News Roundup
‘WASHINGTON Reuters – U.S. refiners on Friday blasted landmark climate change legislation that is currently making its way through Congress as an “abject policy failure,” saying it could lead to an increase in imports of refined products such as gasoline and diesel.’
via Refiners blast proposed climate bill | Green Business | Reuters.
‘SHANGHAI — Wealthy nations, as history’s biggest polluters, should cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, China says in a policy document on climate change.’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure requiring utilities to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, overcame a legislative hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
via Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate | Green Business | Reuters.
If we’re going to get real action on climate change any time soon, it will be via some version of legislation proposed by Representatives Henry Waxman and Edward Markey. Their bill would limit greenhouse gases by requiring polluters to receive or buy emission permits, with the number of available permits — the “cap” in “cap and trade” — gradually falling over time.
via Op-Ed Columnist – The Perfect, the Good, the Planet – NYTimes.com.
WASHINGTON Reuters – President Barack Obama proposed on Tuesday the first U.S. regulation of auto emissions in a bid to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gasses and lower dependence on foreign oil.
via Obama proposes first regulation of auto emissions | Reuters.
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he will provide $2.4 billion from the economic recovery package to speed up development of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and factories that burn coal.
Chu told a meeting of the National Coal Council on Friday that it's essential that ways are found to capture carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants and industrial sources. Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.
Chu said coal will remain an essential energy source. He said even if coal plants in the United States were shut down, as some environmentalists want, China and India will not turn their back on coal.
via US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package.
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he will provide $2.4 billion from the economic recovery package to speed up development of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and factories that burn coal.
via US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package.
Video of Obama campaign advisor and IPCC coordinating lead author Dan Kammen’s plenary address before the Copenhagen Climate Congress (March 11, 2009), where he argues for urgent action to mitigate climate change through several approaches, including energy efficiency, energy grid infrastructure improvements, and setting a price of carbon.
Report: Low Carbon Zones: A transformational agenda for China and Europe
This report calls for cooperation between China and Europe in three areas, technology, finance, and market access, as well as for creation of special ‘Low Carbon Zones’ which would be modeled upon the ‘Special Economic Zones’ which played such a large role in China’s economic transformation.
The UCL Lancet Commission has produced a 41 page comprehensive report on projected health effects of climate change, “Managing the health effects of climate change” . There is also an audio podcast discussing the findings in the publication. Excerpt from the podcast:
“The big message is that climate change is a health issue, it’s not just an environment issue about polar bears and deforestation – and we think it’s quite probably the most important global health issue of the twenty first century” ~ Anthony Costello, Chair of the UCL Lancet Commission.