactul avut asupra oamenilor de dispariţia animalelor de companie ar fi la fel de devastator.
"Animalele de companie sunt benefice împotriva depresiei, ne ajută să învingem stresul şi sunt bune la bătrâneţe", a explicat Reha Huttin.
Impactul animalelor de companie asupra mediului înconjurător nu se limitează la emisiile de carbon, deoarece câinii şi pisicile devastează viaţa sălbatică din jurul reşedinţelor în care trăiesc, răspândesc diverse maladii şi poluează sursele de apă, au declarat experţii australieni.
Cu un total de 7,7 milioane de pisici în Marea Britanie, specialiştii au estimat că 188 de milioane de animale sălbatice sunt vânate, ucise şi devorate de micuţii prădători felini, care ucid, în medie, 25 de păsări, mici mamifere şi broaşte în fiecare an.
Şi câinii distrug biodiversitatea din jur, în timp ce fecalele lor produc creşterea nivelului bacterian din râuri şi izvoare, făcând ca apa acestora să devină nepotabilă, distrugând oxigenul şi fauna acvatică.
În ciuda acestor viziuni "apocaliptice" despre impactul animalelor domestice asupra mediului înconjurător, există totuşi şi soluţii, printre acestea aflându-se şi scăderea cantităţii de carne îmbogăţită cu proteine din hrana animalelor.
O altă soluţie este evitarea plimbării câinelui în zonele sălbatice şi ţinerea pisicii în interiorul locuinţei pe timpul nopţii, pentru a o împiedica să vâneze.
Isramart : Va fi salvata la timp lumea de incalzirea globala?
Isramart news:
Tarile semnatare ale Acordului de la Copenhaga au slabe sanse sa respecte termenul limita, de 31 ianuarie 2010, pentru stabilirea masurilor ce trebuie luate si a limitelor propuse pentru emisiile de dioxid de carbon, sustine un analist al firmei de consultanta Orbeo.
Sansele ca tarile reunite sub umbreala Acordului de la Copenhaga sa-si respecte obligatiile asumate sunt de maxim 30%, crede Emmanuel Fages, analist al Orbeo, firma de consultanta financiara pentru piata mondiala a carbonului, rezultata dintr-un parteneriat intre Societe Generale si Rhodia.
"Este un test. Daca tarile au de gand intr-adevar sa faca ceva, ar trebui sa fie in stare sa actioneze chiar acum", spune Fages, citat de Bloomberg, sustinand ca prin impunerea unui termen limita atat de apropiat s-a incercat testarea seriozitatii celor implicati.
Cele 194 de tari care au fost de acord, pe 19 decembrie, sa "ia nota" de continutul documentului, rezultat la sfarsitul unor consultari lungi si tumultoase, s-au obligat ca pana la sfarsitul lunii viitoare sa se hotarasca asupra actiunilor viitoare si a limitelor ce vor fi impuse pentru reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon si combaterea incalzirii globale.
Astfel, tarile bogate, puternic industrializate, trebuie sa stabileasca limite clare ale emisiilor de dioxid de carbon pentru 2010, pana la sfarsitul lui ianuarie, in timp ce tarile aflate in curs de dezvoltare vor trebui numai sa prezinte un set de masuri ce ar putea ajuta la reducerea emisiilor de carbon.
Costul trecerii de la combustibilii fosili la surse nepoluante de energie, in urmatorii 20 de ani, a fost estimat la 10.000 de miliarde de dolari, la nivel mondial, acesta urmand sa creasca cu cate 500 de miliarde in fiecare an de intarziere, potrivit unui raport al Agentiei Internationale pentru Energie. In acelasi timp, folosirea unor tehnologii mai eficiente din punct de vedere energetic ar putea duce la economisirea a 8.600 de miliarde de dolari, in aceeasi perioada.
Documentul de numai trei pagini semnat saptamana trecuta la Copenhaga nu are puterea unui contract sau a unui acord politic, insa asistentul secretarului general al ONU, Robert Orr, a declarat, marti, ca va fi gasita in curand si o solutie pentru impunerea ei la nivelul guvernelor, de catre Conventia Cadru a Natiunilor Unite asupra Schimbarilor Climatice.
In clipa de fata, intelegerea la care au ajuns cele 194 de tari, printre care si Statele Unite, China si India, stabileste doar necesitatea unor noi discutii, in vederea punerii la punct a unui tratat ce ar trebui sa raspunda provocarilor lansate de incalzirea globala prin reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon si extinderea pietei mondiale a carbonului, ce a atins pragul de 26 de miliarde de dolari, anual.
Poate singurul rezultat concret al conferintei este faptul ca tarile dezvoltate au fost de acord sa aloce 30 de miliarde de dolari in urmatorii trei ani si 100 de miliarde de dolari pana in 2020, pentru finantarea proiectelor care sprijina statele sarace in combaterea efectelor nocive ale schimbarilor climatice.
Astfel, Uniunea Europeana s-a angajat astfel sa acorde o finantare initiala rapida in valoare de 10,3 miliarde de dolari.
Bolivia, Sudanul si Venezuela s-au numarat prinre tarile care au criticat Acordul de la Copenhaga, deoarece acesta nu stabileste limite clare pentru emisiile gazelor de sera din tarile dezvoltate.
In acelasi timp, semnarea Acordului a fost considerata un real succes de catre tari ca India si China, ce se declara pe deplin multumite de "rolul important si constructiv" pe care si l-au asumat in timpul discutiilor.
Statele Unite cred ca acordul este "semnificativ" dar "insuficient", in timp ce Uniunea Europeana si-a arata fatis dezamagirea, prin vocea presedintelui Comisiei Europene, Jose Manuel Barroso, care a declarat ca "ambitiile acestui pact nu sunt deloc pe masura asteptarilor", recunoscand insa ca este mai bun decat nimic.
Tarile semnatare ale Acordului de la Copenhaga au slabe sanse sa respecte termenul limita, de 31 ianuarie 2010, pentru stabilirea masurilor ce trebuie luate si a limitelor propuse pentru emisiile de dioxid de carbon, sustine un analist al firmei de consultanta Orbeo.
Sansele ca tarile reunite sub umbreala Acordului de la Copenhaga sa-si respecte obligatiile asumate sunt de maxim 30%, crede Emmanuel Fages, analist al Orbeo, firma de consultanta financiara pentru piata mondiala a carbonului, rezultata dintr-un parteneriat intre Societe Generale si Rhodia.
"Este un test. Daca tarile au de gand intr-adevar sa faca ceva, ar trebui sa fie in stare sa actioneze chiar acum", spune Fages, citat de Bloomberg, sustinand ca prin impunerea unui termen limita atat de apropiat s-a incercat testarea seriozitatii celor implicati.
Cele 194 de tari care au fost de acord, pe 19 decembrie, sa "ia nota" de continutul documentului, rezultat la sfarsitul unor consultari lungi si tumultoase, s-au obligat ca pana la sfarsitul lunii viitoare sa se hotarasca asupra actiunilor viitoare si a limitelor ce vor fi impuse pentru reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon si combaterea incalzirii globale.
Astfel, tarile bogate, puternic industrializate, trebuie sa stabileasca limite clare ale emisiilor de dioxid de carbon pentru 2010, pana la sfarsitul lui ianuarie, in timp ce tarile aflate in curs de dezvoltare vor trebui numai sa prezinte un set de masuri ce ar putea ajuta la reducerea emisiilor de carbon.
Costul trecerii de la combustibilii fosili la surse nepoluante de energie, in urmatorii 20 de ani, a fost estimat la 10.000 de miliarde de dolari, la nivel mondial, acesta urmand sa creasca cu cate 500 de miliarde in fiecare an de intarziere, potrivit unui raport al Agentiei Internationale pentru Energie. In acelasi timp, folosirea unor tehnologii mai eficiente din punct de vedere energetic ar putea duce la economisirea a 8.600 de miliarde de dolari, in aceeasi perioada.
Documentul de numai trei pagini semnat saptamana trecuta la Copenhaga nu are puterea unui contract sau a unui acord politic, insa asistentul secretarului general al ONU, Robert Orr, a declarat, marti, ca va fi gasita in curand si o solutie pentru impunerea ei la nivelul guvernelor, de catre Conventia Cadru a Natiunilor Unite asupra Schimbarilor Climatice.
In clipa de fata, intelegerea la care au ajuns cele 194 de tari, printre care si Statele Unite, China si India, stabileste doar necesitatea unor noi discutii, in vederea punerii la punct a unui tratat ce ar trebui sa raspunda provocarilor lansate de incalzirea globala prin reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon si extinderea pietei mondiale a carbonului, ce a atins pragul de 26 de miliarde de dolari, anual.
Poate singurul rezultat concret al conferintei este faptul ca tarile dezvoltate au fost de acord sa aloce 30 de miliarde de dolari in urmatorii trei ani si 100 de miliarde de dolari pana in 2020, pentru finantarea proiectelor care sprijina statele sarace in combaterea efectelor nocive ale schimbarilor climatice.
Astfel, Uniunea Europeana s-a angajat astfel sa acorde o finantare initiala rapida in valoare de 10,3 miliarde de dolari.
Bolivia, Sudanul si Venezuela s-au numarat prinre tarile care au criticat Acordul de la Copenhaga, deoarece acesta nu stabileste limite clare pentru emisiile gazelor de sera din tarile dezvoltate.
In acelasi timp, semnarea Acordului a fost considerata un real succes de catre tari ca India si China, ce se declara pe deplin multumite de "rolul important si constructiv" pe care si l-au asumat in timpul discutiilor.
Statele Unite cred ca acordul este "semnificativ" dar "insuficient", in timp ce Uniunea Europeana si-a arata fatis dezamagirea, prin vocea presedintelui Comisiei Europene, Jose Manuel Barroso, care a declarat ca "ambitiile acestui pact nu sunt deloc pe masura asteptarilor", recunoscand insa ca este mai bun decat nimic.
Isramart : Proiecte de mediu de 400 milioane de euro, trimise Comisiei
Isramart news:
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare la Comisia Europeana 6 proiecte majore de modernizare a infrastructurii din domeniul protectiei mediului in valoare totala de peste 400 milioane de Euro.
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare Comisiei Europene, in cursul lunilor noiembrie-decembrie 2009, 6 proiecte majore de investitii in infrastructura de mediu. Aceste proiecte vizeaza sectorul de apa/apa uzata (judetele Bistrita si Vrancea), sectorul managementului integrat al deseurilor (judetul Arad) si termoficare (orasele Bacau, Iasi si Timisoara). Principalele caracteristici ale proiectelor amintite sunt urmatoarele:
Proiectul “Extinderea si reabilitarea infrastructurii de apa si apa uzata in judetul Bistrita-Nasaud” are o valoare totala de: 83.251.651 Euro. Proiectul presupune investitii in tratarea si distributia apei potabile si extinderea sistemelor de colectare si tratare a apei uzate in localitatile Bistrita, Nasaud, Beclean, Sangeorz Bai, Branistea, Caianu Mic, Feldru, Maieru, Nimigea, Petru Rares, Rodna, Salva, Sieu-Magherus, Sieu-Odorhei, Sintereag, Telciu, Uriu. Un numar de aproximativ 316.787 locuitori va beneficia de acest proiect.
Investitiile finantate prin proiectul “Extinderea si reabilitarea infrastructurii de apa si apa uzata in judetul Vrancea” vizeaza extinderea si reabilitarea surselor de apa, a retelelor de distributie si a statiilor de tratare a apei, extinderea si reabilitarea rezervoarelor de apa, a statiilor de pompare si reabilitarea si extinderea sistemelor de colectare si tratare a apei uzate. Aproximativ 159.997 de locuitori din localitatile Focsani, Odobesti, Marasesti. Panciu, Adjud si Homocea vor beneficia de rezultatele acestui proiect. Valoarea totala a proiectului este de 107.068.653 Euro.
Prin proiectul “Sistem de management integrat al deseurilor in judetul Arad” se vor realiza investitii vizand construirea a 4 statii de transfer si a unor facilitati de compost si sortare, inchiderea si ecologizarea a 10 depozite urbane si rurale de deseuri neconforme si achizitionarea de echipamente de colectare a deseurilor. Valoarea totala a proiectului este de 29.187.896 Euro.
Cea mai mare parte a populatiei judetului Arad, aproximativ 457.146 de locuitori, va beneficia de rezultatele acestui proiect, prin care se va asigura colectarea deseurilor in proportie de 100% in mediul urban si rurual.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Bacau in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 63.197.286 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 66.700 de locuitori ai municipiului Bacau racordati la sistemul existent de incalzire si
distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Bacau, in vederea conformarii cu acquis-ul comunitar de mediu relevant si cu politica UE in ceea ce priveste reducerea poluarii aerului si a impactului asupra schimbarilor climatice. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 16%, a oxidului de azot cu 20% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu peste 72%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Iasi in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 61.237.712 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 158.000 de locuitori ai municipiului Iasi beneficiari ai sistemului existent de incalzire si distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Iasi. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 14%, a oxidului de azot cu 51% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 29%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Timisoara in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 58.346.720 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 224.360 de locuitori ai municipiului Timisoara care beneficiaza de serviciile sistemului existent de incalzire si distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Timisoara. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 17%, a oxidului de azot cu aproximativ 47% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 25%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Investitiile in sistemele de termoficare din cele 3 orase vor contribui la imbunatatirea eficientei energetica a acestora, prin reducerea pierderilor de caldura din retele.
Prin implementarea celor 6 proiecte mai sus mentionate, se estimeaza ca se vor crea aproximativ 1.267 de locuri de munca in etapa de realizare a proiectelor, iar dupa finalizarea investitiilor, vor fi generate circa 118 locuri de munca.
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare la Comisia Europeana 6 proiecte majore de modernizare a infrastructurii din domeniul protectiei mediului in valoare totala de peste 400 milioane de Euro.
Ministerul Mediului a transmis spre aprobare Comisiei Europene, in cursul lunilor noiembrie-decembrie 2009, 6 proiecte majore de investitii in infrastructura de mediu. Aceste proiecte vizeaza sectorul de apa/apa uzata (judetele Bistrita si Vrancea), sectorul managementului integrat al deseurilor (judetul Arad) si termoficare (orasele Bacau, Iasi si Timisoara). Principalele caracteristici ale proiectelor amintite sunt urmatoarele:
Proiectul “Extinderea si reabilitarea infrastructurii de apa si apa uzata in judetul Bistrita-Nasaud” are o valoare totala de: 83.251.651 Euro. Proiectul presupune investitii in tratarea si distributia apei potabile si extinderea sistemelor de colectare si tratare a apei uzate in localitatile Bistrita, Nasaud, Beclean, Sangeorz Bai, Branistea, Caianu Mic, Feldru, Maieru, Nimigea, Petru Rares, Rodna, Salva, Sieu-Magherus, Sieu-Odorhei, Sintereag, Telciu, Uriu. Un numar de aproximativ 316.787 locuitori va beneficia de acest proiect.
Investitiile finantate prin proiectul “Extinderea si reabilitarea infrastructurii de apa si apa uzata in judetul Vrancea” vizeaza extinderea si reabilitarea surselor de apa, a retelelor de distributie si a statiilor de tratare a apei, extinderea si reabilitarea rezervoarelor de apa, a statiilor de pompare si reabilitarea si extinderea sistemelor de colectare si tratare a apei uzate. Aproximativ 159.997 de locuitori din localitatile Focsani, Odobesti, Marasesti. Panciu, Adjud si Homocea vor beneficia de rezultatele acestui proiect. Valoarea totala a proiectului este de 107.068.653 Euro.
Prin proiectul “Sistem de management integrat al deseurilor in judetul Arad” se vor realiza investitii vizand construirea a 4 statii de transfer si a unor facilitati de compost si sortare, inchiderea si ecologizarea a 10 depozite urbane si rurale de deseuri neconforme si achizitionarea de echipamente de colectare a deseurilor. Valoarea totala a proiectului este de 29.187.896 Euro.
Cea mai mare parte a populatiei judetului Arad, aproximativ 457.146 de locuitori, va beneficia de rezultatele acestui proiect, prin care se va asigura colectarea deseurilor in proportie de 100% in mediul urban si rurual.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Bacau in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 63.197.286 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 66.700 de locuitori ai municipiului Bacau racordati la sistemul existent de incalzire si
distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Bacau, in vederea conformarii cu acquis-ul comunitar de mediu relevant si cu politica UE in ceea ce priveste reducerea poluarii aerului si a impactului asupra schimbarilor climatice. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 16%, a oxidului de azot cu 20% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu peste 72%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Iasi in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 61.237.712 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 158.000 de locuitori ai municipiului Iasi beneficiari ai sistemului existent de incalzire si distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Iasi. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 14%, a oxidului de azot cu 51% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 29%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Proiectul “Reabilitarea sistemului de termoficare in municipiul Timisoara in vederea conformarii cu standarele de mediu privind emisiile in atmosfera si pentru sporirea eficientei energetice in procesul de furnizare a termoficarii urbane” are o valoare totala de 58.346.720 Euro si se adreseaza celor aproximativ 224.360 de locuitori ai municipiului Timisoara care beneficiaza de serviciile sistemului existent de incalzire si distribuie energie termica.
Proiectul presupune investitii in reabilitarea centralelor de termoficare existente si a retelelor de distributie a energiei termice in municipiul Timisoara. Proiectul va permite reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu peste 17%, a oxidului de azot cu aproximativ 47% si a concentratiilor emisiilor de pulberi cu 25%, care in prezent depasesc limita maxima admisa.
Investitiile in sistemele de termoficare din cele 3 orase vor contribui la imbunatatirea eficientei energetica a acestora, prin reducerea pierderilor de caldura din retele.
Prin implementarea celor 6 proiecte mai sus mentionate, se estimeaza ca se vor crea aproximativ 1.267 de locuri de munca in etapa de realizare a proiectelor, iar dupa finalizarea investitiilor, vor fi generate circa 118 locuri de munca.
Isramart : Ce masuri iau chinezii impotriva incalzirii globale
Isramart news:
Adunarea nationala populara (parlamentul, n.r.) a Chinei a adoptat o lege care obliga in special societatile de distributie sa cumpere toata electricitatea produsa de sectorul energiei regenerabile, intr-un demers impotriva incalzirii globale, scrie AFP.
Revizuirea legii va intra in vigoare din aprilie 2010, iar societatile care nu vor aplica modificarile aduse vor fi nevoite sa plateasca amenzi ce se ridica la dublul pierderilor economice ale producatorilor de energie solara, eoliana sau hidraulica, scrie NewsIn.
"La mai putin de zece zile de la reuniunea de la Copenhaga am adoptat revizuirea legii asupra energiei regenerabile pentru a proteja prin lege angajamentul Chinei de reducere voluntara e emisiilor de dioxid de carbon", a spus vice-presedintele comisiei de mediu a parlamentului, Ni Yuefeng.
Cel mai mare poluator al lumii, China, s-a opus la Copenhaga adoptarii obiectivelor ce reduc emisiile de gaze cu efect de sera si a atras astfel critici din partea unor tari occidentale, mai scrie AFP.
Pe de alta parte, Ni Yuefend a dat din nou asigurari ca "atitudinea primului ministru Wen Jiabao de la Copenhaga a demonstrat determinarea si increderea guvernului chinez".
China s-a angajat sa isi reduca "intensitatea carbonica" (emisiile de poluare ca unitate in PIB) de la 45% la 40% pana in 2020, conform unui raport din 2005.
Adunarea nationala populara (parlamentul, n.r.) a Chinei a adoptat o lege care obliga in special societatile de distributie sa cumpere toata electricitatea produsa de sectorul energiei regenerabile, intr-un demers impotriva incalzirii globale, scrie AFP.
Revizuirea legii va intra in vigoare din aprilie 2010, iar societatile care nu vor aplica modificarile aduse vor fi nevoite sa plateasca amenzi ce se ridica la dublul pierderilor economice ale producatorilor de energie solara, eoliana sau hidraulica, scrie NewsIn.
"La mai putin de zece zile de la reuniunea de la Copenhaga am adoptat revizuirea legii asupra energiei regenerabile pentru a proteja prin lege angajamentul Chinei de reducere voluntara e emisiilor de dioxid de carbon", a spus vice-presedintele comisiei de mediu a parlamentului, Ni Yuefeng.
Cel mai mare poluator al lumii, China, s-a opus la Copenhaga adoptarii obiectivelor ce reduc emisiile de gaze cu efect de sera si a atras astfel critici din partea unor tari occidentale, mai scrie AFP.
Pe de alta parte, Ni Yuefend a dat din nou asigurari ca "atitudinea primului ministru Wen Jiabao de la Copenhaga a demonstrat determinarea si increderea guvernului chinez".
China s-a angajat sa isi reduca "intensitatea carbonica" (emisiile de poluare ca unitate in PIB) de la 45% la 40% pana in 2020, conform unui raport din 2005.
Isramart : Toate ţările trebuie să se confrunte cot la cot cu schimbarea climatului
Isramart news:
Premierul Chinei, Wen Jiabao, a declarat duminică la Beijing într-un interviu acordat agenţiei de presă Xinhua că toate ţările trebuie să se unească pentru contracararea schimbării climatului.
Wen a spus că potirivit "Convenţiei-cadru a Naţiunilor Unite privind schimbările climatice" şi "Protocolului de la Kyoto", ţările dezvoltate trebuie să realizeze reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 40% până în 2020 şi să ofere în acelaşi timp ţărilor în curs de dezvoltare sprijinul financiar şi tehnic pentru reducerea emisiilor şi adaptarea lor la schimbarea climatului.
Premierul Chinei, Wen Jiabao, a declarat duminică la Beijing într-un interviu acordat agenţiei de presă Xinhua că toate ţările trebuie să se unească pentru contracararea schimbării climatului.
Wen a spus că potirivit "Convenţiei-cadru a Naţiunilor Unite privind schimbările climatice" şi "Protocolului de la Kyoto", ţările dezvoltate trebuie să realizeze reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 40% până în 2020 şi să ofere în acelaşi timp ţărilor în curs de dezvoltare sprijinul financiar şi tehnic pentru reducerea emisiilor şi adaptarea lor la schimbarea climatului.
Isramart : GE susţine reducerea cu 80% a emisiilor poluante până în 2050
Isramart news:
Gigantul american General Electric (GE) a anunţat că susţine iniţiativa a 15 zone metropolitane europene de reducere a emisiilor poluante cu 80% până în 2050, comparativ cu anul 1990.
Lider mondial în dezvoltarea de tehnologii eco, GE a investit anul trecut peste 6 miliarde de dolari pentru cercetare şi dezvoltare, din care 1,4 miliarde au fost dedicate dezvoltării de tehnologii curate.
Parteneriatul stă la baza celei de-a doua etape a proiectului EUCO2 80/50, discutat în cadrul summit-ului de la Copenhaga.
Cele 15 zone metropolitane implicate în proiect însumează o populaţie totală de 48 de milioane de locuitori sau aproximativ 10% din populaţia Europei şi sunt responsabile pentru 10% din emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră la nivel mondial. Toate oraşele participante au întocmit deja inventare privind emisiile de CO2 şi dezvoltă strategii privind reducerea acestora.
Oraşele şi regiunile participante la acest proiect sunt Bruxelles, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hamburg, Helsinki, Ljubliana, Madrid, Napoli, Oslo, Paris, Porto, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Stuttgart şi Torino.
„Doar o zonă metropolitană poate aduce împreună interesele energetice, sociale, economice, ecologice, de transport şi de planificare care pot decide modul în care emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră pot fi reduse“, a declarat Roger Read, secretar general al reţelei europene a regiunilor şi zonelor metropolitane, citat într-un comunicat al GE.
În plus faţă de susţinerea financiară din următorii doi ani a proiectului EUCO2 80/50, GE va asista în permanenţă oraşele implicate, mai spun reprezentanţii companiei.
„Considerăm că centrele urbane şi metropolitane sunt esenţiale în ceea ce priveşte abordarea problemelor climatice, avându-se în vedere că acestea generează aproximativ 75% din emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră la nivel mondial”, a spus, la rândul său, Steve Fludder, vicepreşedintele proiectului „Ecomagination” din cadrul GE.
Pentru dezvoltarea unor strategii eficiente de reducere a emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 80% în 2050, zonele metropolitane participante la proiectul EUCO2 80/50 necesită date autentice asupra utilizării de energie şi a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră.
Aceste date pot fi furnizate prin protocolul privind inventarul gazelor cu efect de seră (GRIP), dezvoltat de către Sebastian Carney de la Universitatea din Manchester. Acesta este un program electronic care introduce date asupra emisiilor din rezultatele naţionale primite de către Grupul Interguvernamental de Experţi în Evoluţia Climei (IPCC) pentru a oferi inventare metropolitane privind utilizarea energiei şi emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră rezultate. Aceste date sunt apoi utilizate pentru studierea strategiilor de reducere a cererii de energie electrică şi decarbonizarea surselor de energie.
Gigantul american General Electric (GE) a anunţat că susţine iniţiativa a 15 zone metropolitane europene de reducere a emisiilor poluante cu 80% până în 2050, comparativ cu anul 1990.
Lider mondial în dezvoltarea de tehnologii eco, GE a investit anul trecut peste 6 miliarde de dolari pentru cercetare şi dezvoltare, din care 1,4 miliarde au fost dedicate dezvoltării de tehnologii curate.
Parteneriatul stă la baza celei de-a doua etape a proiectului EUCO2 80/50, discutat în cadrul summit-ului de la Copenhaga.
Cele 15 zone metropolitane implicate în proiect însumează o populaţie totală de 48 de milioane de locuitori sau aproximativ 10% din populaţia Europei şi sunt responsabile pentru 10% din emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră la nivel mondial. Toate oraşele participante au întocmit deja inventare privind emisiile de CO2 şi dezvoltă strategii privind reducerea acestora.
Oraşele şi regiunile participante la acest proiect sunt Bruxelles, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hamburg, Helsinki, Ljubliana, Madrid, Napoli, Oslo, Paris, Porto, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Stuttgart şi Torino.
„Doar o zonă metropolitană poate aduce împreună interesele energetice, sociale, economice, ecologice, de transport şi de planificare care pot decide modul în care emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră pot fi reduse“, a declarat Roger Read, secretar general al reţelei europene a regiunilor şi zonelor metropolitane, citat într-un comunicat al GE.
În plus faţă de susţinerea financiară din următorii doi ani a proiectului EUCO2 80/50, GE va asista în permanenţă oraşele implicate, mai spun reprezentanţii companiei.
„Considerăm că centrele urbane şi metropolitane sunt esenţiale în ceea ce priveşte abordarea problemelor climatice, avându-se în vedere că acestea generează aproximativ 75% din emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră la nivel mondial”, a spus, la rândul său, Steve Fludder, vicepreşedintele proiectului „Ecomagination” din cadrul GE.
Pentru dezvoltarea unor strategii eficiente de reducere a emisiilor de dioxid de carbon cu 80% în 2050, zonele metropolitane participante la proiectul EUCO2 80/50 necesită date autentice asupra utilizării de energie şi a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de seră.
Aceste date pot fi furnizate prin protocolul privind inventarul gazelor cu efect de seră (GRIP), dezvoltat de către Sebastian Carney de la Universitatea din Manchester. Acesta este un program electronic care introduce date asupra emisiilor din rezultatele naţionale primite de către Grupul Interguvernamental de Experţi în Evoluţia Climei (IPCC) pentru a oferi inventare metropolitane privind utilizarea energiei şi emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră rezultate. Aceste date sunt apoi utilizate pentru studierea strategiilor de reducere a cererii de energie electrică şi decarbonizarea surselor de energie.
Isramart : China a adoptat o lege pentru susţinerea energiei regenerabile
Isramart news:
Adunarea naţională populară (parlamentul, n.r.) a Chinei a adoptat o lege care obligă în special societăţile de distribuţie să cumpere toată electricitatea produsă de sectorul energiei regenerabile, într-un demers împotriva încălzirii globale, scrie AFP.
Legea revizuită va intra în vigoare din aprilie 2010, iar societăţile care nu vor aplica modificările aduse vor fi nevoite să plătească amenzi ce se ridică la dublul pierderilor economice ale producătorilor de energie solară, eoliană sau hidraulică.
La mai puţin de zece zile de la reuniunea de la Copenhaga, China şi-a revizuit acţiunile privind energia regenerabilă, pentru a proteja prin lege angajamentul Chinei de reducere voluntară e emisiilor de dioxid de carbon, a spus vice-preşedintele comisiei de mediu a parlamentului, Ni Yuefeng.
Pe de altă parte, oficialii chinezi au dat din nou asigurări că "atitudinea primului ministru Wen Jiabao de la Copenhaga a demonstrat determinarea şi încrederea guvernului chinez".
Cel mai mare poluator al lumii, China, s-a opus la Copenhaga adoptării obiectivelor ce reduc emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră şi a atras astfel critici din partea unor ţări occidentale. China s-a angajat să îşi reducă "amprenta carbonică" (emisiile de poluare ca unitate în PIB) de la 45% la 40% până în 2020, conform unui raport din 2005.
Adunarea naţională populară (parlamentul, n.r.) a Chinei a adoptat o lege care obligă în special societăţile de distribuţie să cumpere toată electricitatea produsă de sectorul energiei regenerabile, într-un demers împotriva încălzirii globale, scrie AFP.
Legea revizuită va intra în vigoare din aprilie 2010, iar societăţile care nu vor aplica modificările aduse vor fi nevoite să plătească amenzi ce se ridică la dublul pierderilor economice ale producătorilor de energie solară, eoliană sau hidraulică.
La mai puţin de zece zile de la reuniunea de la Copenhaga, China şi-a revizuit acţiunile privind energia regenerabilă, pentru a proteja prin lege angajamentul Chinei de reducere voluntară e emisiilor de dioxid de carbon, a spus vice-preşedintele comisiei de mediu a parlamentului, Ni Yuefeng.
Pe de altă parte, oficialii chinezi au dat din nou asigurări că "atitudinea primului ministru Wen Jiabao de la Copenhaga a demonstrat determinarea şi încrederea guvernului chinez".
Cel mai mare poluator al lumii, China, s-a opus la Copenhaga adoptării obiectivelor ce reduc emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră şi a atras astfel critici din partea unor ţări occidentale. China s-a angajat să îşi reducă "amprenta carbonică" (emisiile de poluare ca unitate în PIB) de la 45% la 40% până în 2020, conform unui raport din 2005.
Isramart : UE finanteaza 6 proiecte-pilot pentru captarea carbonului
Isramart news:
Comisia Europeana a aprobat, la inceputul lunii decembrie, o serie de proiecte de captare si stocare a carbonului (CCS) si de generare a electricitatii prin intermediul turbinelor eoliene, care vor primi peste 1,5 miliarde de euro din fondul de recuperare economica al UE.
Sase proiecte demonstrative CCS au fost considerate destul de mature pentru a se califica pentru miliardul de euro alocat pentru sustinerea acestei tehnologii.
Cele sase sunt: centrala Jaenshwalde detinuta de Vattenfall in Germania, centrala de la Compostilla din Spania, apartinand de Endesa, centrala Maasvlaktedin Olanda, centrala Hatfield din Marea Britanie si centrala Belchatow din Polonia. Fiecare dintre ele va primi cate 180 de milioane de euro. In plus, centrala Porto-Tolle detinuta de Enel in Italia va primi 100 de milioane de euro.
Comisarul european pentru energie Andris Piebalgs a spus ca selectia proiectelor a fost facuta tinandu-se cont de gradul de maturitate al acestora, astfel incat investitiile sa ajute revenirea economica. Banii vor fi disponibili pentru companii intre 2010 si 2012, in functie de stadiul de dezvoltare.
Comisarul a spus ca ajutarea celor sase proiecte CCS sa porneasca va crea "un grup central de pionieri".
"Sase este numarul minim pentru pornire," a spus Piebalgs, adaugand ca Europa este prima care aloca bani publici pentru proiecte de transpunere in realitate a acestei tehnologii. Dar UE se afla inca departe de ambitia de a avea 10-12 proiecte CCS functionale pana in 2015, tinta necesara pentru ca, pana in 2020, tehnologia sa fie viabila din punct de vedere comercial.
"Fara CCS nu putem contribui suficient la limitarea emisiilor cu efect de sera," a avertizat Piebalgs.
Presedintele comitetului pentru politici energetice si generare al Eurelectric, David Porter, a spus: "Suntem fericiti sa vedem eforturi la nivelul UE indreptate spre promovarea dezvoltarii de tehnologii importante cu emisii scazute de carbon. Acest pachet de ajutor, impreuna cu fonduri alocate din veniturile rezultate din vanzarile in cadrul Emissions Trading Scheme, este necesar pentru realizarea unei partajari public-private a riscului, astfel incat cateva proiecte demonstrative sa demareze."
Comisia Europeana a aprobat, la inceputul lunii decembrie, o serie de proiecte de captare si stocare a carbonului (CCS) si de generare a electricitatii prin intermediul turbinelor eoliene, care vor primi peste 1,5 miliarde de euro din fondul de recuperare economica al UE.
Sase proiecte demonstrative CCS au fost considerate destul de mature pentru a se califica pentru miliardul de euro alocat pentru sustinerea acestei tehnologii.
Cele sase sunt: centrala Jaenshwalde detinuta de Vattenfall in Germania, centrala de la Compostilla din Spania, apartinand de Endesa, centrala Maasvlaktedin Olanda, centrala Hatfield din Marea Britanie si centrala Belchatow din Polonia. Fiecare dintre ele va primi cate 180 de milioane de euro. In plus, centrala Porto-Tolle detinuta de Enel in Italia va primi 100 de milioane de euro.
Comisarul european pentru energie Andris Piebalgs a spus ca selectia proiectelor a fost facuta tinandu-se cont de gradul de maturitate al acestora, astfel incat investitiile sa ajute revenirea economica. Banii vor fi disponibili pentru companii intre 2010 si 2012, in functie de stadiul de dezvoltare.
Comisarul a spus ca ajutarea celor sase proiecte CCS sa porneasca va crea "un grup central de pionieri".
"Sase este numarul minim pentru pornire," a spus Piebalgs, adaugand ca Europa este prima care aloca bani publici pentru proiecte de transpunere in realitate a acestei tehnologii. Dar UE se afla inca departe de ambitia de a avea 10-12 proiecte CCS functionale pana in 2015, tinta necesara pentru ca, pana in 2020, tehnologia sa fie viabila din punct de vedere comercial.
"Fara CCS nu putem contribui suficient la limitarea emisiilor cu efect de sera," a avertizat Piebalgs.
Presedintele comitetului pentru politici energetice si generare al Eurelectric, David Porter, a spus: "Suntem fericiti sa vedem eforturi la nivelul UE indreptate spre promovarea dezvoltarii de tehnologii importante cu emisii scazute de carbon. Acest pachet de ajutor, impreuna cu fonduri alocate din veniturile rezultate din vanzarile in cadrul Emissions Trading Scheme, este necesar pentru realizarea unei partajari public-private a riscului, astfel incat cateva proiecte demonstrative sa demareze."
Isramart : George Soros vrea 100 de mld.$ pentru energie verde
Isramart news:
George Soros a propus celor mai bogate state ale lumii să folosească 100 de miliarde de dolari din rezervele valutare primite de la Fondul Monetar Internaţional pentru a reduce
emisiile de carbon în statele sărace.
“Guvernele statelor dezvoltate lucrează sub premisa greşită că finanţarea trebuie să vină de la bugetele naţionale, dar nu este cazul. Ele au deja banii, aceştia aflându-se în conturile lor de rezerve de la FMI”, a declarat George Soros, în cadrul summitului de la Copenhaga.
Miliardarul a spus că banii ar trebui împrumutaţi antreprenorilor din industria forestieră sau agricultură, pe o perioadă de 25 de ani. Aceste sectoare au un potenţial important în ceea ce priveşte reducerea
emisiilor de carbon, a comentat Soros.
Potrivit unui investitor privat prezent la lucrări, mediul de afaceri
aşteaptă un semnal pozitiv pentru a susţine energia verde.
Uniunea Europeană taxează emisiile de carbon. Potrivit Europol, în ultimele 18 luni, tranzacţiile frauduloase cu certificate de emisii de carbon UE au generat pierderi fiscale în valoare totală de 5 miliarde euro pentru mai multe state membre.
George Soros a propus celor mai bogate state ale lumii să folosească 100 de miliarde de dolari din rezervele valutare primite de la Fondul Monetar Internaţional pentru a reduce
emisiile de carbon în statele sărace.
“Guvernele statelor dezvoltate lucrează sub premisa greşită că finanţarea trebuie să vină de la bugetele naţionale, dar nu este cazul. Ele au deja banii, aceştia aflându-se în conturile lor de rezerve de la FMI”, a declarat George Soros, în cadrul summitului de la Copenhaga.
Miliardarul a spus că banii ar trebui împrumutaţi antreprenorilor din industria forestieră sau agricultură, pe o perioadă de 25 de ani. Aceste sectoare au un potenţial important în ceea ce priveşte reducerea
emisiilor de carbon, a comentat Soros.
Potrivit unui investitor privat prezent la lucrări, mediul de afaceri
aşteaptă un semnal pozitiv pentru a susţine energia verde.
Uniunea Europeană taxează emisiile de carbon. Potrivit Europol, în ultimele 18 luni, tranzacţiile frauduloase cu certificate de emisii de carbon UE au generat pierderi fiscale în valoare totală de 5 miliarde euro pentru mai multe state membre.
Isramart : Energia eoliană, o sursă de corupţie
Isramart news:
Autorităţile din UE şi SUA au început să ancheteze utilizarea fondurilor publice în industria de energie regenerabilă. Investigaţiile iniţiate în ultimul an arată un nivel îngrijorător al corupţiei în domeniul utilizării energiilor regenerabile.
Numai în UE, peste şase miliarde de euro au fost alocate până în 2013, proiectelor de dezvoltarea resurselor de energie regenerabilă. Oficialităţile spun că este imposibil să se determine exact nivelul corupţiei în cheltuirea fondurilor publice în proiectele centralelor eoliene, deorece investigaţiile se desfăşoară în mai multe state, cu regimuri şi politici fiscale foarte diferite.
„Este la fel ca în timpul goanei după aur, fiecare vrea o fermă eoliană, indiferent de preţ", declară un avocat american, specializat în în acest domeniu.
Expertul britanic John Etherington spune că din cauza dependenţei de subvenţii, industria este foarte expusă la fenomenul corupţiei. Investigaţiile privind posibile fraude din banii publici s-au înmulţit în ultima perioadă în Europa.
În Italia, trei investigaţii denumite codificat „Pe Aripile Vântului" au condus la descoperirea a ceea ce autorităţile au definit ca fiind o escrocherie complexă, creată după celebra schemă Ponzi, valoarea fraudei fiind de peste 30 de milioane de euro, unul dintre cei arestaţi fiind chiar preşedintele asociaţiei naţionale de profil.
Energia eoliană e dependentă de subvenţii
Profitul obţinut din exploatarea parcurilor eoliene este foarte mare. O turbină eoliană standard, de doi megawaţi costă aproximativ 2,75 milioane de euro, iar din vânzarea energiei la preţurile actuale ale pieţei europene se obţin 275.000 de euro pe an.
Însă profitul se poate dubla cu bonusurile acordate de stat, la peste 500.000 de euro pe an. În Germania, de exemplu, un parc eolian primeşte aproximativ 83,6 euro pe MWh, în timp ce pe piaţa liberă tariful variază între 30 şi 70 de euro pe MWh. În Spania, bonusurile plătite pentru energia eoliană, au totalizat în 2009 peste 1,2 miliarde de euro, cost suportat de consumatorii finali.
În SUA, una dintre primele trei ţări ce utilizează energie eoliană, alături de Germania şi Spania, bugetul federal acoperă 30% din valoarea investiţei, sumele utilizate în acest an fiind de un miliard de dolari, grantul acordat unui beneficar fiind în jur de 100 de milioane de dolari.
Dacă ţinem cont că cei 600 de membri ai Asociaţiei Europene pentru Energie Eoliană au atras, în 2008, peste 11 miliarde de euro pentru construirea de ferme eoliene, din care mare parte reprezintă, subvenţii, bonusuri, certificate verzi, se poate bănui că o parte din aceste fonduri au fost deturnaţi.
Autorităţile din UE şi SUA au început să ancheteze utilizarea fondurilor publice în industria de energie regenerabilă. Investigaţiile iniţiate în ultimul an arată un nivel îngrijorător al corupţiei în domeniul utilizării energiilor regenerabile.
Numai în UE, peste şase miliarde de euro au fost alocate până în 2013, proiectelor de dezvoltarea resurselor de energie regenerabilă. Oficialităţile spun că este imposibil să se determine exact nivelul corupţiei în cheltuirea fondurilor publice în proiectele centralelor eoliene, deorece investigaţiile se desfăşoară în mai multe state, cu regimuri şi politici fiscale foarte diferite.
„Este la fel ca în timpul goanei după aur, fiecare vrea o fermă eoliană, indiferent de preţ", declară un avocat american, specializat în în acest domeniu.
Expertul britanic John Etherington spune că din cauza dependenţei de subvenţii, industria este foarte expusă la fenomenul corupţiei. Investigaţiile privind posibile fraude din banii publici s-au înmulţit în ultima perioadă în Europa.
În Italia, trei investigaţii denumite codificat „Pe Aripile Vântului" au condus la descoperirea a ceea ce autorităţile au definit ca fiind o escrocherie complexă, creată după celebra schemă Ponzi, valoarea fraudei fiind de peste 30 de milioane de euro, unul dintre cei arestaţi fiind chiar preşedintele asociaţiei naţionale de profil.
Energia eoliană e dependentă de subvenţii
Profitul obţinut din exploatarea parcurilor eoliene este foarte mare. O turbină eoliană standard, de doi megawaţi costă aproximativ 2,75 milioane de euro, iar din vânzarea energiei la preţurile actuale ale pieţei europene se obţin 275.000 de euro pe an.
Însă profitul se poate dubla cu bonusurile acordate de stat, la peste 500.000 de euro pe an. În Germania, de exemplu, un parc eolian primeşte aproximativ 83,6 euro pe MWh, în timp ce pe piaţa liberă tariful variază între 30 şi 70 de euro pe MWh. În Spania, bonusurile plătite pentru energia eoliană, au totalizat în 2009 peste 1,2 miliarde de euro, cost suportat de consumatorii finali.
În SUA, una dintre primele trei ţări ce utilizează energie eoliană, alături de Germania şi Spania, bugetul federal acoperă 30% din valoarea investiţei, sumele utilizate în acest an fiind de un miliard de dolari, grantul acordat unui beneficar fiind în jur de 100 de milioane de dolari.
Dacă ţinem cont că cei 600 de membri ai Asociaţiei Europene pentru Energie Eoliană au atras, în 2008, peste 11 miliarde de euro pentru construirea de ferme eoliene, din care mare parte reprezintă, subvenţii, bonusuri, certificate verzi, se poate bănui că o parte din aceste fonduri au fost deturnaţi.
Isramart : 141.247 certificate verzi tranzactionate in 2009
Isramart news:
Un numar de 141.247 certificate verzi a fost tranzactionat pe Piata Centralizata a Certificatelor Verzi, in 2009, conform datelor publicate de operatorul pietei de energie, OPCOM, transmite Agerpres.
Preturile au variat in perioada mentionata intre 194,09 lei/certificat si 215,34 lei/certificat. Anul trecut, numarul certificatelor verzi tranzactionate pe PCCV s-a ridicat la 95.593 unitati, preturile variind intre 142,72 lei/certificat si 194,09 lei/certificat. In decembrie au fost tranzactionate 874 unitati, cu 5.667 unitati mai putine fata de luna precedenta, cand au fost tranzactionate 6.541 certificate verzi.
Incepand cu data de 1 decembrie 2006, a intrat in vigoare Regulamentul de organizare si functionare a Pietei de Certificate Verzi, aprobat prin Ordinul ANRE 22 din 18 octombrie 2006. Certificatul Verde este un document care atesta o cantitate de 1 MWh de energie electrica produs din surse regenerabile de energie. Producatorii primesc pentru fiecare unitate de energie electrica livrata in retea (1 MWh), un Certificat Verde, care poate fi vandut separat de energia electrica, pe Piata de Certificate Verzi.
Pentru indeplinirea obligatiei, furnizorii trebuie sa detina un numar de Certificate Verzi egal cu cota de energie electrica din surse regenerabile de energie impusa. Pretul Certificatelor Vezi variaza intr-un interval stabilit prin Hotarare de Guvern. Pretul minim este impus pentru protectia producatorilor, iar pretul maxim, pentru protectia consumatorilor.
Pentru perioada 2005-2012 valoarea anuala minima si maxima de tranzactionare a certificatelor verzi este de 24 Euro/certificat, respectiv 42 Euro/certificat, calculata la cursul de schimb stabilit de Banca Nationala a Romaniei, pentru ultima zi lucratoare a lunii decembrie din anul precedent.
Un numar de 141.247 certificate verzi a fost tranzactionat pe Piata Centralizata a Certificatelor Verzi, in 2009, conform datelor publicate de operatorul pietei de energie, OPCOM, transmite Agerpres.
Preturile au variat in perioada mentionata intre 194,09 lei/certificat si 215,34 lei/certificat. Anul trecut, numarul certificatelor verzi tranzactionate pe PCCV s-a ridicat la 95.593 unitati, preturile variind intre 142,72 lei/certificat si 194,09 lei/certificat. In decembrie au fost tranzactionate 874 unitati, cu 5.667 unitati mai putine fata de luna precedenta, cand au fost tranzactionate 6.541 certificate verzi.
Incepand cu data de 1 decembrie 2006, a intrat in vigoare Regulamentul de organizare si functionare a Pietei de Certificate Verzi, aprobat prin Ordinul ANRE 22 din 18 octombrie 2006. Certificatul Verde este un document care atesta o cantitate de 1 MWh de energie electrica produs din surse regenerabile de energie. Producatorii primesc pentru fiecare unitate de energie electrica livrata in retea (1 MWh), un Certificat Verde, care poate fi vandut separat de energia electrica, pe Piata de Certificate Verzi.
Pentru indeplinirea obligatiei, furnizorii trebuie sa detina un numar de Certificate Verzi egal cu cota de energie electrica din surse regenerabile de energie impusa. Pretul Certificatelor Vezi variaza intr-un interval stabilit prin Hotarare de Guvern. Pretul minim este impus pentru protectia producatorilor, iar pretul maxim, pentru protectia consumatorilor.
Pentru perioada 2005-2012 valoarea anuala minima si maxima de tranzactionare a certificatelor verzi este de 24 Euro/certificat, respectiv 42 Euro/certificat, calculata la cursul de schimb stabilit de Banca Nationala a Romaniei, pentru ultima zi lucratoare a lunii decembrie din anul precedent.
Isramart : Cash cows boost carbon trading; Cleaning up in California greenhouse-gas emissions
Isramart news:
The thousands of dairy cows in just one of the 100 industrial farms in California's San Joaquin Valley can produce the daily equivalent of waste a small town produces. The manure is cleaned out of the barns with high-pressure water and turned into liquid slurry, which is pumped into an outdoor lagoon that is about five metres deep and the size of a large parking lot.
There, it festers: The solid waste separates from the liquid and falls to the bottom of the lagoon, where it becomes food for bacteria. As the bacteria digest this waste, they produce methane gas that rises to the surface of the putrid lake, releasing thousands of tonnes of methane — a greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere, altering the Earth's climate.
The farmers' crap has become the driver of a Quebec company's balance book. L2I Solutions, based in Saint-Lambert, on Montreal's south shore, is turning this odorous, harmful sludge into millions for itself and the farmers in rural California by creating a carbon-offset program, handling the paperwork and the verification process and acting as a middleman between the farmers and the carbon brokers, who do the actual selling and trading. The World Bank estimates the global carbon-credit market was worth about US$126-billion at the beginning of 2009.
Yves Legault, L2I Solutions vice-president in corporate finance, and his team convinced 28 San Joaquin Valley dairy farmers to use a waste-filtering technology before pumping the manure slurry into their lagoons. The waste that is filtered out in this two-step process is reused as bedding for the cows and as fertilizer. As a consequence, less manure enters the lagoon, eliminating a good deal of the food for bacteria and the corresponding methane.
The methane that has been saved or "offset" from entering the atmosphere can be quantified. One tonne of carbon dioxide equals one carbon credit. Since methane, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has a global warming potential 23 times that of CO2, each tonne of methane not released into the atmosphere is worth about 23 carbon credits.
L2I Solutions estimates in the span of the offsetting program, which runs until 2015, the farmers, together, can create about 1.6 million carbon credits. The price of these credits varies widely because there is no federally regulated market in either Canada or the United States.
The thousands of dairy cows in just one of the 100 industrial farms in California's San Joaquin Valley can produce the daily equivalent of waste a small town produces. The manure is cleaned out of the barns with high-pressure water and turned into liquid slurry, which is pumped into an outdoor lagoon that is about five metres deep and the size of a large parking lot.
There, it festers: The solid waste separates from the liquid and falls to the bottom of the lagoon, where it becomes food for bacteria. As the bacteria digest this waste, they produce methane gas that rises to the surface of the putrid lake, releasing thousands of tonnes of methane — a greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere, altering the Earth's climate.
The farmers' crap has become the driver of a Quebec company's balance book. L2I Solutions, based in Saint-Lambert, on Montreal's south shore, is turning this odorous, harmful sludge into millions for itself and the farmers in rural California by creating a carbon-offset program, handling the paperwork and the verification process and acting as a middleman between the farmers and the carbon brokers, who do the actual selling and trading. The World Bank estimates the global carbon-credit market was worth about US$126-billion at the beginning of 2009.
Yves Legault, L2I Solutions vice-president in corporate finance, and his team convinced 28 San Joaquin Valley dairy farmers to use a waste-filtering technology before pumping the manure slurry into their lagoons. The waste that is filtered out in this two-step process is reused as bedding for the cows and as fertilizer. As a consequence, less manure enters the lagoon, eliminating a good deal of the food for bacteria and the corresponding methane.
The methane that has been saved or "offset" from entering the atmosphere can be quantified. One tonne of carbon dioxide equals one carbon credit. Since methane, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has a global warming potential 23 times that of CO2, each tonne of methane not released into the atmosphere is worth about 23 carbon credits.
L2I Solutions estimates in the span of the offsetting program, which runs until 2015, the farmers, together, can create about 1.6 million carbon credits. The price of these credits varies widely because there is no federally regulated market in either Canada or the United States.
Isramart : Rhewum : Reduction of CO2 Emissions By Rhewum
Isramart news:
Remscheid, Germany -- Rhewum has been awarded the contract by Geldof N.V. to supply 3 screening machines for a leading Belgian energy supplier.
The screening machines type WA 220x538/1 including corresponding distributing feeders have been installed at Electrabel's site in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
With a feed capacity of 120 m³/h (approx. 30 t/h) per each screen it has to be guaranteed that the crushed wood pellets will be separated from any oversize product. Such oversize grains would possibly lead to a clogging of the downstream processing units that blow the crushed wood pellets into conventional steam boilers.
The partial replacement of coal dust through crushed wood pellets as a source of emission allows to shift CO2 emissions of conventional energy sources to renewable ones.
This demanding screening application is realized by Rhewum WA screening machines with their highly efficient electro-magnetic drive system. The Rhewum electro-magnetic vibrating heads are the optimum solution for keeping the screen cloths free from any product cloggings and when applying fine resp. very fine screen cuts at high feed rates. The deciding factor for the screening is the high accelerations achieved by the magnetic drives.
The inclination of the screening machine which classifies the feed product according to the projected mesh size further assists to prevent any cakings through wood fibers which themselves are being fluidised by means of the high-frequent oscillations. A flat standing screening machine (e.g. a RhewumMDS screen) would not ensure a keeping-free of the screen cloths.
The crushed wood pellets flow at high speed over the screen cloths. Even at this high processing speed the screen installation length of 5.38 m in combination with the high frequency of the electro-magnetic drives ensure that each particle will frequently be in contact with the applied screen cloths for being screened out eventually.
Remscheid, Germany -- Rhewum has been awarded the contract by Geldof N.V. to supply 3 screening machines for a leading Belgian energy supplier.
The screening machines type WA 220x538/1 including corresponding distributing feeders have been installed at Electrabel's site in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
With a feed capacity of 120 m³/h (approx. 30 t/h) per each screen it has to be guaranteed that the crushed wood pellets will be separated from any oversize product. Such oversize grains would possibly lead to a clogging of the downstream processing units that blow the crushed wood pellets into conventional steam boilers.
The partial replacement of coal dust through crushed wood pellets as a source of emission allows to shift CO2 emissions of conventional energy sources to renewable ones.
This demanding screening application is realized by Rhewum WA screening machines with their highly efficient electro-magnetic drive system. The Rhewum electro-magnetic vibrating heads are the optimum solution for keeping the screen cloths free from any product cloggings and when applying fine resp. very fine screen cuts at high feed rates. The deciding factor for the screening is the high accelerations achieved by the magnetic drives.
The inclination of the screening machine which classifies the feed product according to the projected mesh size further assists to prevent any cakings through wood fibers which themselves are being fluidised by means of the high-frequent oscillations. A flat standing screening machine (e.g. a RhewumMDS screen) would not ensure a keeping-free of the screen cloths.
The crushed wood pellets flow at high speed over the screen cloths. Even at this high processing speed the screen installation length of 5.38 m in combination with the high frequency of the electro-magnetic drives ensure that each particle will frequently be in contact with the applied screen cloths for being screened out eventually.
Isramart : U.S. CO2 Emissions to Rise 8.7% by 2035 Unless Government Acts
Isramart news:
If the U.S. government changes nothing about its approach toward energy and global warming, the nation's energy consumption will grow 14 percent by 2035. Fossil fuels will retain a relatively high share of that total, and U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy will increase by 8.7 percent.
Those are the latest long-term projections described by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Agency on Monday.
The findings highlight a need for federal regulations if greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced as Congress is considering and members of the international community are demanding in Copenhagen this week. The findings also suggest that state efforts to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy use will begin to pay off.
The EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2010 projects the landscape of U.S. energy consumption and production from 2008 through 2035. Its reference case, released on Monday, assumes no new policies that would cap or otherwise regulate the production of greenhouse gas-producing energy and "only include technologies that are commercially available or can reasonably be expected to become commercially available over roughly the next decade."
Within this model, domestic natural gas production increases 2.3 percent in 2035, with natural gas production from shale deposits growing to 6 trillion cubic feet due to expected technology improvements. This offsets predicted declines in more conventional sources of natural gas production.
A similar phenomenon occurs in liquid fuel consumption, where the EIA says that liquid fuel consumption will grow from 19 million barrels per day in 2008 to 22 million per day in 2035, but that all growth this will be due to growth in the use of biofuels. Consumption of petroleum-based liquid fuels will remain flat.
The production of petroleum-based fuels is expected to increase in absolute terms, however, with much of this growth coming from increases in offshore and terrestrial production. Imported oil should decline significantly.
The electricity consumption of an increasing population is expected to grow by 1 percent per year, and most of the growth in carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to the electric power, as well as transportation, sectors.
As the EIA points out, even without greenhouse gas policies in place, the peak of U.S. oil demand was likely in 2005, when demand reached 20.8 million barrels per day. Following the drop during the recession, biofuels will account for any rise in liquid fuel demand, the report states.
"We do not think it will go back to what previous levels have been," EIA chief Richard Newell said at a briefing Monday in Washington.
Greater Efficiency and Renewables
Even without emissions caps in place, technology and existing policies that encourage energy efficiency will have an important impact on energy consumption, the EIA says. The efficiency rate for vehicles, for example, is expected to rise from 2000's 25 miles per gallon to 40 mpg in 2035. While the nation's overall CO2 emissions from energy will rise, per capita emissions will fall.
The EIA also sees growth in electricity use slowing to 1 percent per year, though coal's share of electricity production would only drop from 48.5 to 43.8 percent.
Similarly, current policies, largely at the state level, that encourage energy production from renewable sources are expected to have an impact, as renewable generation grows from nine percent of energy produced in 2008 to 17 percent in 2035. Renewables, especially biomass and solar, would make up 41 percent of increases in electricity production.
"Our projections show that existing policies that stress energy efficiency and alternative fuels, together with higher energy prices, curb energy consumption growth and shift the energy mix toward renewable fuels," Newell said.
Uncertainty for Businesses
But the inability of these projections to take into account emissions-reducing policies not yet in place underlines the uncertainty that troubles some businesses and others who depend on having reliable information about the future when making decisions.
Coca-Cola and Unilever became the latest businesses to publicly commit to cutting their own greenhouse gas emissions as they launched a joint report Friday illustrating "how consumer goods companies can tackle climate change" throughout the value chain and by affecting consumer behavior.
They are among the companies calling for a clear policy on emissions reductions. Though many businesses still remain fearful of climate change legislation or regulation, many others are more fearful of remaining in the current limbo where these policies are looming but not yet certain.
The stability that comes with firm policies in place would, they feel, allow for greater clarity regarding future decades, and thus more long-term investment.
If the U.S. government changes nothing about its approach toward energy and global warming, the nation's energy consumption will grow 14 percent by 2035. Fossil fuels will retain a relatively high share of that total, and U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy will increase by 8.7 percent.
Those are the latest long-term projections described by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Agency on Monday.
The findings highlight a need for federal regulations if greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced as Congress is considering and members of the international community are demanding in Copenhagen this week. The findings also suggest that state efforts to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy use will begin to pay off.
The EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2010 projects the landscape of U.S. energy consumption and production from 2008 through 2035. Its reference case, released on Monday, assumes no new policies that would cap or otherwise regulate the production of greenhouse gas-producing energy and "only include technologies that are commercially available or can reasonably be expected to become commercially available over roughly the next decade."
Within this model, domestic natural gas production increases 2.3 percent in 2035, with natural gas production from shale deposits growing to 6 trillion cubic feet due to expected technology improvements. This offsets predicted declines in more conventional sources of natural gas production.
A similar phenomenon occurs in liquid fuel consumption, where the EIA says that liquid fuel consumption will grow from 19 million barrels per day in 2008 to 22 million per day in 2035, but that all growth this will be due to growth in the use of biofuels. Consumption of petroleum-based liquid fuels will remain flat.
The production of petroleum-based fuels is expected to increase in absolute terms, however, with much of this growth coming from increases in offshore and terrestrial production. Imported oil should decline significantly.
The electricity consumption of an increasing population is expected to grow by 1 percent per year, and most of the growth in carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to the electric power, as well as transportation, sectors.
As the EIA points out, even without greenhouse gas policies in place, the peak of U.S. oil demand was likely in 2005, when demand reached 20.8 million barrels per day. Following the drop during the recession, biofuels will account for any rise in liquid fuel demand, the report states.
"We do not think it will go back to what previous levels have been," EIA chief Richard Newell said at a briefing Monday in Washington.
Greater Efficiency and Renewables
Even without emissions caps in place, technology and existing policies that encourage energy efficiency will have an important impact on energy consumption, the EIA says. The efficiency rate for vehicles, for example, is expected to rise from 2000's 25 miles per gallon to 40 mpg in 2035. While the nation's overall CO2 emissions from energy will rise, per capita emissions will fall.
The EIA also sees growth in electricity use slowing to 1 percent per year, though coal's share of electricity production would only drop from 48.5 to 43.8 percent.
Similarly, current policies, largely at the state level, that encourage energy production from renewable sources are expected to have an impact, as renewable generation grows from nine percent of energy produced in 2008 to 17 percent in 2035. Renewables, especially biomass and solar, would make up 41 percent of increases in electricity production.
"Our projections show that existing policies that stress energy efficiency and alternative fuels, together with higher energy prices, curb energy consumption growth and shift the energy mix toward renewable fuels," Newell said.
Uncertainty for Businesses
But the inability of these projections to take into account emissions-reducing policies not yet in place underlines the uncertainty that troubles some businesses and others who depend on having reliable information about the future when making decisions.
Coca-Cola and Unilever became the latest businesses to publicly commit to cutting their own greenhouse gas emissions as they launched a joint report Friday illustrating "how consumer goods companies can tackle climate change" throughout the value chain and by affecting consumer behavior.
They are among the companies calling for a clear policy on emissions reductions. Though many businesses still remain fearful of climate change legislation or regulation, many others are more fearful of remaining in the current limbo where these policies are looming but not yet certain.
The stability that comes with firm policies in place would, they feel, allow for greater clarity regarding future decades, and thus more long-term investment.
Isramart : Canada stung by fake CO2 emissions targets
Isramart news:
Canada's government on Monday decried a hoax announcement of its new plans for deep carbon emissions cuts that underscored its rift with environmentalists at international climate talks in Copenhagen.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, accused famed environmentalist Steven Guilbeault of betraying Canada for criticizing its climate record in a series of spoof press releases.
The first of the phony announcements touted Canada's adoption of a bold new binding target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
In fact, Canada's target is closer three percent.
Guilbeault, co-founder of environmental lobby Equiterre, reportedly confronted Soudas at the UN summit in Copenhagen, denying any links to the deception and demanded an apology from the prime minister's office.
None would be forthcoming, officials said.
Such trickery is "incredibly childish," Soudas told AFP. "This is an important summit ... and there's no place here for this sort of rhetoric."
"What's at stake is battling climate change," he said by telephone from Copenhagen.
Equiterre said in a statement Soudas "should stop throwing baseless accusations. A better way to use his time would probably be to advise the Canadian government to change its deeply flawed position on climate."
The original fictitious release obtained by AFP was followed by two more fakes.
One claimed that the Ugandan delegation at the UN climate talks praised Canada's tough new targets and its offer to pay African nations 13 billion dollars in climate damage "reparations."
Another claimed to be sent by Environment Canada, denouncing the first two releases for generating "hurtful rumors" and misleading conference delegates on Canada's climate change position.
It provided a link to a bogus Wall Street Journal online story about Canada's purported tough new climate policy.
Environment Canada confirmed that all three emails sent to major news outlets were forgeries.
A spokeswoman for the government agency said Ottawa "remains committed to reducing Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020, and 60-70 percent by 2050."Canada's government on Monday decried a hoax announcement of its new plans for deep carbon emissions cuts that underscored its rift with environmentalists at international climate talks in Copenhagen.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, accused famed environmentalist Steven Guilbeault of betraying Canada for criticizing its climate record in a series of spoof press releases.
The first of the phony announcements touted Canada's adoption of a bold new binding target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
In fact, Canada's target is closer three percent.
Guilbeault, co-founder of environmental lobby Equiterre, reportedly confronted Soudas at the UN summit in Copenhagen, denying any links to the deception and demanded an apology from the prime minister's office.
None would be forthcoming, officials said.
Such trickery is "incredibly childish," Soudas told AFP. "This is an important summit ... and there's no place here for this sort of rhetoric."
"What's at stake is battling climate change," he said by telephone from Copenhagen.
Equiterre said in a statement Soudas "should stop throwing baseless accusations. A better way to use his time would probably be to advise the Canadian government to change its deeply flawed position on climate."
The original fictitious release obtained by AFP was followed by two more fakes.
One claimed that the Ugandan delegation at the UN climate talks praised Canada's tough new targets and its offer to pay African nations 13 billion dollars in climate damage "reparations."
Another claimed to be sent by Environment Canada, denouncing the first two releases for generating "hurtful rumors" and misleading conference delegates on Canada's climate change position.
It provided a link to a bogus Wall Street Journal online story about Canada's purported tough new climate policy.
Environment Canada confirmed that all three emails sent to major news outlets were forgeries.
A spokeswoman for the government agency said Ottawa "remains committed to reducing Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020, and 60-70 percent by 2050."
Canada's government on Monday decried a hoax announcement of its new plans for deep carbon emissions cuts that underscored its rift with environmentalists at international climate talks in Copenhagen.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, accused famed environmentalist Steven Guilbeault of betraying Canada for criticizing its climate record in a series of spoof press releases.
The first of the phony announcements touted Canada's adoption of a bold new binding target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
In fact, Canada's target is closer three percent.
Guilbeault, co-founder of environmental lobby Equiterre, reportedly confronted Soudas at the UN summit in Copenhagen, denying any links to the deception and demanded an apology from the prime minister's office.
None would be forthcoming, officials said.
Such trickery is "incredibly childish," Soudas told AFP. "This is an important summit ... and there's no place here for this sort of rhetoric."
"What's at stake is battling climate change," he said by telephone from Copenhagen.
Equiterre said in a statement Soudas "should stop throwing baseless accusations. A better way to use his time would probably be to advise the Canadian government to change its deeply flawed position on climate."
The original fictitious release obtained by AFP was followed by two more fakes.
One claimed that the Ugandan delegation at the UN climate talks praised Canada's tough new targets and its offer to pay African nations 13 billion dollars in climate damage "reparations."
Another claimed to be sent by Environment Canada, denouncing the first two releases for generating "hurtful rumors" and misleading conference delegates on Canada's climate change position.
It provided a link to a bogus Wall Street Journal online story about Canada's purported tough new climate policy.
Environment Canada confirmed that all three emails sent to major news outlets were forgeries.
A spokeswoman for the government agency said Ottawa "remains committed to reducing Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020, and 60-70 percent by 2050."Canada's government on Monday decried a hoax announcement of its new plans for deep carbon emissions cuts that underscored its rift with environmentalists at international climate talks in Copenhagen.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, accused famed environmentalist Steven Guilbeault of betraying Canada for criticizing its climate record in a series of spoof press releases.
The first of the phony announcements touted Canada's adoption of a bold new binding target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
In fact, Canada's target is closer three percent.
Guilbeault, co-founder of environmental lobby Equiterre, reportedly confronted Soudas at the UN summit in Copenhagen, denying any links to the deception and demanded an apology from the prime minister's office.
None would be forthcoming, officials said.
Such trickery is "incredibly childish," Soudas told AFP. "This is an important summit ... and there's no place here for this sort of rhetoric."
"What's at stake is battling climate change," he said by telephone from Copenhagen.
Equiterre said in a statement Soudas "should stop throwing baseless accusations. A better way to use his time would probably be to advise the Canadian government to change its deeply flawed position on climate."
The original fictitious release obtained by AFP was followed by two more fakes.
One claimed that the Ugandan delegation at the UN climate talks praised Canada's tough new targets and its offer to pay African nations 13 billion dollars in climate damage "reparations."
Another claimed to be sent by Environment Canada, denouncing the first two releases for generating "hurtful rumors" and misleading conference delegates on Canada's climate change position.
It provided a link to a bogus Wall Street Journal online story about Canada's purported tough new climate policy.
Environment Canada confirmed that all three emails sent to major news outlets were forgeries.
A spokeswoman for the government agency said Ottawa "remains committed to reducing Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020, and 60-70 percent by 2050."
Isramart : Plug-In Cars May Not Soon Cut Oil Use, CO2 Emissions
Isramart news:
Sales of plug-in cars, touted by the Obama administration and automakers as a way to curb oil use and greenhouse gases, may be held back for decades by battery costs, a study for the U.S. government found.
Rechargeable autos in 2010 may cost $18,000 more to build than conventional gasoline cars because of their lithium-ion batteries, the National Research Council of the National Academies said in a summary of the study today. Batteries probably won’t be cheap enough until 2030 to spur sales that would reduce oil use and carbon pollution.
“Battery technology has been developing rapidly, but steep declines in cost do not appear likely over the next couple of decades,” the council said in the report. “While these costs will come down, a fundamental breakthrough in battery technology, unforeseen at present, would be needed to make plug- ins widely affordable in the near future.”
The findings cast doubts on plans by General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. and startups Tesla Motors Inc. and Fisker Automotive Inc. to sell high volumes of lithium-ion powered models in the next few years. The more than 18-month study, relying on university and industry research, U.S. labs and consultants, was sponsored by the Energy Department. The government often uses National Academies data to guide policy.
Plug-ins are hybrid-electric vehicles that can be recharged at household outlets. The study suggests conventional hybrids that don’t need to be plugged in, such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius, may be a better near-term option for curbing oil use.
‘Committed to Electrification’
“We remain committed to electrification,” said Rob Peterson, a GM spokesman. “We’re seeing that our cost per kilowatt hour is already significantly lower than what industry estimates have been and what this study indicates.”
Fred Standish, a spokesman for Nissan, wasn’t immediately able to comment on the study. Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan plans to eventually sell hundreds of thousands of Leaf hatchbacks a year propelled solely by lithium-ion batteries, the first models arriving in 2010.
“I worry that right now government investment is essentially prejudging winning and losing technologies,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi AG’s U.S. unit. The Ingolstadt, Germany-based carmaker is adding more diesel vehicles in the U.S. to lift fuel-efficiency, he said.
“We will eventually overcome the cost and technology challenges of electric vehicles,” de Nysschen said at the National Press Club in Washington. “Until we get there, clean diesel represents such a leap forward that it shouldn’t be ignored.”
Plug-In Prius
Toyota intends to begin retail sales of a plug-in version of the Prius in two years and aims to sell “several tens of thousands” of plug-ins a year globally, Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada told reporters in Tokyo. The Toyota City, Japan-based company will also start selling a short- distance, battery-only electric car in 2012.
President Barack Obama has set a goal of having as many as 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. To meet that target, the Energy Department this year provided $11 billion in low-cost loans and grants to accelerate production of rechargeable vehicles. To entice consumers, there’s a $7,500 U.S. tax credit for plug-in car purchases.
Concerns that carbon-dioxide emissions may be contributing to climate change, along with a rise in fuel prices last year, have pushed carmakers to focus on developing alternatives to gasoline power.
GM has committed about $1 billion to develop the rechargeable Chevrolet Volt, which the Detroit-based automaker is banking on to leapfrog Toyota’s Prius.
40 Million Vehicles
“Subsidies in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars” over the next several decades are needed to reach broad market penetration, according to the report, which focused on plug-ins with an electric range of 10 miles to 40 miles.
Under the most optimistic assumptions, as many as 40 million plug-ins may be on the road by 2030, the study found. If costs and infrastructure improve at a slower pace, the market may be 13 million vehicles by 2030, according to the report.
In addition to cheaper batteries, access to electric outlets in parking spaces is needed to persuade many people to buy plug-in cars, according to the report. For home charging, consumers will need advanced smart meters and electrical system upgrades that may cost more than $1,000.
The U.S. needs to adopt a “portfolio approach” to curbing oil use.
“This should include increasing the fuel efficiency of conventional vehicles and pursuing research, development, and demonstration into alternative strategies, including the use of bio-fuels, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles,” according to the report.
Sales of plug-in cars, touted by the Obama administration and automakers as a way to curb oil use and greenhouse gases, may be held back for decades by battery costs, a study for the U.S. government found.
Rechargeable autos in 2010 may cost $18,000 more to build than conventional gasoline cars because of their lithium-ion batteries, the National Research Council of the National Academies said in a summary of the study today. Batteries probably won’t be cheap enough until 2030 to spur sales that would reduce oil use and carbon pollution.
“Battery technology has been developing rapidly, but steep declines in cost do not appear likely over the next couple of decades,” the council said in the report. “While these costs will come down, a fundamental breakthrough in battery technology, unforeseen at present, would be needed to make plug- ins widely affordable in the near future.”
The findings cast doubts on plans by General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. and startups Tesla Motors Inc. and Fisker Automotive Inc. to sell high volumes of lithium-ion powered models in the next few years. The more than 18-month study, relying on university and industry research, U.S. labs and consultants, was sponsored by the Energy Department. The government often uses National Academies data to guide policy.
Plug-ins are hybrid-electric vehicles that can be recharged at household outlets. The study suggests conventional hybrids that don’t need to be plugged in, such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius, may be a better near-term option for curbing oil use.
‘Committed to Electrification’
“We remain committed to electrification,” said Rob Peterson, a GM spokesman. “We’re seeing that our cost per kilowatt hour is already significantly lower than what industry estimates have been and what this study indicates.”
Fred Standish, a spokesman for Nissan, wasn’t immediately able to comment on the study. Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan plans to eventually sell hundreds of thousands of Leaf hatchbacks a year propelled solely by lithium-ion batteries, the first models arriving in 2010.
“I worry that right now government investment is essentially prejudging winning and losing technologies,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi AG’s U.S. unit. The Ingolstadt, Germany-based carmaker is adding more diesel vehicles in the U.S. to lift fuel-efficiency, he said.
“We will eventually overcome the cost and technology challenges of electric vehicles,” de Nysschen said at the National Press Club in Washington. “Until we get there, clean diesel represents such a leap forward that it shouldn’t be ignored.”
Plug-In Prius
Toyota intends to begin retail sales of a plug-in version of the Prius in two years and aims to sell “several tens of thousands” of plug-ins a year globally, Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada told reporters in Tokyo. The Toyota City, Japan-based company will also start selling a short- distance, battery-only electric car in 2012.
President Barack Obama has set a goal of having as many as 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. To meet that target, the Energy Department this year provided $11 billion in low-cost loans and grants to accelerate production of rechargeable vehicles. To entice consumers, there’s a $7,500 U.S. tax credit for plug-in car purchases.
Concerns that carbon-dioxide emissions may be contributing to climate change, along with a rise in fuel prices last year, have pushed carmakers to focus on developing alternatives to gasoline power.
GM has committed about $1 billion to develop the rechargeable Chevrolet Volt, which the Detroit-based automaker is banking on to leapfrog Toyota’s Prius.
40 Million Vehicles
“Subsidies in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars” over the next several decades are needed to reach broad market penetration, according to the report, which focused on plug-ins with an electric range of 10 miles to 40 miles.
Under the most optimistic assumptions, as many as 40 million plug-ins may be on the road by 2030, the study found. If costs and infrastructure improve at a slower pace, the market may be 13 million vehicles by 2030, according to the report.
In addition to cheaper batteries, access to electric outlets in parking spaces is needed to persuade many people to buy plug-in cars, according to the report. For home charging, consumers will need advanced smart meters and electrical system upgrades that may cost more than $1,000.
The U.S. needs to adopt a “portfolio approach” to curbing oil use.
“This should include increasing the fuel efficiency of conventional vehicles and pursuing research, development, and demonstration into alternative strategies, including the use of bio-fuels, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles,” according to the report.
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