Climate change is forcing companies of all sizes to rethink the way they do business.. to find ways to sustain growth in a low, rather than high, carbon economy.
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Lower your fuel costs: Biofuel Expo - 16 Sep 2008
3rd Annual European Biofuels Expo & Conference - 16 Sep 2008
Sustainable UN (SUN) on the move towards climate neutrality - 16 Sep 2008
UN climate talks split over deforestation funds - 16 Sep 2008
EU carbon drops on energy, Lehmans shuts CO2 desk - 15 Sep 2008
GENERAL | Businesses focus on generating revenue through CSR activities Environmental Leader Companies believe that when they are more open with stakeholders and place social responsibility at the core of their business strategy they will be more competitive, attract and retain the best talent, and gain access to new business opportunities, a new report by IBM titled, Attaining Sustainable Growth Through Corporate Social Responsibility (PDF). |
CONSTRUCTION | Office renovation pays for itself Business Week Reporting on one man's efforts to go green and turn his 10,000-square-foot office space into a working laboratory for sustainable systems. |
ENERGY | US budget contains $242 million for green power Renewable Energy Focus US President George Bush has asked Congress for US$25 billion in funds for the Department of Energy, of which $1.25 billion is allocated for the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. |
| Sweden uses humans to heat building ENN Under an innovative new plan, the body heat from more than 250,000 people who pass through Stockholm Central Station each day will be captured and used to warm up water in a series of pipes, which will be pumped into a new office building nearby reports ENN. | |
| EU could ban patio heaters Environmental Leader The EU is moving to ban outdoor patio heaters, upsetting incense bar and restaurant owners. Environmentalists back the plan, arguing the heaters make a significant contribution to global warming. | |
| Government renewables strategy in Uganda makes the jump from words to action Reeep Many countries, lacking substantial fossil fuel resources are implementing renewables policies to bolster security of energy supplies. Others are looking to diversify their energy portfolios, create jobs and spur economic development, while still others are intent on meeting carbon-reduction targets to combat global warming. In the east African nation of Uganda, policy-makers are promoting renewable energy in part simply to keep the lights on reports Reeep. The government is pursuing a broad national renewable energy strategy as well as specific projects designed to generate clean energy while relieving the strain on the country’s overtaxed grid. | |
npower survey shows business energy users fear carbon cutting regulation will make UK uncompetitive The fifth npower Business Energy Index (nBEI 5) canvassed 200 senior managers and energy buyers at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large industrial firms on attitudes to energy use, costs and C02 emissions, revealing unease within the business community about the existing CO2 reduction framework of regulation. | |
| Philippines joins light bulb ban trend edie.net The Philippines is set to become the first country in Asia to phase out traditional light bulbs in favour of more energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps. | |
| Study finds ethanol worse for climate than gasoline Earthtrends Ethanol's climate benefits, already assailed by many environmentalists, have become even more troubled in the past week. A study published online in Science magazine last Thursday indicates that, over a 30 year span, ethanol from corn nearly doubles the greenhouse gas emissions of the equivalent amount of gasoline, while ethanol produced from switchgrass increases emissions by 50 per cent. | |
| World's first commercial scale tidal generator planned for March BusinessGreen UK tidal energy firm Marine Current Turbines (MCT) has announced that it plans to install the world's first commercial scale, grid-connected tidal energy generator at Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland late next month. | |
FINANCE/INSURANCE | Age of 'green economics' is upon us says UN's Ban Ki-moon Reuters via ENN UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the world is on the cusp of "the age of green economics" and called on nations to cooperate to fight global warming and promote the transformation. "With the right financial incentives and a global framework, we can steer economic growth in a low-carbon direction," Ban said in remarks prepared for delivery to a Chicago business group. |
| Finaning the transition from brown to a green global economy tops environmnt ministers meeting The biggest gathering of environment ministers to take place since the climate change breakthrough in Bali will be happening in Monaco later this month under the theme "Mobilizing Finance for the Climate Challenge". More than 100 ministers from across the globe are scheduled to attend the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF) - the world's forum for environment ministers -alongside senior figures from industry and economics; science; local government; civil society, trades unions and intergovernmental bodies. These include Tulsi Tanti, Managing Director of Indian wind energy company Suzlon; Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; and Juan Somovia, the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation. Other key figures include Gunter Pauli, entrepreneur, businessman and founder of the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives and an expert on nature's solutions to environmental challenges; James Cameron, founder of Climate Change Capital - an investment banking group specializing in financing a low-carbon economy; and Fernando Ibanez, Chief Executive Officer of Saguapac, one of the world's most successful and largest water cooperatives. | |
| Report warns ethical investments may not be so green BusinessGreen Study argues that those investors who regard ethical investments as synonymous with green investments could be in for a nasty shock. | |
| Carbon trading the winner in ‘Super Tuesday’ Carbon Finance The US moved closer to a federal cap-and-trade emissions scheme yesterday, with Arizona senator John McCain emerging from ‘Super Tuesday’ as the likely Republican presidential candidate. The Democrat race remains too close to call, with New York senator Hillary Clinton slightly ahead of Senator Barack Obama from Illinois. Both candidates are in favour of cap-and-trade, and propose cuts of 80% on 1990 US emissions levels by 2050. | |
New details on proposed Climate Security Act that would create the world's largest carbon market Business wire Point Carbon, a provider of independent analysis and consulting services for governments and companies in the global power, gas and carbon markets, today released an analysis of the current version of the US Senate’s Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (CSA). According to the report titled, “American Climate Policy: A Tale of Two Bills,” passage of the CSA would create the largest cap-and-trade emissions trading system in the world with an allocation of 5.7 billion emissions allowances in 2012—a market value equivalent of USD $150 billion. | |
| EU ministers urge caution on cost of climate plan Reuters via ENN The European Union's move to a low-carbon economy to fight climate change must not harm its competitiveness, the bloc's finance ministers said on Tuesday. The executive European Commission last month proposed an ambitious package of measures to help the 27-nation bloc cut greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming, partly by using more green energy sources. | |
| China green credit move meets resistance: watchdog | |
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE | Bloomberg slams US energy law over corn ethanol A new US energy law will cause an increase in global food prices and lead to starvation deaths worldwide because it continues to promote corn ethanol, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday. |
Agricultural biotechnology continues to increase crop yield and farmer income worldwide while supporting the environment | |
| Food miles hard to digest IPS European consumers shunning imported food supposedly to limit climate change should not make African farmers a scapegoat, a Brussels conference has been told. | |
ICT | UK tech sector sets sights on energy efficiency for climate goals Greener Computing Improving energy efficiency in computer hardware and consumer electronics can address three of the main environmental problems facing the planet, according to a new report from the high-tech trade association Intellect. |
LEGAL | Lawyers focus on climate change implications, greening operations GreenBiz Former New York Governor George E. Pataki is spearheading a climate change law practice to help clients deal with the legal and economic effects of a warming planet. John Cahill, former Commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, will join Pataki to lead the practice, which is being formed by Chadbourne & Parke LLP. The firm has a history assisting the wind energy, ethanol and solar industries. |
METALS AND MINING | The Ethical Jewellry Handbook for jewellry trade Webwire Reflective Images, a designer jewellry firm, has published a free Ebook for those in the jewellry trade wishing to adopt exceptional standards and radical transparency: Fair, Responsible, Ecological (FRE) System. The book provides articles and information for those in the jewellry sector wishing to be more ecologically and socially responsible in their business practices. It is also a handbook which explains how any company can implement the FRE System, which offers customers a detailed insight into the supply chain, from the mine to the showroom, for all components of every finished piece of jewellry the company sells. |
| Aluminium industry struggles to meet emissions targets Environmental Leader The aluminum industry is struggling to meet its own voluntary targets to cut direct greenhouse gas emissions from its production processes by 2010. | |
TRANSPORTATION | Clean Sky Research Programme takes off at launch forum A new generation of greener, more environmentally efficient aircraft has moved a step closer, with the official launch of the Clean Sky JTI research programme, in Brussels earlier this month. The €1.6 billion Clean Sky Programme represents a joint commitment from the European Union and aeronautics industry to make air travel more sustainable, by encouraging aeronautics manufacturers to develop and produce greener products. |
| Ship CO2 emissions at 3.5 per cent of global total: IMO ENN Annual carbon dioxide emissions from world shipping reached 1.12 billion tonnes in 2007, about 3.5 perc ent of total global carbon emissions, a scientific report by the world's top maritime body shows. The report also showed that growing international seaborne trade and related fuel consumption will raise carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from ships by 30 per cent to 1.475 billion tonnes by 2020. | |
| Could smart traffic lights stop motorists fuming? New Scientist Traffic lights that wirelessly keep track of vehicles could speed up journeys, reduce fuel consumption and improve urban air quality. So say Romanian and US researchers who show that "smart" traffic lights might reduce the time drivers spend waiting at intersections by more than 28% during rush hours. | |
