News: ‘Climate & Energy’ Archive
‘LOS ANGELES Reuters – California said it had approved the most aggressive energy efficiency plan among U.S. states on Thursday, earmarking $3.1 billion to retrofit homes and other programs that will cut power needs equivalent to three medium-sized power plants.’
via California sets biggest energy efficiency plan | Green Business | Reuters.
‘LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The United States will add 6,000 megawatts in wind power this year, down nearly 30 percent from last year as the credit crisis slowed expansion of the renewable energy source, an industry group said on Thursday.’
via Recession slows U.S. wind power growth rate | Green Business | Reuters.
OSLO/LONDON Reuters – A summit of world leaders has dimmed hopes for a strong new U.N. climate pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December, with details looking ever more likely to be left for 2010.
via U.N. climate summit dims hopes for Copenhagen pact | Green Business | Reuters.
‘UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – China laid out a plan to curb carbon emissions by 2020 and U.S. President Barack Obama called on all nations to act now to tackle global warming, as world leaders tried to inject momentum into climate change talks.’
via China and U.S. try to jumpstart U.N. climate talks | Green Business | Reuters.
‘These new measurements, based on 50 million laser readings from a NASA satellite, confirm what some of the more pessimistic scientists thought: The melting along the crucial edges of the two major ice sheets is accelerating and is in a self-feeding loop. The more the ice melts, the more water surrounds and eats away at the remaining ice.’
See video link
Obama spoke before the United Nations Climate Conference today, reaffirming his commitment to strong action on climate change, and calling for coordinated international efforts and an agreement in Copenhagen,
“Each of us must do what we can when we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet — and we must all do it together. We must seize the opportunity to make Copenhagen a significant step forward in the global fight against climate change.”
The President clearly acknowledged the historical responsibility of the developed nations for existing green house gas emissions, even mentioning the United States by name, while adding, “But those rapidly-growing developing nations that will produce nearly all the growth in global carbon emissions in the decades ahead must do their part as well.”
“What we are seeking, after all, is not simply an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. We seek an agreement that will allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet. By developing and disseminating clean technology and sharing our know-how, we can help developing nations leap-frog dirty energy technologies and reduce dangerous emissions.”
‘UNITED NATIONS — Some 100 heads of state gathered at the United Nations on Tuesday for an unprecedented daylong conference on combating climate change, which President Obama and other leaders acknowledged was a difficult issue to agree on but was crucial for the future health of the planet.’
via U.N. Climate Conference Opens With Call for Unity – NYTimes.com.
‘Big Oil is going to be an increasingly important investor in alternative energy. Venture-capital money has dried up. But with oil at $70 a barrel, the internal venture arms of the major oil firms are increasing the amount and percentage of in-vestment going to alternatives.
… If the new projects coming online this summer are any indicator, alternatives may soon be awash in black gold.’
via Big Oil Goes Green | Newsweek Environment | Newsweek.com.
‘KATHMANDU Reuters – Nepal’s sherpa community is sending a piece of rock from Mount Everest to U.S. President Barack Obama to underscore the impact of global warming on the Himalayas.’
via Everest memento for Obama to show climate change impact | Green Business | Reuters.
Global shipping contributes about a billion tonnes of CO2. That’s more than the entire economies of Germany or the UK.
via BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Harrabin’s notes: Shipping out.