Climate News Live

With a serious cap and trade proposal being discussed in Committee, Congress must address crucial issue of how credits distributed.

"A Senate subcommittee this week is expected to take up a proposal by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., to institute a nationwide cap-and-trade program designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
But before the United States ever adopts a cap-and-trade program, lawmakers and policymakers will be forced to answer several complicated questions. None may prove as thorny as determining how the government distributes the emission allowances that would make up the "trade" portion of the program."

Market Watch, October 29, 2007. 

Submitted by J. Andrews

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Companies scramble to supply new green technologies…and make some money at the same time.

"Alternative-energy producers are having a field day as new regulations and subsidies, and improving technology, make their power more attractive to investors. Hosts of new projects are springing up as Wall Street sinks money into everything from wind turbines to solar panels to ethanol. Credit Suisse Group just introduced a new "global-warming index" of stocks its analysts believe will benefit from the push toward lower emissions -- one of several new green-investment instruments from major banks."

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 29, 2007.

Submitted by M. Brooks
 

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The City of Seattle reaches Kyoto milestone.

"The city of Seattle has become one of the few major U.S. cities to cut greenhouse gases enough to meet the targets of the international global-warming treaty, the Kyoto Protocols."

The Seattle Times, October 29, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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From small towns to big cities, from Republican to Democrat, new coal plants are facing scrutiny.

"Nationwide, utilities have proposed more than 185 new coal-fired power plants since 2000 as natural gas prices skyrocketed and energy independence became a pressing concern. Ten of those new plants are now operating, 32 are under construction or close to beginning, and about 90 others are in earlier phases of development."

USA Today, October 29, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Plants to buy state-created allowances.

"Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Wednesday unveiled likely state rules for a 10-state regional program that will fight global warming by cutting greenhouse gases from power plants." 

Albany Times Union, October 25, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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The Lieberman/Warner legislation is seen as a major step forward in Congress's attempt to address climate change, but the bill is receiving mixed reviews from industry and environmental groups:

"Two US senators, Connecticut Independent Joseph Lieberman and Virginia Republican John Warner, have launched major legislation on climate change that sets a marker for Congress and directly challenges the Bush administration.
America's Climate Security Act, as it's called, would set greenhouse-gas limits on about 75 percent of the US economy by creating caps on emissions from the electric power, transportation, and manufacturing industries. Emissions would have to be cut to 1990 levels by 2020, then to about 62 percent below 2005 levels by 2050."

Christian Science Monitor, October 25, 2007.

Submitted by J. Andrews

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Household products' journey begins in 15-mile gas pipeline.

"A partnership between two Georgia-Carolina companies and a landfill promises to clean up the air.  Kimberly Clark will soon start pumping methane gas from the Three Rivers Regional Landfill in Jackson, South Carolina."

NBC Augusta, October 22, 2007.  

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Local businesses are jumping into the alternative energy production field.

"Two local businesses are pushing to build wind turbines and solar panels to generate electricity in a Mount Airy park, acting upon an idea proposed by a college environmentalist last summer." 

The Baltimore Sun, October 22, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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California Governor Schwarzenegger is taking a tempered approach in implementing emissions reduction legislation.

"On a Sunday evening this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger quietly vetoed what environmentalists had deemed to be one of the most important global warming bills to reach his desk this year.  The legislation, opposed by oil companies, would have required cleaner fuels for trucks and cars as part of the state's ambitious attempt to reduce greenhouse gases." 

The Los Angeles Times, October 22, 2007.

 Submitted by J. Dilley

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California homes to meet goals through solar power and advanced insulation.

"California energy regulators Thursday adopted a target that all homes built after 2020 produce at least as much energy as they consume to reduce demand for electricity and cut pollution tied to power generation." 

The Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Some are questioning who actually owns the water that would be used for hydropower.

"After two private power companies got federal permits in the past year to examine hydro-power prospects on a fast-moving stretch of the Piscataqua River, New Hampshire will study the issue of who owns or can own energy generated from the elements." 

The Boston Globe, October 18, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Climate change seems to be accepted as a legitimate issue among Republican candidates, however, opinions still differ on how to address it.

"While many conservative commentators and editorialists have mocked concerns about climate change, a different reality is emerging among Republican presidential contenders. It is a near-unanimous recognition among the leaders of the threat posed by global warming.

Within that camp, however, sharp divisions are developing. Senator John McCain of Arizona is calling for capping gas emissions linked to warming and higher fuel economy standards. Others, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, are refraining from advocating such limits and are instead emphasizing a push toward clean coal and other alternative energy sources."

New York Times, October 17, 2007

Submitted by J. Andrews

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Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in India by 9.7% could cost $2.53 trillion.  "This startling figure has been thrown up by studies being carried out and commissioned by the Indian government to understand the impact of climate change and its mitigation."….."Developed countries have begun a loud campaign demanding that India and China too undertake some kind of binding targets to cut emissions just like the developed countries do under the existing regime."

The Times of India, October 16, 2007
 
Submitted by R. Ehrich

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 New multi-million dollar research center has affordability in mind.

"A ground breaking is being held Tuesday for a $35 million research center on Long Island that will study how to make alternative energy affordable to average people. The Advanced Energy Research Technology Center is a partnership of the state government, local businesses and scientists."

NewsDay, October 16, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Developers won't be asked how much a new building will cost, but how much of an impact the building has on the climate.

"Builders in Seattle would be required to identify the impact of large projects on climate change if legislation by City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck wins approval...The legislation will be discussed at the City Council's Nov. 28 land-use committee meeting. If the full council approves it, the Department of Planning and Development would have to define how to measure the impact of construction on global warming." 

The Seattle Times, October 16, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Computer model shows that not only is the world heating, its getting more humid.

"The world isn't just getting hotter from man-made global warming, it's getting stickier. It really is the humidity. The amount of moisture in the air near the surface _ the stuff that makes hot weather unbearable _ increased 2.2 percent in just under three decades. And computer models show that the only explanation is man-made global warming, according to a study published in Thursday's journal Nature.

"This humidity change is an important contribution to heat stress in humans as a result of global warming," said Nathan Gillett of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, a co-author of the study."

Washington Post, October 10, 2007 

Submitted by J. Andrews

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California will begin working out the details on how to effectively meet their ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals.

"Make big-rig trucks more aerodynamic. Allow docked ships to shut off engines and plug into electrical outlets. Require oil-change technicians to check tire pressure.

Those measures and six more that California regulators will consider this month are among early actions in what will be a long, fiercely debated and politically perilous battle against global warming." 

USA Today, October 9, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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Green chemistry offers opportunities to reduce waste before it is created.

"The best way for industrial manufacturers to deal with frequently toxic chemical waste is to avoid producing it.
That's the idea behind a new process with the potential to enable some types of complex molecules -- present in such things as certain drugs and perfumes -- to be formed without generating byproducts that might otherwise flow into wastewater or drift up smokestacks.

The technique was developed by University of Texas scientist Michael J. Krische, with backing from government grants and various pharmaceutical industry players. The process triggers bonds between carbon atoms using a twist on what is known as catalytic hydrogenation, a standard chemical reaction in industrial settings typically deployed to bond carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms."

The Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2007.

Submitted by J. Andrews

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Proposal opens doors for suppliers to compete based on environmental practices.

"At least six of the world's largest companies, including Procter & Gamble Co., Unilever, Tesco PLC and Nestlé SA, will announce Tuesday that they are banding together to press their suppliers to release data about their carbon emissions and climate-change mitigation strategies. The move affects plants churning out everything from T-shirts to cocoa beans to razors.

The effort comes amid growing concern that stricter climate-change legislation could radically drive up costs for businesses. Many U.S. companies are now betting that federal climate-change legislation -- which could includes taxes or caps on emitting greenhouse gases -- is inevitable in the next several years. And global leaders are already gearing up to hammer out a new international treaty on climate change to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Rising energy costs associated with stiffer regulations could affect all companies along the supply chain, so some companies are taking proactive steps to curb upstream costs."

The Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2007.

 Submitted by J. Andrews

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Idaho Governor Butch Otter contends solar and wind investments take too long.

"Idaho should bolster its ties to the nuclear power industry to underpin economic growth and curb greenhouse gas emissions because alternative energy sources like solar or wind are too costly to meet the state's future needs, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said Tuesday."

Seattle Post Intelligencer, October 2, 2007.

Submitted by J. Dilley

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