Climate News Live

President George W. Bush chose not to sign the Kyoto Protocol during his time in office. As world leaders meet in Bali to road-map the next phase after the Kyoto agreement ends in 2012, the President has stressed his reluctance to agree to an international climate agreement.

A total of 172 countries and government entities have ratified the [Kyoto] protocol, which requires them to meet targeted curbs in their greenhouse-gas emissions by 2012, but exempts developing countries.

That means countries such as China and India are exempt, even though they are on track to outpace the United States as the world's biggest polluter. Washington has made their exemption a central argument for not signing on to the protocol which was established in 1997.

Bush's administration has called Kyoto "fatally flawed," and said it would cripple the US economy.

American Foreign Press, 11/30/07

Submitted by B. Shapiro

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Over 150 global companies support legal framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent climate catastrophe. They published a statement in the Financial Times indicating that the time to act on this problem is now.

Some of the world's largest firms -- including Coca-Cola, General Electric, Shell, Nestlé, Nike, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, British Airways and Shanghai Electric -- said that the scientific evidence for climate change is "now overwhelming" and that a legally binding agreement "will provide business with the certainty it needs to scale up global investment in low-carbon technologies."

Washington Post, 11/30/07

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The New England states have taken little action on reducing emissions and are now feeling the heat from environmentalist groups.

"In a new report, environmental groups give Vermont poor grades for progress in fighting climate change.  The Douglas Administration strongly rebuts the criticism. But the report has re-kindled debate over the administration's commitment to reducing greenhouse gases."

Vermont Public Radio, November 30, 2007

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The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released a white paper advocating insurance company participation in greenhouse gas credit trading to increase revenues to hedge against natural disaster claims as a result of climate change. The NAIC also calls on the federal government to adopt a nation-wide strategy to reduce emissions, similar to what RGGI and the Western Climate Initiative have done.

"The potential impacts of the white paper, penned by a group within the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), are unclear. However, sources tracking the group’s effort say the paper could become influential as regulators and lawmakers consider future policies to address climate change, considering the size of the insurance industry. The paper—drafted by an NAIC climate change panel headed by Tim Wagner, director of Nebraska’s insurance department, and Mike Kreidler, Washington state insurance commissioner—is expected to be finalized and approved by the full NAIC board in the summer of 2008. NAIC officials are expected to further discuss the draft paper at a Dec. 4 conference in Houston."

The white paper also advocates for decreased reliance on petroleum products by increasing federal and state funding for alternative energy sources.

Carbon Control News, November 29, 2007

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Realizing the economic impact of climate change, State officials aren't waiting around for the federal government.

"If nothing is done to combat global warming...Florida could stand to lose $345 billion a year in projected economic activity by 2100 if nothing is done to reduce emissions that are viewed as the main human contribution to rising global temperatures, according to the Tufts University study."

Reuters, November 28, 2007.

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Google announces it will invest in the research and development of renewable energy technology.

"The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., announced Tuesday that it intended to develop and help stimulate the creation of renewable energy technologies that are cheaper than coal-generated power.
Google said it would spend hundreds of millions of dollars, part of that to hire engineers and energy experts to investigate alternative energies like solar, geothermal and wind power. The effort is aimed at reducing Google’s own mounting energy costs to run its vast data centers, while also fighting climate change and helping to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.
“We see technologies we think can mature into very capable industries that can generate electricity cheaper than coal,” said Larry Page, a Google founder and president of products, “and we don’t see people talking about that as much as we would like.”
The initiative, which Google is calling RE < C, using mathematical symbols to denote “renewable energy cheaper than coal,” will be based in Google’s research and development group.
 

The New York Times, November 28, 2007

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In an effort to not be the "lone(star)" state on energy consumption, a wave of change is slowly hitting Texas.

"Texas's high carbon dioxide output and large energy consumption is primarily a result of large coal-burning power plants and gas-guzzling vehicles, both of which contribute to the pollution problem. But while many Texans think bigger is better, there are signs of an attitude change on energy consumption." 

National Public Radio, November 26, 2007.

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Responding to Congressional inquiry, the FTC will review guidelines on green marketing due to increasing activity in market.

"After holding hearings about carbon offsets this year, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, asked the FTC to review its guidelines. "As the opportunity to profit in this sector attracts more players, the potential for marketing claims to misleadingly portray the offset products in question also grows," he said in a letter to the FTC over the summer.
Yesterday Markey said that "the FTC is taking a positive step by responding to Congress's call for more oversight on carbon offsets."
 

The Washington Post, November 26, 2007

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The federal government lags behind international and regional state initiatives to promote clean energy and reduce the effects of climate change. Recently, six Midwestern states plus a Canadian province signed an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade program.

"In the business world, the dynamic is similar. The amount of venture capital invested in clean energy across North America doubled from 2005 to 2006 and should more than double again this year, says Doerr, a partner in the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. 'We are not going to get there without the right policy, the right innovation and the right investment," Doerr says. "All three have to pull together.' "

National Journal, November 26, 2007

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The fight over whether California can limit cars' emissions of greenhouse gases continues.

"The legal battle over global warming moved Monday to the Central Valley, where the auto industry tried to convince a federal judge that California's attempt to limit car emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is beyond its authority." 

San Francisco Chronicle, November 20, 2007.

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Governor will decide on which proposals to pursue.

"Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Monday unveiled a state panel’s recommendations to reduce greenhouse gases in Montana, and said state government will 'lead by example' by cutting its energy consumption 20 percent in three years." 

Independent Record, November 20, 2007.

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Three groups representing some of the biggest buyers and sellers of carbon offsets for greenhouse gas emissions are taking action to combat falsified offsets by establishing a new "voluntary carbon standard."

"The stakes are high, particularly in the U.S., where the voluntary carbon market is concentrated. Companies using offsets to meet pledges they have made to go green are worried about the public-relations fallout if the offsets turn out to be bogus. And questions about the market's legitimacy are figuring prominently in an intensifying debate in Congress over whether the U.S. should slap industry with mandatory caps on greenhouse-gas emissions."

Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2007

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The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has used research from 2,500 scientists to create a report with the consequences for each degree of atmospheric heating.

"To avoid heating the globe by the minimum possible, an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the world's spiraling growth in greenhouse gas emissions must end no later than 2015, the report said, and must start to drop quickly after that peak. By 2050, carbon dioxide and other atmospheric polluting gases must be reduced by 50 to 85 percent, according to the estimates."

Washington Post, November 18, 2007

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The UN has issued its final report on climate change before world leaders are scheduled to meet in Bali, Indonesia, next month to begin to discuss a global climate change treaty that will replace the Kyoto protocol.  While some researchers criticize the findings as too conservative, the report details the potential disasterous consequences of global warming.

"Synthesizing reams of data from its three previous reports, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the first time specifically points out important risks if governments fail to respond: melting ice sheets that could lead to a rapid rise in sea levels and the extinction of large numbers of species brought about by even moderate amounts of warming, on the order of 1 to 3 degrees."

New York Times, November 17, 2007

Submitted by: M. Brooks

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The UN has issued its final report on climate change before world leaders are scheduled to meet in Bali, Indonesia, next month to begin to discuss a global climate change treaty that will replace the Kyoto protocol.  While some researchers criticize the findings as too conservative, the report details the potential disasterous consequences of global warming.

"Synthesizing reams of data from its three previous reports, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the first time specifically points out important risks if governments fail to respond: melting ice sheets that could lead to a rapid rise in sea levels and the extinction of large numbers of species brought about by even moderate amounts of warming, on the order of 1 to 3 degrees."

The New York Times, November 17, 2007

Submitted by: M. Brooks

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Like many businesses, Frito-Lay is seeking to use green technology to reduce its carbon footprint - and improve green credentials.

"Its goal is to take the Casa Grande plant off the power grid, or nearly so, and run it almost entirely on renewable fuels and recycled water….The retrofit of the Casa Grande factory, scheduled to be completed by 2010, would reduce electricity and water consumption by 90 percent and its natural gas use by 80 percent. Greenhouse gas emissions would be cut by 50 percent to 75 percent, the company said."

The New York Times, November 15, 2007

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At Republican suggestions, Senator Boxer, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has agreed to take additional time to consider major climate change legislation.

"We'll work on this as long as it takes," Boxer said during the hearing. After the session, she said she wants the committee to work through the massive, 200-plus-page bill on Dec. 5 and 6, "even if it takes all night," and then vote on the legislation.
She promised Republicans on the committee to consider all amendments "in an open and transparent process."
If the committee passes the bill, the full Senate would probably not take it up until February, Boxer said, right in the middle of presidential primary season."

Mercury News, November 14, 2007

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Minnesota Governor Pawlenty promotes clean energy and conservation as National Governors Association chairman.

"Gov. Tim Pawlenty showed his Minnesota pride Tuesday as he touted the state's commitment to renewable energy before a global audience.  Pawlenty was in Washington, D.C., to address attendees of the Energy Efficiency Global Forum, an event with about 800 representatives of governments, corporations and organizations from around the world."

Star Tribune, November 13, 2007.

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The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is set to discuss a detailed study on global warming this week.  Early indications are that the U.S. will support the document, which argues that governments and businesses will have to spend billions of dollars a year to reduce global warming and adapt to its effects.  This week's session aims to set a deadline to agree on a successor treaty to Kyoto.

 "We haven't seen any problems in the drafts that we've seen,'' said John Marburger, director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington, in a telephone interview. ``But it depends what happens at the meetings.''

Bloomberg News, November 12, 2007.

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Many Republicans on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are urging for more time to debate the details of the Warner-Lieberman proposal.

"Climate change is a serious and complex issue that deserves our full attention," Sen. George Voinovich said at an environment committee hearing. "So I'm asking, could you slow it down?"
Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, acknowledged the desire to get a law passed quickly, but said, "The abbreviated process I don't believe is conducive to good public policy."

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, noted that the committee has held 20 hearings on climate change, including some provisions included in America's Climate Security Act, the bill under consideration."

Reuters, November 8, 2007.

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Stewardship of Earth and environmental awareness are continuing to resonate in religious communities.

"In a poll last month by Ellison Research, 70 percent of self-described evangelicals said they believed global warming would have an impact on future generations, and 64 percent said action should begin immediately.
More than half — 54 percent — said they would be more likely to support candidates who worked to curb global warming. "

MSNBC.com, November 6, 2007.

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Governor promoting climate change initiatives, including an agricultural carbon offset program.

"Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. yesterday released his Climate Change Action Plan, the latest state chief executive to jump aboard the global-warming bandwagon with a set of tougher emissions standards." 

The Washington Times, November 6, 2007.

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Citizens rally around need to address climate change.

"Scores of people gathered on the Statehouse steps Saturday to push for local solutions to climate change caused by global warming and urged the Douglas administration to do more...The Montpelier rally was one of hundreds across the country Saturday that were part of a national "Step it Up" event, a "national day of climate action," all committed to reducing the threat of climate change." 

The Boston Globe, November 3, 2007.

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