Business supports our call for clear carbon reporting

| Sourced From WWF |
Over 180 businesses and other organisations have signed a letter that WWF and The Co-operative sent to the UK secretaries of state for environment, energy and business – asking that they make it compulsory for large companies to reveal all their greenhouse gas emissions.
Mandatory carbon reporting (MCR), as it’s known, is a vital step in working out exactly who’s emitting what, and giving investors clear evidence on which to base financial decisions.
It will provide comprehensive and comparable information on the progress companies are making towards cutting emissions. This will in effect reward the companies taking the lead in the shift a green economy – by highlighting their good performance and letting investors support the businesses that are proving best at managing the risks and opportunities of an emerging low-carbon world.

carbon trading

Carbon scheme a win-win for farmers

Carbon scheme a win-win for farmers, business and the environment

| Sourced From Carbonneutral |

International interest in a carbon credit scheme provides a win-win for farmers and the environment
19 January, 2011 – The Federal Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative, due to be introduced mid 2011, is already attracting interest from large corporations in Australia and overseas.  The scheme encourages establishing forests for biodiversity and other environmental co-benefits rather than monoculture plantations. Buyers are already making enquiries to invest in Australian reforestation projects that will produce carbon credits that are low risk, resilient, and improve marginal farm land

Carbon Credits

Carbon credits may be cash crop

| Sourced From Thestarphoenix |
Saskatchewan farmers could one day be selling carbon credits along with their wheat and canola, a presenter at Crop Production Week said Thursday.
Brian McConkey, a senior adviser of physical science based in Swift Current with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said in an interview local farmers are getting a handle on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and industry may be interested in buying the reductions.

360investgroup

2010 Among Hottest Years On Record

2010 among hottest years on record

Carbon News and Info

Climate change news

Global warming science

Monday, 17 January 2011

Last year was the 34th year in a row that global temperatures were above the 20th century average, according to new figures from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NASA and the NOAA say 2010 tied with 2005 as the hottest year since meaningful global temperature records first appeared around 1880. Land and ocean temperatures averaged 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) above the average for the last century, the figures show.

“Several exceptional heat waves occurred during 2010, bringing record-high temperatures and affecting tens of millions of people,” the NOAA said. “The massive heat wave brought Russia its warmest summer on record. At least 15,000 deaths in Russia were attributed to the heat.”

The last year that annual average temperature was below average was 1976. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since the beginning of 2001. Other international studies of global temperature still have 1998 as the hottest year on record, although by a very small margin. All measurements show that average global temperatures in the 2000s were hotter than the 1990s as was each successive decade back to the 1970s.

Bloomberg 13/1/11, Boston Globe 12/1/11

carbon trading

carbon trading

Council cuts its carbon footprint

| Sourced From Yorkshirepost |

Leeds City Council has taken steps to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by cutting emissions of carbon dioxide by 3.64 per cent across the organisation.
The authority has achieved the reduction by a variety of methods including increased recycling, energy-saving improvements in council buildings and greater use of environmentally-friendly fuels in vehicles.
Details were outlined in the council’s annual environment statement at its executive board meeting.
The authority’s achievements include:
A reduction of 42kg per home in the Rothwell area in the amount of rubbish going to landfill thanks to the food waste recycling trial;
Modernising the council fleet to include vehicles such as bio-methane-fuelled refuse trucks has reduced vehicle emissions by 5.65 per cent;
Leeds was ranked the most sustainable city in Yorkshire – and sixth in the UK – in the annual Sustainable Cities Index;
Electricity use in council buildings went down by more than 5 million kWh (kilowatt hours);
Less than 26 per cent of waste from council buildings is being sent to landfill thanks to improvements in recycling.
Councillors also heard about potential challenges to environmental improvements in Leeds, such as uncertainty over Government cash for projects including the proposed trolleybus scheme and flood alleviation projects, the rising cost of energy and the managing of future development and growth in a sustainable way.
Coun Tom Murray, executive member for environmental services, said last night: “The council is the largest employer in Leeds and any reduction in its energy consumption will have an impact on the city’s overall environment.
“Leeds City Council has a significant part to play in the local environment, both in how it conducts its own operations and as an example to other organisations and people across the city,” he added.

carbon trading

Kenya to launch Africa's first carbon exchange

Kenya estimates its Mau forest has the potential to earn millions of dollars

Kenya is to launch a climate exchange platform to facilitate the trading of carbon credits and help tackle climate change.

The market will be the first of its kind in Africa, enabling all African countries to sell their carbon credits.
The exchange is expected to be open for business by the middle of next year.
Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases causing climate change, scientists say, and such exchanges are one way to offset carbon emissions.
Polluting industries in rich countries pay for clean development projects in poor countries.
Some forecasts warn that Africa will be badly affected by climate change, even though most of the greenhouse gases which cause it are produced in the West and Asia.
One carbon credit is equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide, or in some markets, carbon dioxide-equivalent gases.
The BBC's Kevin Mwachiro in Nairobi says officials hope the trade in carbon credits will open up investment in the generation of renewable energy and forestry projects.
Kenya's government estimates that its largest forest, the Mau, has the potential to earn the country close to $2bn (£1.2bn) a year over the next 15 years.
But our reporter says that before the country runs to the bank, this value would have to be certified by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

source: BBC News

carbon trading

Reading Borough Council

Reading leads the charge to low carbon heating

| Sourced From Getreading |

Council tax payers in Reading could save money now Reading Borough Council has become the only local authority in Britain to benefit from £100,000 of funding to develop low-carbon heating.
Europe-funded energy programme GeoPower is working with governments, businesses and other organisations across the continent to encourage them to work together in partnership to introduce ground-source heat pumps.
The council has successfully bid to become the only partner in the UK to benefit and is one of 12 across eight countries – the UK, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden, Estonia and Belgium.
The innovative low-carbon method uses constant heat which lies below the surface of the ground and captures, compresses and then distributes heat to buildings.
In the summer the process can be reversed so the heat can be taken from the building and put back into the grounds, achieving considerable carbon energy, energy and financial savings.
The low-carbon method of heating buildings has already been installed at school The Avenue Centre, a building at Prospect School in Tilehurst and some other council buildings in the borough.
RBC sustainability manager Ben Burfoot said: “This project gives us the opportunity to pave the way for using this technology in new and existing buildings in Reading, as well as enabling us to maximise the use of ground-source heat pumps nationally to provide the low-carbon heating systems of the future.”
In bidding for funding, RBC had to show it had some experience in renewable energy and was in a position to deliver its part of the project.
The council has set a target of reducing carbon emissions across the borough by 34 per cent by 2020 based on 1990 levels including halving its own output, and with a further aim of being carbon-free by 2050.
Over the next two years the council will play a leading role in the pioneering project that will eventually help cut carbon emissions across Britain and the continent.
RBC will work closely with the partnership to share technology and experiences of installing and using ground-source heat pumps.
The work will then be pulled together to set a plan for how more ground-source heat pumps could be installed across Europe and benefit from the Government’s new Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) set to be announced next year.
RHI is intended to provide long-term support for renewable heat technologies from household solar thermal panels to industrial wood-pellet boilers through an £850m investment plan.
Warren Swaine, lead councillor for environment and sustainability, said: “Winning this bid shows our council is prepared to take a lead in developing a sustainable future, not just for Reading but for the rest of the country.”

Farmers Federation

Farmers Federation welcomes carbon draft

| Sourced From ABC |

The WA Farmers Federation (WAFF) says the release of draft legislation for the Commonwealth’s carbon farming initiative is just the first step in what will be a comprehensive and detailed scheme.
The Government is inviting feedback on the plan, which will allow farmers, land holders and forest growers to trade carbon credits on a national or international market.
WAFF’s senior vice president Dale Park has welcomed the release of the draft legislation.
But he says there is still much work to be done before the initiative can be finalised.
“We have to comment on the legislation by January 21, but we see this as only the very first step in being able to get farmers to be able to participate in the carbon market,” he said.
“We foresee there will be a lot of consultation all the way along the line with this one.”

carbon trading 360investgroup

Congress to Obama: you can’t regulate carbon emissions

Congress to Obama: you can’t regulate carbon emissions. Obama to Congress: watch me.

| Sourced From Scpr |

In the first two years of his term, President Obama fought a number of pitched battles with Congress, from healthcare reform to financial regulation reform. He won more than he lost, but one issue on which he lost spectacularly was his quest to regulate the emissions of greenhouse gasses through a cap-and-trade system.
Republicans were unified in their opposition to what they called a “job-killing cap-and-trade program,” and even many Democrats were skeptical; a bill never even came up for a vote. Now the President has seemingly decided to keep fighting but on a new battle field, as the Obama Environmental Protection Agency on January 2nd officially declared greenhouse gasses “subject to regulation” under the Clean Air Act.
Without comprehensive climate legislation from Congress, the EPA is going it alone, which among other things means that new power plants and refineries will be forced to install technologies to curb their carbon emissions. The strategy is sure to result in lengthy court battles — can President Obama get away with it?
Guests:
Robert Stavins, director, Environment, & Natural Resources Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.

carbon trading

Japan’s Government to Expand Carbon-Offset Projects

Japan’s Government to Expand Carbon-Offset Projects Overseas, Sankei Says

| Sourced From Bloomberg |

Japan will fund 180 feasibility studies into pollution-cutting projects for earning carbon credits this year, six more times than in 2010, the Sankei newspaper reported, without saying where it got the information.
The government will allocate 5.2 billion yen ($63 million) for the studies in developing countries aimed at exporting low- carbon technology, the paper said.

carbon trading

US voluntary market

“Charismatic” carbon and California-compliant

US voluntary market to see

steady demand:

offsets will dominate the voluntary market in 2011,

market participants said this week. While federal efforts

to create a US carbon cap-and-trade system have

stalled indefinitely, the voluntary carbon market will

remain steady this year.

carbon trading

Cash Grants For Electric Car Sales

carbon trading

Cash Grants To Jump-Start Electric Car Sales

James Sillars, Sky News Online

Motorists are being offered discounts of up to £5,000 to choose from a new generation of electric cars.

 

The Government scheme offers grants worth up to a quarter of the purchase price.

Nine models are covered; the first vehicles to qualify are the Mitsubishi iMiEV, the Mercedes-Benz smart fortwo ED and the Peugeot iON.
The discounts, known as the 'Plug-In Car Grant', will apply to six other cars as they join the scheme over the next few months.
They are: the Citroen CZero, available in early 2011, the Nissan Leaf and the Tata Vista EV.
Available from early 2012 will be the Toyota Prius Plug-in, the Vauxhall Ampera and the Chevrolet Volt.

Charge point locations can be at the roadside, like this one in west London.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Ultra-low emission cars with mass-market appeal are a reality and we can have all the convenience of the car without the carbon that normally goes with it."
The Government has confirmed that five regions have successfully applied for a share of a £20m fund to install local charging points for the vehicles.
The east of England will see charging points in places like Stansted airport, Cambridge, Norwich and Ipswich.
The Midlands points include Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham and Worcester, while Scottish points include Edinburgh and central Glasgow.
Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland also benefit.
Critics are quick to point out the limitations of electric cars in terms of their use - not to mention the cost.
For example, the Vauxhall Ampera will cost £28,995 even with the £5,000 grant.
The RAC Foundation told Sky News: "Clearly we are still a long way from an affordable mass market for these vehicles but this is a very welcome step in the right direction."

News Source: Skynews

carbon trading

What is carbon offsetting

Carbon Offsetting

Carbon offsetting is a scheme that allows you to cancel out your personal greenhouse gas emissions by paying someone else to reduce their own emissions. It’s like an inverted bank account. If driving my car 1,000 kilometres puts a tonne of carbon dioxide into the air, for instance, I can neutralize the damage by paying someone to plant enough trees to draw a tonne of CO2 back out of the atmosphere.
Since the Earth has a single atmosphere, it doesn’t matter whether the trees are planted in New Germany, New Mexico or New Guinea. It doesn’t even matter whether the transaction involves the same greenhouse gases. Methane is 23 times more damaging than CO2, for instance, so one tonne of methane reduction is as good as 23 tonnes of CO2 reduction.

carbon trading

Trees enlisted in carbon control

Trees enlisted in carbon control

| Sourced From Coloradoan |

Researchers at the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins are taking a look at how managing forests to promote carbon sequestration might help put a damper on climate change.
All those trees in the mountains absorb carbon in the air originating from vehicle tail pipes, which means the more trees there are in the woods, the more vehicle carbon emissions are trapped in the forest without contributing to climate change, said Tom Crow, manager of the Forest and Woodlands Ecosystem Pro-gram at the Rocky Mountain Research Station.

carbon trading

Kenya´s Green Drive into Carbon Trading

carbon trading

Kenya plans green drive to tap carbon billions

The government is seeking to tap billions of shillings from international carbon trading markets in a massive re-afforestation drive that will also create jobs for thousands of youths.
The plan involves rehabilitating degraded lands, 210 jua kali sheds and 200 hospitals through planting trees, grass, and flowers.

| Article information sourced From Businessdailyafrica |

carbon trading

Japan stands down from Carbon Trading

Japan’s government took a step back from plans to start carbon trading in 2013 amid opposition from industries that say emission-trading rules would add to costs and limit their ability to compete against rivals in China and India who don’t face the same restrictions.
Environment Minister Ryu Matsumoto declined to commit to the 2013 date in a press conference today after a meeting with other ministers to discuss the nation’s emissions trading plans. In August, an environment ministry panel recommended starting emission trading in fiscal 2013

carbon trading 360investgroup

California approves extensive carbon-trading scheme

 

California has approved an extensive carbon trading plan aimed at cutting greenhouse emissions.

State regulators passed a "cap-and-trade" framework to let companies buy and sell permits, giving them an incentive to emit fewer gases.
The aim is to create the second-largest market in the field, after Europe's.
State officials hope the scheme will be copied across the US, but opponents warn it may harm California's growth and lead to higher electricity prices.
California's Air Resources Board approved the new rules late on Thursday. They are part of a landmark state climate bill passed by the legislature in 2006, which set 1 January 2011 as the deadline for enacting a cap-and-trade system.
The scheme means that from 2012 California will allocate licences to pollute and create a market where they can be traded.
A company that emits fewer greenhouse gases than its permits allow, could sell the extra capacity to a dirtier firm.
By making over-polluting more expensive, the scheme aims to provide incentives to develop greener technology.
Over time the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions - the cap - is to be reduced. California wants to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
Costs
Although all firms will eventually need to buy greenhouse gas allowances, most of the permits will be given away in the first three-year period.
But many businesses fear they will suffer in an economy that is struggling to emerge from recession, the BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani in Los Angeles says.
Dorothy Rothrock of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association told Reuters news agency: "There are definitely going to be some costs incurred right up front for these companies."
Outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - who supports environmental causes - argues that growth in emerging green technologies will offset the costs of cap-and-trade.
"Since 2006 or so green jobs have been created 10 times faster than in any other sector," he said.
California - the world's eighth largest economy - already has strict climate-related regulations, including renewable energy mandates for utilities, and tough fuel-efficiency standards for cars.

News Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12016137

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carbon trading