Here's something very basic: as long as our production of greenhouse gases continues to increase, we not only drive Climate Change but accelerate the rate of change that we're seeing. The equation is incredibly simple: the average per capita output of greenhouse gases x the number of people on the planet. If the final number is rising, we're in trouble; if it's falling, there's a chance that we can slow the rate of change and even avoid some of the more catastrophic effects altogether. So here's where we collect news items that monitor just what we're pushing out into the world and the performance of governments, enterprises and individuals in making a difference. Copyright 2008 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The argument that developing countries are taking no action to address climate change is wrong. With the target date for the Kyoto Protocol’s successor agreement still a year away, and a lame duck U.S. delegation in attendance, nobody expected a watershed moment at the recently concluded climate change conference (COP-14) in Poznan, Poland. While delegates made modest progress on some key issues, the real stuff happened outside the negotiations, as the leaders of some of the highest-emitting and fastest-growing economies pledged to reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions. Brazil announced it would reduce its deforestation rate over 50 percent from recent levels by 2017, avoiding an estimated 4.8 billion tons of CO2 emissions. Mexico pledged to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, employing a “cap-and-trade” policy like the one recently considered by the U.S. Congress. South Africa presented a detailed plan to peak their country’s emissions by 2020. And while China—now the world’s largest source of annual greenhouse gas emissions—made no new announcements in Poznan, it is on track to reduce its energy intensity 20 percent by 2010. In 2007 alone, China closed over 1,000 inefficient factories. These developments are significant for two reasons. First, these four countries collectively account for nearly a quarter of global emissions. More importantly, China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico are all developing countries—“non-Annex I countries” in the parlance of the Kyoto Protocol. Critics perennially complain that international efforts to address global warming won’t work unless developing countries—which account for just over half of all global greenhouse gases—take action to reduce their emissions. For their part, developing countries have resisted emissions targets, arguing, legitimately I think, that developed countries have contributed the lion’s share of emissions so far, and should lead in making reductions. In any case, the argument that developing countries are taking no action is wrong. This month’s pronouncements signal a growing urgency on the part of emerging economies to shift their own development to a more sustainable path. While the new targets are politically significant, their impact on emissions and domestic policy remains to be seen. Brazil’s plan, for example, has come under fire by local environmental groups, who charge that it lacks ambition (the first phase of its target was largely achieved before the plan was even announced) and means little without an implementation plan. There is no doubt that China’s plans are being implemented, but as long as China’s economic growth outpaces its intensity targets, they will not result in absolute emissions reductions. Per-capita Chinese energy consumption is still well below that in the United States, so reducing emissions intensity is a reasonable near-term goal. Ultimately though, we will need absolute reductions in China as basic energy demand is satisfied and new technology options materialize. Developing countries have come a long way since the US Senate refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it did not require them to act. President-elect Obama has stated that his administration will seek deep emissions cuts in the U.S., but Congress will no doubt have an eye on China as it considers what policies to enact. A clear understanding of developing country climate and energy policies will be key to fostering confidence that emissions reductions at home will not be negated by unconstrained growth abroad. For their part, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa have made at least some of their efforts contingent on outside support, and the Chinese used their program to call on developed countries for greater action. Mexican environment minister Juan Rafael Elvira said that his country’s target was meant to spur other countries to reduce their own emissions—and to help Mexico attract investment to make its reductions. South Africa has divided its plan into low- and no-cost efforts it can tackle alone and additional efforts it could undertake with international assistance. As the Obama administration takes up the negotiating reins, it will be navigating a very different terrain than the one in which the Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997. Developing countries have presented a range of initiatives that they are prepared to take forward either unilaterally or with international support. The U.S. must now act quickly to pass strong legislation to spur an economic recovery while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Internationally, the U.S. must seek a fair and effective agreement that supports the initiatives already underway in developing countries. A significant part of the global community is ready to do its part. So must the United States. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/12/a_different_world_than_kyoto.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/12/a_different_world_than_kyoto.html Emissions Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0100 The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will conduct its second auction of carbon-dioxide-emission permits which will allow states to reinvest in clean energy. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/12/northeast_states_to_hold_globa.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/12/northeast_states_to_hold_globa.html Emissions Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0100 The forecast for clear skies and smooth sailing for oceanic vessels has been impeded by worldwide concerns of their significant contributions to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that impact the Earth's climate. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/fuel_emissions_from_marine_ves.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/fuel_emissions_from_marine_ves.html Emissions Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100 An ongoing rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels might be kept below harmful levels if emissions from coal are phased out within the next few decades, say researchers. They say that less plentiful oil and gas should be used sparingly as well, but that far greater supplies of coal mean that it must be the main target of reductions. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/curbing_coal_emissions_alone_m.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/curbing_coal_emissions_alone_m.html Emissions Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100 CO2 and air pollution can be reduced significantly by improving cities’ transportation systems, but quantifying those reductions can be difficult. This article originally appeared on Embarq’s blog The City Fix. As transportation demand continues to rise at unprecedented rates, the need to compare alternative transport policies and their impacts on both CO2 emissions and local air pollution is becoming more and more critical. However, the challenge of quantifying these impacts has often hindered transparent and well-informed decision making. To help address this barrier, EMBARQ/WRI has just released a new publication entitled “Measuring the Invisible: Quantifying Emissions Reductions from Transport Solutions”. The new report is composed of a series of case studies that examine how three developing country cities (Queretaro, Mexico, Porto Alegre, Brazil, and Hanoi, Vietnam) can quantify emissions reductions from transport interventions. Importantly, we found that in each case, there is a large potential to reduce transport-related CO2 and air pollutant emissions at the city level through implementation of smarter transportation policy. We hope that this research contributes to efforts to develop reliable and cost-effective approaches for estimating greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions from various transport interventions. Click on the links below to read the full reports: Queretaro case study Porto Alegre case study Hanoi case study Also, you can watch a video of a presentation I gave on this project at last year’s Transportation Research Board annual meeting: Learn more about Embarq’s work on sustainable transport here. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/the_challenge_of_tracking_tran.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/09/the_challenge_of_tracking_tran.html Emissions Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Just weeks out from the Olympics, the CSIRO and its Chinese partners have officially launched a post-combustion capture pilot plant in Beijing that strips carbon dioxide from power station flue gases in an effort to stem climate change. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/08/carbon_capture_milestone_for_c.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/08/carbon_capture_milestone_for_c.html Emissions Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Scientists modeled emissions for Minnesota and found that it is possible to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050 and possibly exceed those numbers if a combination of strategies are implemented, including reducing fuel consumption, increasing fuel efficiencies and fuel carbon content and by using new methods for designing communities. However, the researchers point out that the methods could be applied nationally. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/08/possible_to_reduce_emissions_b.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/08/possible_to_reduce_emissions_b.html Emissions Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/western_governors_offer_greenh.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/western_governors_offer_greenh.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Exelon, the electric company based in Chicago, will promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 by an amount larger than its total emissions in 2008. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/to_set_tone_exelon_plans_huge.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/to_set_tone_exelon_plans_huge.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A coalition of U.S. states and Canadian provinces that have banded together to cut greenhouse gases will launch their carbon cap and trade system in 2012, according to a draft plan released on Wednesday. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/uscanada_carbon_trading_group.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/uscanada_carbon_trading_group.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 The Government must set a deadline for coal-fired power stations to install technology to massively cut their emissions or be shut down, a committee of MPs urged today. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/mps_urge_emissions_deadlines_f.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/mps_urge_emissions_deadlines_f.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Solving the carbon-emissions problem requires concerted action among unequal participants over at least a century. Yet, writes Martin Wolf, the right thing to do is to try. From: ChinaDialogue http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/moving_mountains_on_a_climate.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/moving_mountains_on_a_climate.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 How much of a cut is necessary to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change? Lester Brown puts our leaders on the spot. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/plan_b_cut_emissions_80_percen.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/plan_b_cut_emissions_80_percen.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Industrialized nations could collectively offset 500 million tons carbon of dioxide emissions at roughly $2 per ton by protecting tropical rainforests, according to estimates published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/rainforest_conservation_could_1.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/rainforest_conservation_could_1.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 For the first time, one can have a whole view of America's carbon output: region by region, city by city. The Vulcan Project has undertaken a holistic inventory—including electricity, heat, transportation, and industry—of local carbon emissions across the nation to create the first carbon map of America. Texas leads the fifty states, and the county of Harris, Texas (encompassing Houston) records the nation's largest emissions by county. Although Texas is second in population after California, its massive industry puts it over the top. http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/first_carbon_map_of_america_re.html http://www.blueglo.be/2008/07/first_carbon_map_of_america_re.html Emissions Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100