SolveClimate.com: Today's Climate Headlines

November 7-8, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:48:30 -0800

G20 Fails Again to Reach Finance Deal on Climate Change (Xinhua)

The G20 policymakers urged to push forward climate change financing but failed to reach an agreement on how to fund policies to tackle climate change at their two-day meeting in Scotland.

Lawsuit Targets AES Coal Ash for Birth Defects in Caribbean (Miami Herald)

A civil lawsuit filed in Delaware charges that toxic levels of coal ash dumped at a rural port in the Dominican Republic caused miscarriages and babies born with organs outside their bodies or missing limbs.

Deutsche Bank: China Lower Risk than UK for Green Investors (Guardian)

A report from Deutsche Bank says that the UK does not have the right climate change strategy to attract international investment and is lagging behind other countries, such as Germany, France and China.

North America Sets Continent-Wide Wilderness Protection Plan (CP)

Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced a memorandum of understanding with the United States and Mexico that binds the three countries to an unprecedented commitment to wilderness conservation in North America.

DOE's CCS Test Reaches 1 Million Ton Milestone (Greenwire)

An Energy Department-sponsored carbon dioxide sequestration project in Mississippi has become the first in the nation to inject more than 1 million tons of the greenhouse gas into an underground rock formation.

GM's Money Trees (Mother Jones)

In Brazil, people with some of the world's smallest carbon footprints are being displaced so their forests can become offsets for SUVs.

More Pollution Controls Sought for Nearly Finished Coal Plant (Denver Post)

As the finishing touches are put on Xcel's new Comanche 3 power plant, it is the subject of a lawsuit over its air permit and its cost is being challenged at Colorado Public Utilities Commission hearings.

UK Environment Agency Urges Bigger Fines for Polluters (Guardian)

The UK government's environment watchdog urged the courts to issue tougher fines for environmental pollution, saying heftier fines would send a strong message to polluters that their behavior would not be tolerated.

Alaska Capital Sets Goal to Cut Emissions 21% by 2012 (Juneau Empire)

The capital city of Juneau has adopted a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent from 2007 levels by 2012. Much of that goal has already been met.

Kenya Plans Nuclear Plant in 5 Years (AFP)

Kenya hopes to build its first nuclear power plant in the next five years with help from France, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said. It’s one option for Kenya to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

Japan Eyes Solar Station in Space (AFP)

It may sound like sci-fi, but Japan's space agency is serious: By 2030, it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth, using laser beams or microwaves.

Al Gore: 'Civil Disobedience Has a Role to Play' (Guardian)

"It's important to change lightbulbs," Gore says, "but more important to change policies and laws." Or perhaps to break laws instead: Peaceful occupations of the kind witnessed recently in the UK, he predicts, are only going to become more widespread.

November 6, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:31:35 -0800

UN Climate Chief: Climate Deal May Take Another Year (Bloomberg)

The deadline for a new global-warming accord may slip by as much as one year, as negotiators hold back on pledges to slash emissions or pay financial aid to poor nations, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer says.

APEC to Call for Emissions Cuts — 50% by 2050 (AFP)

Asia-Pacific powers in APEC, including the United States, China and Russia, are expected to call next week for cuts in emissions of 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, according to a draft communique.

China Studying Weaker Framework Deal (Reuters)

China is weighing the prospect of reaching only a framework agreement at Copenhagen, but it would want guarantees that principles laid out in previous deals would be retained, a top diplomat said today.

Study Suggests Peat CO2 Credits More Valuable (Reuters)

While most scientists agree preserving peat is key to slowing global warming, a team of 11 of the world's best peat scientists have found it might be more important than first thought.

Canada Investing in Renewables for High-voltage Export (Dow Jones)

Canadian utilities are rapidly investing in renewable power, despite slumping demand for electricity at home. The goal: capture a share of the growing market for export of green electricity to the United States.

Countries, Not COP15, Are Drivers for Cleantech, Report Finds (CNet)

Green-technology companies will keep an eye on next month's global climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, but they aren't betting their businesses on the outcome.

Total, MIT Announce Solar Battery Project (Business Green)

The French oil company Total has signed a $4 million, five-year research deal with MIT to develop stationary batteries that are capable of storing solar power.

Australia Assails Fossil Fuel-Driven Copenhagen Critics (Reuters)

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd launched a spirited attack on climate skeptics today, saying a vocal minority is powerful enough to threaten a global deal at next month's Copenhagen climate summit. “They are driven by vested interests," he said.

Northeast States Urge Stiffer Anti-Pollution Laws (Baltimore Sun)

Twelve Northeastern states urged the EPA to adopt more rigorous national policies so they can meet federal air pollution reduction requirements for the region. They say much of their air pollution floats in from other states.

Lula Calls on Leaders to Attend Climate Talks (Financial Times)

Brazil’s president challenged other world leaders to attend next month’s climate talks and break the deadlock in negotiations to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

EU Green Revolution 'Must Include Low Earners' (EurActiv)

The drive to 'green' the EU economy will only succeed if it provides real solutions for low income households and works towards a "renewed sense of shared prosperity," the head of the European Economic and Social Committee says.

A Bad Week for French Nuclear (Financial Times)

As if it wasn’t enough that three countries - including France - had raised concerns about safety in the new EPR nuclear reactor design, concerns are building over delays to another big European reactor.

Why India Is Playing Hard to Get on Climate Change (Time)

India has come to be seen less as an impoverished nation than an economic competitor, which aims to use climate-change negotiations as another way to catch up, and perhaps surpass, the West. It’s worth asking whether that image is rooted in reality.

Who Says Saving the Planet Has to Cost a Fortune? (Spiegel)

One of the nagging issues in the run-up to Copenhagen is demand that the US and Europe share emissions-free technologies. Activist David E. Martin claims many of those patents are already in the public domain.

Newsweek Partners with Oil Lobby to Raise Ad Cash (Climate Progress)

Newsweek was not getting duped by Big Oil when it wrote a pro-oil story earlier this year — it was getting cash from the American Petroleum Institute in return for ads and forums on energy issues with journalists and members of Congress.

November 5, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:15:08 -0800

Senate Environment Committee Moves Climate Bill Without GOP (Hearst)

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10-1 to approve the Kerry-Boxer climate bill. Democrat Max Baucus was the lone no vote; the committee's Republicans refused to attend the session.

US Chamber Backs Parts of Kerry-Graham Climate Compromise (Dow Jones)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it supports most of the principles outlined in a compromise climate proposal offered by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R-N.C.) and is open to considering a federal cap on emissions.

Sen. Graham Rebukes Fellow Republicans on Climate Change (Huffington Post)

Sen. Lindsey Graham chastised fellow Republicans for refusing to deal with climate change and said they need to see green legislation as helping business. "If you can't participate in solving a hard problem, why are you up here?" he asked.

US Envoy: China Should Cut Emissions in Half (Reuters)

China should cut its emissions by about 50 percent by 2050 so it leaves space for poorer countries to grow their economies, U.S. climate envoy Jonathan Pershing says.

Sen. Schumer Urges No Federal Money for US-China Wind Project (AP)

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging the Obama administration to refuse federal funding for a US-Chinese wind project in Texas whose developers are expected to request economic stimulus money.

Coal in Good Shape, Companies Tell Shareholders (Charleston Gazette)

Despite complaints from industry lobbyists and politicians about an impending permit crisis, most Appalachian coal producers are telling their shareholders that federal environmental reviews are not likely to disrupt production or cause layoffs anytime soon.

EU Approves Free Emissions Permits (AFP)

The European Parliament's environment committee approved a list of 164 industrial sectors that will receive free carbon emissions permits for the next five years if no global deal on climate change is negotiated next month in Copenhagen.

IEA: Green Policies Will Hit Gas Demand (Financial Times)

Environmental policies would have a serious effect on gas demand, reducing it 17% by 2030, the IEA concludes. If demand were to fall, the U.S. would become largely self-sufficient and Europe would rely less on Russian gas.

FOE Warns Carbon Markets Will Trigger Sub-Prime Crisis (Business Green)

Carbon markets have been hijacked by speculators could trigger the next sub-prime financial crisis, according to environmental campaigners and academics.

Senators Call for Financial Reform Before Cap and Trade (ClimateWire)

Climate bill swing vote Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are among lawmakers saying financial reform must come before a climate bill that includes cap and trade.

New Business Groups Form To Push for Energy Legislation (Wall Street Journal)

A group of utilities — including FPL, PSEG and PNM — announced the creation of American Businesses for Clean Energy, with most members poised to gain from new energy policies. That was matched by the creation of a group of clean-energy companies claiming 10,000 members.

Nigeria: Every Facet of Our Lives Will Be Impacted by Climate Change (AllAfrica)

Nigeria’s Minister of Environment John Odey warned his fellow African environment ministers that climate change will drastically impact every facet of life in his country if it continues to progress unabated.

Tribal Leaders Offer Climate Perspective in Washington (PNS)

Tribal leaders meeting with federal officials in Washington this week are discussing global climate change and how their lands are both most at risk and some of the richest in renewable energy resources.

How Biofuel Leaked Into the House Health Bill (New York Times)

At first glance, it might seem as if House Democrats were so overwhelmed by their ambitious legislative agenda that they confused their big climate change legislation with their big health care bill.

November 4, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:02:45 -0800

Kerry, Graham, Lieberman Writing New Climate Bill (Washington Post)

Sen. John Kerry, appearing with Republican Lindsay Graham and Independent Joe Lieberman, said today that the three would work with business groups to forge a compromise climate measure that could get 60 votes in the Senate.

Cost Analysis to Delay Senate Climate Vote (Hearst)

Senate Leader Harry Reid has committed to requesting a cost analysis of the climate bill that could take five weeks — a plan that would delay full Senate debate on the proposal until after next month's international climate talks in Copenhagen.

WTO: Climate First, Trade Second (COP15)

Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy warned against a "unilateral, go-it-alone approach to climate change". The climate crisis should be solved by an "everyone aboard" accord in Copenhagen, he says.

EU Ups Climate Pressure at Limp US Summit (EU Observer)

EU leaders upped the pressure on the US at what turned out to be a fairly colorless summit in Washington to show leadership in the battle against climate change.

Buffett Bets on Coal with BSNF (Reuters)

Warren Buffett’s acquisition of the remaining 77.4 percent off BNSF railroad looks like a strategic bet on a massive expansion in coal-fired power generation coupled with carbon capture and storage.

Economists See Threat in Climate Change (USA Today)

Economists believe the "significant benefits from curbing greenhouse-gas emissions would justify the costs of action," a new survey finds. In all, 94% of the 144 economists surveyed believe the U.S. should join climate agreements to limit global warming.

Judge: Activist's Beliefs on Climate Change Akin to Religion (Guardian)

In a significant decision, a judge found that a fired employee’s views on environment were so deeply held that they were entitled to the same protection as religious convictions, and that a tribunal should hear his claim that he was sacked because of his beliefs.

GAO: EPA Considering Several Coal Ash Options (Facing South)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency still does not know the exact number of coal ash dumps at the nation's power plants, a new GAO report shows, but it's moving ahead with plans to regulate them.

UN Chief to Meet with US Senators on Climate Bill (Guardian)

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he plans to meet next week with all the U.S. senators involved in deliberations over the energy and climate bill.

Coal Leaders Pitch to Chambers of Commerce (Wheeling Intelligencer)

The heads of the West Virginia and Ohio Coal Associations tell business leaders that coal production and mining jobs are being threatened by efforts to protect the environment, and they urge everyone to express those concerns to elected officials.

California Passes State Water Conservation Bill (Los Angeles Times)

The legislation, part of a larger package, mandates a statewide drop in water use by targeting urban areas. The goal is a 20% drop in per capita water use by 2020.

Maldives Announces Wind Farm Plan (Guardian)

The 30-turbine wind farm would deliver enough electricity to power the capital, Male, the international airport and surrounding resorts. Excess power would be used to run desalination plants to produce bottled drinking water from the sea.

How Cleantech Fits Into Middle East Desalination Needs (Cleantech)

The Middle East and North Africa need to add about 2.7 million cubic meters per day of desalination capacity each year to meet the region's growing demand for water. Clean technologies hold the potential to help address those requirements.

Timeline: How the World Found Out about Global Warming (Reuters)

Humans have been document their role in climate changes since at least 300 BC, when a student of Aristotle noticed that clearing of forests near Philippi warms the climate.

November 3, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:10:08 -0800

Sen. Boxer Starting Markup, but Offers Olive Branch to GOP (ClimateWire)

Hoping to avert a partisan meltdown, Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer extended a deadline for amendments to the climate bill and will suspend markup in the afternoon to hear EPA testimony.

German Chancellor Speaks to Divided Congress on Climate (Washington Post)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Congress and the Obama administration to take bold steps to address global warming today. The applause as she spoke to the joint session clearly marked the Democratic from the Republican side of the room.

Africa Boycotts UN Climate Meetings, Demands CO2 Cuts (Reuters)

African nations boycotted U.N. climate meetings today in a protest to urge developed countries to commit to deeper 2020 greenhouse gas emissions cuts.

China's Wen Tells EU to Stick to Current Climate Pact (Reuters)

China will insist key global climate change negotiations next month build on current treaties that limit the obligations of poor countries in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, China’s premier said.

Overturn of CO2 Transport Ban Boosts North Sea CCS (Business Green)

The International Maritime Organization voted to repeal a ban on the cross-boundary transport of CO2, boosting the prospects of developing international CCS networks to store Europe's CO2 under the North Sea.

British Columbia Plans Sweeping Energy Policy Review (Vancouver Sun)

Premier Gordon Campbell announced a sweeping review of energy policy in British Columbia with the intention to make B.C. an international leader in green power development — for itself and U.S. export.

Interior Dept. ‘Spinning its Wheels’ on Mountaintop Mining (Coal Tattoo)

The Obama administration promised to take “unprecedented steps to reduce environmental impacts” of mountaintop coal mining, but Interior Department lawyers now say they won’t be issuing proposed changes to the stream buffer zone rule until 2011.

Coal Ash Disposal Loophole Feared in New EPA Rules (Tennessean)

The EPA is considering designating coal ash from power plants as hazardous material if the ash is kept wet, but non-hazardous if it is moved to a dry landfill.

Climate Change Will Create Agricultural Winners, Losers in Africa (Science Daily)

A study projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa's maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades, creating threats and opportunities for growers and livestock keepers.

Kilimanjaro's Snows Melt Away (London Times)

The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro will be gone within two decades, according to scientists who say that the rapid melting of its glacier cap over the past century provides dramatic physical evidence of global climate change.

One in Five Mammal Species on 'Red List' (Guardian)

A fifth of the world's known mammals, a third of its amphibians, more than a quarter of its reptiles and up to 70% of its plants are under threat of extinction according to the red list of threatened species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

North Atlantic Fish Populations Shifting as Oceans Warm (NOAA)

About half of 36 fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable, have been shifting northward over the last four decades, with some nearly disappearing from U.S. waters as they move farther offshore, a study finds.

US Airline Industry Lobbies Against Emissions Tax (Environmental Leader)

The Air Transport Association asked Todd Stern, the U.S. Climate Change Envoy, to have the U.S. stand against a proposed global tax on aviation emissions.

Disney to Give $7M to Reforestation Projects (Reuters)

The Walt Disney Co. said today it will invest $7 million in forest conservation projects in the Amazon, Congo and U.S. as part of its effort to reduce emissions, waste and energy use as a corporation.

Flurry of Lobbying Cash Obscures US Climate Debate (AFP)

Lobbying groups involved in the climate debate have boosted their spending by double digits over last year. Science and specifics are hard to find in the barrage of ads and messages about green jobs, alternative energy and the dangers of pollution.

November 2, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:10:19 -0800

Climate Envoys May Want Chinese Actions to Be Binding (Bloomberg)

UN climate negotiators meeting this week in Barcelona will debate how far they can push developing nations such as China and India to restrict greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming.

EU Officials Meeting Obama to Discuss Climate Change (EU Observer)

Climate change will feature heavily at an EU-US summit in Washington on Tuesday as top EU officials meet with President Obama to find out what each is going to bring to the global negotiating table in Copenhagen.

Senator Pushing for USDA to Oversee Agriculture Emissions (Agweek)

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is writing an addition to the Senate climate and energy bill that would order the USDA and EPA to establish credits for agriculture carbon emission reductions and put the Agriculture Department in charge, according to a draft.

Climate Bill Faces High Hurdle in Senate (Washington Post)

The Senate climate bill will face a stark political reality when it emerges from committee: With Democrats deeply divided on the issue, unless some Republican lawmakers brave a backlash and support the bill, there is almost no hope for passage.

Satellite Tracks Global Warming Impact on Water (AFP)

The European Space Agency today launched a $500 million satellite that will gauge the impact of climate change on the movement of water across land, air and sea.

Leaking Australia Oil Rig Catches Fire (Financial Times)

Fire erupted on an offshore oil rig that for 10 weeks has been leaking 400 barrels of oil a day into the sea. Australia's government promised an investigation.

Report: 250 Million Smart Meter Installations by 2015 (Earth2Tech)

The smart grid buildout could be one of the largest creators of wealth in the decade. The installation of more than 250 million smart meters will create a $3.9 billion global market by 2015, Pike Research reports today.

The Solar Home That Powers Itself Down (Greentech)

Home energy management startup Tendril has teamed up with solar panel monitoring startup Fat Spaniel to find ways to turn down appliances and air conditioners when rooftop solar power dips.

Tempers Flare Over Chinese Involvement in US Wind Farm (New York Times)

The West Texas wind farm project will create an about 330 American jobs — most of them temporary construction jobs — and more than 2,000 Chinese jobs. Some Americans aren't happy about that.

Knowing Which Way the Wind Blows on the Grid (Climate Wire)

How and when the fickle winds blow are increasingly critical issues for operators of the nation's electricity grid, a new 10-year assessment of regional outlooks for renewable energy concludes.

London Moves a Step Closer to Hydrogen Buses (Transport for London)

The Olympic Delivery Authority has granted planning permission for a hydrogen refueling facility in London, a first step toward a fleet of hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses.

Nepal’s Cabinet to Meet on Everest to Highlight Climate Change (AFP)

Nepal plans to hold a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's climate talks in Copenhagen.

Deforestation Sped Demise of Nasca in Peru (Reuters)

The mysterious people who etched the "Nasca Lines" across deserts in Peru hastened their own demise by clearing forests 1,500 years ago, according to a new study.

October 31-November 1

SolveClimate Staff — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:00:30 -0800

EPA Attorneys: Cap and Trade Claims Ignore Bills' Flaws (Washington Post)

Claims that a cap and trade program would guarantee greenhouse gas reductions ignore flaws in both bills that would undermine even their weak emissions-reduction targets and would lock in climate degradation, two EPA attorneys write.

Republicans Move to Delay Climate Bill Progress (Washington Post)

All seven Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plan to boycott next week's work session on a climate-change bill, an aide says. It's a move aimed at thwarting Democratic efforts to advance the legislation quickly.

Denmark: Delaying UN Climate Deal Makes No Sense (Reuters)

Major nations still want a new UN deal in Copenhagen in December, and a few months' delay to give bogged-down negotiators more time would not help, Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard says.

Bluewater Wind Expects to Sell Controlling Stake, Possibly to NRG (Wind Action)

Offshore wind company Bluewater Wind expects to sell controlling interest in the firm, and sources familiar with the plan say it is in serious negotiations with NRG Energy. The deal would give Bluewater immediate financing to keep its projects moving.

EPA Asked to Address Southern Environmental Injustice (Facing South)

Environmental leaders representing more than a dozen polluted communities across the South are calling on federal officials to take action to protect low-income communities and people of color from toxic contamination.

Faith Leaders: Tackling Climate Change Is Moral Duty (Reuters)

Leaders of every major faith in Britain called for governments to secure a climate deal in Copenhagen, saying it was “morally imperative” to tackle the causes of global warming which most affect the poor.

Carter, Mandela, Other Elders Call for Action on Climate (Global Atlanta)

The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela, issued a statement of concern about climate change ahead of negotiations in Copenhagen. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was among them.

Germany's Merkel Heads to Washington to Talk Climate (EarthTimes)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due in Washington on Monday and says she'll work closely with the U.S. on shaping world plans to fight climate change, shrugging off environmentalist criticism of her own government.

The Nuclear Wait (New York Times)

A graphic look at U.S. nuclear reactor plans. The country has new applications for 26 nuclear power reactors, but the government approval process is lengthy, and no new building has begun.

Researchers Discuss How Best to Geoengineer the Planet (CNet)

At an MIT symposium on the potential benefits and pitfalls of geoengineering, researchers describe how everything from shooting light-blocking particles into the atmosphere to "artificial trees" is being seriously studied, despite some trepidation.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Unfiltered on Energy Policy (Huffington Post)

"Some of us in the Senate and the House are trying to be aggressive and to address the environmental crises we are facing," the Vermont Independent explains in a video Q&A.

Monckton’s Climate Views too Extreme for Even Glenn Beck (Guardian)

The U.S. House’s favorite climate denier, Lord Monckton, discovered that his signature tune – that a climate treaty in Copenhagen was just a sneaky way of creating a world government – was too far out there even for Fox’s Glenn Beck.