Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Think twice about 'green' transport, say scientists
PARIS : You worry a lot about the environment and do everything you can to reduce your carbon footprint - the emissions of greenhouse gases that drive dangerous climate change. So you always prefer to take the train or the bus rather than a plane, and avoid using a car whenever you can, faithful to the belief that this inflicts less harm to the planet. Well, there could be a nasty surprise in store for you, for taking public transport may not be as green as you automatically think, says a new US study. Its authors point out an array of factors that are often unknown to the public. These are hidden or displaced emissions that ramp up the simple "tailpipe" tally, which is based on how much carbon is spewed out by the fossil fuels used to make a trip. Environmental engineers Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath at the University of California at Davis say that when these costs are included, a more complex and challenging picture emerges. In some circumstances, for instance, it could be more eco-friendly to drive into a city - even in an SUV, the bete noire of green groups - rather than take a suburban train. It depends on seat occupancy and the underlying carbon cost of the mode of transport. "We are encouraging people to look at not the average ranking of modes, because there is a different basket of configurations that determine the outcome," Chester told AFP in a phone interview. "There's no overall solution that's the same all the time." The pair give an example of how the use of oil, gas or coal to generate electricity to power trains can skew the picture. Boston has a metro system with high energy efficiency. The trouble is, 82 per cent of the energy to drive it comes from dirty fossil fuels. By comparison, San Francisco's local railway is less energy-efficient than Boston's. But it turns out to be rather greener, as only 49 per cent of the electricity is derived from fossils. The paper points out that the "tailpipe" quotient does not include emissions that come from building transport infrastructure - railways, airport terminals, roads and so on - nor the emissions that come from maintaining this infrastructure over its operational lifetime. These often-unacknowledged factors add substantially to the global-warming burden. In fact, they add 63 per cent to the "tailpipe" emissions of a car, 31 percent to those of a plane, and 55 per cent to those of a train. And another big variable that may be overlooked in green thinking is seat occupancy. A saloon (sedan) car or even an 4x4 that is fully occupied may be responsible for less greenhouse gas per kilometer travelled per person than a suburban train that is a quarter full, the researchers calculate. "Government policy has historically relied on energy and emission analysis of automobiles, buses, trains and aircraft at their tailpipe, ignoring vehicle production and maintenance, infrastructure provision and fuel production requirements to support these modes," they say. So getting a complete view of the ultimate environmental cost of the type of transport, over its entire lifespan, should help decision-makers to make smarter investments. For travelling distances up to, say, 1,000 kilometres (600 miles), "we can ask questions as to whether it's better to invest in a long-distance railway, improving the air corridor or boosting car occupancy," said Chester. The paper appears in Environmental Research Letters, a publication of Britain's Institute of Physics. The calculations are based on US technology and lifestyles. It used 2005 models of the Toyota Camry saloon, Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV and Ford F-150 to calibrate automobile performance; the light transit systems in the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston as the models for the metro and commuter lines; and the Embraer 145, Boeing 737 and Boeing 747 as the benchmarks for short-, medium- and long-haul aircraft.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Illegal/Legal Deforestation and Logging
Efforts have been continuously made to curb illegal deforestation and logging activities in one of the oldest, rich and dense rainforests of peninsular Malaysia and East Borneo island of Malaysia,where a rich diversities of tropical trees, flowers and faunas are breeding that are also home to millions of species of wildlife threatening many endangered animals such as the tigers, leopards, rhinocerus, black bears, orang utans, etc.
Lands that are cleared to make spaces for civilisation and humans allocation have deprieved of the natural rainforests (so-called Green Belts of the world) and wildlife habitats of many species. Roads that are built and cut through the heart of the forests jeopardize the homes and habitats of these wildlife.
Besides unpopular government backing of reducing logging due to commercial benefits, illegal loggers also thrived on the commercial value that the timber industry offers. Besides the elimination of precious trees and greeneries, the rich diversity of wildlife is also a hunting ground for poachers. It is only a matter of time that
human population will inundate the forest and cover everyinch and space of land in this world.
Lands that are cleared to make spaces for civilisation and humans allocation have deprieved of the natural rainforests (so-called Green Belts of the world) and wildlife habitats of many species. Roads that are built and cut through the heart of the forests jeopardize the homes and habitats of these wildlife.
Besides unpopular government backing of reducing logging due to commercial benefits, illegal loggers also thrived on the commercial value that the timber industry offers. Besides the elimination of precious trees and greeneries, the rich diversity of wildlife is also a hunting ground for poachers. It is only a matter of time that
human population will inundate the forest and cover everyinch and space of land in this world.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A rare white tiger mauled its keeper to death in front of horrified tourists at a New Zealand wildlife park on Wednesday, then was killed after it refused to release the body.
The dead animal keeper, Dalu Mncube, was the second person attacked this year by one of the park's white tigers. Mncube himself helped rescue the employee mauled in February.
Mncube, a South African national, was attacked after he and a colleague entered the cage at Zion Wildlife Park on New Zealand's North Island to clean it, police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said.
Mncube died before help could reach him, with serious injuries to his abdomen and lower legs.
"Despite the best efforts of the second keeper and a rapid response from other wildlife park staff, the tiger would not let the park worker go," Kennett said in a statement.
The animal — one of only 120 white tigers in the world — was killed, police inspector Paul Dimmery told National Radio. There was "nothing to indicate why it attacked — but the fact is they're wild animals," Dimmery added.
The park's manager, Glen Holland, who was not there at the time, said Mncube was an experienced keeper and "fantastic with the cats."
Staff were called to the scene to help distressed staff and visitors, including eight foreign tourists who saw the attack, Kennett told The Associated Press. Their nationalities were not known.
The employee attacked in February, Demetri Price, required surgery after he was mauled. Price, who no longer works at the park, told TVOne's "Close Up" program Wednesday that Mncube "got the tiger off me" after he was bitten in the knee and "had a great ability with animals."
The park, located near the northern city of Whangarei, has 42 rare lions and tigers — four of which are white tigers — in large wire-cage enclosures that include trees and grassy areas.
Last year, a Scottish teenager was bitten by a white lion after she put her hands through a hole in the fence.
___
On the Net:
http://www.zionwildlifegardens.co.nz
The dead animal keeper, Dalu Mncube, was the second person attacked this year by one of the park's white tigers. Mncube himself helped rescue the employee mauled in February.
Mncube, a South African national, was attacked after he and a colleague entered the cage at Zion Wildlife Park on New Zealand's North Island to clean it, police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said.
Mncube died before help could reach him, with serious injuries to his abdomen and lower legs.
"Despite the best efforts of the second keeper and a rapid response from other wildlife park staff, the tiger would not let the park worker go," Kennett said in a statement.
The animal — one of only 120 white tigers in the world — was killed, police inspector Paul Dimmery told National Radio. There was "nothing to indicate why it attacked — but the fact is they're wild animals," Dimmery added.
The park's manager, Glen Holland, who was not there at the time, said Mncube was an experienced keeper and "fantastic with the cats."
Staff were called to the scene to help distressed staff and visitors, including eight foreign tourists who saw the attack, Kennett told The Associated Press. Their nationalities were not known.
The employee attacked in February, Demetri Price, required surgery after he was mauled. Price, who no longer works at the park, told TVOne's "Close Up" program Wednesday that Mncube "got the tiger off me" after he was bitten in the knee and "had a great ability with animals."
The park, located near the northern city of Whangarei, has 42 rare lions and tigers — four of which are white tigers — in large wire-cage enclosures that include trees and grassy areas.
Last year, a Scottish teenager was bitten by a white lion after she put her hands through a hole in the fence.
___
On the Net:
http://www.zionwildlifegardens.co.nz
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Cambodia's dump dwellers face eviction
PHNOM PENH : Scavenging for bits of plastic, metal and glass that earn them an average 10 dollars a month, the children of Phnom Penh's municipal rubbish dump are among Cambodia's poorest. Hundreds of families live on and around the 100-acre (40.5-hectare) site, making their meagre living from the materials they collect on the steaming rubbish heap, replenished daily with 900 tonnes of the capital's refuse. "We don't go to school. I'd like to but I need to pick the litter and earn money. I have nine siblings and they all work the same job as me," said 13-year-old Mek. Dump trucks rumble in and out of Stung Meanchey landfill site throughout the day, while the toxic waste that covers sink holes burns in the sun. "I really worry about the children working on the dump especially because of the rubbish trucks that sometimes hit the children, because it's hard to see them up there," said 26-year-old father-of-two Chan Samon. His fears are not unfounded -- in February a 16-year-old girl was killed when a bin fell on her head. There have been numerous victims like her since the site opened more than 45 years ago. Chan Samon told AFP he earns a pittance selling mostly bottles and cans to Vietnamese buyers. Middlemen come to nine storage depots at the dump's entrance, before selling it on to recycling companies for profit. One kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of plastic fetches 10 cents, while one kilogramme of iron or a glass bottle goes for 2.5 cents. But these slim pickings are all these families have. Many of them arrived in Phnom Penh from the rural provinces in the hope of finding better work, only to discover their only option was to join those foraging for rubbish. Now Cambodia's authorities are closing down the site and moving the dump several miles outside the capital. None of the residents are clear who is evicting them, only that they have been told to expect to move at any time. "I heard something about the dump moving but I don't know what's going to happen," said Mek, who has worked at the site since he was three years old. The move has been discussed locally since 2003, residents said, but a recent letter sent out by municipal authorities to all Phnom Penh residents confirmed the closure would take place in the "second quarter" of the year. It said rubbish collection prices would need to rise because of the move, which it said was necessary because of the "environmental impact" of the site, citing the noise, smell, smoke and poor underground water quality. Until the proposed eviction a few lucky children had escaped the grimy work thanks to about a dozen charities set up around the landfill site. The organisations pay parents for lost income while they provide their offspring with schooling, clothes, food and a clean place to sleep. "When I was up on the dump I met (charity outreach worker) Theary and he was interested in helping me and he brought me here," said 10-year-old Srey Neat, one of 96 children being looked after by Theary, who goes by only one name, and the charity "A New Day Cambodia". The centre pays parents 10 dollars a month to keep their children away from the scavenging work. But with the dump's closure, that helping hand may not be able to stretch far enough if the dump dwellers move further afield. "We have some concern about whether some of the parents will need to move away and would like to take their children with them," said the centre's director Annette Jensen. The landfill site is expected to be rebuilt next to Cambodia's infamous Killing Fields, where thousands of people were killed and buried by the communist Khmer Rouge regime during its 1975-1979 rule. Chan Samon said he will have no choice but to take his wife and two children and move over to the new site. "If the dump moves we will have to move with it. I have no choice because I don't have any other job," he said.
Renewables: America's Next Heavy Industry
How three manufacturers in three Midwest states are picking up where the auto sector is laying off.
MINSTER, OHIO (CNNMoney.com) -- About 200 miles south of Detroit, America's industrial heartland gives way to the Ohio countryside.
Here lies the tiny town of Minster, off I-75 past the Ford factory, the Mazda factory, the Jeep factory and the massive coal and nuclear plants that keep them all running.
Surrounded by farms, a family-run manufacturer is getting in on the business everyone from President Obama on down hopes will clear the air, wean the country off imported energy, and replace the fast-disappearing auto jobs: Making parts for the burgeoning renewable energy sector.
For the last two years, the Minster Machine Company has been forging the giant cast-iron hubs that keep the blades attached to the center of a wind turbine.
"The wind market for us was a diversification strategy," said John Winch, who followed his father, grandfather and great-grandfather in helming the 103-year old company. Minster Machine also makes the equiptment that make the parts for the auto, medical and food industries, among others.
But it's more than just a diversification strategy. It's a bet that the market for renewable energy products will take off.
Here lies the tiny town of Minster, off I-75 past the Ford factory, the Mazda factory, the Jeep factory and the massive coal and nuclear plants that keep them all running.
Surrounded by farms, a family-run manufacturer is getting in on the business everyone from President Obama on down hopes will clear the air, wean the country off imported energy, and replace the fast-disappearing auto jobs: Making parts for the burgeoning renewable energy sector.
For the last two years, the Minster Machine Company has been forging the giant cast-iron hubs that keep the blades attached to the center of a wind turbine.
"The wind market for us was a diversification strategy," said John Winch, who followed his father, grandfather and great-grandfather in helming the 103-year old company. Minster Machine also makes the equiptment that make the parts for the auto, medical and food industries, among others.
But it's more than just a diversification strategy. It's a bet that the market for renewable energy products will take off.
Because Minster Machine has skilled metal workers, its own foundry and a huge factory floor, making the hubs for wind turbines and other large wind components is an ideal area for the company to get into.
Minster Machine hopes to use all this, and proximity to wind farms on the Great Plains to expand, and that could mean more jobs. Wages at the company start at $17.50 an hour and go up from there.
"The renewable energy market could be akin to an industrial revolution-type event," said Winch. "We want to be in that space."
So do a lot of other firms.
Putting people to work
Scores of firms in the renewable energy business have recently opened in the Rust Belt states. They hope to take advantage of a population known for its industrial skills, engineering ability and work ethic.
It's hard to say how many people these firms currently employ. The government doesn't yet track green jobs and the distinction between what's "green" and what isn't often gets blurred.
One study by the University of California, Berkeley estimated that green energy companies employ at least half a million people. That number could climb to 2 to 4 million over the next 15 years if the nation got 15%-20% of its power from renewable sources.
If those job numbers materialize on the high end of estimates, the nation's total manufacturing workforce would get boosted by about 25%.
In the Midwest, it's clear that local officials have high hopes for the industry.
"We very optimistic and very confident that this is a whole new industry and can be a key part of our economic development strategy," said Ohio's Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.
There's certainly a lot of room to grow.
Sizing up the industry
With fewer subsidies compared to Europe, the United States failed to attract many renewable energy manufacturers over the last few decades. Many experts say the country lags behind in this emerging space.
While the wide swath of land from Texas to North Dakota is one of the best places in the world to produce electricity from wind, more than 50% of the parts used in U.S. wind turbines are imported, according to Ed Weston, director of the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network.
With each turbine containing over 8,000 parts, that could represent a lot of jobs.
"This is craft work. These are the manufacturing trades coming back to life," said Weston. "This is not unskilled labor at all."
It may not be unskilled labor, but some studies suggest these new green jobs don't pay nearly as much as some of the jobs they are replacing, like union auto jobs.
Many green jobs pay only $11 or $12 an hour, according to Philip Mattera, research director at Good Jobs First, a labor-friendly research group. That compares to an average of about $19 an hour for production workers in heavy industries as a whole, he said. Meanwhile, an autoworker can make $30 an hour or more.
"Green jobs are not automatically good jobs," said Mattera.
One state government official said green manufacturers are reluctant to set up shop in union towns, fearing an inflexible workforce expecting higher wages.
Some are skeptical the new sector can take off as quickly as everyone seems to be hoping. "We haven't drank the Kool-Aid," said the official who did not want to be named.
Still, even the traditional manufacturing industry is welcoming the new business the green energy industry could bring.
"We are at the very beginning of this process," said Alan Tonelson, a research fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, which represents smaller and mid-size manufacturers. "But this could spark the third or fourth global industrial revolution."
Just north of Indianapolis one company is trying to do just that.
Charging the next revolution
In an office park nestled among the software and biotech firms ringing this diverse manufacturing city that has largely escaped Rust Belt status, EnerDel is aiming to perfect the battery that will let electricity replace gasoline as the main fuel in cars.
EnerDel, a division of Ener1, is one of just a few American companies that has the technology to compete with the big Asian battery makers. Advances in this field happen quickly, and the company that comes up with a cost-effective design will likely reap huge profits.
The feeling of a company racing to compete is unmistakable here. Scientists feverishly work on the new technology and scurry to hide it from our camera as we toured their spotless facility.
"A trained engineer could tell what's in there just by seeing the size of it from the outside," said one worker, sliding what looked like, to this untrained eye, a box inside another box.
The company has applied for a $480 million loan with the government's advanced vehicle program. If the loan comes through, EnerDel plans a huge expansion, and would add some 2,800 employees to its current workforce of 150. A 3,000-person plant is about the size of a large auto factory.
"We're talking about a serious growth in people," said EnerDel Chief Executive Ulrik Grape.
Production jobs at the company start at $12 to $15 an hour. The pay for the many scientific jobs required in the battery field is far higher.
The mood around town
In Ohio and Indiana people love the idea of renewables. In a hip bar in downtown Indianapolis, a young woman and her mother couldn't agree on much: Whether the city has a good art and music scene, is a good place to raise a family, etc. But they did agree that people will embrace renewable energy companies both for the jobs and out of a desire to help the planet.
In Ohio the mood was similar, although people in both states stressed the situation for workers wasn't as dire as it is up north in Michigan.
"We've got a very strong manufacturing base," Jeff Buschor, a 48-year old mortgage broker, said over breakfast with other local businessmen at a diner near Minster. "Sure, the auto guys are down, but the others can keep the community up."
In Saginaw, Mich., the mood is quite different.
"This town has always had a multitude of supplier shops to the auto industry, and they're peeling off like onion rings," said Pat Johnson, a retired heating and air conditioning dealer. "It's kinda gloomy."
Fortunately for Saginaw, just a few miles west of town lies Hemlock Semiconductor, a sprawling silicon maker owned by Dow-Corning, a joint venture between industrial heavyweights Dow Chemical (DOW, Fortune 500) and glassmaker Corning (GLW, Fortune 500).
Hemlock makes the silicon wafers for electronic chips and, since 2001, solar panels. And they're expanding big time.
Polysilicon for solar panels now accounts for over 60% of the firm's sales, and Hemlock is the major supplier for seven of the world's top 11 solar panel makers.
The company recently announced a $1 billion expansion at its Michigan facility and plans for 300 to 400 new hires.
That's good news for people like David Denno, a former auto worker in Saginaw who's now looking for a job.
"That's one of the places I'm trying to get into," said Denno.
Firms like Hemlock may not pick up all the slack from auto sector layoffs, and they may not pay the higher union wages, but for Denno and others like him, they're hope that decent manufacturing jobs are still out there.
Minster Machine hopes to use all this, and proximity to wind farms on the Great Plains to expand, and that could mean more jobs. Wages at the company start at $17.50 an hour and go up from there.
"The renewable energy market could be akin to an industrial revolution-type event," said Winch. "We want to be in that space."
So do a lot of other firms.
Putting people to work
Scores of firms in the renewable energy business have recently opened in the Rust Belt states. They hope to take advantage of a population known for its industrial skills, engineering ability and work ethic.
It's hard to say how many people these firms currently employ. The government doesn't yet track green jobs and the distinction between what's "green" and what isn't often gets blurred.
One study by the University of California, Berkeley estimated that green energy companies employ at least half a million people. That number could climb to 2 to 4 million over the next 15 years if the nation got 15%-20% of its power from renewable sources.
If those job numbers materialize on the high end of estimates, the nation's total manufacturing workforce would get boosted by about 25%.
In the Midwest, it's clear that local officials have high hopes for the industry.
"We very optimistic and very confident that this is a whole new industry and can be a key part of our economic development strategy," said Ohio's Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.
There's certainly a lot of room to grow.
Sizing up the industry
With fewer subsidies compared to Europe, the United States failed to attract many renewable energy manufacturers over the last few decades. Many experts say the country lags behind in this emerging space.
While the wide swath of land from Texas to North Dakota is one of the best places in the world to produce electricity from wind, more than 50% of the parts used in U.S. wind turbines are imported, according to Ed Weston, director of the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network.
With each turbine containing over 8,000 parts, that could represent a lot of jobs.
"This is craft work. These are the manufacturing trades coming back to life," said Weston. "This is not unskilled labor at all."
It may not be unskilled labor, but some studies suggest these new green jobs don't pay nearly as much as some of the jobs they are replacing, like union auto jobs.
Many green jobs pay only $11 or $12 an hour, according to Philip Mattera, research director at Good Jobs First, a labor-friendly research group. That compares to an average of about $19 an hour for production workers in heavy industries as a whole, he said. Meanwhile, an autoworker can make $30 an hour or more.
"Green jobs are not automatically good jobs," said Mattera.
One state government official said green manufacturers are reluctant to set up shop in union towns, fearing an inflexible workforce expecting higher wages.
Some are skeptical the new sector can take off as quickly as everyone seems to be hoping. "We haven't drank the Kool-Aid," said the official who did not want to be named.
Still, even the traditional manufacturing industry is welcoming the new business the green energy industry could bring.
"We are at the very beginning of this process," said Alan Tonelson, a research fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, which represents smaller and mid-size manufacturers. "But this could spark the third or fourth global industrial revolution."
Just north of Indianapolis one company is trying to do just that.
Charging the next revolution
In an office park nestled among the software and biotech firms ringing this diverse manufacturing city that has largely escaped Rust Belt status, EnerDel is aiming to perfect the battery that will let electricity replace gasoline as the main fuel in cars.
EnerDel, a division of Ener1, is one of just a few American companies that has the technology to compete with the big Asian battery makers. Advances in this field happen quickly, and the company that comes up with a cost-effective design will likely reap huge profits.
The feeling of a company racing to compete is unmistakable here. Scientists feverishly work on the new technology and scurry to hide it from our camera as we toured their spotless facility.
"A trained engineer could tell what's in there just by seeing the size of it from the outside," said one worker, sliding what looked like, to this untrained eye, a box inside another box.
The company has applied for a $480 million loan with the government's advanced vehicle program. If the loan comes through, EnerDel plans a huge expansion, and would add some 2,800 employees to its current workforce of 150. A 3,000-person plant is about the size of a large auto factory.
"We're talking about a serious growth in people," said EnerDel Chief Executive Ulrik Grape.
Production jobs at the company start at $12 to $15 an hour. The pay for the many scientific jobs required in the battery field is far higher.
The mood around town
In Ohio and Indiana people love the idea of renewables. In a hip bar in downtown Indianapolis, a young woman and her mother couldn't agree on much: Whether the city has a good art and music scene, is a good place to raise a family, etc. But they did agree that people will embrace renewable energy companies both for the jobs and out of a desire to help the planet.
In Ohio the mood was similar, although people in both states stressed the situation for workers wasn't as dire as it is up north in Michigan.
"We've got a very strong manufacturing base," Jeff Buschor, a 48-year old mortgage broker, said over breakfast with other local businessmen at a diner near Minster. "Sure, the auto guys are down, but the others can keep the community up."
In Saginaw, Mich., the mood is quite different.
"This town has always had a multitude of supplier shops to the auto industry, and they're peeling off like onion rings," said Pat Johnson, a retired heating and air conditioning dealer. "It's kinda gloomy."
Fortunately for Saginaw, just a few miles west of town lies Hemlock Semiconductor, a sprawling silicon maker owned by Dow-Corning, a joint venture between industrial heavyweights Dow Chemical (DOW, Fortune 500) and glassmaker Corning (GLW, Fortune 500).
Hemlock makes the silicon wafers for electronic chips and, since 2001, solar panels. And they're expanding big time.
Polysilicon for solar panels now accounts for over 60% of the firm's sales, and Hemlock is the major supplier for seven of the world's top 11 solar panel makers.
The company recently announced a $1 billion expansion at its Michigan facility and plans for 300 to 400 new hires.
That's good news for people like David Denno, a former auto worker in Saginaw who's now looking for a job.
"That's one of the places I'm trying to get into," said Denno.
Firms like Hemlock may not pick up all the slack from auto sector layoffs, and they may not pay the higher union wages, but for Denno and others like him, they're hope that decent manufacturing jobs are still out there.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 22 (Bloomberg) -- The European Union may have to scale back its goals to reduce global-warming emissions after a less- ambitious plan won initial approval in U.S. Congress.
The 27-nation bloc has asked all industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gases an average 30 percent over 30 years. The first U.S. legislation ever to cap emissions, which passed a committee vote yesterday, calls for a 5 percent cut by American industry in the period. The gap poses a potential conflict when global talks on a new climate treaty resume June 1 in Bonn.
Lower targets ease costs for coal-burning utilities such as RWE AG of Germany and Ohio-based American Electric Power Co. At the same time, United Nations scientists have said gas output should peak by 2015 or temperatures may rise more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, adding to the risk of droughts and flooding from climate change.
“The U.S. bill is clearly an advance on the past,” said James Cameron, vice chairman of the London-based fund manager Climate Change Capital and a former treaty negotiator. Still, “the middle ground of scientific opinion tells us we need to make reductions in a much larger amount over a shorter period.”
The UN-led talks are scheduled to produce a climate- protection agreement by year-end in Copenhagen.
The U.S. is not likely to accept “more aggressive” reduction targets for itself in a treaty that Congress is now considering for domestic regulations, said Ben Feldman, environmental markets executive director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. The U.S. goals “are unlikely to be sufficient for the EU to move to 30 percent” reductions, Feldman said.
Bridging Gaps
The EU, the largest group of developed countries at the UN negotiating table, will try to bridge gaps with envoys from the U.S. and more than 150 other countries in the June talks that run for 12 days. President Barack Obama has endorsed the bill in Congress led by Democratic Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The panel approved the measure by a 33-25 vote.
The EU defended its more ambitious goals, saying it hasn’t lost hope for reconciling U.S. and European stances.
“The U.S. position is evolving,” said Barbara Helfferich, environment spokeswoman at the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm in Brussels. “We hope to see an improvement in the targets that have been put forward by industrialized countries generally so that the 30 percent goal can be reached.”
Strategy Split?
A split now among wealthy nations will threaten their strategy to present a united front to emerging economies including China, the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases. China has been pushed by the EU and the U.S. to join in adopting limits in heat-trapping emissions.
The EU is on course to slash gas output 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 and aims to deepen the cut to 30 percent over the period, provided other wealthy nations make comparable efforts.
The bloc isn’t alone in making conditional promises. Australia has pledged a 5 percent to 15 percent cut in 2020 from 2000 levels and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said May 4 that his country is prepared to reduce it by 25 percent provided other nations agree to an “ambitious global deal.”
The draft U.S. law would trim discharges 17 percent in 2020 from 2005. That’s a 5 percent drop from the internationally accepted base year of 1990, according to EU calculations.
“It doesn’t look very promising what’s coming out of the U.S.,” said Christian Egenhofer, head of the energy and climate program at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. “I don’t see how the EU can go to 30 percent” in negotiations.
Cap-and-Trade
The cuts Congress approves will form the foundation for U.S. proposals at international talks. The legislation would enforce new limits through a cap-and-trade system similar to the European program, which began in 2005 and is the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas market.
Cap-and-trade requires companies that exceed their emission quotas to buy spare permits from businesses that emit less. The EU program covers companies from RWE, the biggest greenhouse-gas producer in Europe, to steelmaker ArcelorMittal of Luxembourg.
The U.S. plan targets such businesses as Chevron Corp., General Electric Co., Caterpillar Inc. and American Electric, the largest U.S. power generator from coal.
Europe accounts for about 14 percent of global emissions. It needs help from China and the U.S., the second-biggest emitter, to prevent irreversible environmental damage from climate change, scientists say.
One possible compromise is for the U.S. to give more aid to poor countries to fight global warming in return for a weaker American emissions-reduction goal. Developing nations may need as much as 54 billion euros ($75 billion) a year by 2030 to adapt to climate change, UN projections cited by the EU show.
‘Big Climate Check’
“The less of a reduction you make, the bigger the climate check you write,” said Sanjeev Kumar, a Brussels-based emissions-policy analyst at the environmental group WWF. “That’s where the politics are going.”
In return for aid, poorer countries should commit to limiting emissions growth in 2020 to 15 percent to 30 percent below “business as usual,” the EU proposes.
“Let’s see some leadership from industrialized countries and let’s see some clarity on stable and predictable financial support for developing countries,” said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is guiding the negotiations. “Then we can talk about what developing countries are able to do.”
The U.S. refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, whose limits expire in 2012. Senators said it gave an advantage to factories in China and elsewhere by sparing those businesses from pollution controls. Obama reversed eight years of U.S. opposition to emissions curbs under former President George W. Bush and has pledged action to fight climate change.
Recession Effect
The recession makes it harder for Obama to seek a stricter cap in the draft law. Republican Representative Mike Pence of Indiana called the plan, which also needs the Senate’s support, “an economic declaration of war on the Midwest,” which relies more than coastal states on power from burning emissions- intensive coal.
“Nobody wants a repeat of Kyoto,” said Jake Schmidt, the Washington-based international climate policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They don’t want the U.S. to come in and commit to something it can’t deliver at home.”
In addition to the June session, other rounds of talks are scheduled for September and November.
“I’m confident the numbers will be improved on by December,” the UN’s de Boer said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netAlex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net Last Updated: May 22, 2009 10:33 EDT
The 27-nation bloc has asked all industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gases an average 30 percent over 30 years. The first U.S. legislation ever to cap emissions, which passed a committee vote yesterday, calls for a 5 percent cut by American industry in the period. The gap poses a potential conflict when global talks on a new climate treaty resume June 1 in Bonn.
Lower targets ease costs for coal-burning utilities such as RWE AG of Germany and Ohio-based American Electric Power Co. At the same time, United Nations scientists have said gas output should peak by 2015 or temperatures may rise more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, adding to the risk of droughts and flooding from climate change.
“The U.S. bill is clearly an advance on the past,” said James Cameron, vice chairman of the London-based fund manager Climate Change Capital and a former treaty negotiator. Still, “the middle ground of scientific opinion tells us we need to make reductions in a much larger amount over a shorter period.”
The UN-led talks are scheduled to produce a climate- protection agreement by year-end in Copenhagen.
The U.S. is not likely to accept “more aggressive” reduction targets for itself in a treaty that Congress is now considering for domestic regulations, said Ben Feldman, environmental markets executive director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. The U.S. goals “are unlikely to be sufficient for the EU to move to 30 percent” reductions, Feldman said.
Bridging Gaps
The EU, the largest group of developed countries at the UN negotiating table, will try to bridge gaps with envoys from the U.S. and more than 150 other countries in the June talks that run for 12 days. President Barack Obama has endorsed the bill in Congress led by Democratic Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The panel approved the measure by a 33-25 vote.
The EU defended its more ambitious goals, saying it hasn’t lost hope for reconciling U.S. and European stances.
“The U.S. position is evolving,” said Barbara Helfferich, environment spokeswoman at the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm in Brussels. “We hope to see an improvement in the targets that have been put forward by industrialized countries generally so that the 30 percent goal can be reached.”
Strategy Split?
A split now among wealthy nations will threaten their strategy to present a united front to emerging economies including China, the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases. China has been pushed by the EU and the U.S. to join in adopting limits in heat-trapping emissions.
The EU is on course to slash gas output 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 and aims to deepen the cut to 30 percent over the period, provided other wealthy nations make comparable efforts.
The bloc isn’t alone in making conditional promises. Australia has pledged a 5 percent to 15 percent cut in 2020 from 2000 levels and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said May 4 that his country is prepared to reduce it by 25 percent provided other nations agree to an “ambitious global deal.”
The draft U.S. law would trim discharges 17 percent in 2020 from 2005. That’s a 5 percent drop from the internationally accepted base year of 1990, according to EU calculations.
“It doesn’t look very promising what’s coming out of the U.S.,” said Christian Egenhofer, head of the energy and climate program at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. “I don’t see how the EU can go to 30 percent” in negotiations.
Cap-and-Trade
The cuts Congress approves will form the foundation for U.S. proposals at international talks. The legislation would enforce new limits through a cap-and-trade system similar to the European program, which began in 2005 and is the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas market.
Cap-and-trade requires companies that exceed their emission quotas to buy spare permits from businesses that emit less. The EU program covers companies from RWE, the biggest greenhouse-gas producer in Europe, to steelmaker ArcelorMittal of Luxembourg.
The U.S. plan targets such businesses as Chevron Corp., General Electric Co., Caterpillar Inc. and American Electric, the largest U.S. power generator from coal.
Europe accounts for about 14 percent of global emissions. It needs help from China and the U.S., the second-biggest emitter, to prevent irreversible environmental damage from climate change, scientists say.
One possible compromise is for the U.S. to give more aid to poor countries to fight global warming in return for a weaker American emissions-reduction goal. Developing nations may need as much as 54 billion euros ($75 billion) a year by 2030 to adapt to climate change, UN projections cited by the EU show.
‘Big Climate Check’
“The less of a reduction you make, the bigger the climate check you write,” said Sanjeev Kumar, a Brussels-based emissions-policy analyst at the environmental group WWF. “That’s where the politics are going.”
In return for aid, poorer countries should commit to limiting emissions growth in 2020 to 15 percent to 30 percent below “business as usual,” the EU proposes.
“Let’s see some leadership from industrialized countries and let’s see some clarity on stable and predictable financial support for developing countries,” said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is guiding the negotiations. “Then we can talk about what developing countries are able to do.”
The U.S. refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, whose limits expire in 2012. Senators said it gave an advantage to factories in China and elsewhere by sparing those businesses from pollution controls. Obama reversed eight years of U.S. opposition to emissions curbs under former President George W. Bush and has pledged action to fight climate change.
Recession Effect
The recession makes it harder for Obama to seek a stricter cap in the draft law. Republican Representative Mike Pence of Indiana called the plan, which also needs the Senate’s support, “an economic declaration of war on the Midwest,” which relies more than coastal states on power from burning emissions- intensive coal.
“Nobody wants a repeat of Kyoto,” said Jake Schmidt, the Washington-based international climate policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They don’t want the U.S. to come in and commit to something it can’t deliver at home.”
In addition to the June session, other rounds of talks are scheduled for September and November.
“I’m confident the numbers will be improved on by December,” the UN’s de Boer said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netAlex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net Last Updated: May 22, 2009 10:33 EDT
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