Isra-Mart srl:
CNVM sustine ca o piata secundara reglementata pentru tranzactionarea certificatelor de emisii de gaze cu efect de sera va diversifica piata de capital si va oferi o protectie ridicata investitorilor, dar unii operatori nu au inteles inca beneficiile acestei masuri, anunta Mediafax.
"Avantajele tranzactionarii certificatelor de emisii de gaze, cu efect de sera, pe piata de capital pot asigura o protectie ridicata a investitorilor, dar si o eficienta si transparenta in tranzactionarea instrumentelor financiare", a declarat Radu Toia, directorul general al CNVM, la un seminar privind tranzactionarea certificatelor de emisii de gaze cu efect de sera la Bursa.
Punctul de vedere al CNVM a fost impartasit si de directorul general al BVB, Anca Dumitru.
"Avantajele utilizarii unei piete reglementate reprezinta in viziunea noastra o solutie care ar trebui sa nu limiteze nici drepturile operatorilor si nici pe cele ale investitorilor. Astfel, crearea unei piete secundare va asigura pe langa transparenta si eficienta posibilitatea formarii unui pret de referinta pentru aceste certificate", a spus Dumitru.
Operatorii de instalatii poluante prezenti la seminar au declarat ca in prezent ei urmaresc valoarea acestor contracte pe platformele straine si ca ar fi benefica o piata reglementata si in Romania, numai ca doresc clarificari referitoare la inregistrarea acestor certificate, ori valori mobiliare, cum spune CNVM, ori marfuri, asa cum sunt catalogate de Ministerul de Finante si de Ministerul Economiei.
"De doi ani avem surplus de certificate, deoarece am redus productia de la inceputul crizei. Titlurile le comercializam pe Bluenext si Climex, dupa ce am fost contactati de peste 22 de intermediari. In prezent avem un contract cadru, iar vanzarea o facem la pretul stabilit de noi. De asemenea, avantajul este ca nu platim comisioane de tranzactionare si nu avem nici grija TVA", a declarat un reprezentant al Oltchim.
Un director al Complexului Energetic Rovinari a afirmat ca societatile de brokeraj indreapta compania catre pietele mari, iar in urma acestui seminar nu s-a lamurit cu privire la beneficiile unei piete reglementate la Bucuresti.
"Vrem sa reglementam o piata cu costuri mai mici decat alte piete", a completat Toia.
Reprezentantii CNVM au mentionat ca aceasta masura va preveni manipularea pietei si evitarea unor practici frauduloase, intermediarii urmand sa respecte legislatia europeana, care are reguli stricte de raportare. Participantii la aceste piete secundare nu vor putea sa creasca oferta de certificate, ca raspuns la efectuarea de operatiuni la un pret ridicat, si nici sa urce cererea peste un anumit nivel.
De asemenea, membrii autoritatii pietei de capital sustin ca aceste drepturi pot trece de la vanzator la cumparatorul final "prin mii de maini".
"Noi ne referim la piata secundara, dar operatorii pot tranzactiona liber. Intrebarea este ce se va intampla ulterior cu aceste certificate dupa ce pleaca de la operatorul vanzator, pentru ca intermediarii nu sunt reglementati de nimeni", a declarat Bogdan Chetreanu, comisar al CNVM.
Comisarul CNVM a mai spus ca unele tari considera aceste certificate marfuri, altele instrumente financiare, iar comisia ia masuri pentru transparenta acestor tranzactii.
"Problema principala a pietei este lichiditatea, iar mutarea administrativa de lichiditate dintr-un loc intr-altul este o crima. Trebuie gasita posibilitatea tranzactionarii pe piata de capital a acestor titluri, dar lasati-ne sa respiram si pe noi si pe operatorii de instalatii", a spus Septimiu Stoica, presedintele Bursei Romane de Marfuri (BRM).
Stoica a mai mentionat ca interesul este in crestere pentru aceste titluri, iar BRM a intermediat in aprilie tranzactii cu certificate CO2 echivalente cu 5% din plafonul national.
"Conditia necesara pentru dezvoltarea pietei este ca problema legata de TVA sa dispara, dar asta inseamna calificarea acestor titluri ca valori mobiliare sau instrumente financiare", a declarat directorul general adjunct al Sibex, Darius Cipariu.
El a mai spus ca aceste certificate nu ar trebui tranzactionate doar pe pietele de capital dar inregistrarea acestora ca valori mobiliare ar oferi intermediarilor o noua nisa de explorat.
De asemenea, Comisia Europeana exploreaza in prezent doua optiuni pentru reglementarea acestot tranzactii, avand in vedere cazurile de tzranzactionare frauduloasa idendificate pe pietele secundare spot. Prima ar fi reglementarea printr-un regim special, pietele spot pentru certificate, si a doua sa clasifice titlurile ca instrumente financiare si sa reglementeze tranzactiile in calitate de valori mobliare, si nu doar ca instrumente derivate.
Comitetul European al Reglementatorilor de Valori Mobiliare a primit recent cateva pozitii ale autoritatilor pietelor de capital membre referitoare la extinderea responsabilitatilor acestora cu privire la supravegherea licitatiilor de certificatelor, iar Germania, Franta si Marea Britanie au fost printre statele care au fost de acord cu aceste propuneri.
Certificatele de emisii de dioxid de carbon sunt tranzactionate ca activ suport din luna decembrie a anului trecut la bursa de la Sibiu, prin intermediul contractelor futures cu scadenta la o zi si livrare fizica in ziua urmatoare.
Un certificat de emisii de gaze cu efect de sera confera dreptul de a emite o tona de dioxid de carbon echivalent intr-o perioada definita. Pentru perioada 2008 - 2012, plafonul european este 2,08 miliarde tone de emisii anual. Din aceasa valoare, plafonul Romaniei este de 75,9 milioane de tone anual, adica 3,6%.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Isramart llc: Public positive about carbon reduction efforts: poll
Isramart llc news:
More than half of the respondents to a recent survey support the government’s carbon reduction policy, while nearly 70 percent agree that the campaign has obtained noticeable results on school campuses, according to the results of the survey released Thursday.
Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they support the government’s listing of “reducing carbon emissions” high on its agenda, while 68.8 percent said they are satisfied with the government’s efforts to promote the campaign in schools, the survey conducted by the Cabinet- level Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) shows.
Some 57.7 percent of the respondents said they are happy with the government’s work to improve foreign relations through carbon reduction cooperation, ahead of 57.2 percent who praised the government’s research and training on green energy. About 53 percent each are positive about its restrictions on companies’ carbon emission levels and its efforts to promote green buildings.
Eighty-four percent said they manage to follow the government’s guidelines on reducing carbon emissions in their daily lives, such as switching off lights, using public rather than private transport, reducing the use of air conditioning, installing water and light -saving devices and recycling.
At the same time, 89 percent said they back the Cabinet’s establishment of a committee to more effectively implement carbon reduction practices among all government agencies.
However, 47.4 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s performance in decreasing the number of motorcycles and other privately owned vehicles on the roads, and 45.6 percent said it has not done enough to lower greenhouse gas emissions in residential communities.
More than half of the respondents to a recent survey support the government’s carbon reduction policy, while nearly 70 percent agree that the campaign has obtained noticeable results on school campuses, according to the results of the survey released Thursday.
Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they support the government’s listing of “reducing carbon emissions” high on its agenda, while 68.8 percent said they are satisfied with the government’s efforts to promote the campaign in schools, the survey conducted by the Cabinet- level Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) shows.
Some 57.7 percent of the respondents said they are happy with the government’s work to improve foreign relations through carbon reduction cooperation, ahead of 57.2 percent who praised the government’s research and training on green energy. About 53 percent each are positive about its restrictions on companies’ carbon emission levels and its efforts to promote green buildings.
Eighty-four percent said they manage to follow the government’s guidelines on reducing carbon emissions in their daily lives, such as switching off lights, using public rather than private transport, reducing the use of air conditioning, installing water and light -saving devices and recycling.
At the same time, 89 percent said they back the Cabinet’s establishment of a committee to more effectively implement carbon reduction practices among all government agencies.
However, 47.4 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s performance in decreasing the number of motorcycles and other privately owned vehicles on the roads, and 45.6 percent said it has not done enough to lower greenhouse gas emissions in residential communities.
Isramart llc: Britain Could Cut Carbon by Altering Clocks
Isramart LLC news:
It now seems that Britain could be thinking about alternating its clocks. Research now suggests that Brits could save hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by doing so. The overall goal here is to, of course, cut down on the amount of CO2 that is produced.
A group from Cambridge University said that putting clocks forward by one hour in winter would add an hour of daylight to the evening. This would mean that during the winter months, the time in the UK would be GMT+1 and in the summer it would be GMT+2, the same as continental Europe.
By having lighter evenings, people would be able to use less electricity. This, in turn, would mean that less CO2 would be generated per house. Campaigners are using this research to lobby the government for a permanent time change in the UK.
Eugenie Harvey, the director of the campaign group, said that the lighter evenings would make everyone happier, healthier and safer. The research Dr Garnsey has presented only serves to strengthen an already overwhelming argument for change.
As people already know, Britain already alters its clocks by one hour in the summer. During this time they move their clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and then backwards on the last Sunday in October.
It now seems that Britain could be thinking about alternating its clocks. Research now suggests that Brits could save hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by doing so. The overall goal here is to, of course, cut down on the amount of CO2 that is produced.
A group from Cambridge University said that putting clocks forward by one hour in winter would add an hour of daylight to the evening. This would mean that during the winter months, the time in the UK would be GMT+1 and in the summer it would be GMT+2, the same as continental Europe.
By having lighter evenings, people would be able to use less electricity. This, in turn, would mean that less CO2 would be generated per house. Campaigners are using this research to lobby the government for a permanent time change in the UK.
Eugenie Harvey, the director of the campaign group, said that the lighter evenings would make everyone happier, healthier and safer. The research Dr Garnsey has presented only serves to strengthen an already overwhelming argument for change.
As people already know, Britain already alters its clocks by one hour in the summer. During this time they move their clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and then backwards on the last Sunday in October.
Isra-Mart srl: Australian leadership coup revives carbon pricing plans
Isra-Mart news:
Australia’s shelved emissions trading scheme was given a new lease of life this morning after the country’s new prime minister Julia Gillard vowed to ” re-prosecute the case for a carbon price”.
Gillard was sworn in as the new leader of Australia this morning after confronting Kevin Rudd yesterday in a surprise leadership challenge. Rudd’s support in caucus quickly collapsed as news of the challenge emerged and within 24 hours he decided to concede the premiership.
Rudd’s government had been sliding in the polls over the last two months, partly as a result of his U-turn over plans for an carbon emission trading scheme. Rudd had been elected on a platform of urgent action against climate change, but he dropped his flagship climate bill earlier this year after the Liberal opposition repeatedly blocked the proposals in the Senate.
In her first press conference as prime minister, Gillard put tackling climate change back at the top of the government’s list of priorities.
“I believe human beings contribute to climate change and it is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon,” she said. “In the future we will need one.”
Gillard said she would ask the Governor General to call an election “over the next few months”. If elected she said her government would look to reintroduce climate change legislation, raising the possibility that the bill could still be passed before the end of the year.
However, Gillard will still face an uphill struggle if she is to secure sufficient support for a carbon pricing scheme.
The support in the caucus for Gillard’s leadership bid came largely from the right of the party, who were unhappy with a perceived leftwards drift in the Rudd administration and are ambivalent about the need for carbon pricing.
The opposition Liberal party are also staunchly opposed to climate change legislation with leader Tony Abbott having led a series of successful attacks on the government’s plans.
However, Gillard may still be able to secure more support in the house for carbon legislation than Rudd did.
The resignation of finance minister Lindsay Tanner this morning puts the Green party a step closer to securing a toehold in the House of Representatives at any forthcoming election as the party has a bedrock of support in Tanner’s inner-city Melbourne seat.
Support for the Greens is reaching new heights with 15 per cent of voters saying they would support the party last weekend, almost double the 7.8 per cent they received at the 2007 election, and the party could yet be convinced to support carbon pricing plans.
In his final address as prime minister this morning Rudd lamented the fact that he had not passed climate legislation despite his best efforts.
“I’m proud of the fact that we tried to get an ETS (emissions trading scheme) three times through this parliament, but we failed,” he said. “If I had one goal of future policy it would be to pass a carbon pollution reduction scheme in the next session of parliament so that we can make a difference on climate change.”
Australia’s shelved emissions trading scheme was given a new lease of life this morning after the country’s new prime minister Julia Gillard vowed to ” re-prosecute the case for a carbon price”.
Gillard was sworn in as the new leader of Australia this morning after confronting Kevin Rudd yesterday in a surprise leadership challenge. Rudd’s support in caucus quickly collapsed as news of the challenge emerged and within 24 hours he decided to concede the premiership.
Rudd’s government had been sliding in the polls over the last two months, partly as a result of his U-turn over plans for an carbon emission trading scheme. Rudd had been elected on a platform of urgent action against climate change, but he dropped his flagship climate bill earlier this year after the Liberal opposition repeatedly blocked the proposals in the Senate.
In her first press conference as prime minister, Gillard put tackling climate change back at the top of the government’s list of priorities.
“I believe human beings contribute to climate change and it is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon,” she said. “In the future we will need one.”
Gillard said she would ask the Governor General to call an election “over the next few months”. If elected she said her government would look to reintroduce climate change legislation, raising the possibility that the bill could still be passed before the end of the year.
However, Gillard will still face an uphill struggle if she is to secure sufficient support for a carbon pricing scheme.
The support in the caucus for Gillard’s leadership bid came largely from the right of the party, who were unhappy with a perceived leftwards drift in the Rudd administration and are ambivalent about the need for carbon pricing.
The opposition Liberal party are also staunchly opposed to climate change legislation with leader Tony Abbott having led a series of successful attacks on the government’s plans.
However, Gillard may still be able to secure more support in the house for carbon legislation than Rudd did.
The resignation of finance minister Lindsay Tanner this morning puts the Green party a step closer to securing a toehold in the House of Representatives at any forthcoming election as the party has a bedrock of support in Tanner’s inner-city Melbourne seat.
Support for the Greens is reaching new heights with 15 per cent of voters saying they would support the party last weekend, almost double the 7.8 per cent they received at the 2007 election, and the party could yet be convinced to support carbon pricing plans.
In his final address as prime minister this morning Rudd lamented the fact that he had not passed climate legislation despite his best efforts.
“I’m proud of the fact that we tried to get an ETS (emissions trading scheme) three times through this parliament, but we failed,” he said. “If I had one goal of future policy it would be to pass a carbon pollution reduction scheme in the next session of parliament so that we can make a difference on climate change.”
Isra-Mart srl: UN Confirms All-Out Ban on Bulgaria’s Carbon Emissions Trade
Isra-Mart S.R.L.
The United Nations Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol has confirmed a previously expected measure effectively prohibiting Bulgaria from trading with greenhouse gas emission quotas.
Thus, the Kyoto Protocol Committee has upheld its preliminary conclusion from May 12, 2010, about revoking Bulgaria’s accreditation for participating in the Protocol mechanisms including the trade with carbon emission quotas.
The decision is based on a UN report from 2009 under the Framework Convention on Climate Change has exposed “devastating” flaws, in the words of Bulgarian Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova, of Bulgaria’s National System for Evaluation of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
The initial report was drafted in April 2009, whereas its findings were confirmed in a subsequent inspection in Bulgaria by the Compliance Committee in September 2009, which also registered the fact that the recommendations made in the report were not followed up by the Bulgarian authorities.
The sitting of the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol in Bonn, Germany, on June 28, however, has led to mitigating the conditions of the ban in favor of Bulgaria, granting the country a more favorable and faster procedure for restoring its accreditation under the Protocol mechanisms.
Thus, Bulgaria is entitled to provide improved information about its National System for Evaluation of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and to request a new inspection on part of the UN at a time that would be convenient for its better performance.
The Compliance Committee is said to have taken into account the fact that the Bulgarian government has expressed readiness and commitment to tackle the existing issues, and the evidence for that are certain measures that it has already started to implement.
According to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the respective expert group is going to visit Bulgaria in September-October, and the results from the mission are expected in November 2010.
If this scenario works out with the proper measures on part of the Bulgarian government, Bulgaria’s accreditation for carbon emissions trade could be restored before the end of the year.
The news about the UN banning Bulgaria from trading in carbon quotas was first broken to the public by current Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova after the preliminary decision on May 12. She blamed the problems on the inactivity on part of her predecessor, Dzhevdet Chakarov.
Bulgaria’s government of the GERB party had been aware of the possibility that the country’s accreditation for carbon trading might be revoked when it first received the “devastating” report in September 2009. It has notified the major businesses but the Environment Ministry decided not to make it public until the spring of the following year hoping to be able to fix the issues in the meantime, admitted Minister Karadzhova.
“Even thought the UN has recognized a great improvement of the work of Bulgaria’s new greenhouse emissions system, the decision for revoking the country’s accreditation is based on the report from September, and there is no way it can be avoided,” she said while expressing her hopes that the accreditation could be restored in the fall.
The announcement of the Environment Ministry that Bulgarian will not be able to benefit from carbon trade came a couple of weeks after the European Commission approved the long-delayed and troubled carbon dioxide plan of the country, paving the way for 132 Bulgarian industrial plants to raise cash by selling their quotas.
The Bulgarian government will also be unable to trade with its own quotas, said the Minister. The state has about 200 million tones of carbon emissions, and it was hoping to sell BGN 40 million of those by the end of the year to raise badly needed cash that it planned to put into green and energy efficiency investments.
In the spring of 2010, the sale of carbon quotas was envisaged in a plan of the Bulgarian government to reduce the budget deficit by raising additional revenue. The carbon trade was supposed to bring more than BGN 200 M.
The United Nations Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol has confirmed a previously expected measure effectively prohibiting Bulgaria from trading with greenhouse gas emission quotas.
Thus, the Kyoto Protocol Committee has upheld its preliminary conclusion from May 12, 2010, about revoking Bulgaria’s accreditation for participating in the Protocol mechanisms including the trade with carbon emission quotas.
The decision is based on a UN report from 2009 under the Framework Convention on Climate Change has exposed “devastating” flaws, in the words of Bulgarian Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova, of Bulgaria’s National System for Evaluation of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
The initial report was drafted in April 2009, whereas its findings were confirmed in a subsequent inspection in Bulgaria by the Compliance Committee in September 2009, which also registered the fact that the recommendations made in the report were not followed up by the Bulgarian authorities.
The sitting of the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol in Bonn, Germany, on June 28, however, has led to mitigating the conditions of the ban in favor of Bulgaria, granting the country a more favorable and faster procedure for restoring its accreditation under the Protocol mechanisms.
Thus, Bulgaria is entitled to provide improved information about its National System for Evaluation of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and to request a new inspection on part of the UN at a time that would be convenient for its better performance.
The Compliance Committee is said to have taken into account the fact that the Bulgarian government has expressed readiness and commitment to tackle the existing issues, and the evidence for that are certain measures that it has already started to implement.
According to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the respective expert group is going to visit Bulgaria in September-October, and the results from the mission are expected in November 2010.
If this scenario works out with the proper measures on part of the Bulgarian government, Bulgaria’s accreditation for carbon emissions trade could be restored before the end of the year.
The news about the UN banning Bulgaria from trading in carbon quotas was first broken to the public by current Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova after the preliminary decision on May 12. She blamed the problems on the inactivity on part of her predecessor, Dzhevdet Chakarov.
Bulgaria’s government of the GERB party had been aware of the possibility that the country’s accreditation for carbon trading might be revoked when it first received the “devastating” report in September 2009. It has notified the major businesses but the Environment Ministry decided not to make it public until the spring of the following year hoping to be able to fix the issues in the meantime, admitted Minister Karadzhova.
“Even thought the UN has recognized a great improvement of the work of Bulgaria’s new greenhouse emissions system, the decision for revoking the country’s accreditation is based on the report from September, and there is no way it can be avoided,” she said while expressing her hopes that the accreditation could be restored in the fall.
The announcement of the Environment Ministry that Bulgarian will not be able to benefit from carbon trade came a couple of weeks after the European Commission approved the long-delayed and troubled carbon dioxide plan of the country, paving the way for 132 Bulgarian industrial plants to raise cash by selling their quotas.
The Bulgarian government will also be unable to trade with its own quotas, said the Minister. The state has about 200 million tones of carbon emissions, and it was hoping to sell BGN 40 million of those by the end of the year to raise badly needed cash that it planned to put into green and energy efficiency investments.
In the spring of 2010, the sale of carbon quotas was envisaged in a plan of the Bulgarian government to reduce the budget deficit by raising additional revenue. The carbon trade was supposed to bring more than BGN 200 M.
Isra-Mart srl: Forestry owners cashing in on carbon credits
Isra-Mart srl news:
New Zealand forestry owners have begun cashing in their carbon credits.
Southland-based Independent Forestry Services has secured a multi-million dollar carbon credit deal with an unnamed European government, for a number of small and medium sized forest owners.
Canterbury-based Permanent Forest International has also sold carbon credits to the Danish Energy Agency for an undisclosed sum. Managing director Mark Belton says it is hard to tell exactly how much money forestry owners have made, because the transaction price is confidential. However, he says about a million units have already been sold to Norway.
Mr Belton says New Zealanders hold around 2.6 billion dollars worth of carbon credits, but he doubts all of them will be sold.
New Zealand forestry owners have begun cashing in their carbon credits.
Southland-based Independent Forestry Services has secured a multi-million dollar carbon credit deal with an unnamed European government, for a number of small and medium sized forest owners.
Canterbury-based Permanent Forest International has also sold carbon credits to the Danish Energy Agency for an undisclosed sum. Managing director Mark Belton says it is hard to tell exactly how much money forestry owners have made, because the transaction price is confidential. However, he says about a million units have already been sold to Norway.
Mr Belton says New Zealanders hold around 2.6 billion dollars worth of carbon credits, but he doubts all of them will be sold.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Isra-Mart srl: Loop5 – electricitate la jumatate in doar opt luni
Isra-Mart srl news:
Automatizarea completa a ventilatiei si iluminatului, monitorizarea consumului de apa si electricitate si inovatiile tehnologice de top au ajutat mall-ul Loop5 din Weiterstadt, Germania, sa isi scada cu 45% consumul de energie electrica in primele opt luni de la deschidere.
Shopping center-ul Loop5 a fost deschis in luna octombrie a anului trecut de catre Fonciere Euris si Sonae Sierra. Mall-ul cuprinde 175 de magazine, dintre care 25 de restaurante si, inca de la deschidere, foloseste numai energie regenerabila. Aceasta provine de la turbine eoliene si in curand, managementul doreste sa foloseasca si biogaz.
“Deocamdata avem un contract cu un furnizor de energie eoliana, iar pe viitor suntem interesati si de biogaz. Pretul pe care il platim este mai mare decat cel pentru consum, deoarece o parte din suma merge in noi investitii de energie verde, iar daca vom semna un contract si pentru biogaz vom contribui la programe de impaduriri in Canada, pentru a compensa”, a explicat pentru Green Report Norbert Bergdoll, operations manager la Sonae Sierra.
Tinand cont de faptul ca mall-urile sunt consumatori uriasi de energie si resurse, in Loop5 au fost luate o serie de masuri care au dus la reducerea consumului cu 45% din octombrie 2009 pana in mai 2010. Astfel, de la un consum initial de 900.000 kWh s-a ajuns la 517.000 kWh, iar perspectivele pana la implinirea primului an de activitate sunt si mai optimiste.
Masina, bicicleta, vehiculul electric sau autobuzul?
Loop5 incearca sa isi reduca impactul asupra mediului cu ajutorul unor masuri mai mult sau mai putin vizibile pentru vizitatori. Fiind situat pe autostrada A5, care duce spre aeroportul din Frankfurt, mall-ul dispune de o parcare de 3.000 de locuri si are o tematica aviatica – tot decorul este legat de avioane, aeroport, piloti, zbor etc. De asemenea, in fata centrului comercial au fost instalate rasteluri cu o capacitate de 200 de biciclete. Majoritatea clientilor prefera insa sa vina cu masina la mall.
“Germanii isi iubesc masinile, le place sa le foloseasca zilnic. Majoritatea vin cu masina, mai putin cu bicicleta, deoarece este o distanta destul de mare pana in oras”, a explicat Heiner Hutmacher, managerul Loop5.
Pentru a intampina si nevoile celor care conduc vehicule electrice, va fi amenajata si o parcare speciala pentru acestea, unde posesorii le vor putea incarca in timp ce fac cumparaturi. O parcare de acest gen a fost amenajata deja intr-unul din mall-urile din portofoliul Sonae Sierra (Alexa Shopping Center, Berlin).
De asemenea, exista doua statii de autobuz si trei linii speciale care aduc la Loop5 clienti dintr-o arie larga, locuita de peste 2.000.000 de persoane, cu o putere de cumparare peste medie.
Automatizare completa
Printre inovatiile cu care vizitatorii mall-ului iau contact zilnic se numara si pisoarele fara apa instalate in toaletele barbatilor. Acestea au un sistem de curatare si improspatare care nu necesita consumul de apa. Instalarea acestora genereaza o importanta economie, avand in vedere ca 42 din cei 129 de litri de apa consumati zilnic de fiecare german se duc…pe apa toaletei.
Mai putin la vedere sunt insa cele 47 de unitati de control al aerului care filtreaza, racesc sau incalzesc aerul din centrul comercial pentru a optimiza confortul termic. In Loop5, totul este automatizat si monitorizat cu ajutorul catorva calculatoare. Unul urmareste consumul de electricitate, de apa, ventilatie si celelalte aspecte controlate automat si le regleaza in functie de necesitati. Ventilatia se opreste singura la sfarsitul programului, luminile de pe coridoarele tehnice se sting cand nu este nimeni acolo si se pot lua masuri de reducere a consumului acolo unde se observa depasiri ale parametrilor medii. Chiar si cand sunt necesare, luminile de pe coridoarele tehnice sunt aprinse intermitent (una aprinsa, una stinsa).
Restul calculatoarelor arata imagini filmate de camerele de supraveghere si inregistreaza fluxul de clienti. Camerele sunt foarte performante si reusesc sa apropie imaginea foarte mult sau sa filmeze in unghiuri largi. Astfel, intr-un mall cu un trafic de pana la 40.000 de persoane intr-o zi de weekend se afla cel mult cinci ofiteri de paza.
Sticla verde la sticla verde
Loop5, cu o suprafata de 57.500 metri patrati, produce intre 50 si 70 de tone de deseuri pe luna. Acestea sunt colectate, trasportate si reciclate de o firma specializata, care separa hartia, cartonul, ambalajele, folia, deseurile organice si uleiurile. De asemenea, sticla este colectata separat, dar, spre deosebire de Romania, in Germania se colecteaza pe culori – sticla verde intr-un loc, cea maro in alt loc si cea transparenta in altul.
In interiroul mall-ului exista doua zone de depozitare a deseurilor aflate in apropierea restaurantelor si alte doua, mai mari, in partile laterale, astfel incat accesul firmei de salubritate sa fie mai usor.
Datorita managementului de mediu eficient, Loop5 a fost primul centru comercial din Germania care a primi certificarea ISO 14001 inca din timpul constructiei.
Astazi, germanii nu isi mai pun problema constructiilor propriu-zise, ci a felului in care le pot face mai economice si cu un impact mai scazut asupra mediului. Astfel, zgaraie-norii marilor orase au in spate echipe de zeci si sute de ingineri a caror datorie este sa gaseasca si sa implementeze metode de reducere a consumului. Jaluzelele care se inchid si se deschid singure in functie de cum bate soarele, aerul conditionat care porneste numai cand este nevoie si se opreste singur, aparatura electrica ce se opreste cand nu mai este nimeni in cladire pot parea inovatii prea futuristice pentru Romania, insa sunt ceva obisnuit pentru cladirile construite in ultimii ani in Germania.
Loop5 este unul dintre cele patru centre comerciale deschise de Sonae Sierra in Germania, alaturi de Alexa (Berlin), Münster Arkaden (Münster) si Postgalerie Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe). Centrul a fost deschis in octombrie 2009, in urma unei investitii totale de 270 milioane de euro.
Automatizarea completa a ventilatiei si iluminatului, monitorizarea consumului de apa si electricitate si inovatiile tehnologice de top au ajutat mall-ul Loop5 din Weiterstadt, Germania, sa isi scada cu 45% consumul de energie electrica in primele opt luni de la deschidere.
Shopping center-ul Loop5 a fost deschis in luna octombrie a anului trecut de catre Fonciere Euris si Sonae Sierra. Mall-ul cuprinde 175 de magazine, dintre care 25 de restaurante si, inca de la deschidere, foloseste numai energie regenerabila. Aceasta provine de la turbine eoliene si in curand, managementul doreste sa foloseasca si biogaz.
“Deocamdata avem un contract cu un furnizor de energie eoliana, iar pe viitor suntem interesati si de biogaz. Pretul pe care il platim este mai mare decat cel pentru consum, deoarece o parte din suma merge in noi investitii de energie verde, iar daca vom semna un contract si pentru biogaz vom contribui la programe de impaduriri in Canada, pentru a compensa”, a explicat pentru Green Report Norbert Bergdoll, operations manager la Sonae Sierra.
Tinand cont de faptul ca mall-urile sunt consumatori uriasi de energie si resurse, in Loop5 au fost luate o serie de masuri care au dus la reducerea consumului cu 45% din octombrie 2009 pana in mai 2010. Astfel, de la un consum initial de 900.000 kWh s-a ajuns la 517.000 kWh, iar perspectivele pana la implinirea primului an de activitate sunt si mai optimiste.
Masina, bicicleta, vehiculul electric sau autobuzul?
Loop5 incearca sa isi reduca impactul asupra mediului cu ajutorul unor masuri mai mult sau mai putin vizibile pentru vizitatori. Fiind situat pe autostrada A5, care duce spre aeroportul din Frankfurt, mall-ul dispune de o parcare de 3.000 de locuri si are o tematica aviatica – tot decorul este legat de avioane, aeroport, piloti, zbor etc. De asemenea, in fata centrului comercial au fost instalate rasteluri cu o capacitate de 200 de biciclete. Majoritatea clientilor prefera insa sa vina cu masina la mall.
“Germanii isi iubesc masinile, le place sa le foloseasca zilnic. Majoritatea vin cu masina, mai putin cu bicicleta, deoarece este o distanta destul de mare pana in oras”, a explicat Heiner Hutmacher, managerul Loop5.
Pentru a intampina si nevoile celor care conduc vehicule electrice, va fi amenajata si o parcare speciala pentru acestea, unde posesorii le vor putea incarca in timp ce fac cumparaturi. O parcare de acest gen a fost amenajata deja intr-unul din mall-urile din portofoliul Sonae Sierra (Alexa Shopping Center, Berlin).
De asemenea, exista doua statii de autobuz si trei linii speciale care aduc la Loop5 clienti dintr-o arie larga, locuita de peste 2.000.000 de persoane, cu o putere de cumparare peste medie.
Automatizare completa
Printre inovatiile cu care vizitatorii mall-ului iau contact zilnic se numara si pisoarele fara apa instalate in toaletele barbatilor. Acestea au un sistem de curatare si improspatare care nu necesita consumul de apa. Instalarea acestora genereaza o importanta economie, avand in vedere ca 42 din cei 129 de litri de apa consumati zilnic de fiecare german se duc…pe apa toaletei.
Mai putin la vedere sunt insa cele 47 de unitati de control al aerului care filtreaza, racesc sau incalzesc aerul din centrul comercial pentru a optimiza confortul termic. In Loop5, totul este automatizat si monitorizat cu ajutorul catorva calculatoare. Unul urmareste consumul de electricitate, de apa, ventilatie si celelalte aspecte controlate automat si le regleaza in functie de necesitati. Ventilatia se opreste singura la sfarsitul programului, luminile de pe coridoarele tehnice se sting cand nu este nimeni acolo si se pot lua masuri de reducere a consumului acolo unde se observa depasiri ale parametrilor medii. Chiar si cand sunt necesare, luminile de pe coridoarele tehnice sunt aprinse intermitent (una aprinsa, una stinsa).
Restul calculatoarelor arata imagini filmate de camerele de supraveghere si inregistreaza fluxul de clienti. Camerele sunt foarte performante si reusesc sa apropie imaginea foarte mult sau sa filmeze in unghiuri largi. Astfel, intr-un mall cu un trafic de pana la 40.000 de persoane intr-o zi de weekend se afla cel mult cinci ofiteri de paza.
Sticla verde la sticla verde
Loop5, cu o suprafata de 57.500 metri patrati, produce intre 50 si 70 de tone de deseuri pe luna. Acestea sunt colectate, trasportate si reciclate de o firma specializata, care separa hartia, cartonul, ambalajele, folia, deseurile organice si uleiurile. De asemenea, sticla este colectata separat, dar, spre deosebire de Romania, in Germania se colecteaza pe culori – sticla verde intr-un loc, cea maro in alt loc si cea transparenta in altul.
In interiroul mall-ului exista doua zone de depozitare a deseurilor aflate in apropierea restaurantelor si alte doua, mai mari, in partile laterale, astfel incat accesul firmei de salubritate sa fie mai usor.
Datorita managementului de mediu eficient, Loop5 a fost primul centru comercial din Germania care a primi certificarea ISO 14001 inca din timpul constructiei.
Astazi, germanii nu isi mai pun problema constructiilor propriu-zise, ci a felului in care le pot face mai economice si cu un impact mai scazut asupra mediului. Astfel, zgaraie-norii marilor orase au in spate echipe de zeci si sute de ingineri a caror datorie este sa gaseasca si sa implementeze metode de reducere a consumului. Jaluzelele care se inchid si se deschid singure in functie de cum bate soarele, aerul conditionat care porneste numai cand este nevoie si se opreste singur, aparatura electrica ce se opreste cand nu mai este nimeni in cladire pot parea inovatii prea futuristice pentru Romania, insa sunt ceva obisnuit pentru cladirile construite in ultimii ani in Germania.
Loop5 este unul dintre cele patru centre comerciale deschise de Sonae Sierra in Germania, alaturi de Alexa (Berlin), Münster Arkaden (Münster) si Postgalerie Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe). Centrul a fost deschis in octombrie 2009, in urma unei investitii totale de 270 milioane de euro.
Isra-Mart srl: London to host low carbon vehicle trial
Isra-Mart srl news:
A pilot programme, due to begin in London, will assess how low carbon vehicles can be integrated into the fleets of businesses and public organisations.
The three-year scheme starts next month and will see 20 of the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius models delivered to five organisations in the capital.
Results from the study, which will be supported by a charging infrastructure from EDF Energy, will be used to provide real-world data about recharging patterns and driver preferences.
Under optimum conditions the Prius will be able to run for 12.5 miles at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour purely on its electric motor. The car has CO2 emissions of 59g/km.
EDF Energy managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply Martin Lawrence said: “The new government has committed to a national recharging network for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. The trial that we launch today plays a key part in that development.”
In a further boost to the UK electric car market it was announced earlier this month that the coalition is to follow through with plans announced under the last government to provide Nissan with a £20 million grant to mass produce electric cars in Britain.
A pilot programme, due to begin in London, will assess how low carbon vehicles can be integrated into the fleets of businesses and public organisations.
The three-year scheme starts next month and will see 20 of the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius models delivered to five organisations in the capital.
Results from the study, which will be supported by a charging infrastructure from EDF Energy, will be used to provide real-world data about recharging patterns and driver preferences.
Under optimum conditions the Prius will be able to run for 12.5 miles at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour purely on its electric motor. The car has CO2 emissions of 59g/km.
EDF Energy managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply Martin Lawrence said: “The new government has committed to a national recharging network for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. The trial that we launch today plays a key part in that development.”
In a further boost to the UK electric car market it was announced earlier this month that the coalition is to follow through with plans announced under the last government to provide Nissan with a £20 million grant to mass produce electric cars in Britain.
Isra-Mart llc:What’s the Best Way to Price Carbon Emissions: Cap and Trade, Cap and Dividend, or Carbon Tax?
Isramart LLC
With all the talk about getting the United States off of oil, energy independence, creating a low-carbon future, et cetera, one of the key parts of that is reducing carbon emissions, whether they are from electricity, transportation or wherever they occur. Central to that is setting a price on carbon emissions. What options are there to do this?
Cap and trade may be the main option being considered, but both a cap and dividend approach, as well as a carbon tax have their vocal proponents. Let’s take a look at each:
The Goal of All These: Pricing Pollution
Before that though, let’s detour into the wonk world for a few paragraphs. Whichever of these economic mechanisms is used, the goal is essential the same: Incorporating the price of externalized pollution (carbon emissions) into the price paid for goods–whether that good is something tangible like gasoline, a new computer, or food imported from thousands of miles away, or something less tangible like electricity.
By doing this you’ve made those goods which are less polluting to produce and use less expensive in comparison to those which are more polluting (i.e. emit more carbon in their manufacture and use).
Using electricity as the example: Provided the price on carbon is high enough, electricity produced from a source with high carbon emissions such as coal increases in price, while electricity from, say, solar power, doesn’t see a price increase. This in turn encourages further development to make low-carbon sources less expensive and to find ways to make polluting sources less polluting.
These prices then filter down to all goods and services. While it won’t happen overnight, items which are less polluting will naturally assume a greater role as those which are polluting become more expensive. For the average person, whether or not they are deeply concerned about the environment, choosing the more eco-friendly option becomes the norm based on price along.
Back to our options….
What’s the Best Way to Price Carbon Emissions: Cap and Trade, Cap and Dividend, or Carbon Tax?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.22.10
Business & Politics
With all the talk about getting the United States off of oil, energy independence, creating a low-carbon future, et cetera, one of the key parts of that is reducing carbon emissions, whether they are from electricity, transportation or wherever they occur. Central to that is setting a price on carbon emissions. What options are there to do this?
Cap and trade may be the main option being considered, but both a cap and dividend approach, as well as a carbon tax have their vocal proponents. Let’s take a look at each:
paris traffic at night photo
While France recently tried to establish a carbon tax, it ultimately didn’t win support due to loopholes in the proposal which allowed many large sources of pollution to go un-taxed. Photo: Nelson Minar via flickr.
The Goal of All These: Pricing Pollution
Before that though, let’s detour into the wonk world for a few paragraphs. Whichever of these economic mechanisms is used, the goal is essential the same: Incorporating the price of externalized pollution (carbon emissions) into the price paid for goods–whether that good is something tangible like gasoline, a new computer, or food imported from thousands of miles away, or something less tangible like electricity.
By doing this you’ve made those goods which are less polluting to produce and use less expensive in comparison to those which are more polluting (i.e. emit more carbon in their manufacture and use).
Using electricity as the example: Provided the price on carbon is high enough, electricity produced from a source with high carbon emissions such as coal increases in price, while electricity from, say, solar power, doesn’t see a price increase. This in turn encourages further development to make low-carbon sources less expensive and to find ways to make polluting sources less polluting.
These prices then filter down to all goods and services. While it won’t happen overnight, items which are less polluting will naturally assume a greater role as those which are polluting become more expensive. For the average person, whether or not they are deeply concerned about the environment, choosing the more eco-friendly option becomes the norm based on price along.
Back to our options….
european union flag photo
Though there have been some well-publicized problems with it and some growing pains, the EU emissions trading scheme is cited as a robustly functioning system. That said, whether or not nations under the program meeting their Kyoto Protocol commitments have done so because of the scheme or because recession slowed economic activity more broadly is a debatable point. Photo: Rock Cohen via flickr.
Cap and Trade
In practice cap and trade is much more complex than in theory (what isn’t?), but the idea is pretty simple.
A given amount of carbon dioxide permitted to be emitted by regulated sources is established by the government. Anything above that results in fines. That’s the cap. This is set at a certain level to start with, below current levels, and then (in hopefully predictable intervals so that no one is caught off guard) lowered over time to further reduce pollution. Also hopefully, these levels are dictated by the best scientific recommendations and not by the polluting industries themselves.
Permits for emissions are created and distributed to industry. Each allows a certain amount of emissions. They can be either auctioned off, given aways for free based on historic levels of pollution, or some combination of these.
If a company can reduce its pollution below the amount of credits it has, it can trade (sell) those credits to companies who aren’t doing as good a job in reducing their own emissions, thereby avoiding the fines for going over the cap.
In doing this you create a financial market which money can be made off trading the pollution permits–which hopefully can then be plowed back into further research and development–while at the same time providing a direct financial incentive for polluters to clean up their act.
The great advantage of this system is perhaps more political than theoretical: Rightly or wrongly, cap and trade is often perceived as the most market-based solution to pricing carbon. Politicians and industry far prefer anything tarred with the ‘market-based’ brush than other options. Plus the creation of a emissions-trading market means there’s money to be made by financiers.
This is also the exact reason why a number of high profile environmentalists and economists, not to mention activists, are opposed to cap and trade. There is the feeling that the creation of this sort of market is just more financial tinkering, is rife for exploitation by bankers and industry, and is too much of the same sort of thinking that resulted in the recession of 2008-2009. It’s just a handout to big business.
The political realist counter to that is cap and trade is simply the only option that has even a small chance of passing in Congress, and setting a price on carbon is the most important thing.
Cap and Dividend
Cap and dividend is similar to cap and trade with a couple very important distinctions.
First, all the pollution permits established by the government are auctioned off rather than given away to industry. Polluters have to purchase the right to pollute–again, based on levels that are initially slightly below current levels and then decreasing over time. If you can improve your production methods so that you have fewer carbon emissions, then it simply costs you less to do business.
Second, and this is the biggest difference, the money generated by the auction of pollution permits–either all of it, as proposed by some advocates of cap and dividend, or a portion of it, as has been considered by some state-level programs–is then returned to tax-payers as a dividend. This is intended to offset any initial increases in prices of consumer goods and services.
As Bill McKibben described it a year ago:
So the soundest proposal, probably, is to take that money, and write a check to everybody in the country every six months… Here’s your climate check. Your share of the sky. Just the way that Alaska writes everybody a check every year for their share of oil revenues in the state. [...] It’s not a perfect system, but if you game it out politically, it is probably the best chance we have.
Carbon Tax
A carbon tax is far more straightforward than either cap-and method, even if in the United States any proposal with the words ‘carbon’ and ‘tax’ in close proximity to one another is, bluntly, doomed from the start.
Recent research shows that it’s semantics, not principle, that causes the problem. When psychologists presented a range of people with identical programs designed to reduce carbon emissions, one labeled as a ‘carbon offset’ and the other as a ‘carbon tax’, the ‘tax’ was opposed while the ‘offset’ was not. Again, same exact program, just named differently.
By any other name a carbon tax is the same. Activities which emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, be it production of electricity, refining of gasoline, or production of plastics, are subject to a tax collected by the government. This directly increases the price of polluting goods compared to those which are less polluting. Simple.
The less simple part comes in when you figure out what to do with the revenue of the program.
One solution would be for the government to use the funds to fund research and development of low-carbon energy (since that’s where the most change is needed), to assist with jobs training for workers displaced from polluting industries, to build better public infrastructure so fewer people need to drive to work every day and can walk, bike or take better public transportation instead.
Another solution, sometimes labeled ‘tax and dividend’, is to take all the money raised by the tax and then give it back to taxpayers as a dividend to ease the financial burden during the transition towards low-carbon goods and services being the norm. This could be in the form of a check or some sort of tax credit–either, obviously, dependent upon the income of the taxpayer.
One big bonus of this method, its supporters will claim, is that it eliminates the potential for the type of financial speculation that in all likelihood will accompany the creation of a carbon trading market. It takes bankers out of the system. It also sends a powerful symbolic message about what is publicly tolerated in terms of pollution and what is not.
But for those people seeing financial speculation as something not necessarily bad, and believing that that carbon trading market will spur industry to clean up itself more quickly than being told to by government–the assumption being that the free market is inherently more efficient than government dictate–a carbon tax just doesn’t do the trick.
Even if it tackles the problem most directly…
With all the talk about getting the United States off of oil, energy independence, creating a low-carbon future, et cetera, one of the key parts of that is reducing carbon emissions, whether they are from electricity, transportation or wherever they occur. Central to that is setting a price on carbon emissions. What options are there to do this?
Cap and trade may be the main option being considered, but both a cap and dividend approach, as well as a carbon tax have their vocal proponents. Let’s take a look at each:
The Goal of All These: Pricing Pollution
Before that though, let’s detour into the wonk world for a few paragraphs. Whichever of these economic mechanisms is used, the goal is essential the same: Incorporating the price of externalized pollution (carbon emissions) into the price paid for goods–whether that good is something tangible like gasoline, a new computer, or food imported from thousands of miles away, or something less tangible like electricity.
By doing this you’ve made those goods which are less polluting to produce and use less expensive in comparison to those which are more polluting (i.e. emit more carbon in their manufacture and use).
Using electricity as the example: Provided the price on carbon is high enough, electricity produced from a source with high carbon emissions such as coal increases in price, while electricity from, say, solar power, doesn’t see a price increase. This in turn encourages further development to make low-carbon sources less expensive and to find ways to make polluting sources less polluting.
These prices then filter down to all goods and services. While it won’t happen overnight, items which are less polluting will naturally assume a greater role as those which are polluting become more expensive. For the average person, whether or not they are deeply concerned about the environment, choosing the more eco-friendly option becomes the norm based on price along.
Back to our options….
What’s the Best Way to Price Carbon Emissions: Cap and Trade, Cap and Dividend, or Carbon Tax?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.22.10
Business & Politics
With all the talk about getting the United States off of oil, energy independence, creating a low-carbon future, et cetera, one of the key parts of that is reducing carbon emissions, whether they are from electricity, transportation or wherever they occur. Central to that is setting a price on carbon emissions. What options are there to do this?
Cap and trade may be the main option being considered, but both a cap and dividend approach, as well as a carbon tax have their vocal proponents. Let’s take a look at each:
paris traffic at night photo
While France recently tried to establish a carbon tax, it ultimately didn’t win support due to loopholes in the proposal which allowed many large sources of pollution to go un-taxed. Photo: Nelson Minar via flickr.
The Goal of All These: Pricing Pollution
Before that though, let’s detour into the wonk world for a few paragraphs. Whichever of these economic mechanisms is used, the goal is essential the same: Incorporating the price of externalized pollution (carbon emissions) into the price paid for goods–whether that good is something tangible like gasoline, a new computer, or food imported from thousands of miles away, or something less tangible like electricity.
By doing this you’ve made those goods which are less polluting to produce and use less expensive in comparison to those which are more polluting (i.e. emit more carbon in their manufacture and use).
Using electricity as the example: Provided the price on carbon is high enough, electricity produced from a source with high carbon emissions such as coal increases in price, while electricity from, say, solar power, doesn’t see a price increase. This in turn encourages further development to make low-carbon sources less expensive and to find ways to make polluting sources less polluting.
These prices then filter down to all goods and services. While it won’t happen overnight, items which are less polluting will naturally assume a greater role as those which are polluting become more expensive. For the average person, whether or not they are deeply concerned about the environment, choosing the more eco-friendly option becomes the norm based on price along.
Back to our options….
european union flag photo
Though there have been some well-publicized problems with it and some growing pains, the EU emissions trading scheme is cited as a robustly functioning system. That said, whether or not nations under the program meeting their Kyoto Protocol commitments have done so because of the scheme or because recession slowed economic activity more broadly is a debatable point. Photo: Rock Cohen via flickr.
Cap and Trade
In practice cap and trade is much more complex than in theory (what isn’t?), but the idea is pretty simple.
A given amount of carbon dioxide permitted to be emitted by regulated sources is established by the government. Anything above that results in fines. That’s the cap. This is set at a certain level to start with, below current levels, and then (in hopefully predictable intervals so that no one is caught off guard) lowered over time to further reduce pollution. Also hopefully, these levels are dictated by the best scientific recommendations and not by the polluting industries themselves.
Permits for emissions are created and distributed to industry. Each allows a certain amount of emissions. They can be either auctioned off, given aways for free based on historic levels of pollution, or some combination of these.
If a company can reduce its pollution below the amount of credits it has, it can trade (sell) those credits to companies who aren’t doing as good a job in reducing their own emissions, thereby avoiding the fines for going over the cap.
In doing this you create a financial market which money can be made off trading the pollution permits–which hopefully can then be plowed back into further research and development–while at the same time providing a direct financial incentive for polluters to clean up their act.
The great advantage of this system is perhaps more political than theoretical: Rightly or wrongly, cap and trade is often perceived as the most market-based solution to pricing carbon. Politicians and industry far prefer anything tarred with the ‘market-based’ brush than other options. Plus the creation of a emissions-trading market means there’s money to be made by financiers.
This is also the exact reason why a number of high profile environmentalists and economists, not to mention activists, are opposed to cap and trade. There is the feeling that the creation of this sort of market is just more financial tinkering, is rife for exploitation by bankers and industry, and is too much of the same sort of thinking that resulted in the recession of 2008-2009. It’s just a handout to big business.
The political realist counter to that is cap and trade is simply the only option that has even a small chance of passing in Congress, and setting a price on carbon is the most important thing.
Cap and Dividend
Cap and dividend is similar to cap and trade with a couple very important distinctions.
First, all the pollution permits established by the government are auctioned off rather than given away to industry. Polluters have to purchase the right to pollute–again, based on levels that are initially slightly below current levels and then decreasing over time. If you can improve your production methods so that you have fewer carbon emissions, then it simply costs you less to do business.
Second, and this is the biggest difference, the money generated by the auction of pollution permits–either all of it, as proposed by some advocates of cap and dividend, or a portion of it, as has been considered by some state-level programs–is then returned to tax-payers as a dividend. This is intended to offset any initial increases in prices of consumer goods and services.
As Bill McKibben described it a year ago:
So the soundest proposal, probably, is to take that money, and write a check to everybody in the country every six months… Here’s your climate check. Your share of the sky. Just the way that Alaska writes everybody a check every year for their share of oil revenues in the state. [...] It’s not a perfect system, but if you game it out politically, it is probably the best chance we have.
Carbon Tax
A carbon tax is far more straightforward than either cap-and method, even if in the United States any proposal with the words ‘carbon’ and ‘tax’ in close proximity to one another is, bluntly, doomed from the start.
Recent research shows that it’s semantics, not principle, that causes the problem. When psychologists presented a range of people with identical programs designed to reduce carbon emissions, one labeled as a ‘carbon offset’ and the other as a ‘carbon tax’, the ‘tax’ was opposed while the ‘offset’ was not. Again, same exact program, just named differently.
By any other name a carbon tax is the same. Activities which emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, be it production of electricity, refining of gasoline, or production of plastics, are subject to a tax collected by the government. This directly increases the price of polluting goods compared to those which are less polluting. Simple.
The less simple part comes in when you figure out what to do with the revenue of the program.
One solution would be for the government to use the funds to fund research and development of low-carbon energy (since that’s where the most change is needed), to assist with jobs training for workers displaced from polluting industries, to build better public infrastructure so fewer people need to drive to work every day and can walk, bike or take better public transportation instead.
Another solution, sometimes labeled ‘tax and dividend’, is to take all the money raised by the tax and then give it back to taxpayers as a dividend to ease the financial burden during the transition towards low-carbon goods and services being the norm. This could be in the form of a check or some sort of tax credit–either, obviously, dependent upon the income of the taxpayer.
One big bonus of this method, its supporters will claim, is that it eliminates the potential for the type of financial speculation that in all likelihood will accompany the creation of a carbon trading market. It takes bankers out of the system. It also sends a powerful symbolic message about what is publicly tolerated in terms of pollution and what is not.
But for those people seeing financial speculation as something not necessarily bad, and believing that that carbon trading market will spur industry to clean up itself more quickly than being told to by government–the assumption being that the free market is inherently more efficient than government dictate–a carbon tax just doesn’t do the trick.
Even if it tackles the problem most directly…
Isra-Mart srl: Authors claim NZ carbon debt will be over $1 billion
Isra-Mart srl news:
New Zealand taxpayers are still likely to face a liability of over $1 billion dollars when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol finishes in 2012 — because they haven’t done enough to slash greenhouse gas emissions, say two Wellington authors.
The ultimate level of carbon debt depends on future carbon prices and it could be as much as $5.7 billion — based on Treasury advice — according to Geoff Bertram, a senior researcher at Victoria University’s Institute of Policy Studies, and Simon Terry, executive director of the Sustainability Council, a Wellington thinktank.
They said the Government’s May budget dropped a longstanding pretence that the nation could at times be in credit under the treaty, and put key deforestation liabilities on the books that signal the real cost of a 22 percent overshoot of the Kyoto target.
While the nation’s forests planted since 1990 are now earning credits, those will have to be paid back when the trees are harvested in the 2020s, by the next generation.
Bertram and Terry said in their book, The Carbon Challenge, launched today, that the budget’s inclusion of a contingent liability for harvesting forests covered only the five years in the first Kyoto commitment period, to 2012.
“The next period from 2013 to 2020 will be even more costly,” they said.
New Zealand diplomats are negotiating new commitment that will require a stricter emissions target, while official projections are for the nation’s emissions to keep rising and carbon prices to also go up.
Treasury has previously said that it “will be necessary to recognise” a contingent liability as far out as 2020.
Based on pledges to date and the current emissions trading scheme (ETS) settings, there would again be a very significant taxpayer liability after all ETS charges are paid.
“The ETS simply fails to collect enough revenue to cover expected international commitments,” they said.
After all the exemptions, rebates and compensation payments are allowed for up to 2012, the Government will receive just 12 million emission units net under the ETS, with each unit accounting for a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. The estimated Kyoto liability of 69 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon, will be reduced by only a sixth and over 80 percent of the liability will fall to future taxpayers.
At the low carbon price of $20.29/tonne used in the budget this was knocked back to a net Kyoto liability of $1.1 billion once ETS revenue equal to 12 Mt was accounted for, leaving the shortfall of 57 Mt.
But the authors noted Treasury warned in July 2009 that carbon prices could go as high as $100/tonne, and so the net liability could be as much as $5.7 billion.
For the next period from 2013 to 2020, the Treasury has canvassed a contingent liability of roughly another 100 Mt, which the authors said should lead to a potential liability of about $2 billion at the $20/tonne carbon price, though the net liability depends on the new emissions target and the ETS settings.
Big manufacturers and pastoral farmers receive heavy discounts at the taxpayers’ expense, and households already bear half the total costs resulting from the ETS during its first five years (52 percent), while accounting for just a fifth of all emissions (19 percent).
Together with small-medium industry, commerce and services, and transport operators, householders will pay 90 percent of the costs resulting from the ETS during the first five years while being responsible for only 30 percent of total emissions.
New Zealand taxpayers are still likely to face a liability of over $1 billion dollars when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol finishes in 2012 — because they haven’t done enough to slash greenhouse gas emissions, say two Wellington authors.
The ultimate level of carbon debt depends on future carbon prices and it could be as much as $5.7 billion — based on Treasury advice — according to Geoff Bertram, a senior researcher at Victoria University’s Institute of Policy Studies, and Simon Terry, executive director of the Sustainability Council, a Wellington thinktank.
They said the Government’s May budget dropped a longstanding pretence that the nation could at times be in credit under the treaty, and put key deforestation liabilities on the books that signal the real cost of a 22 percent overshoot of the Kyoto target.
While the nation’s forests planted since 1990 are now earning credits, those will have to be paid back when the trees are harvested in the 2020s, by the next generation.
Bertram and Terry said in their book, The Carbon Challenge, launched today, that the budget’s inclusion of a contingent liability for harvesting forests covered only the five years in the first Kyoto commitment period, to 2012.
“The next period from 2013 to 2020 will be even more costly,” they said.
New Zealand diplomats are negotiating new commitment that will require a stricter emissions target, while official projections are for the nation’s emissions to keep rising and carbon prices to also go up.
Treasury has previously said that it “will be necessary to recognise” a contingent liability as far out as 2020.
Based on pledges to date and the current emissions trading scheme (ETS) settings, there would again be a very significant taxpayer liability after all ETS charges are paid.
“The ETS simply fails to collect enough revenue to cover expected international commitments,” they said.
After all the exemptions, rebates and compensation payments are allowed for up to 2012, the Government will receive just 12 million emission units net under the ETS, with each unit accounting for a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. The estimated Kyoto liability of 69 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon, will be reduced by only a sixth and over 80 percent of the liability will fall to future taxpayers.
At the low carbon price of $20.29/tonne used in the budget this was knocked back to a net Kyoto liability of $1.1 billion once ETS revenue equal to 12 Mt was accounted for, leaving the shortfall of 57 Mt.
But the authors noted Treasury warned in July 2009 that carbon prices could go as high as $100/tonne, and so the net liability could be as much as $5.7 billion.
For the next period from 2013 to 2020, the Treasury has canvassed a contingent liability of roughly another 100 Mt, which the authors said should lead to a potential liability of about $2 billion at the $20/tonne carbon price, though the net liability depends on the new emissions target and the ETS settings.
Big manufacturers and pastoral farmers receive heavy discounts at the taxpayers’ expense, and households already bear half the total costs resulting from the ETS during its first five years (52 percent), while accounting for just a fifth of all emissions (19 percent).
Together with small-medium industry, commerce and services, and transport operators, householders will pay 90 percent of the costs resulting from the ETS during the first five years while being responsible for only 30 percent of total emissions.
Isramart srl: Duke Energy Backs U.S. Carbon Cap for Electricity Sector Only
Isra-Mart srl:
Congress should pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector if a bigger plan to cap carbon dioxide from most of the U.S. economy can’t become law this year, Duke Energy Corp. said today.
“We’re still hopeful there can be consensus for an economy-wide climate bill,” Tom Williams, a spokesman for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based utility company, said today in a telephone interview. “If that doesn’t happen, we think the utility sector could be ready to step up.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation last year that would regulate greenhouse gases from nearly every sector of the economy with a cap-and-trade program, in which companies buy and sell a declining number of carbon dioxide allowances. The cap-and-trade bill stalled in the Senate.
Senators John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, released a revamped cap- and-trade bill last month in the hopes it can become law this year. They have said they might be willing to scale back their cap-and-trade plan so it only covers power plants, which produce roughly one-third of U.S. greenhouse gases, to win more support.
Congress should pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector if a bigger plan to cap carbon dioxide from most of the U.S. economy can’t become law this year, Duke Energy Corp. said today.
“We’re still hopeful there can be consensus for an economy-wide climate bill,” Tom Williams, a spokesman for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based utility company, said today in a telephone interview. “If that doesn’t happen, we think the utility sector could be ready to step up.”
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation last year that would regulate greenhouse gases from nearly every sector of the economy with a cap-and-trade program, in which companies buy and sell a declining number of carbon dioxide allowances. The cap-and-trade bill stalled in the Senate.
Senators John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, released a revamped cap- and-trade bill last month in the hopes it can become law this year. They have said they might be willing to scale back their cap-and-trade plan so it only covers power plants, which produce roughly one-third of U.S. greenhouse gases, to win more support.
Isramart: Teaching Students “Carbon Consequences”
Isramart llc
Washington – Three years have passed since students at Redmond High School near Seattle set out to measure their school’s carbon footprint. They looked at the school’s electricity and water consumption, how much waste it produces and where it goes, how students and teachers travel to school – and at every other school activity that generates greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, the school in the northwestern United States is saving some $30,000 in annual electricity costs, compared with power costs three years earlier. Waste costs have dropped by $10,000. Carbon dioxide emissions, meanwhile, are down by 200,000 pounds annually. That means Redmond High has beaten the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol, the international climate treaty.
Not bad for a school with 1,400 students. So how did they do it?
“We’re educating the kids that climate change has some pretty simple solutions,” explained Mike Town, Redmond High’s environmental science teacher, who pioneered the now-national Cool School Challenge ( http://coolschoolchallenge.org/index.aspx ) initiative, a call for students and schools to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
“If they turn off the lights in a classroom for one hour they save the school district 4 cents in electricity costs,” Town said. “But when you show them that they also save half a pound of carbon dioxide, then it means a lot more to them. The actions that the students perform have a carbon consequence and that’s what we’re trying to teach them.”
Redmond High is part of a rapidly growing green school movement that is marshalling hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers across the United States to press for better environmental practices and instruction during school hours. Earth Day Network, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, is playing an important role in this effort through its Green Schools ( http://earthday.net/greenschools ) initiative. Green Schools offers grants and education curriculums to schools that want to go green, along with practical assistance for projects such as garden design and construction and implementing recycling programs.
Earth Day Network, with the Clinton Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), launched Green Schools in 2007. Since then, 300 schools have been certified as “green” in accordance with USGBC’s stringent LEED standards for energy-efficiency (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More than 1,700 schools are in line to be certified.
One school that recently met the mark is the newly constructed T.C. Williams High School ( http://tcwilliams.alexandria.greentouchscreen.com/ ), just south of Washington, D.C. A 450,000-gallon (1.7 million-liter) cistern collects rainwater for flushing, cooling and irrigation at the school – rather than using potable drinking water for such purposes. Parking outside the school is designed to limit concrete and asphalt areas that create so-called urban heat islands. A vegetated roof filters storm water and reduces runoff while providing a nature laboratory for students, while ceilings angled to harvest daylight provide warmth and natural light.
T.C. Williams is also using the building to teach students about the impact they’re having on the environment. All water and energy consumption at the school, for example, is tracked and displayed for the students to see. The local school district is now restructuring its entire high school curriculum to incorporate sustainability practices and environmental knowledge.
OBAMA SEEKS FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY
Building what Earth Day Network calls a “green generation” of children who grow up to be environmentally conscious citizens “takes a long time, and we’re still in the early stages,” said Sean Miller, the group’s director of education. “That’s why we’ve defined this generational change to take 25 to 40 years. Within that time frame, we’re looking to see a complete transformation of school building standards as well as our school curriculum.”
Many students in the United States get no environmental education until they reach high school at age 13 or 14, if any at all. But that could change soon. President Obama’s proposed budget for 2011 asks for $100 million a year to increase environmental literacy in American schools and strengthen such education from elementary school and up.
The momentum is already there. Many schools that cannot meet LEED criteria because their buildings are too old or out-of-date are taking whatever steps they can to lessen their impact on the environment and to teach kids a lesson in the process. At Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, for example, science students implemented a schoolwide recycling program run by the kids. They also collect cooking oil from the school kitchen and turn it into biodiesel in chemistry class to fuel a school bus.
With the help of Earth Day Network, students recently opened a new, professional greenhouse where they grow vegetables. “I thought of having a vegetable [vendor] stand,” said Jill Krysinski, director of the Bloom High School Science Club. “We’ll see what happens.”
Many students at Redmond High, meanwhile, are now carpooling or biking to school. Once they’ve used alternative transportation 50 times to or from the school, they get a cash prize of $25 that can be donated to a school club or used to buy carbon dioxide offsets
Washington – Three years have passed since students at Redmond High School near Seattle set out to measure their school’s carbon footprint. They looked at the school’s electricity and water consumption, how much waste it produces and where it goes, how students and teachers travel to school – and at every other school activity that generates greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, the school in the northwestern United States is saving some $30,000 in annual electricity costs, compared with power costs three years earlier. Waste costs have dropped by $10,000. Carbon dioxide emissions, meanwhile, are down by 200,000 pounds annually. That means Redmond High has beaten the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol, the international climate treaty.
Not bad for a school with 1,400 students. So how did they do it?
“We’re educating the kids that climate change has some pretty simple solutions,” explained Mike Town, Redmond High’s environmental science teacher, who pioneered the now-national Cool School Challenge ( http://coolschoolchallenge.org/index.aspx ) initiative, a call for students and schools to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
“If they turn off the lights in a classroom for one hour they save the school district 4 cents in electricity costs,” Town said. “But when you show them that they also save half a pound of carbon dioxide, then it means a lot more to them. The actions that the students perform have a carbon consequence and that’s what we’re trying to teach them.”
Redmond High is part of a rapidly growing green school movement that is marshalling hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers across the United States to press for better environmental practices and instruction during school hours. Earth Day Network, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, is playing an important role in this effort through its Green Schools ( http://earthday.net/greenschools ) initiative. Green Schools offers grants and education curriculums to schools that want to go green, along with practical assistance for projects such as garden design and construction and implementing recycling programs.
Earth Day Network, with the Clinton Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), launched Green Schools in 2007. Since then, 300 schools have been certified as “green” in accordance with USGBC’s stringent LEED standards for energy-efficiency (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More than 1,700 schools are in line to be certified.
One school that recently met the mark is the newly constructed T.C. Williams High School ( http://tcwilliams.alexandria.greentouchscreen.com/ ), just south of Washington, D.C. A 450,000-gallon (1.7 million-liter) cistern collects rainwater for flushing, cooling and irrigation at the school – rather than using potable drinking water for such purposes. Parking outside the school is designed to limit concrete and asphalt areas that create so-called urban heat islands. A vegetated roof filters storm water and reduces runoff while providing a nature laboratory for students, while ceilings angled to harvest daylight provide warmth and natural light.
T.C. Williams is also using the building to teach students about the impact they’re having on the environment. All water and energy consumption at the school, for example, is tracked and displayed for the students to see. The local school district is now restructuring its entire high school curriculum to incorporate sustainability practices and environmental knowledge.
OBAMA SEEKS FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY
Building what Earth Day Network calls a “green generation” of children who grow up to be environmentally conscious citizens “takes a long time, and we’re still in the early stages,” said Sean Miller, the group’s director of education. “That’s why we’ve defined this generational change to take 25 to 40 years. Within that time frame, we’re looking to see a complete transformation of school building standards as well as our school curriculum.”
Many students in the United States get no environmental education until they reach high school at age 13 or 14, if any at all. But that could change soon. President Obama’s proposed budget for 2011 asks for $100 million a year to increase environmental literacy in American schools and strengthen such education from elementary school and up.
The momentum is already there. Many schools that cannot meet LEED criteria because their buildings are too old or out-of-date are taking whatever steps they can to lessen their impact on the environment and to teach kids a lesson in the process. At Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, for example, science students implemented a schoolwide recycling program run by the kids. They also collect cooking oil from the school kitchen and turn it into biodiesel in chemistry class to fuel a school bus.
With the help of Earth Day Network, students recently opened a new, professional greenhouse where they grow vegetables. “I thought of having a vegetable [vendor] stand,” said Jill Krysinski, director of the Bloom High School Science Club. “We’ll see what happens.”
Many students at Redmond High, meanwhile, are now carpooling or biking to school. Once they’ve used alternative transportation 50 times to or from the school, they get a cash prize of $25 that can be donated to a school club or used to buy carbon dioxide offsets
Isramart: New Australian PM backs price on carbon
Isramart llc news:
New Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Thursday she believed in climate change and would push for a national price on carbon but much more consultation with industry and voters was crucial.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, dumped by the ruling Labor Party earlier on Thursday, shelved a controversial emissions trading scheme after failing three times to get Senate support.
New Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Thursday she believed in climate change and would push for a national price on carbon but much more consultation with industry and voters was crucial.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, dumped by the ruling Labor Party earlier on Thursday, shelved a controversial emissions trading scheme after failing three times to get Senate support.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Isramart:Coreea de Nord anunţă că îşi va consolida arsenalul nuclear
Isra-Mart news:
Agenţia oficială nord-coreeană KCNA a anunţat luni că Phenienul a decis să îşi sporească arsenalul nuclear, pentru a răspunde la ceea ce califică drept o atitudine ostilă manifestată de Statele Unite, informează Mediafax.
"Evenimentele recente din peninsula coreeană arată că DPRK (Coreea de Nord) are nevoie să îşi consolideze dispozitivul de disuasiune nucleară într-un nou mod, pentru a răspunde politicii de ostilitate persistentă a Statelor Unite şi ameninţării militare", a declarat un purtător de cuvânt al Ministerului nord-coreean al Afacerilor Externe, citat de KCNA.
Coreea de Nord a revendicat la 12 mai un succes în domeniul fuziunii nucleare, celebrat de serviciile sale de propagandă drept o "reuşită decisivă" în direcţia folosirii unor noi surse de energie. Dar mai mulţi cercetători au pus la îndoială această afirmaţie, având în vedere că ţara este una dintre cele mai sărace din lume.
"Fuziunea nucleară încoronată de succes este un mare eveniment ce ilustrează dezvoltarea rapidă şi de vârf a ştiinţelor şi tehnologiilor în Republica Populară Democrată Coreea (RPDC)", a subliniat structura oficială a regimului, Rodong Sinmun, care susţine că deţine deja bomba A, bazată pe fisiunea nucleară.
La două zile după acest anunţ, au fost dectate niveluri ridicate de gaz xenon, produs al fuziunii nucleare, au anunţat mai mulţi oficiali sud-coreeni, precizând însă că nu aveau nici o dovadă privind existenţa unui test nuclear.
Anunţul de luni intervine în contextul în care Coreea de Sud şi Statele Unite vor să obţină de la Consiliul de Securitate al ONU noi sancţiuni împotriva Phenianului, după scufundarea, în martie, a unei corvete sud-coreene, imputată Coreei de Nord.
Agenţia oficială nord-coreeană KCNA a anunţat luni că Phenienul a decis să îşi sporească arsenalul nuclear, pentru a răspunde la ceea ce califică drept o atitudine ostilă manifestată de Statele Unite, informează Mediafax.
"Evenimentele recente din peninsula coreeană arată că DPRK (Coreea de Nord) are nevoie să îşi consolideze dispozitivul de disuasiune nucleară într-un nou mod, pentru a răspunde politicii de ostilitate persistentă a Statelor Unite şi ameninţării militare", a declarat un purtător de cuvânt al Ministerului nord-coreean al Afacerilor Externe, citat de KCNA.
Coreea de Nord a revendicat la 12 mai un succes în domeniul fuziunii nucleare, celebrat de serviciile sale de propagandă drept o "reuşită decisivă" în direcţia folosirii unor noi surse de energie. Dar mai mulţi cercetători au pus la îndoială această afirmaţie, având în vedere că ţara este una dintre cele mai sărace din lume.
"Fuziunea nucleară încoronată de succes este un mare eveniment ce ilustrează dezvoltarea rapidă şi de vârf a ştiinţelor şi tehnologiilor în Republica Populară Democrată Coreea (RPDC)", a subliniat structura oficială a regimului, Rodong Sinmun, care susţine că deţine deja bomba A, bazată pe fisiunea nucleară.
La două zile după acest anunţ, au fost dectate niveluri ridicate de gaz xenon, produs al fuziunii nucleare, au anunţat mai mulţi oficiali sud-coreeni, precizând însă că nu aveau nici o dovadă privind existenţa unui test nuclear.
Anunţul de luni intervine în contextul în care Coreea de Sud şi Statele Unite vor să obţină de la Consiliul de Securitate al ONU noi sancţiuni împotriva Phenianului, după scufundarea, în martie, a unei corvete sud-coreene, imputată Coreei de Nord.
Isramart: Medvedev propune o taxa asupra grupurilor petroliere
Isramart news:
Presedintele Rusiei, Dmitri Medvedev, a propus o taxa speciala asupra companiilor petroliere, fondurile urmand sa varsate intr-un fond care sa asigure remedierea dezastrelor ecologice, precum cel din Golful Mexic, transmite Reuters, citat de Mediafax.
Medvedev a lansat propunerea de a se crea un fond global pentru poluare la summit-ul G20 din Toronto. Oficialul rus a afirmat ca liderii G20 au cerut expertilor sa inceapa sa lucreze la aceasta idee.
"Una dintre idei, care necesita inca discutii, este de a colecta bani de la marile companii internationale care produc petrol, bani care sa fie plasati intr-un fond special consolidat pentru asigurarea unor astfel de riscuri", a aratat Medvedev.
Rusia, cel mai mare producator de petrol si gaze din lume, a acordat o atentie deosebita reactiei BP la dezastrul din Golful Mexic, cea mai mare catastrofa ecologica din istoria Statelor Unite, partial si pentru ca 25% din productia de petrol a grupului britanic este asigurata de joint-venture-ul rusesc TNK-BP.
Liderii G20 au cerut companiilor petroliere sa se asigure ca urmeaza toate reglementarile menite sa previna astfel de incidente.
Medvedev a mai afirmat, la summit-ul de la Toronto de la sfarsitul saptamanii trecute, ca Rusia este pregatita sa introduca in camera inferioara a parlamentului un proiect legislativ impotriva poluarii, pentru a proteja tarmurile rusesti de eventuale deversari petroliere.
Presedintele Rusiei, Dmitri Medvedev, a propus o taxa speciala asupra companiilor petroliere, fondurile urmand sa varsate intr-un fond care sa asigure remedierea dezastrelor ecologice, precum cel din Golful Mexic, transmite Reuters, citat de Mediafax.
Medvedev a lansat propunerea de a se crea un fond global pentru poluare la summit-ul G20 din Toronto. Oficialul rus a afirmat ca liderii G20 au cerut expertilor sa inceapa sa lucreze la aceasta idee.
"Una dintre idei, care necesita inca discutii, este de a colecta bani de la marile companii internationale care produc petrol, bani care sa fie plasati intr-un fond special consolidat pentru asigurarea unor astfel de riscuri", a aratat Medvedev.
Rusia, cel mai mare producator de petrol si gaze din lume, a acordat o atentie deosebita reactiei BP la dezastrul din Golful Mexic, cea mai mare catastrofa ecologica din istoria Statelor Unite, partial si pentru ca 25% din productia de petrol a grupului britanic este asigurata de joint-venture-ul rusesc TNK-BP.
Liderii G20 au cerut companiilor petroliere sa se asigure ca urmeaza toate reglementarile menite sa previna astfel de incidente.
Medvedev a mai afirmat, la summit-ul de la Toronto de la sfarsitul saptamanii trecute, ca Rusia este pregatita sa introduca in camera inferioara a parlamentului un proiect legislativ impotriva poluarii, pentru a proteja tarmurile rusesti de eventuale deversari petroliere.
Isramart: Ministers pressured to make sure it’s always summer time to improve carbon footprint
Isra-Mart news:
Ministers are coming under increasing pressure to put the clocks forward by one hour, after campaigners claimed it would result in carbon savings equivalent to taking almost 200,000 cars off the road.
A study showed that putting the clocks forward during winter so they were one hour ahead of GMT could save almost half a million tonnes of CO2, by making evenings lighter and reducing electricity demand at peak times.
Tourism leaders in the Westcountry believe the move could bring an extra £100 million to the region, from creating an “extra” hour of daylight in the evening which could be used for leisure.
John Penrose, the tourism minister, revealed last week that the government is committed to reviewing the idea.
Click here for more
Businesses in Devon and Cornwall warned it would be “criminal” not to, for the benefits to tourism.
The intervention by green campaigners yesterday will step up pressure.
The 10:10 climate campaign believes setting the clocks an hour ahead of their current times all year, a situation last adopted in the UK during the Second World War, would help reduce energy use by making the evenings lighter for longer and thereby tackle climate change.
Currently, the peak time of 4.30pm to 6pm, when people are coming home from school or work, falls in hours of darkness for much of the year, so householders are switching on the lights as well as equipment ranging from kettles to TVs.
The Lighter Later campaign marked the longest day of the year yesterday by pointing out that when the sun rose at 4.43am in London, most people were asleep, but when it set at 9.20pm last night, the majority were still be awake and would be switching on lights.
A study by researchers at Cambridge University’s department of engineering published in the journal Energy Policy, which will be presented at an event at Parliament today, found shifting the clocks so evenings were lighter could cut carbon.
Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, who led the research, said: “The carbon savings associated with this clock change are significant, equivalent to the carbon footprint of the production of 1,800 plastic bags for every home in Britain every year, or taking around 200,000 cars off the road.”
Eugenie Harvey, director of the 10:10 campaign, which aims to get businesses, government and individuals to help cut the UK’s emissions by 10 per cent, said: “In the UK we love our long summer days.”
Ministers are coming under increasing pressure to put the clocks forward by one hour, after campaigners claimed it would result in carbon savings equivalent to taking almost 200,000 cars off the road.
A study showed that putting the clocks forward during winter so they were one hour ahead of GMT could save almost half a million tonnes of CO2, by making evenings lighter and reducing electricity demand at peak times.
Tourism leaders in the Westcountry believe the move could bring an extra £100 million to the region, from creating an “extra” hour of daylight in the evening which could be used for leisure.
John Penrose, the tourism minister, revealed last week that the government is committed to reviewing the idea.
Click here for more
Businesses in Devon and Cornwall warned it would be “criminal” not to, for the benefits to tourism.
The intervention by green campaigners yesterday will step up pressure.
The 10:10 climate campaign believes setting the clocks an hour ahead of their current times all year, a situation last adopted in the UK during the Second World War, would help reduce energy use by making the evenings lighter for longer and thereby tackle climate change.
Currently, the peak time of 4.30pm to 6pm, when people are coming home from school or work, falls in hours of darkness for much of the year, so householders are switching on the lights as well as equipment ranging from kettles to TVs.
The Lighter Later campaign marked the longest day of the year yesterday by pointing out that when the sun rose at 4.43am in London, most people were asleep, but when it set at 9.20pm last night, the majority were still be awake and would be switching on lights.
A study by researchers at Cambridge University’s department of engineering published in the journal Energy Policy, which will be presented at an event at Parliament today, found shifting the clocks so evenings were lighter could cut carbon.
Dr Elizabeth Garnsey, who led the research, said: “The carbon savings associated with this clock change are significant, equivalent to the carbon footprint of the production of 1,800 plastic bags for every home in Britain every year, or taking around 200,000 cars off the road.”
Eugenie Harvey, director of the 10:10 campaign, which aims to get businesses, government and individuals to help cut the UK’s emissions by 10 per cent, said: “In the UK we love our long summer days.”
Isramart: Using Carbon to Fight Carbon
Isra-Mart news:
Carbon dioxide seems to be the evil nemesis in a world preoccupied with its contributions to climate change. The less CO2 you emit, it seems, the better citizen you are, and with good reason. But at algae-to-biofuel facilities across the nation, carbon dioxide is not only not the enemy, it’s an essential partner to helping achieve a low-carbon future.
CO2 — along with sunlight and water — is needed to grow algae, which can in turn produce oil, otherwise known as “oilgae” or “green crude.” While in its nascent stages, the “oilgae” industry is making strides toward commercial production, all while putting CO2 – designated a pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency last year – to work as a needed, and yes, valuable, feedstock.
Using CO2 as a catalyst to grow algae is a more viable solution for what to do with the plentiful gas than, for example, sequestering and burying it underground, according to those in the industry. “Putting it underground will not create a market. Finding a way of turning [CO2] into something that can provide value will,” Tim Zenk, vice president of corporate affairs at Sapphire Energy, said.
“The potential is huge because at least in theory, it’s such a win-win. You’re using carbon that would otherwise be put into the atmosphere, and creating products,” Clint Wilder, senior editor with CleanEdge, said. CleanEdge recently issued a report highlighting as a “trend to watch” the role CO2 can play as a feedstock for various industries, including algal biofuels and cement production.
Green crude producer Sapphire, backed by Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment and Venrock, a venture capital firm of the Rockefeller family, successfully produced 91-octane gasoline from algae that fully conforms to ASTM certification standards in 2008, and last year participated in a test flight using algae-based jet fuel in a Boeing 737-800 twin-engine aircraft, according to its website. Sapphire’s algae production occurs in an open-pond system vs. a closed bioreactor. “We went with the open-pond approach because we didn’t see much advantage of closed, which can be very expensive. We needed to be competitive with fossil sources of oil … which is around $75-80 a barrel,” Zenk said.
After the algae is grown, the oil is extracted and refined in a typical refinery set-up. Even though burning the oilgae releases CO2 back into the atmosphere, “on a lifecycle basis, if CO2 is consumed during the algae process, our fuels are extremely low-carbon,” Zenk said. Compared to diesel, the amount of carbon is reduced by 68 percent over the lifecycle. He estimates that between 12 and 15 kilograms of CO2 are consumed per gallon of oil produced.
“A great rule of thumb is 1 kilogram of algae requires 2 kilograms of CO2,” Joanna Money, vice president of business development at Solix Biofuels, said. Solix has two facilities that produce algae, a research and development facility at Fort Collins, CO (which uses CO2 from nearby New Belgium Brewery), and a demonstration plant in southern Colorado. Solix’s closed bioreactor system provides five times the surface level exposure to sunlight compared with open-pond systems and seven times the biomass productivity, according to the company’s website.
Solix’s test environments currently yield peak rates in excess of 2,000 gallons per acre, per year, according to its website. In five years, “we will be working with partners to deploy commercial production modules to grow, harvest and extract algae,” Money said.
According to experts, microalgae can produce between 5,000 and 15,000 gallons of oil per acre per year. That hasn’t yet been done on a large scale. Sapphire recently received a $104-million grant from the Department of Energy to build a $135-million commercial demonstration facility in Columbus, NM. Construction on the Integrated Algal Bio-Refinery will begin this year. The 300-acre fully integrated cultivation-harvest-extraction facility will produce at least 1 million gallons per year of finished fuel when completed sometime in 2012, Zenk said. The company is committed to using anthropogenic sources of CO2.
“We need to take that technology to the next step after the commercial demonstration. If all goes well and the capital is available, we’re hoping to be in commercial production by 2018,” Zenk said. A commercial production facility would be able to produce between 5,000 and 10,000 barrels of finished fuel a day, he said. To put that in perspective, according to 2008 data from the Energy Information Administration, U.S. total crude oil production is 4,950,000 barrels per day, and U.S. petroleum consumption is 19,498,000 barrels per day.
Carbon Pricing Needed
While algal biofuels may not replace petroleum anytime soon, their production certainly represents a creative and viable solution for using up unwanted CO2, even to the point of creating a new commodity market for it. “The key is to actually have a price on CO2 emissions. Once carbon is actually priced, in terms of having to pay for emissions, you will see a market emerging,” Wilder said.
The Chicago Climate Exchange offers voluntary-but-binding contracts for trading carbon dioxide via a cap and trade system. CCX President Richard Sandor has publicly stated that carbon can become the largest commodity in the world.
But whether or not CO2 becomes a real commodity depends on legislation, Solix’s Money said. “Absent a price or market for carbon, or at least a carbon regime,” CO2 will not become a commodity, agreed Zenk. “There has to be a business out of the collection, distribution, and adding value to the carbon molecule.”
Algal biofuels isn’t the only industry finding ways to add value to the carbon molecule. Another industry with vast potential for using CO2 is cement production. One example is Los Gatos, CA-based Calera, backed by funding from Khosla Ventures. Calera’s Mineralization via Aqueous Precipitation process consumes CO2 from a nearby Dynegy-owned natural gas powerplant to produce calcium and magnesium carbonate and bicarbonate, the basic building blocks for cement. The process converts 1 ton of CO2 into 2 tons of building material. The result, according to Calera, is that it not only consumes CO2, but also avoids the release of carbon from traditional cement production.
The prospect of using CO2 to manufacture cement “is very exciting,” Wilder said. “It’s one of the most carbon-intensive products to make. The sheer volume of cement used around the world is mind-boggling.”
With carbon-capture industries like these gaining ground, it’s not hard to envision a future where CO2 is treated less as the enemy and more as an integral ingredient in the global economy. While a zero-carbon future is “hard to imagine,” Zenk said, “I think you’ll find [a] low-carbon [future.] We can win the war on climate if we think about it in those terms, at least in my lifetime.”
Janneke Pieters is a freelance writer on energy, electricity and other issues. She is the former associate editor of Electric Perspectives magazine, published by Edison Electric Institute.
Carbon dioxide seems to be the evil nemesis in a world preoccupied with its contributions to climate change. The less CO2 you emit, it seems, the better citizen you are, and with good reason. But at algae-to-biofuel facilities across the nation, carbon dioxide is not only not the enemy, it’s an essential partner to helping achieve a low-carbon future.
CO2 — along with sunlight and water — is needed to grow algae, which can in turn produce oil, otherwise known as “oilgae” or “green crude.” While in its nascent stages, the “oilgae” industry is making strides toward commercial production, all while putting CO2 – designated a pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency last year – to work as a needed, and yes, valuable, feedstock.
Using CO2 as a catalyst to grow algae is a more viable solution for what to do with the plentiful gas than, for example, sequestering and burying it underground, according to those in the industry. “Putting it underground will not create a market. Finding a way of turning [CO2] into something that can provide value will,” Tim Zenk, vice president of corporate affairs at Sapphire Energy, said.
“The potential is huge because at least in theory, it’s such a win-win. You’re using carbon that would otherwise be put into the atmosphere, and creating products,” Clint Wilder, senior editor with CleanEdge, said. CleanEdge recently issued a report highlighting as a “trend to watch” the role CO2 can play as a feedstock for various industries, including algal biofuels and cement production.
Green crude producer Sapphire, backed by Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment and Venrock, a venture capital firm of the Rockefeller family, successfully produced 91-octane gasoline from algae that fully conforms to ASTM certification standards in 2008, and last year participated in a test flight using algae-based jet fuel in a Boeing 737-800 twin-engine aircraft, according to its website. Sapphire’s algae production occurs in an open-pond system vs. a closed bioreactor. “We went with the open-pond approach because we didn’t see much advantage of closed, which can be very expensive. We needed to be competitive with fossil sources of oil … which is around $75-80 a barrel,” Zenk said.
After the algae is grown, the oil is extracted and refined in a typical refinery set-up. Even though burning the oilgae releases CO2 back into the atmosphere, “on a lifecycle basis, if CO2 is consumed during the algae process, our fuels are extremely low-carbon,” Zenk said. Compared to diesel, the amount of carbon is reduced by 68 percent over the lifecycle. He estimates that between 12 and 15 kilograms of CO2 are consumed per gallon of oil produced.
“A great rule of thumb is 1 kilogram of algae requires 2 kilograms of CO2,” Joanna Money, vice president of business development at Solix Biofuels, said. Solix has two facilities that produce algae, a research and development facility at Fort Collins, CO (which uses CO2 from nearby New Belgium Brewery), and a demonstration plant in southern Colorado. Solix’s closed bioreactor system provides five times the surface level exposure to sunlight compared with open-pond systems and seven times the biomass productivity, according to the company’s website.
Solix’s test environments currently yield peak rates in excess of 2,000 gallons per acre, per year, according to its website. In five years, “we will be working with partners to deploy commercial production modules to grow, harvest and extract algae,” Money said.
According to experts, microalgae can produce between 5,000 and 15,000 gallons of oil per acre per year. That hasn’t yet been done on a large scale. Sapphire recently received a $104-million grant from the Department of Energy to build a $135-million commercial demonstration facility in Columbus, NM. Construction on the Integrated Algal Bio-Refinery will begin this year. The 300-acre fully integrated cultivation-harvest-extraction facility will produce at least 1 million gallons per year of finished fuel when completed sometime in 2012, Zenk said. The company is committed to using anthropogenic sources of CO2.
“We need to take that technology to the next step after the commercial demonstration. If all goes well and the capital is available, we’re hoping to be in commercial production by 2018,” Zenk said. A commercial production facility would be able to produce between 5,000 and 10,000 barrels of finished fuel a day, he said. To put that in perspective, according to 2008 data from the Energy Information Administration, U.S. total crude oil production is 4,950,000 barrels per day, and U.S. petroleum consumption is 19,498,000 barrels per day.
Carbon Pricing Needed
While algal biofuels may not replace petroleum anytime soon, their production certainly represents a creative and viable solution for using up unwanted CO2, even to the point of creating a new commodity market for it. “The key is to actually have a price on CO2 emissions. Once carbon is actually priced, in terms of having to pay for emissions, you will see a market emerging,” Wilder said.
The Chicago Climate Exchange offers voluntary-but-binding contracts for trading carbon dioxide via a cap and trade system. CCX President Richard Sandor has publicly stated that carbon can become the largest commodity in the world.
But whether or not CO2 becomes a real commodity depends on legislation, Solix’s Money said. “Absent a price or market for carbon, or at least a carbon regime,” CO2 will not become a commodity, agreed Zenk. “There has to be a business out of the collection, distribution, and adding value to the carbon molecule.”
Algal biofuels isn’t the only industry finding ways to add value to the carbon molecule. Another industry with vast potential for using CO2 is cement production. One example is Los Gatos, CA-based Calera, backed by funding from Khosla Ventures. Calera’s Mineralization via Aqueous Precipitation process consumes CO2 from a nearby Dynegy-owned natural gas powerplant to produce calcium and magnesium carbonate and bicarbonate, the basic building blocks for cement. The process converts 1 ton of CO2 into 2 tons of building material. The result, according to Calera, is that it not only consumes CO2, but also avoids the release of carbon from traditional cement production.
The prospect of using CO2 to manufacture cement “is very exciting,” Wilder said. “It’s one of the most carbon-intensive products to make. The sheer volume of cement used around the world is mind-boggling.”
With carbon-capture industries like these gaining ground, it’s not hard to envision a future where CO2 is treated less as the enemy and more as an integral ingredient in the global economy. While a zero-carbon future is “hard to imagine,” Zenk said, “I think you’ll find [a] low-carbon [future.] We can win the war on climate if we think about it in those terms, at least in my lifetime.”
Janneke Pieters is a freelance writer on energy, electricity and other issues. She is the former associate editor of Electric Perspectives magazine, published by Edison Electric Institute.
Isramart: London to host low carbon vehicle trial
Isra-Mart news:
A pilot programme, due to begin in London, will assess how low carbon vehicles can be integrated into the fleets of businesses and public organisations.
The three-year scheme starts next month and will see 20 of the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius models delivered to five organisations in the capital.
Results from the study, which will be supported by a charging infrastructure from EDF Energy, will be used to provide real-world data about recharging patterns and driver preferences.
Under optimum conditions the Prius will be able to run for 12.5 miles at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour purely on its electric motor. The car has CO2 emissions of 59g/km.
EDF Energy managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply Martin Lawrence said: “The new government has committed to a national recharging network for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. The trial that we launch today plays a key part in that development.”
In a further boost to the UK electric car market it was announced earlier this month that the coalition is to follow through with plans announced under the last government to provide Nissan with a £20 million grant to mass produce electric cars in Britain.
A pilot programme, due to begin in London, will assess how low carbon vehicles can be integrated into the fleets of businesses and public organisations.
The three-year scheme starts next month and will see 20 of the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius models delivered to five organisations in the capital.
Results from the study, which will be supported by a charging infrastructure from EDF Energy, will be used to provide real-world data about recharging patterns and driver preferences.
Under optimum conditions the Prius will be able to run for 12.5 miles at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour purely on its electric motor. The car has CO2 emissions of 59g/km.
EDF Energy managing director of energy sourcing and customer supply Martin Lawrence said: “The new government has committed to a national recharging network for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. The trial that we launch today plays a key part in that development.”
In a further boost to the UK electric car market it was announced earlier this month that the coalition is to follow through with plans announced under the last government to provide Nissan with a £20 million grant to mass produce electric cars in Britain.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Isramart: Tranzactii cu energie electrica la BRM
Isra-Mart news:
Regia Autonomă de Transport Craiova si COMCEREAL Constanta cumpara energie electrica la BRM
In data de 24 iunie a.c., în Ringul energiei electrice la BRM s-au inregistrat doua tranzactii: Regia Autonomă de Transport Craiova a achizitionat o cantitate de 1.870 MWh energie electrica, iar COMCEREAL SA Constanta şi-a asigurat necesarul de energie pentru perioada 01.08.2010 - 30.07.2011 prin achiziţionarea unei cantităţi de 601,923 MWh energie electrică.
In sedinta de tranzactionare organizata pe platforma electronica de tranzactionare a BRM, a fost inregistrat un ordin initiator de cumparare pentru o cantitate de 1.870 MWh energie electrica livrare profilat MT. Energia electrica cumparata va acoperi necesarul Regiei Autonome de Transport Craiova in perioada 01.08.2010 - 31.07.2011. Tranzactia a avut loc pe Piata la disponibil in Ringul energiei electrice, iar ordinele de sens contrar de vanzare au fost inregistrat din partea societatilor: TINMAR IND SA, TRANSENERGO COM SA şi CEZ VANZARE SA. Castigatoarea licitatiei a fost societatea TRANSENERGO COM SA, care va livra cantitatea de 1.870 MWh energie electrica la pretul de 278,61 lei/MWh. Pretul este cu toate tarifele incluse, exclusiv acciza si TVA. Valoarea totala de tranzactionare se cifreaza la 521.001 lei.
In aceeasi zi, BRM Terminal Constanta a efectuat o tranzacţie cu energie electrică pe platforma electronică. Ordinul initiator al COMCEREAL SA Constanta a fost pentru cumpararea unei cantităţi de 601,923 MWh energie electrica – din care 535,189 MWh furnizare la JT si 66,734 MWh furnizare la MT. Au fost înregistrate ordine de vânzare din partea societăţilor: TINMAR IND SA, FIDELIS ENERGY SRL, ENNET GRUP SRL, TRANSENERGO COM SA si ENEL ENERGIE SA. Castigatoarea licitatiei a fost societatea FIDELIS ENERGY SRL, care va livra energia electrica la pretul de 186 lei/MWh - exclusiv tarife ANRE, acciza si TVA. Valoarea totala de tranzactionare se cifreaza la 111.958 lei.
Ringul energiei electrice a fost lansat la BRM in luna februarie 2007, iar primele tranzactii cu energie electrica au avut loc o luna mai tarziu. Pana in prezent, au fost organizate in ringul bursier, 44 tranzactii cu energie electrica insumand o valoare de aproape 174 milioane lei. Printre operatorii economici care au tranzactionat energie electrica prin BRM, se numara: Spitalul Orasenesc Targu – Neamt, RATB, Regia Autonoma Oradea Transport Local, RAT Craiova, RATUC Cluj, Electrica, Electrica Transilvania Sud, Ten Transilvania Energy, SUBEX, Mecanica Ceahlau Piatra – Neamt, CET Iasi, Apa Serv Satu Mare, Compania de Apa Oradea, Uzina Termoelectrica Giurgiu, CFR Calatori Constanta, ASAM SA Iasi, COMCEREAL SA Constanta.
Despre BRM: Bursa Romana de Marfuri este o companie privata de interes public, infiintata in noiembrie 1992, prima sedinta de tranzactionare avand loc in data de 10 decembrie 1992. In prezent, BRM a dezvoltat, in acord cu prevederile Legii nr. 357/2005, mai multe tipuri de piete de interes public, activitatea principala fiind axata pe Piata la disponibil si Piata licitatiilor. Pe Piata la disponibil se tranzactioneaza marfuri fungibile, standardizate, cotate la bursa de marfuri, in cele 11 ringuri: produse petroliere, energie electrica, gaze naturale, carbune, procesare combustibili, certificate CO2, marfuri generale, materiale de constructii, legume si fructe, cereale si medicamente. In anul 2007, BRM a emis in premiera pentru piata romaneasca primele cotatii la produse petroliere. Pe Piata licitatiilor se deruleaza proceduri de achizitii, vanzari, inchirieri si concesiuni, BRM fiind cel mai important consultant in domeniul achizitiilor publice de produse, servicii si lucrari pentru orice tip de autoritate contractanta. Activitatea BRM se desfasoara la sediul central din Bucuresti si prin reteaua teritoriala care numara 35 terminale.
Regia Autonomă de Transport Craiova si COMCEREAL Constanta cumpara energie electrica la BRM
In data de 24 iunie a.c., în Ringul energiei electrice la BRM s-au inregistrat doua tranzactii: Regia Autonomă de Transport Craiova a achizitionat o cantitate de 1.870 MWh energie electrica, iar COMCEREAL SA Constanta şi-a asigurat necesarul de energie pentru perioada 01.08.2010 - 30.07.2011 prin achiziţionarea unei cantităţi de 601,923 MWh energie electrică.
In sedinta de tranzactionare organizata pe platforma electronica de tranzactionare a BRM, a fost inregistrat un ordin initiator de cumparare pentru o cantitate de 1.870 MWh energie electrica livrare profilat MT. Energia electrica cumparata va acoperi necesarul Regiei Autonome de Transport Craiova in perioada 01.08.2010 - 31.07.2011. Tranzactia a avut loc pe Piata la disponibil in Ringul energiei electrice, iar ordinele de sens contrar de vanzare au fost inregistrat din partea societatilor: TINMAR IND SA, TRANSENERGO COM SA şi CEZ VANZARE SA. Castigatoarea licitatiei a fost societatea TRANSENERGO COM SA, care va livra cantitatea de 1.870 MWh energie electrica la pretul de 278,61 lei/MWh. Pretul este cu toate tarifele incluse, exclusiv acciza si TVA. Valoarea totala de tranzactionare se cifreaza la 521.001 lei.
In aceeasi zi, BRM Terminal Constanta a efectuat o tranzacţie cu energie electrică pe platforma electronică. Ordinul initiator al COMCEREAL SA Constanta a fost pentru cumpararea unei cantităţi de 601,923 MWh energie electrica – din care 535,189 MWh furnizare la JT si 66,734 MWh furnizare la MT. Au fost înregistrate ordine de vânzare din partea societăţilor: TINMAR IND SA, FIDELIS ENERGY SRL, ENNET GRUP SRL, TRANSENERGO COM SA si ENEL ENERGIE SA. Castigatoarea licitatiei a fost societatea FIDELIS ENERGY SRL, care va livra energia electrica la pretul de 186 lei/MWh - exclusiv tarife ANRE, acciza si TVA. Valoarea totala de tranzactionare se cifreaza la 111.958 lei.
Ringul energiei electrice a fost lansat la BRM in luna februarie 2007, iar primele tranzactii cu energie electrica au avut loc o luna mai tarziu. Pana in prezent, au fost organizate in ringul bursier, 44 tranzactii cu energie electrica insumand o valoare de aproape 174 milioane lei. Printre operatorii economici care au tranzactionat energie electrica prin BRM, se numara: Spitalul Orasenesc Targu – Neamt, RATB, Regia Autonoma Oradea Transport Local, RAT Craiova, RATUC Cluj, Electrica, Electrica Transilvania Sud, Ten Transilvania Energy, SUBEX, Mecanica Ceahlau Piatra – Neamt, CET Iasi, Apa Serv Satu Mare, Compania de Apa Oradea, Uzina Termoelectrica Giurgiu, CFR Calatori Constanta, ASAM SA Iasi, COMCEREAL SA Constanta.
Despre BRM: Bursa Romana de Marfuri este o companie privata de interes public, infiintata in noiembrie 1992, prima sedinta de tranzactionare avand loc in data de 10 decembrie 1992. In prezent, BRM a dezvoltat, in acord cu prevederile Legii nr. 357/2005, mai multe tipuri de piete de interes public, activitatea principala fiind axata pe Piata la disponibil si Piata licitatiilor. Pe Piata la disponibil se tranzactioneaza marfuri fungibile, standardizate, cotate la bursa de marfuri, in cele 11 ringuri: produse petroliere, energie electrica, gaze naturale, carbune, procesare combustibili, certificate CO2, marfuri generale, materiale de constructii, legume si fructe, cereale si medicamente. In anul 2007, BRM a emis in premiera pentru piata romaneasca primele cotatii la produse petroliere. Pe Piata licitatiilor se deruleaza proceduri de achizitii, vanzari, inchirieri si concesiuni, BRM fiind cel mai important consultant in domeniul achizitiilor publice de produse, servicii si lucrari pentru orice tip de autoritate contractanta. Activitatea BRM se desfasoara la sediul central din Bucuresti si prin reteaua teritoriala care numara 35 terminale.
Isramart: UE uniformizeaza reteaua de reincarcare a masinilor electrice
Isra-Mart news:
Uniunea Europeana a mai facut un pas catre crearea unei infrastructuri uniforme pentru masinile electrice dupa ce s-au stabilit standardele pentru prizele ce vor fi folosite la incarcarea bateriilor, transmite Reuters.
„Vrem sa evitam situatia in care clientii sunt obligati sa poarte dupa ei o multitudine de cabluri pentru a-si incarca masina in diverse orase, regiuni si tari, asa cum vedem ca se intampla astazi cu telefoanele mobile”, a explicat secretarul general al Asociatiei industrieri auto europene (ACEA), Ivan Hodac.
Propunerile asociatiei mentioneaza o perioada de tranzitie pana la uniformizarea infrastructurii, preconizata pentru anul 2017. In privinta duratei reincarcarii nu s-a ajuns inca la un acord. Problema ramane controversata mai ales din cauza investitiilor suplimentare pe care le cere.
Standardele europene ar putea fi adoptate chiar si la nivel international, tinand cont de faptul ca producatori auto japonezi si sud-coreeni au fost implicati in elaborarea lor.
Uniunea Europeana a mai facut un pas catre crearea unei infrastructuri uniforme pentru masinile electrice dupa ce s-au stabilit standardele pentru prizele ce vor fi folosite la incarcarea bateriilor, transmite Reuters.
„Vrem sa evitam situatia in care clientii sunt obligati sa poarte dupa ei o multitudine de cabluri pentru a-si incarca masina in diverse orase, regiuni si tari, asa cum vedem ca se intampla astazi cu telefoanele mobile”, a explicat secretarul general al Asociatiei industrieri auto europene (ACEA), Ivan Hodac.
Propunerile asociatiei mentioneaza o perioada de tranzitie pana la uniformizarea infrastructurii, preconizata pentru anul 2017. In privinta duratei reincarcarii nu s-a ajuns inca la un acord. Problema ramane controversata mai ales din cauza investitiilor suplimentare pe care le cere.
Standardele europene ar putea fi adoptate chiar si la nivel international, tinand cont de faptul ca producatori auto japonezi si sud-coreeni au fost implicati in elaborarea lor.
Isramart: New PM puts carbon trading back on Australian agenda
Isra-Mart news:
Australia’s new prime minister is aiming to put carbon credit trading back on the agenda.
Julia Gillard, who was born in Wales but raised in Australia since the age of four, addressed the issue of Australia’s stalled carbon credit system immediately after winning the top job.
However, there is likely to be some form of public and business consultation and there’s an election looming later this year, decreasing the already slim chances of an operational scheme getting the go-ahead.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s popularity with the electorate, and his Labour party, plummeted after he put back plans for a trading scheme until at least 2013.
He did not immediately step aside, but when it became clear he lacked the support of his party going into a leadership election, he conceded to Mrs Gillard.
Mrs Gillard, now the country’s first female PM, will have to fight an election in merely months as the labour party attempts to hold onto the power it won in 2007.
Putting the environment at the front of her campaign she told a press conference: “It is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon.
“In the future we will need one, but first we need to establish a community consensus for action.”
Australia’s new prime minister is aiming to put carbon credit trading back on the agenda.
Julia Gillard, who was born in Wales but raised in Australia since the age of four, addressed the issue of Australia’s stalled carbon credit system immediately after winning the top job.
However, there is likely to be some form of public and business consultation and there’s an election looming later this year, decreasing the already slim chances of an operational scheme getting the go-ahead.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s popularity with the electorate, and his Labour party, plummeted after he put back plans for a trading scheme until at least 2013.
He did not immediately step aside, but when it became clear he lacked the support of his party going into a leadership election, he conceded to Mrs Gillard.
Mrs Gillard, now the country’s first female PM, will have to fight an election in merely months as the labour party attempts to hold onto the power it won in 2007.
Putting the environment at the front of her campaign she told a press conference: “It is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon.
“In the future we will need one, but first we need to establish a community consensus for action.”
Isramart: A New, Bold Plan for a Carbon-Neutral UK by 2030
Isra-Mart news:
Carbon neutrality by 2030 is the new standard for climate policies, and again the UK is leading North America in the climate debate with a bold national-level proposal about how to get there. The Centre for Alternative Technology just launched zerocarbonbritain2030 (ZCB2030), a collaborative project showing one possible scenario for making the entire UK carbon-neutral by 2030.
ZCB2030 is a well-researched, well-written, and well-designed report on a set of possible pathways to a zero carbon Britain by 2030 (The goal, though bold, is not unique: Alex Steffen called for a very similar position for Seattle, a target which the Seattle City Council has included in their legislative priorities this year; and a variety of other nations and cities are approaching the same target, from Copenhagen to New Zealand). In 384 pages, CAT presents a comprehensive look at the kind of systemic changes needed to achieve dramatic emissions reduction in just 20 years in such areas as farming, energy generation, building codes, transportation planning, and economic frameworks. This report truly addresses the scope, scale and speed of the climate crisis and the solutions needed to create a bright green future.
It’s great to see the ZCB2030 report take the idea of “zero, now” so seriously and thoughtfully. Sir John Houghton, former chair of the IPCC said of the report: “The authors of ZCB present a timescale for action that begins now. I commend their imagination with their realism, their integrated view and sense of urgency.”
The report is divided into five sections (via CAT FAQs):
Context presents the evidence on which the report is based: the science that lies behind our need to change our path towards zero net emissions in the developed world in the next 20 years if we wish to see a leveling off of global emissions by the middle of the century, how much needs to be done, and how quickly.
PowerDown examines how we can reduce heat and electricity demand largely through new technology, efficient design and behaviour change. It looks in depth at two key sectors: the built environment, and transport.
Land Use and Agriculture identifies the emissions originating from rural land use (essentially, agriculture and forestry) and how these can be reduced. It also examines how we can use the land to provide resources to help the other sectors to decarbonize and sequester carbon to balance the residual emissions likely to be left after even the boldest 20 year effort.
PowerUp highlights the potential for renewables in the UK and demonstrates how energy demand can be met through the use of renewable sources and new technology by 2030.
Policy and Economics discusses the international agreements and national legislation and incentives that can support changes in energy generation and use, and examines the job creation that will come with it.
You can download the full PDF report here. A complete bibliography is provided at the end of each major section of the report, and technical appendices on the land use, agriculture, and energy sections are available for download on CAT’s website. It’s a formidable resource.
The report’s authors intend to demonstrate that “Britain has the potential to become a global leader in sustainable technology and policy” — that climate action is an economic development strategy — and spur discussion and debate on how “greenhouse gas emissions could be completely eliminated from a developed society,” a necessary goal that still involves asking a lot of questions.
ZCB2030 presents a lot of opportunities for debate and discussion.
First, there’s the extent to which a British model can serve as a template for countries like the US, Canada and Australia which are much less densely populated and much more politically conflicted about climate change. Climate consensus (though perhaps now being undermined by the Tories) has allowed much bolder action on energy than has happened in most other Anglophone countries, while the UK’s greater density is a major part of why its per capita emissions are already about 40% lower than America’s.
Second, there are some major flaws and questionable assumptions in the report. One flaw is that it almost completely ignores urban issues, concentrating on green building and transportation, but ignoring planning, infrastructure and the role of services in a bright green city. We know that urban land use is the single biggest determinant of emissions in the Global North, largely defining transportation patterns and having large impacts on infrastructure, housing and consumption. Even with the UK’s comparative national density, it still includes many communities which are low-density and auto-dependent, and many denser communities which could be better planned and improved. Without a major push to change those land use patterns, some of the other transport goals seem unlikely to succeed. In less dense nations, trying to reduce climate emissions without rebuilding urban areas is next to impossible.
Third, there are some assumptions about behavioral change that seem difficult to imagine being possible, like the declaration that “domestic aviation is eliminated and international aviation decreases by two thirds,” or the assumption that meat consumption will be reduced to 20% of its current level. Both of these (and there are others) are huge changes to the way people live, and not likely to be easily achieved (the air travel is perhaps not likely to be achieved at all in larger countries where air travel is regarded as a necessity for connecting distant families). It’s unfortunate that the report essentially punts on how this will happen, providing a long chapter on the theory of behavioral change instead of more concrete ideas about the kinds of policies, design changes and cultural/political campaigns needed.
Finally, the report really suffers from the lack of concrete portrayals of the society it describes analytically. This makes the zero carbon future hard to envision, makes the transformation involved feel less real, and makes the report a somewhat dry and wonky read. It would be terrific to see this level of brilliant analysis combined with equally brilliant anticipatory journalism and visioning.
Yet, despite these shortcomings, ZCB2030 is a landmark effort. The folks who put this together deserve a big round of applause. As the report itself notes,
“Whilst it is the nature of scenarios that they are rarely followed precisely by actual events, zerocarbonbritain2030 has effectively applied a ‘backcasting’ approach to demonstrate that at least one set of policy options and technical measures exists to eliminate carbon emissions whilst simultaneously enhancing our quality of life. We now need the political leadership, public consensus, and ongoing scientific support to turn possibility into reality.”
– Professor Graham Parkhurst, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England. (zerocarbonbritain2030, p. 4)
If you’ve been following the climate debate on a nuts-and-bolts level, you need to at very least browse ZCB2030. If you’re working on national or local climate policy, you should be shamelessly stealing some of the authors’ great ideas. We need a lot more efforts like this one.
Feature image on homepage of Kentish Flats off shore wind farm courtesy of Flickr photographer Vattenfall under the Creative Commons License.
Carbon neutrality by 2030 is the new standard for climate policies, and again the UK is leading North America in the climate debate with a bold national-level proposal about how to get there. The Centre for Alternative Technology just launched zerocarbonbritain2030 (ZCB2030), a collaborative project showing one possible scenario for making the entire UK carbon-neutral by 2030.
ZCB2030 is a well-researched, well-written, and well-designed report on a set of possible pathways to a zero carbon Britain by 2030 (The goal, though bold, is not unique: Alex Steffen called for a very similar position for Seattle, a target which the Seattle City Council has included in their legislative priorities this year; and a variety of other nations and cities are approaching the same target, from Copenhagen to New Zealand). In 384 pages, CAT presents a comprehensive look at the kind of systemic changes needed to achieve dramatic emissions reduction in just 20 years in such areas as farming, energy generation, building codes, transportation planning, and economic frameworks. This report truly addresses the scope, scale and speed of the climate crisis and the solutions needed to create a bright green future.
It’s great to see the ZCB2030 report take the idea of “zero, now” so seriously and thoughtfully. Sir John Houghton, former chair of the IPCC said of the report: “The authors of ZCB present a timescale for action that begins now. I commend their imagination with their realism, their integrated view and sense of urgency.”
The report is divided into five sections (via CAT FAQs):
Context presents the evidence on which the report is based: the science that lies behind our need to change our path towards zero net emissions in the developed world in the next 20 years if we wish to see a leveling off of global emissions by the middle of the century, how much needs to be done, and how quickly.
PowerDown examines how we can reduce heat and electricity demand largely through new technology, efficient design and behaviour change. It looks in depth at two key sectors: the built environment, and transport.
Land Use and Agriculture identifies the emissions originating from rural land use (essentially, agriculture and forestry) and how these can be reduced. It also examines how we can use the land to provide resources to help the other sectors to decarbonize and sequester carbon to balance the residual emissions likely to be left after even the boldest 20 year effort.
PowerUp highlights the potential for renewables in the UK and demonstrates how energy demand can be met through the use of renewable sources and new technology by 2030.
Policy and Economics discusses the international agreements and national legislation and incentives that can support changes in energy generation and use, and examines the job creation that will come with it.
You can download the full PDF report here. A complete bibliography is provided at the end of each major section of the report, and technical appendices on the land use, agriculture, and energy sections are available for download on CAT’s website. It’s a formidable resource.
The report’s authors intend to demonstrate that “Britain has the potential to become a global leader in sustainable technology and policy” — that climate action is an economic development strategy — and spur discussion and debate on how “greenhouse gas emissions could be completely eliminated from a developed society,” a necessary goal that still involves asking a lot of questions.
ZCB2030 presents a lot of opportunities for debate and discussion.
First, there’s the extent to which a British model can serve as a template for countries like the US, Canada and Australia which are much less densely populated and much more politically conflicted about climate change. Climate consensus (though perhaps now being undermined by the Tories) has allowed much bolder action on energy than has happened in most other Anglophone countries, while the UK’s greater density is a major part of why its per capita emissions are already about 40% lower than America’s.
Second, there are some major flaws and questionable assumptions in the report. One flaw is that it almost completely ignores urban issues, concentrating on green building and transportation, but ignoring planning, infrastructure and the role of services in a bright green city. We know that urban land use is the single biggest determinant of emissions in the Global North, largely defining transportation patterns and having large impacts on infrastructure, housing and consumption. Even with the UK’s comparative national density, it still includes many communities which are low-density and auto-dependent, and many denser communities which could be better planned and improved. Without a major push to change those land use patterns, some of the other transport goals seem unlikely to succeed. In less dense nations, trying to reduce climate emissions without rebuilding urban areas is next to impossible.
Third, there are some assumptions about behavioral change that seem difficult to imagine being possible, like the declaration that “domestic aviation is eliminated and international aviation decreases by two thirds,” or the assumption that meat consumption will be reduced to 20% of its current level. Both of these (and there are others) are huge changes to the way people live, and not likely to be easily achieved (the air travel is perhaps not likely to be achieved at all in larger countries where air travel is regarded as a necessity for connecting distant families). It’s unfortunate that the report essentially punts on how this will happen, providing a long chapter on the theory of behavioral change instead of more concrete ideas about the kinds of policies, design changes and cultural/political campaigns needed.
Finally, the report really suffers from the lack of concrete portrayals of the society it describes analytically. This makes the zero carbon future hard to envision, makes the transformation involved feel less real, and makes the report a somewhat dry and wonky read. It would be terrific to see this level of brilliant analysis combined with equally brilliant anticipatory journalism and visioning.
Yet, despite these shortcomings, ZCB2030 is a landmark effort. The folks who put this together deserve a big round of applause. As the report itself notes,
“Whilst it is the nature of scenarios that they are rarely followed precisely by actual events, zerocarbonbritain2030 has effectively applied a ‘backcasting’ approach to demonstrate that at least one set of policy options and technical measures exists to eliminate carbon emissions whilst simultaneously enhancing our quality of life. We now need the political leadership, public consensus, and ongoing scientific support to turn possibility into reality.”
– Professor Graham Parkhurst, Centre for Transport and Society, University of the West of England. (zerocarbonbritain2030, p. 4)
If you’ve been following the climate debate on a nuts-and-bolts level, you need to at very least browse ZCB2030. If you’re working on national or local climate policy, you should be shamelessly stealing some of the authors’ great ideas. We need a lot more efforts like this one.
Feature image on homepage of Kentish Flats off shore wind farm courtesy of Flickr photographer Vattenfall under the Creative Commons License.
Isramart: Government to extend carbon emissions
Isra-Mart news:
The Committee on Climate Change expressed that the Government should stretch its programme to develop a technology which can trap carbon emissions through coal-fired plants to entail gas power stations.
The Committee further voiced that the efforts to grab the global warming needs reduction in the emissions through electricity generation to almost zero by 2030, which shall rule out the new conventional gas-fired power stations after 2020.
Further the committee recommended the carbon capture and storage demonstration scheme, trailed in by the past government to fix them to the four new coal power stations with the technology to curtail emissions through fossil fuels, indulging gas as well.
The committee has advised the Government on the issues over tackling global warming, and according to them the ministers should consider funding at least one of the gas-fired plants all set with the technology.
However the Carbon capture and storage has not been evolved at that scale, but there seems to be no hopes as the technology can slash emissions through power stations moving up to 90%, by grabbing the carbon dioxide crafted through burning fossil fuels and storing permanently underground.
Although the two potential schemes are on their way to compete for funding, potentially more than £1 billion, which can build its first new plant with the technology fitted on part of its output – at Longannet, Scotland and Kingsnorth, Kent.
The Committee on Climate Change expressed that the Government should stretch its programme to develop a technology which can trap carbon emissions through coal-fired plants to entail gas power stations.
The Committee further voiced that the efforts to grab the global warming needs reduction in the emissions through electricity generation to almost zero by 2030, which shall rule out the new conventional gas-fired power stations after 2020.
Further the committee recommended the carbon capture and storage demonstration scheme, trailed in by the past government to fix them to the four new coal power stations with the technology to curtail emissions through fossil fuels, indulging gas as well.
The committee has advised the Government on the issues over tackling global warming, and according to them the ministers should consider funding at least one of the gas-fired plants all set with the technology.
However the Carbon capture and storage has not been evolved at that scale, but there seems to be no hopes as the technology can slash emissions through power stations moving up to 90%, by grabbing the carbon dioxide crafted through burning fossil fuels and storing permanently underground.
Although the two potential schemes are on their way to compete for funding, potentially more than £1 billion, which can build its first new plant with the technology fitted on part of its output – at Longannet, Scotland and Kingsnorth, Kent.
Isramart: Euro 200m for Mediterranean Carbon Fund
Isra-Mart news:
Luxemburg – To study and promote the creation of a Mediterranean Carbon Fund (MCF), CDC Climat, a newly created Caisse des Dépôts subsidiary, French Development Agency AFD, PROPARCO, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Cassa depositi e prestiti (CDP) and KfW Bankengruppe, the German promotional bank (KfW), have joined forces. The initiative, designed to support deployment of climate friendly projects around the Mediterranean, has been launched within the scope of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
It will provide expertise on the country-level and additional financing to projects developed in southern and eastern Mediterranean. The MCF will use carbon credits generated under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), covering renewable energy, waste management and energy efficiency projects. Consistent with the 2008 European Union climate and energy package, these credits can be created until 2020.
The fund will bring together six European public financial institutions with strong experience in carbon markets and in developing projects in the region. They will be able, in an open partnership, to provide long term support for the initiative, in cooperation with financial partners from the southern and eastern Mediterranean, which could participate in the Mediterranean Carbon Fund under a more restricted geographical mandate.
The Mediterranean Carbon Fund is expected to be set up during 2011. Its size will be based on an evaluation of the volume of carbon credits potentially generated by projects under the CDM and could be delivered by 2020 in the region, including Jordan. The overall fund size could reach Euro 200m.
To guarantee the number, current status and quality of the projects, the Mediterranean Carbon Fund will be supplemented by an upstream study and technical assistance facility. This facility will aim to provide effective support to project developers, particularly to prepare registration of projects by the CDM Executive Board.
* CDC Climat is Caisse des Dépôts’ subsidiary launched in 2010 to tackle climate change by taking action in three areas: investment in carbon assets, development of carbon market services and research into climate change economics.
* AFD stands for the Agence Française de Développement. AFD is a public development finance institution that has worked to fight poverty and support economic growth in developing countries and the French Overseas Communities for almost 70 years. AFD executes the French government’s development aid policies.
* PROPARCO is a Development Financial Institution partly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and private shareholders from the North and South. PROPARCO’s mission is to be a catalyst for private investment in developing countries which targets growth and sustainable development.
* The European Investment Bank, the long-term lending institution of the European Union, whose shareholders are the 27 European Union member states, has been active across Africa for over 40 years. EIB activities follow policies and objectives set down by European Union member states and whose Finance Ministers are the EIB’s Governors.
* Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), founded in 1850, is a joint-stock company under public control. The Ministry of the Economy and Finance owns 70% of the company, while the remaining 30% is held by a broad group of bank foundations. For 160 years CDP has been pursuing a public interest mission: financing the development of the country.
* KfW Bankengruppe gives impetus to economic, social and ecological development worldwide. As a promotional bank under the ownership of the Federal Republic and the Länder (federal states), it offers support to encourage sustainable improvement in economic, social, ecological living and business conditions.
Luxemburg – To study and promote the creation of a Mediterranean Carbon Fund (MCF), CDC Climat, a newly created Caisse des Dépôts subsidiary, French Development Agency AFD, PROPARCO, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Cassa depositi e prestiti (CDP) and KfW Bankengruppe, the German promotional bank (KfW), have joined forces. The initiative, designed to support deployment of climate friendly projects around the Mediterranean, has been launched within the scope of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
It will provide expertise on the country-level and additional financing to projects developed in southern and eastern Mediterranean. The MCF will use carbon credits generated under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), covering renewable energy, waste management and energy efficiency projects. Consistent with the 2008 European Union climate and energy package, these credits can be created until 2020.
The fund will bring together six European public financial institutions with strong experience in carbon markets and in developing projects in the region. They will be able, in an open partnership, to provide long term support for the initiative, in cooperation with financial partners from the southern and eastern Mediterranean, which could participate in the Mediterranean Carbon Fund under a more restricted geographical mandate.
The Mediterranean Carbon Fund is expected to be set up during 2011. Its size will be based on an evaluation of the volume of carbon credits potentially generated by projects under the CDM and could be delivered by 2020 in the region, including Jordan. The overall fund size could reach Euro 200m.
To guarantee the number, current status and quality of the projects, the Mediterranean Carbon Fund will be supplemented by an upstream study and technical assistance facility. This facility will aim to provide effective support to project developers, particularly to prepare registration of projects by the CDM Executive Board.
* CDC Climat is Caisse des Dépôts’ subsidiary launched in 2010 to tackle climate change by taking action in three areas: investment in carbon assets, development of carbon market services and research into climate change economics.
* AFD stands for the Agence Française de Développement. AFD is a public development finance institution that has worked to fight poverty and support economic growth in developing countries and the French Overseas Communities for almost 70 years. AFD executes the French government’s development aid policies.
* PROPARCO is a Development Financial Institution partly held by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and private shareholders from the North and South. PROPARCO’s mission is to be a catalyst for private investment in developing countries which targets growth and sustainable development.
* The European Investment Bank, the long-term lending institution of the European Union, whose shareholders are the 27 European Union member states, has been active across Africa for over 40 years. EIB activities follow policies and objectives set down by European Union member states and whose Finance Ministers are the EIB’s Governors.
* Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), founded in 1850, is a joint-stock company under public control. The Ministry of the Economy and Finance owns 70% of the company, while the remaining 30% is held by a broad group of bank foundations. For 160 years CDP has been pursuing a public interest mission: financing the development of the country.
* KfW Bankengruppe gives impetus to economic, social and ecological development worldwide. As a promotional bank under the ownership of the Federal Republic and the Länder (federal states), it offers support to encourage sustainable improvement in economic, social, ecological living and business conditions.
Isramart: Japan funds Low-Carbon Model Town Project in APEC
Isra-Mart news:
Japan has donated JPY360,000,000 (approximately USD3.9 million) to promote energy efficiency activities and low-carbon measures in APEC.
In particular, the funds will be used to support a low-emission urban development initiative approved by APEC Energy Ministers at their meeting in Fukui today.
“The Low-Carbon Model Town Project aims to introduce low-carbon technology at the level of society and not that of individual products. Over the next three years, APEC will select between 10 to 20 locations and conduct feasibility study projects to transform these cities into low-carbon cities,” said the Chair of the meeting, Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr Masayuki Naoshima.
The fund will also complement APEC’s existing capacity building activities on energy efficiency, the development and implementation of alternative energy sources, and the promotion of trade and investment in environmental goods and services.
“I hope that this fund will accelerate the low-carbon transformation and contribute to energy security in the region,” explains Minister Naoshima.
APEC Executive Director, Ambassador Muhamad Noor welcomed the contribution saying, “APEC’s objective is to build prosperous regional economies. Activities supported by the fund will help APEC members achieve economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and create new opportunities for �green’ industries.” Japan’s contribution will be distributed through APEC’s Sub-Fund on Energy Efficiency which was established in 2009 when Japan made an initial donation of JPY 120,000,000. Chinese Taipei and the United States have also contributed to the sub-fund.
The donation was made under a Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Minister Naoshima and Ambassador Muhamad Noor at the close of the 9th APEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting.
Japan has donated JPY360,000,000 (approximately USD3.9 million) to promote energy efficiency activities and low-carbon measures in APEC.
In particular, the funds will be used to support a low-emission urban development initiative approved by APEC Energy Ministers at their meeting in Fukui today.
“The Low-Carbon Model Town Project aims to introduce low-carbon technology at the level of society and not that of individual products. Over the next three years, APEC will select between 10 to 20 locations and conduct feasibility study projects to transform these cities into low-carbon cities,” said the Chair of the meeting, Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr Masayuki Naoshima.
The fund will also complement APEC’s existing capacity building activities on energy efficiency, the development and implementation of alternative energy sources, and the promotion of trade and investment in environmental goods and services.
“I hope that this fund will accelerate the low-carbon transformation and contribute to energy security in the region,” explains Minister Naoshima.
APEC Executive Director, Ambassador Muhamad Noor welcomed the contribution saying, “APEC’s objective is to build prosperous regional economies. Activities supported by the fund will help APEC members achieve economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and create new opportunities for �green’ industries.” Japan’s contribution will be distributed through APEC’s Sub-Fund on Energy Efficiency which was established in 2009 when Japan made an initial donation of JPY 120,000,000. Chinese Taipei and the United States have also contributed to the sub-fund.
The donation was made under a Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Minister Naoshima and Ambassador Muhamad Noor at the close of the 9th APEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting.
Isramart:University of East Anglia scheme helps inject new carbon neutral ideas into firm
Isra-Mart news:
A Diss funeral service is developing its first carbon neutral funeral thanks to a scheme which allows university graduates paid work placements.
Rosedale Funeral Home in Diss welcomed recent graduate Charlene Wenn in March for a ten-week internship, during which she worked out the firm’s carbon footprint and created a proposal for the carbon neutral funeral.
As well as the environmental savings, the business has also cut costs.
Funeral home director Anne Beckett-Allen said: “I really wanted to develop a carbon neutral funeral but I knew I was going to struggle to do this on my own, partly due to workload and partly due to not knowing where to start and manage the whole project.”
The University of East Anglia scheme, called Project Evolve, is designed to give firms an injection of new talent, while allowing the recent graduate vital experience on their CV.
A Diss funeral service is developing its first carbon neutral funeral thanks to a scheme which allows university graduates paid work placements.
Rosedale Funeral Home in Diss welcomed recent graduate Charlene Wenn in March for a ten-week internship, during which she worked out the firm’s carbon footprint and created a proposal for the carbon neutral funeral.
As well as the environmental savings, the business has also cut costs.
Funeral home director Anne Beckett-Allen said: “I really wanted to develop a carbon neutral funeral but I knew I was going to struggle to do this on my own, partly due to workload and partly due to not knowing where to start and manage the whole project.”
The University of East Anglia scheme, called Project Evolve, is designed to give firms an injection of new talent, while allowing the recent graduate vital experience on their CV.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Isramart: China nu isi poate reduce emisiile poluante
Isra-Mart news:
China a anuntat, pe 3 iunie, ca nu este “foarte optimista” in ceea ce priveste capacitatea ei de a-si reduce emisiile de gaze cu efect de sera, cele mai mari de pe intreaga planeta, care contribuie decisiv la incalzirea globala.Emisii poluante
Emisiile de dioxid de sulf s-au majorat, in primul trimestru al acestui an, cu o rata anuala de 1,2%, aceasta fiind prima crestere de dupa 2007, a precizat viceministul Protectiei Mediului, Zhang Lijun, in cadrul unei conferinte de presa.
“Aceasta situatie da alarma pentru eforturile noastre de reducere (a emisiilor) si arata ca perspectivele nu sunt foarte optimiste”, a marturisit viceministrul, citat de AFP.
El a acuzat o seceta severa in sud-vestul tarii, o crestere a deseurilor industriale, dar si “neglijenta” autoritatilor locale si a intreprinderilor.
Beijingul si-a asumat angajamentul de a-si reduce intensitatea carbonica (emisiile poluante pe unitate de PIB) cu 40-45% pana in 2020 fata de nivelul din 2005. De aceea, gigantul asiatic estimeaza ca, in 2010, va cheltui 83 de miliarde de yuani (12 miliarde de euro) in acest scop.
Expertiia au tinut sa precizeze ca, chiar si in cazul in care China si-ar fi respectat obiectivele de reducere a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de sera care contribuie la incalzirea planetei, volumul acestora ar fi continuat sa creasca, pe fondul cresterii rapide a statului asiatic.
China a anuntat, pe 3 iunie, ca nu este “foarte optimista” in ceea ce priveste capacitatea ei de a-si reduce emisiile de gaze cu efect de sera, cele mai mari de pe intreaga planeta, care contribuie decisiv la incalzirea globala.Emisii poluante
Emisiile de dioxid de sulf s-au majorat, in primul trimestru al acestui an, cu o rata anuala de 1,2%, aceasta fiind prima crestere de dupa 2007, a precizat viceministul Protectiei Mediului, Zhang Lijun, in cadrul unei conferinte de presa.
“Aceasta situatie da alarma pentru eforturile noastre de reducere (a emisiilor) si arata ca perspectivele nu sunt foarte optimiste”, a marturisit viceministrul, citat de AFP.
El a acuzat o seceta severa in sud-vestul tarii, o crestere a deseurilor industriale, dar si “neglijenta” autoritatilor locale si a intreprinderilor.
Beijingul si-a asumat angajamentul de a-si reduce intensitatea carbonica (emisiile poluante pe unitate de PIB) cu 40-45% pana in 2020 fata de nivelul din 2005. De aceea, gigantul asiatic estimeaza ca, in 2010, va cheltui 83 de miliarde de yuani (12 miliarde de euro) in acest scop.
Expertiia au tinut sa precizeze ca, chiar si in cazul in care China si-ar fi respectat obiectivele de reducere a emisiilor de gaze cu efect de sera care contribuie la incalzirea planetei, volumul acestora ar fi continuat sa creasca, pe fondul cresterii rapide a statului asiatic.
Isramart: CM 2010 emite la fel de multe emisii de CO2 ca un miliard de cheeseburgeri
Isra-Mart news:
Dacă credeaţi că vuvuzela sunt cele mai rele lucuri ale Campionatului Mondial de Fotbal 2010, vă înşelaţi. Amprenta de carbon a evenimentului este de-a dreptul înspăimântătoare.
Potrivit unui studiu realizat de ambasada Norvegiei şi de guvernul Africii de Sud în ajunul campionatului, CM de anul acesta va emite 2.753.251 de tone de dioxid de carbon în atmosferă, adică echivalentul CO2 eliminat de un milion de maşini timp de 1 an şi de şase ori mai mult decât CM de acum 4 ani!
Câţiva factori ai CM 2010 din Africa de Sud au dus la o amprentă de carbon mult mai mare ca în anii trecuţi. Mai mulţi oameni au sosit la CM cu zboruri internaţionale, faţă de cei care au utilizat trenul sau maşina, cum a fost în cazul cupei de la Berlin, din 2006.
Raportul norvegian estimează că emisiile totale ale transportului vor atinge 1.856.589 tone.
Potrivit studiului, alte 15.390 de tone de CO2 sunt cauzate de construirea infrastructurii pentru CM.
Africa de Sud nu avea suficiente stadioane, aşa că au construit unele noi, cu un cost mare asupra mediului.
Pentru realizarea unei tone de ciment, este emisă o tonă de dioxid de carbon.
Africa de Sud de bazează pe cărbuni pentru energia electrică, iar acest lucru duce la emiterea a 340.128 de tone de CO2 doar pentru turiştii veniţi la CM.
Campionatul va emite la fel de mult CO2 precum 6000 de zboruri ale navetelor spaţiale sau precum prepararea a 1 milion de cheezburgeri.
Totuşi, Africa de Sud a luat câteva măsuri pentru reducerea amprentei de CO2 a CM. Pentru început, a fost construită o reţea de trenuri pentru ca turiştii să se poată mişca mai uşor la meciuri, reducând emisiile din trafic.
Guvernul plănuieşte, de asemenea, să planteze câteva sute de mii de copaci în zonele urbane din ţară, pentru a compensa CO2-ul emis.
Dacă credeaţi că vuvuzela sunt cele mai rele lucuri ale Campionatului Mondial de Fotbal 2010, vă înşelaţi. Amprenta de carbon a evenimentului este de-a dreptul înspăimântătoare.
Potrivit unui studiu realizat de ambasada Norvegiei şi de guvernul Africii de Sud în ajunul campionatului, CM de anul acesta va emite 2.753.251 de tone de dioxid de carbon în atmosferă, adică echivalentul CO2 eliminat de un milion de maşini timp de 1 an şi de şase ori mai mult decât CM de acum 4 ani!
Câţiva factori ai CM 2010 din Africa de Sud au dus la o amprentă de carbon mult mai mare ca în anii trecuţi. Mai mulţi oameni au sosit la CM cu zboruri internaţionale, faţă de cei care au utilizat trenul sau maşina, cum a fost în cazul cupei de la Berlin, din 2006.
Raportul norvegian estimează că emisiile totale ale transportului vor atinge 1.856.589 tone.
Potrivit studiului, alte 15.390 de tone de CO2 sunt cauzate de construirea infrastructurii pentru CM.
Africa de Sud nu avea suficiente stadioane, aşa că au construit unele noi, cu un cost mare asupra mediului.
Pentru realizarea unei tone de ciment, este emisă o tonă de dioxid de carbon.
Africa de Sud de bazează pe cărbuni pentru energia electrică, iar acest lucru duce la emiterea a 340.128 de tone de CO2 doar pentru turiştii veniţi la CM.
Campionatul va emite la fel de mult CO2 precum 6000 de zboruri ale navetelor spaţiale sau precum prepararea a 1 milion de cheezburgeri.
Totuşi, Africa de Sud a luat câteva măsuri pentru reducerea amprentei de CO2 a CM. Pentru început, a fost construită o reţea de trenuri pentru ca turiştii să se poată mişca mai uşor la meciuri, reducând emisiile din trafic.
Guvernul plănuieşte, de asemenea, să planteze câteva sute de mii de copaci în zonele urbane din ţară, pentru a compensa CO2-ul emis.
Isramart: Noul premier al Australiei ar putea introduce taxa pe carbon
Isra-Mart news:
Noul premier al Australiei, Julia Gillard, a anuntat joi ca va incerca sa impuna un pret national pe carbon dupa mai multe consultari cu companiile din industrie si cu votantii, transmite Reuters.
Fostul premier, Kevin Rudd, a fost criticat dur pentru ca a amanat legislatia privind schema cu permise pentru carbon dupa ce a esuat de trei ori in incercarea de a obtine sprijinul Senatului.
„Este dezamagitor pentru mine, la fel ca pentru milioanele de australieni, ca nu avem un pret pe carbon. In viitor vom avea nevoie de unul. Dar mai intai trebuie sa punem bazele unui consens comun de actiune”, a explicat Julia Gillard.
Opozitia a etichetat initiativa drept o noua mare taxa, in timp ce partidul ecologistilor a anuntat ca proiectul nu este destul de ambitios.
Julia Gillard a devenit prima femeie premier a Australiei dupa ce Kevin Rudd s-a retras din cursa pentru conducerea Partidului Laburist. In cateva luni, ea va trece prin alegerile nationale.
Noul premier al Australiei, Julia Gillard, a anuntat joi ca va incerca sa impuna un pret national pe carbon dupa mai multe consultari cu companiile din industrie si cu votantii, transmite Reuters.
Fostul premier, Kevin Rudd, a fost criticat dur pentru ca a amanat legislatia privind schema cu permise pentru carbon dupa ce a esuat de trei ori in incercarea de a obtine sprijinul Senatului.
„Este dezamagitor pentru mine, la fel ca pentru milioanele de australieni, ca nu avem un pret pe carbon. In viitor vom avea nevoie de unul. Dar mai intai trebuie sa punem bazele unui consens comun de actiune”, a explicat Julia Gillard.
Opozitia a etichetat initiativa drept o noua mare taxa, in timp ce partidul ecologistilor a anuntat ca proiectul nu este destul de ambitios.
Julia Gillard a devenit prima femeie premier a Australiei dupa ce Kevin Rudd s-a retras din cursa pentru conducerea Partidului Laburist. In cateva luni, ea va trece prin alegerile nationale.
Isramart: UE someaza Romania sa reduca poluarea atmosferica
Isra-Mart news:
Comisia Europeana (CE) a cerut Romaniei, Belgiei si Greciei sa implementeze legislatia UE pentru calitatea aerului in privinta particulelor de materie. Cele trei tari nu au reusit sa controleze pana acum excesul de substante poluante cunoscute ca PM10 (pulberi in suspensie cu un diametru mai mic de 10 microni) si au doua luni la dispozitie pentru a se conforma legislatiei.
Cerinta este formulata intr-un aviz motivat, o etapa juridica a procedurii de infringement.
Directiva europeana 2008/50/EC limiteaza concentratia anuala de particule de materie la 40 de micrograme pe metrul cub (μg/m3), iar concentratia zilnica la 50 de micrograme. Ea nu trebuie depasita in mai mult de 35 de zile pe an. Tarile pot cere sa fie scutite de aceste restrictii in cazul in care pot demonstra ca au initiat pasii necesari pentru a atinge tinta pana in iunie 2011.
Proiect incomplet
Dupa ce Uniunea Europeana a initiat procedura de infringement, Romania a depus o cerere de amanare, ce se afla inca in curs de aprobare la Comisia Europeana. Cateva regiuni in care s-au inregistrat depasiri ale concentratiei de PM10 nu au fost incluse in proiectul depus de tara noastra, motiv pentru care CE a decis sa trimita Romaniei inca o solicitare de a implementa legislatia europeana.
Particulele de materie se afla mai ales in emisiile din trafic, industriale si in cele care provin din sistemele de incalzire. Ele pot provoca boli cardiovasculare, astm, cancer de plamani si deces prematur.
Comisia Europeana (CE) a cerut Romaniei, Belgiei si Greciei sa implementeze legislatia UE pentru calitatea aerului in privinta particulelor de materie. Cele trei tari nu au reusit sa controleze pana acum excesul de substante poluante cunoscute ca PM10 (pulberi in suspensie cu un diametru mai mic de 10 microni) si au doua luni la dispozitie pentru a se conforma legislatiei.
Cerinta este formulata intr-un aviz motivat, o etapa juridica a procedurii de infringement.
Directiva europeana 2008/50/EC limiteaza concentratia anuala de particule de materie la 40 de micrograme pe metrul cub (μg/m3), iar concentratia zilnica la 50 de micrograme. Ea nu trebuie depasita in mai mult de 35 de zile pe an. Tarile pot cere sa fie scutite de aceste restrictii in cazul in care pot demonstra ca au initiat pasii necesari pentru a atinge tinta pana in iunie 2011.
Proiect incomplet
Dupa ce Uniunea Europeana a initiat procedura de infringement, Romania a depus o cerere de amanare, ce se afla inca in curs de aprobare la Comisia Europeana. Cateva regiuni in care s-au inregistrat depasiri ale concentratiei de PM10 nu au fost incluse in proiectul depus de tara noastra, motiv pentru care CE a decis sa trimita Romaniei inca o solicitare de a implementa legislatia europeana.
Particulele de materie se afla mai ales in emisiile din trafic, industriale si in cele care provin din sistemele de incalzire. Ele pot provoca boli cardiovasculare, astm, cancer de plamani si deces prematur.
Isramart: Targul national de produse ecologice, la a patra editie
Isra-Mart news:
Cea de-a patra editie a „Targului national de produse ecologice, traditionale si naturale” ii asteapta pe bucuresteni si in acest weekend, 25-27 iunie, cu o noua gama de preparate cu specific romanesc obtinute in ferme si gospodarii taranesti.
Evenimentul se desfasoara in parcul Academiei de Stiinte Agricole si Silvice “Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti’ (ASAS), intre orele 9:00 si 18:00.
Bulzul ciobanesc, preparat dupa o reteta unica in tara, de satenii din Sohodol – Bran si langosul cu smantana, cu usturoi, cu cascaval, cu dulceata sau cu ciocolata, gatit chiar la fata locului, sub ochii cumparatorilor vor fi in centrul atentie la targ.
De asemenea, la pret de producator, vizitatorii vor putea cumpara, de la membrii Asociatiei Legume-Fructe Matca (Galati), rosii, castraveti, ardei, conopida, vinete, dovlecei, dar si cirese de sezon.
Acestora li se vor adauga branzeturi, produse lactate sau preparate din carne de pasare, vita ori porc, dupa retete de casa, cum ar fi cele din judetul Botosani, precum salam de curcan, pastrama din piept de curcan sau crenvursti si parizer de curcan.
Mai mult decat atat, unii producatori care sunt si proprietari de pensiuni turistice vor oferi invitatii pentru o vacanta la munte in zona Bran.
"Targul national de produse ecologice, traditionale si naturaleare loc in fiecare weekend la Academia de Stiinte Agricole si Silvice “Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti” (ASAS).
Editia precedenta a oferit vizitatorilor bors moldovenesc, sarmale cu urda in podbal, prajituri de casa, sucuri si siropuri naturale, bere traditionala si plante medicinale.
Cea de-a patra editie a „Targului national de produse ecologice, traditionale si naturale” ii asteapta pe bucuresteni si in acest weekend, 25-27 iunie, cu o noua gama de preparate cu specific romanesc obtinute in ferme si gospodarii taranesti.
Evenimentul se desfasoara in parcul Academiei de Stiinte Agricole si Silvice “Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti’ (ASAS), intre orele 9:00 si 18:00.
Bulzul ciobanesc, preparat dupa o reteta unica in tara, de satenii din Sohodol – Bran si langosul cu smantana, cu usturoi, cu cascaval, cu dulceata sau cu ciocolata, gatit chiar la fata locului, sub ochii cumparatorilor vor fi in centrul atentie la targ.
De asemenea, la pret de producator, vizitatorii vor putea cumpara, de la membrii Asociatiei Legume-Fructe Matca (Galati), rosii, castraveti, ardei, conopida, vinete, dovlecei, dar si cirese de sezon.
Acestora li se vor adauga branzeturi, produse lactate sau preparate din carne de pasare, vita ori porc, dupa retete de casa, cum ar fi cele din judetul Botosani, precum salam de curcan, pastrama din piept de curcan sau crenvursti si parizer de curcan.
Mai mult decat atat, unii producatori care sunt si proprietari de pensiuni turistice vor oferi invitatii pentru o vacanta la munte in zona Bran.
"Targul national de produse ecologice, traditionale si naturaleare loc in fiecare weekend la Academia de Stiinte Agricole si Silvice “Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti” (ASAS).
Editia precedenta a oferit vizitatorilor bors moldovenesc, sarmale cu urda in podbal, prajituri de casa, sucuri si siropuri naturale, bere traditionala si plante medicinale.
Isramart: Landfill gas-to-energy project sells carbon credits to Google
Isra-Mart news:
Google Inc, owners of the world’s most popular search engine, has said it will buy carbon credits from a landfill gas-to-energy facility in Berkeley County, SC, throughout 2013. Google has committed to becoming a carbon neutral company and the Berkeley Green Power Project will create an estimated 200,000-300,000 tonnes of carbon offsets which will help it towards its target.
Google will buy the offsets with helps from Blue Source LLC, Berkeley County Water & Sanitation (BCWS), operators of the gas-to-energy project, and Santee Cooper the state-owned water and electricity utility.
‘This project is a terrific example of how public and private sectors can work together in the voluntary carbon market to make a positive impact on our environment,’ said Annika Colston, Vice president of Blue Source. ‘Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating new sources of energy takes forward-looking actions from various stakeholders such as utility companies, local governments,and the private sector, and this project exemplifies the rewards and benefits available when such progressive actions are undertaken.’
Google Inc, owners of the world’s most popular search engine, has said it will buy carbon credits from a landfill gas-to-energy facility in Berkeley County, SC, throughout 2013. Google has committed to becoming a carbon neutral company and the Berkeley Green Power Project will create an estimated 200,000-300,000 tonnes of carbon offsets which will help it towards its target.
Google will buy the offsets with helps from Blue Source LLC, Berkeley County Water & Sanitation (BCWS), operators of the gas-to-energy project, and Santee Cooper the state-owned water and electricity utility.
‘This project is a terrific example of how public and private sectors can work together in the voluntary carbon market to make a positive impact on our environment,’ said Annika Colston, Vice president of Blue Source. ‘Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating new sources of energy takes forward-looking actions from various stakeholders such as utility companies, local governments,and the private sector, and this project exemplifies the rewards and benefits available when such progressive actions are undertaken.’
Isramart: The Carbon Challenge: NZ Emissions Trading Scheme
Isra-mart news:
The Carbon Challenge provides a plain English guide to this question that cuts through what is kindly termed the ‘opacity’ of the ETS, while also delivering the detail for those that need to understand why it seems destined for fundamental reform.
That the ETS manages to achieve remarkably little in the way of emission reductions (they keep growing), is an immediate signal that all is not well. Part of the reason for this is a very unfair allocation of the costs arising from New Zealand failing to meet its emissions target under the Kyoto Protocol.
Households bear half the total costs resulting from the ETS during its first five years, when they account for just 19% of all emissions. At the other end of the scale, the 50% of emissions accounted for by pastoral farming are exempted until 2015, and the subsidies to major industrials are so extensive that there is next to no carbon price being felt, so there is no real incentive to cut their 20% of national emissions.
The most profound problem with the ETS is that it fails to collect more than a sliver of what is required to pay the liability that New Zealand’s excess emission are racking up. After all the delayed start dates, exemptions, rebates and compensation payments are totted up, the Government would receive just 12 million emission units net under the new ETS, with each unit accounting for a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. When compared to the Kyoto liability of 69 million units, or $2 billion at a carbon price of $30/tonne, the ETS will reduce this by only a sixth during the Kyoto period from 2008 to 2012.
Over 80% of the Kyoto liability will be transferred to future taxpayers. Today’s polluters will pay nothing like today’s emissions bill.
The paradox is that New Zealand is unusually gifted with means to reduce its carbon footprint. Its wealth of renewable energy options is well recognised. Yet the bulk of the opportunities lie with changed land management – agricultural efficiency measures that cut emissions and the planting of permanent forests to newly store carbon.
Achieving a sustainable mechanism for recognizing the cost of emissions will involve more than just raising the level of ETS charges. Reform capable of adequately responding to emerging international pressures such as carbon border taxes and retail gatekeeper standards would involve a fundamental rethink of how to price carbon.
The crucial policy issue is who pays for the transition to a low-carbon economy, and how. Transferring the costs to a future generation is an inadequate response. Charting an equitable and effective path through the transition is the essence of the carbon challenge New Zealanders face.
The Carbon Challenge provides a plain English guide to this question that cuts through what is kindly termed the ‘opacity’ of the ETS, while also delivering the detail for those that need to understand why it seems destined for fundamental reform.
That the ETS manages to achieve remarkably little in the way of emission reductions (they keep growing), is an immediate signal that all is not well. Part of the reason for this is a very unfair allocation of the costs arising from New Zealand failing to meet its emissions target under the Kyoto Protocol.
Households bear half the total costs resulting from the ETS during its first five years, when they account for just 19% of all emissions. At the other end of the scale, the 50% of emissions accounted for by pastoral farming are exempted until 2015, and the subsidies to major industrials are so extensive that there is next to no carbon price being felt, so there is no real incentive to cut their 20% of national emissions.
The most profound problem with the ETS is that it fails to collect more than a sliver of what is required to pay the liability that New Zealand’s excess emission are racking up. After all the delayed start dates, exemptions, rebates and compensation payments are totted up, the Government would receive just 12 million emission units net under the new ETS, with each unit accounting for a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. When compared to the Kyoto liability of 69 million units, or $2 billion at a carbon price of $30/tonne, the ETS will reduce this by only a sixth during the Kyoto period from 2008 to 2012.
Over 80% of the Kyoto liability will be transferred to future taxpayers. Today’s polluters will pay nothing like today’s emissions bill.
The paradox is that New Zealand is unusually gifted with means to reduce its carbon footprint. Its wealth of renewable energy options is well recognised. Yet the bulk of the opportunities lie with changed land management – agricultural efficiency measures that cut emissions and the planting of permanent forests to newly store carbon.
Achieving a sustainable mechanism for recognizing the cost of emissions will involve more than just raising the level of ETS charges. Reform capable of adequately responding to emerging international pressures such as carbon border taxes and retail gatekeeper standards would involve a fundamental rethink of how to price carbon.
The crucial policy issue is who pays for the transition to a low-carbon economy, and how. Transferring the costs to a future generation is an inadequate response. Charting an equitable and effective path through the transition is the essence of the carbon challenge New Zealanders face.
Isramart: Want to trade carbon without CPRS?
Isra-Mart news:
THE CPRS might be dead — or at least in deep freeze —but carbon trading opportunities for farmers are likely to emerge as Australia opens up a voluntary emissions trading scheme.
The Federal Government is backing the voluntary market with its National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS), due to begin on July 1, which will establish government-endorsed benchmarks for trading in emissions credits, but without the strings of heavy government regulation.
For agriculture, the most significant aspect of NCOS is that it allows emissions brokers, research agencies and other interested parties to suggest new approaches to creating tradeable emissions offsets.
Greg Combet, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, told the Voluntary Carbon Markets Association in a recent address that “given the ingenuity of stakeholders in this arena”, he expected plenty of proposals to be put on the table.
“Australian businesses, particularly farmers, will have the opportunity to develop offset credits from a range of activities that reduce emissions while providing other resource management benefits — such as the management of native vegetation and soils, and rehabilitation of rangelands,” Mr Combet told the association.
Michael Kiely of the Carbon Coalition said he was aware of several proposals for trading soil carbon due to be put before NCOS.
After talking with farmers across the country during a series of workshops, he has some of his own criteria for an effective soil carbon offset credit.
“Farmers won’t consider a contract that’s any longer than five years, and if the money is inconsequential, they won’t play at all,” Mr Kiely said.
He believes the success of the voluntary emissions market, and of a market for farm-derived offsets, is of some importance to the government after the political killing of its mandatory trading scheme.
“Penny Wong described the voluntary market as the mandatory market on trainer wheels,” Mr Kiely said.
“The government needs this voluntary market to work as a gateway back to the CPRS, or another version of it. They are asking for the same level of scientific rigour, but without the same rules.”
THE CPRS might be dead — or at least in deep freeze —but carbon trading opportunities for farmers are likely to emerge as Australia opens up a voluntary emissions trading scheme.
The Federal Government is backing the voluntary market with its National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS), due to begin on July 1, which will establish government-endorsed benchmarks for trading in emissions credits, but without the strings of heavy government regulation.
For agriculture, the most significant aspect of NCOS is that it allows emissions brokers, research agencies and other interested parties to suggest new approaches to creating tradeable emissions offsets.
Greg Combet, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, told the Voluntary Carbon Markets Association in a recent address that “given the ingenuity of stakeholders in this arena”, he expected plenty of proposals to be put on the table.
“Australian businesses, particularly farmers, will have the opportunity to develop offset credits from a range of activities that reduce emissions while providing other resource management benefits — such as the management of native vegetation and soils, and rehabilitation of rangelands,” Mr Combet told the association.
Michael Kiely of the Carbon Coalition said he was aware of several proposals for trading soil carbon due to be put before NCOS.
After talking with farmers across the country during a series of workshops, he has some of his own criteria for an effective soil carbon offset credit.
“Farmers won’t consider a contract that’s any longer than five years, and if the money is inconsequential, they won’t play at all,” Mr Kiely said.
He believes the success of the voluntary emissions market, and of a market for farm-derived offsets, is of some importance to the government after the political killing of its mandatory trading scheme.
“Penny Wong described the voluntary market as the mandatory market on trainer wheels,” Mr Kiely said.
“The government needs this voluntary market to work as a gateway back to the CPRS, or another version of it. They are asking for the same level of scientific rigour, but without the same rules.”
Isramart: New PM puts carbon trading back on Australian agenda
Isra-Mart news:
Australia’s new prime minister is aiming to put carbon credit trading back on the agenda.
Julia Gillard, who was born in Wales but raised in Australia since the age of four, addressed the issue of Australia’s stalled carbon credit system immediately after winning the top job.
However, there is likely to be some form of public and business consultation and there’s an election looming later this year, decreasing the already slim chances of an operational scheme getting the go-ahead.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s popularity with the electorate, and his Labour party, plummeted after he put back plans for a trading scheme until at least 2013.
He did not immediately step aside, but when it became clear he lacked the support of his party going into a leadership election, he conceded to Mrs Gillard.
Mrs Gillard, now the country’s first female PM, will have to fight an election in merely months as the labour party attempts to hold onto the power it won in 2007.
Putting the environment at the front of her campaign she told a press conference: “It is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon.
“In the future we will need one, but first we need to establish a community consensus for action.”
Australia’s new prime minister is aiming to put carbon credit trading back on the agenda.
Julia Gillard, who was born in Wales but raised in Australia since the age of four, addressed the issue of Australia’s stalled carbon credit system immediately after winning the top job.
However, there is likely to be some form of public and business consultation and there’s an election looming later this year, decreasing the already slim chances of an operational scheme getting the go-ahead.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s popularity with the electorate, and his Labour party, plummeted after he put back plans for a trading scheme until at least 2013.
He did not immediately step aside, but when it became clear he lacked the support of his party going into a leadership election, he conceded to Mrs Gillard.
Mrs Gillard, now the country’s first female PM, will have to fight an election in merely months as the labour party attempts to hold onto the power it won in 2007.
Putting the environment at the front of her campaign she told a press conference: “It is as disappointing to me as it is to millions of Australians that we do not have a price on carbon.
“In the future we will need one, but first we need to establish a community consensus for action.”
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Isramart: US projects receive funds to demonstrate carbon capture
Isra-Mart news:
Three projects in the US have been selected to receive up to $612m (£414m) from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – matched by $368m in private funding – to demonstrate large-scale carbon capture and storage from industrial sources.
Two of the three projects will use the stored CO2 for enhancing the recovery of oil, while the third will store the carbon dioxide in a deep saline formation. Between the three, they are expected to capture and store 6.5m tons of CO2 per year.
In the first of the projects, Leucadia Energy and Denbury Onshore plan to capture and sequester 4.5m tons of CO2 per year from a new methanol plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The CO2 will be sequestered for enhanced oil recovery use in the West Hastings oilfield south of Houston starting in April 2014.
The project team involved includes Leucadia Energy, Denbury, General Electric, Haldor Topsoe, Black and Veatch, Turner Industries, and the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.
In the second of the three projects, Air Products and Chemicals will partner with Denbury Onshore to capture and sequester one million tons of CO2 per year from existing steam-methane reformers in Port Arthur, Texas, starting in November 2012. The CO2 captured will also be sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield.
The team in this project includes Air Products and Chemicals, Denbury Onshore, the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology and Valero Energy.
In the final project, Archer Daniels Midland Corporation will capture and sequester one million tons of CO2 per year from an existing ethanol plant in Illinois, starting in August 2012. The CO2 will be sequestered in the Mt Simon Sandstone, a saline reservoir located about one mile from the plant.
The project team involved includes Archer Daniels Midland, Schlumberger Carbon Services and the Illinois State Geological Survey.
’Capturing carbon emissions and storing them underground is a crucial technology as we build a clean energy future and address the threat of climate change,’ said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu. ’These investments will create jobs and help ensure that the US can lead the world in the clean energy economy.’
Three projects in the US have been selected to receive up to $612m (£414m) from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – matched by $368m in private funding – to demonstrate large-scale carbon capture and storage from industrial sources.
Two of the three projects will use the stored CO2 for enhancing the recovery of oil, while the third will store the carbon dioxide in a deep saline formation. Between the three, they are expected to capture and store 6.5m tons of CO2 per year.
In the first of the projects, Leucadia Energy and Denbury Onshore plan to capture and sequester 4.5m tons of CO2 per year from a new methanol plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The CO2 will be sequestered for enhanced oil recovery use in the West Hastings oilfield south of Houston starting in April 2014.
The project team involved includes Leucadia Energy, Denbury, General Electric, Haldor Topsoe, Black and Veatch, Turner Industries, and the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.
In the second of the three projects, Air Products and Chemicals will partner with Denbury Onshore to capture and sequester one million tons of CO2 per year from existing steam-methane reformers in Port Arthur, Texas, starting in November 2012. The CO2 captured will also be sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield.
The team in this project includes Air Products and Chemicals, Denbury Onshore, the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology and Valero Energy.
In the final project, Archer Daniels Midland Corporation will capture and sequester one million tons of CO2 per year from an existing ethanol plant in Illinois, starting in August 2012. The CO2 will be sequestered in the Mt Simon Sandstone, a saline reservoir located about one mile from the plant.
The project team involved includes Archer Daniels Midland, Schlumberger Carbon Services and the Illinois State Geological Survey.
’Capturing carbon emissions and storing them underground is a crucial technology as we build a clean energy future and address the threat of climate change,’ said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu. ’These investments will create jobs and help ensure that the US can lead the world in the clean energy economy.’
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