Cap emissions before energy bill
Advising business leaders at a Clean Energy Forum this week, the White House’s top climate and energy adviser, Carol Browner categorically stated that it would be a “big mistake” for Congress to approve an energy bill this year without first placing a cap on greenhouse emissions – “I think you have to keep these programs coordinated because they do impact with each other”
The Reuters report yesterday advised that with climate change legislation facing a hard road to passage in the Senate, some lawmakers are suggesting that the chamber should instead focus on moving less controversial legislation just supporting renewable energy.
Both the House and Senate bills revolve around the cap-and-trade system which limits carbon emissions whereby companies would need permits for every ton of carbon pollution they release into the atmosphere – then utilities and factories which do not use all their permits can trade, or sell them, to those companies who need more.
Discussing the issue, Ms. Browner played down the significance of having a climate change bill approved by both chambers and signed into law before the international climate negotiations begin in Copenhagen in December – where leaders will try to form an agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol to fight climate change.
“We will manage in Copenhagen wherever we are in the process” she said.
The House earlier this year passed legislation that would limit greenhouse emissions by requiring companies to acquire permits for the carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere.
Any climate legislation in the Senate is likely to come across a battle seeing as lawmakers from heavy industrial states in both parties have already raised concerns about burdening companies with additional energy costs.
Source;
e-news @ newenergyfinance.com
link http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE59657620091007
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Scottish Power losses CCS Funding
Electricity and Natural Gas company, Scottish Power – a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola – has lost out on funding for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research, reports energyhelpline.com.
The energy firms Longannet power plant in Scotland was nominated to receive a share of £1 billion from the European Commission designated to help with the development of CCS technology – which is intended to reduce harmful emissions subsequently produced by burning coal, but was unsuccessful in its bid.
Nonetheless, officials remain hopeful that the power station will instead receive funding from the UK government through a CCS competition which has been set up by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The World Wildlife Fund acknowledged Longannet power plant as being the best place in the UK for CCS funding, and responding to the missed opportunity, the funds director, Richard Dixon stated:
“We sincerely hope it will get some form of support to properly test this technology soon, whether it is from Europe or as a winner of the UK government’s own CCS competition”
He also continued by saying that Scotland has a good position in becoming a world leader in the development of CCS technology.
Source;
Energyhelpline.com/ Gas and Electricity News
http://www.energyhelpline.com/news/article.aspx?aaid=19392387&y=2009&m=10&w=1&pid=1
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Global Warming threatens wildlife
As reported by guardian.co.uk – Global warming will threaten London’s wildlife habitats as it increases the risk of flooding throughout the winter with droughts in the summer, according to a report published today.
It is stated that despite being one of the world’s largest and most densely populated cities, London boasts a wide diversity of habitats that are hugely important to the wildlife that depend on them, however, the report by the London Climate Change Partnership warns that a global increase in temperature could expose London’s scarce wetland areas to drought and fire in the summer months, whilst warmer, wetter winters could increase pressure on rivers, which could flood and wash out important nesting and breeding sites.
The climate change report suggests that the best way to combat the increase in temperature is by adopting “urban greening” schemes, including river restoration, incorporating grass roofs and walls into building designs and increasing the number of trees planted in the UK’s capital.
Alison Barnes, from the government’s countryside watchdog Natural England, commented that climate change will affect all of us – including Londoners and the city’s wildlife.
Source;
guardian.co.uk/ Environment/ Climate Change (Climate change ‘threatens UK capital’s wildlife with floods and drought’-05.10.09)
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China keeps cap-and-trade in hand
Insiders believe that China is set to announce the launch of an emissions cap-and-trade scheme as early as the Copenhagen climate talks in December, according to a senior figure in the carbon market who is currently working closely with the Chinese government.
Speaking at The Carbon Show in London, Philippe Chauvancy a director at climate exchange BlueNext, commented that an announcement made last week to develop China’s first standard for voluntary emission reduction projects alongside the government-backed China Beijing Environmental Exchange, could in fact lay the foundations for a voluntary cap-and-trade scheme – Chinese officials on the whole are committed to the idea of a national cap-and-trade scheme and could move quickly over the next few months.
Leaders are meeting in Copenhagen in December to discuss a new international framework revolved around the current Kyoto Protocol – an important first step towards a truly global emission reduction regime – which is coming to the end of its first commitment period in 2012, and therefore opportunity for the Chinese and the Americans to make their statement on cap and trade schemes.
Mr. Chauvancy continues by saying that he is expecting the US to have a national cap-and-trade system up and running in the next two years, but is suggesting that China could beat the US to it, seeing as they have the money and the resources and the will to do it.
Therefore, widely held perceptions that China does not want to take action on climate change are now outdated, as the Chinese government is seen to be committed to tackling the issue.
Other delegates at The Carbon Show also agree that China is in a better position to roll out a carbon trading scheme quite quickly.
Source;
Emailed news @ businessgreen.com
http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2250315/china-cap-trade-announcement
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Warm Front Scheme Works
Over 2 million UK households have been helped by the Government’s Warm Front scheme – designed to tackle fuel poverty and fight climate change through energy efficiency, reducing energy bills for the vulnerable – despite being slammed by charities earlier this year.
More than £2.2 billion has now been spent giving those that are eligible peace of mind that they can afford to heat their homes during the colder winter months, and over the past 12 months, the energy efficiency scheme has helped over 233,000 households across England, the majority including someone over 60 years old.
Energy and climate change minister, David Kidney said that by helping two million homes keep warm by reducing the cost of fuel bills is a huge achievement, and that the rise in fuel costs and the increased need for everyone to save energy, means that the work the Warm Front scheme is doing is extremely important.
It was in February this year though that charities Help the Aged and Age Concern insisted that the Warm Front scheme was “not fit for purpose,” stating that a large number of pensioners who qualified for the energy efficiency grants were not applying after discovering they were actually expected to fork out on renovation works.
Source;
Energysources.co.uk/ Energy News (Pensioners feel benefit of Warm Front grants)
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Climate Change; How to
Finding the balance between preventing global warming and adapting to the effects of global warming is one of the most important policy questions to date, but is often ignored claims an industry news article by greenenergy.uk.com.
Environmental campaigners are adamant that we should be doing everything we can to lessen global warming, and then focus on adaptation strategies, continues the report.
However, according to a study released by Danish professor Bjorn Lomborg it is suggested that cheaper solutions are needed in order to slow down global warming, for example painting roofs white, instead of carbon emission reduction programs which could cost countries $250 billion a year.
In a contrary view to government research papers regarding climate change, the report challenges the plans favoured by the United Nations to force industrial polluters to reduce carbon dioxide – the major manmade gas that is blamed for climate change, and the report also suggests that it would be more favourable to adapt to the changes brought about my climate change instead of tackling the problem itself.
The paper which explored a CO2 tax as an alternative was prepared for the Danish research group Copenhagen Consensus Centre, and was lead by Mr. Lomborg, a Copenhagen Business School professor who has gathered much attention for criticizing UN-led efforts to tackle global warming.
Source;
Greenenergy.uk.com/ Industry News (Adapting to Climate Change)