News: Archive for December, 2011
‘…Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa, Canada’s minister for the environment, Peter Kent, said the decision would save the nation some $14 billion in penalties that would accrue for failure to meet emissions targets agreed to by a previous government in the 1997 pact — the first international accord aimed at reducing global emissions of planet-warming gases.’
via Kyoto Protocol: Canada Withdrawing From Climate Change Agreement.
‘UN climate talks have closed with an agreement that the chair said had “saved tomorrow, today”.’
‘Forget about the U.S., Europe, India and even China: the smart grid market is truly global, worth at least $27 billion and potentially $49 billion in emerging countries from Eastern Europe to Latin American to North Africa, according to a new study from Northeast Group.’
via Emerging Smart Meter Market Could Be Worth $49B : Greentech Media.
‘Ministers from rich and poor countries stood shoulder to shoulder at a news conference urging big emitters such as China and the US to move to a deal.’
‘DURBAN, South Africa — Facing sharp criticism from fellow envoys, environmental activists and one impassioned heckler, the chief American negotiator at a climate conference here on Thursday shifted his position — or at least his language — on a timetable for a new set of international talks.’
via U.S. Climate Envoy, Todd Stern, Seems to Shift Stance on New Talks – NYTimes.com.
‘DURBAN, South Africa — China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, has once again emerged as the biggest puzzle at international climate change talks, sending ambiguous signals about the role it intends to play in future negotiations. This week, the nation’s top climate envoy said that China would be open to signing a formal treaty limiting emissions after 2020 — but laid down conditions for doing so that are unlikely ever to be met.’
via At Climate Talks, a Familiar Standoff Emerges Between the U.S. and China – NYTimes.com.
‘With an almost biblical onslaught of twisters, floods, snow, drought, heat and wildfire, the U.S. in 2011 has seen more weather catastrophes that caused at least $1 billion in damage than it did in all of the 1980s, even after the dollar figures from back then are adjusted for inflation.’
via Billion-dollar weather disasters smash US record – Yahoo! News.
‘BEIJING (AP) — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates confirmed Wednesday he is in discussions with China to jointly develop a new and safer kind of nuclear reactor.’
via Bill Gates Talking With China To Develop Nuclear Reactor « CBS Seattle.
‘(Reuters) – Global carbon dioxide emissions from industry rose about three percent in a weak global economy this year, a study released on Monday showed, adding fresh urgency to efforts to control planet-warming gases at U.N. climate talks in South Africa.’
via Global industry CO2 output rising even in weak economy: study | Reuters.
‘Environmentalists and other nations say U.S. policy changes raise questions about whether it is committed to substantially cutting emissions and aiding developing nations in their efforts to do so.’
via A global cooling to the U.S. position on climate change – latimes.com.