Home Archive for February 2013

Shell Pauses its Arctic Drilling for 2013

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On Wednesday, February 27th, Royal Dutch Shell PLC announced it will suspend offshore petroleum drilling in the Arctic Ocean for 2013. The Arctic is already suffering from the effects of climate change and Arctic drilling further endangers the rich ecosystem and puts a wide range of animal species at risk.

Last year Shell drilled in both the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast and in the Beaufort Sea off the state's north coast.

However Shell's operations in the far north have been plagued by problems. At the end of 2012, the Kulluk one of Shell's oil rigs, broke free and ran aground in rough seas.

Shell Oil President Marvin Odum described the decision as a "pause" to "to ensure the readiness of all our equipment and people following the drilling season in 2012."

According to the US Geological Survey, there are 26.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of natural gas exist below Arctic waters.

Shell does not have resources in place to manage a spill. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico make it abundantly clear that even the best efforts and grossly inadequate to contain a spill.

Ice makes deep sea drilling even more hazardous. Ships belonging to Shell were prevented from accessing the drilling site in the Chukchi Sea which forced a drill ship off a drilling site early in September.

The Coast Guard found 16 safety violations on the Noble Discoverer, which drilled in the Chukchi. The investigation has been turned over to the US Department of Justice.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that his department would perform an "expedited, high-level assessment" and he indicated that drilling in sensitive areas like the Arctic demand a higher level of scrutiny. The Coast Guard also is reviewing the Kulluk grounding.

The pause is intended to repair its ships and Shell has indicated that it is prepared to continue drilling in the Arctic next year.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Executive Order 13626: Accelerating Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency

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This EO was signed by President Obama in August, 2012, it is designed to promote American manufacturing by helping to facilitate investments in energy efficiency at industrial facilities.

Section 1. Policy. Accelerate and expand investments that reduce energy use through more efficient manufacturing processes and facilities and the expanded use of combined heat and power (CHP).

Section 2. Encouraging Investment in Industrial Efficiency. Coordinate policies between a variety of departments to encourage investment in industrial efficiency in order to reduce costs for industrial users, improve US competitiveness, create jobs, and reduce harmful air pollution.

(a) A national goal of deploying 40 gigawatts of new, cost-effective industrial CHP in the United States by the end of 2020;

(b) Public workshops, to develop and encourage the use of best practice State policies and investment models that address the multiple barriers to investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP;

(c) Encourage investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, such as by providing assistance to States, providing incentives, employing output-based approaches as compliance options, seeking to expand participation in and create additional tools, reducing energy intensity by 25 percent over 10 years, support and encourage efforts to accelerate investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, providing general guidance, technical analysis and information, and financial analysis, improving the usefulness of Federal data collection and analysis, and assisting States in developing and implementing State-specific best practice policies.


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Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management

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President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13423 on February 17, 2009. EO 13423 consolidates and strengthens the sustainable practices of the following preceeding EOs dating back to 1998.

13101 of September 14, 1998
13123 of June 3, 1999
13134 of August 12, 1999
13148 of April 21, 2000
13149 of April 21, 2000

EO 13423 directs federal agencies to establish absolute goals for carbon-cuts, to reduce fossil fuel consumption in federal vehicles by 30 percent, to implement a net-zero-energy requirement for federal buildings and to add sustainability requirements to federal contracts.

As stated by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, EO 13423 requires federal agencies to lead by example in advancing the nation’s energy security and environmental performance by increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gases, increasing renewable energy, improving building performance, enhancing water conservation, preventing pollutin, Energy Efficiency: Reduce energy intensity 30 percent by 2015, compared to an FY 2003 baseline.

Greenhouse Gases: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through reduction of energy intensity 30 percent by 2015, compared to an FY 2003 baseline.

Renewable Power: At least 50 percent of current renewable energy purchases must come from new renewable sources (in service after January 1, 1999).

Building Performance: Construct or renovate buildings in accordance with sustainability strategies, including resource conservation, reduction, and use; siting; and indoor environmental quality.

Water Conservation: Reduce water consumption intensity 16 percent by 2015, compared to an FY 2007 baseline.

Vehicles: Increase purchase of alternative fuel, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles when commercially available. Petroleum Conservation: Reduce petroleum consumption in fleet vehicles by 2 percent annually through 2015, compared to an FY 2005 baseline.

Alternative Fuel: Increase use of alternative fuel consumption by at least 10 percent annually, compared to an FY 2005 baseline.

Pollution Prevention: Reduce use of chemicals and toxic materials and purchase lower risk chemicals and toxic materials.

Procurement: Expand purchases of environmentally sound goods and services, including biobased products. Electronics Management: Annually, 95 percent of electronic products purchased must meet Electronic Product

Environmental Assessment Tool standards where applicable; enable Energy Star® features on 100 percent of computers and monitors; and reuse, donate, sell, or recycle 100 percent of electronic products using environmentally sound management practices.

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Jinko Solar: Silicone Procurement at the Heart of its Success

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Jinko Solar is well positioned to capitalize on the solar market in 2013 as it has the best balance sheet among their competitors. They are insulated from the high costs of silicone that is adversely impacting their peers. The higher costs of silicone have put upward pressure on the manufacturing costs associated with PV but Jinko is one of the very few solar companies that are well positioned. Jinko's low price leadership is attributable to four primary factors:


1. Jinko's ability to procure silicone at a lower price than their competitors. This is largely attributable to the company's chairman who was in the silicone spot market trading silicone before starting Jinko Solar.

2. Jinko's manufacturing costs are lower because they produce their own ingots, wafers, cells and modules.

3. Jinko also manufactures their own frames and junction boxes.

4. Jinko has one of the most automated PV manufacturing plants in China.

5. Third party insurance

Jinko is positioned to be a major winner in the US and global markets.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Executive Order 13514: Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance

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Executive Order (EO) 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance,” was signed on October 5, 2009. EO 13514 introduces new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management requirements, requiring each Federal Agency to submit a 2020 GHG pollution reduction target from its estimated 2008 baseline by January 4, 2010. It also expands water reduction requirements for federal agencies, and addresses waste diversion, local planning, sustainable buildings, environmental management, and electronics stewardship.

According to a press release from Whitehouse.gov, "Actions taken under this Executive Order will spur clean energy investments that create new private-sector jobs, drive long-term savings, build local market capacity, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy industries."

EO 13514 enhances EO 13423, which requires agencies to reduce energy and water intensity and achieve other sustainability goals. All the provisions of EO 13423 remain in effect. EO 13514 requires federal agencies to achieve the following goals:

Establish reduction targets for Agency wide Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 GHG emissions to be achieved by fiscal year (FY) 2020, relative to an FY 2008 baseline. Develop and report annual comprehensive inventories of Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 GHG emissions.

Ensure that all new construction and major renovations meet the Guiding Principles for High-Performance Sustainable Buildings, and that 15 percent of existing buildings meet them by FY 2015. Starting in FY 2020, design federal buildings to achieve "zero net energy" by FY 2030.
  • Reduce potable water consumption intensity 26 percent by FY 2020, compared to an FY 2007 baseline. (This extends the water consumption intensity reduction requirement of EO 13423 by five years.) Reduce industrial, landscaping, and agricultural water use 20 percent by FY 2020, compared to an FY 2010 baseline.
  • Develop a "Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan" that commits the Agency to identify specific goals for achieving this executive order and to evaluate Agency climate change risks and vulnerabilities in order to manage the effects of climate change on the Agency’s operations and mission.
  • EPA is required to issue guidance on the implementation of Section 438 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which it issued on December 4, 2009.
  • Participate in regional transportation planning, increase selection of local energy use, and plan new facility locations near existing town centers.
  • Reduce fleet consumption of petroleum fuels by 2 percent annually through FY 2020 from an FY 2005 baseline.
  • Achieve a 50 percent solid waste diversion rate by FY 2015. Reduce paper use, increase composting, and decrease chemical use.
  • Ensure 95 percent of new contract actions (task and delivery orders) are energy- and water-efficient, biobased, environmentally preferable, generally non-toxic, and contain recycled content.
  • Procure products that are Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered, ENERGY STAR® labeled, or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)-designated equipment.
  • Continue to employ environmental management systems at all organizational levels.
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The DoD's Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (CCAR)

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The US Department of Defense (DoD) has led efforts to address climate change and this leadership will increase with the release of the Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (CCAR). As the world’s single largest energy consumer, this initiative has global implications. The DoD understands the geopolitical consequences of climate change which include conflict acceleration and greater competition for basic resources, both of which will have serious implications.

In 2009 Executive Order 13514 directed all federal agencies to evaluate their climate change risks and vulnerabilities. It also directed agencies to start developing plans for dealing with those impacts. In 2010 DoD elaborated a strategy for action known as 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review.

Since 2009, the DoD has been increasing its reliance on sustainable sources energy including solar power (both stationary and portable solar power) and biofuels. The US military is already using more renewable energy and less fossil fuels. Renewable sources of energy now make up 8.5 percent of the DoD's energy production and procurement. By 2025 the military plans to generate 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources. The DoD is also heavily invested in alternative fuel vehicles, smart microgrids and EV-to-grid systems.

In President Obama's most recent budget, there are approximately $1 billion for energy conservation efforts in the DOD. In 2013 the DoD released the CCAR which outlines the issues associated with climate change. They include operational hardships, reduced training opportunities, reduced access by ground vehicles, infrastructure degradation, increased costs and greater risks from wildfires, coastal flooding and other extreme weather.

The CCAR states that DoD decision-making should be determined by climate science, by fully integrating “climate change considerations into its extant policies, planning, practices and programs.” which includes stressing “the importance of the science-policy interface,” and ensuring that the “best available science” is available to DoD decision-makers.

CCAR also outlines the need for the DoD to cultivate international and domestic partnerships. The document emphasizes collaboration by describing climate change as

“…a unique opportunity to work collaboratively in multilateral forums, promoting a balanced approach that will improve human and environmental security in the region.”

The CCAR has far reaching implications including adding weight to the argument for the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline.

In addition to the practical elements, the DoD's roadmap has persuasive implications for Republican deniers who continue to resist efforts to engage the war on climate change.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Ambitious Growth Predicted for Solar in 2013 and 2014

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Over the next two years solar power can be expected to move closer to grid parity. In 2012, despite obstacles, solar power continued to grow. In 2013 and 2014 we should see surprisingly strong growth in the photovoltaic (PV) industry.

One of the major obstacles faced by solar PV manufacturers is the higher costs of silicone which has increased the costs of manufacturing associated with solar PV.  But by the end of the year costs are expected to stabilize and pricing will improve by early in 2014.

As reported in Bloomberg, Gregory Wolf, president of Duke Energy Renewables, believes that  for the first time, the US will add more solar power in 2013 than wind energy.  Wolf said the US can be expected to install 3 to 4 gigawatts (GWs) of wind and solar projects in 2013.

But Wolf is particularly bullish on solar. “I would expect a lot of momentum still on solar...We really ramped up our solar in 2010,” he said. “Today most of the projects are half or less of the cost now than then.”

The US installed about 3.2 GWs of solar power last year and may reach 3.9 GWs this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While Bloomberg anticipates 3.9 gigawatts of installed solar energy this year, that figure may be as high as 5 GWs installed solar in 2013.

China has moved their 2013 prediction from 3 GWs around a year ago to a recent plan of 10 GWs.  These optimistic numbers are attributable in large part to decreasing costs, more financing and a weakening of other power markets.

Reduced costs also include BOS (also known as "the balance of system" which refers to all components other than the panels). There are now more private investors and institutions providing financing for the solar industry. Many projects that were put on hold in 2012 are likely to get the green light in 2013 and 2014. However this increased demand will likely result in a reduction of the available supply.

Cheap panels, lower manufacturing costs and policy support are destined to make 2013 and 2014 important years for solar. While the overall prognosis for the industry over the next couple of years is good, there are likely to be some major shake ups in the solar manufacturing industry.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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H&M's Sustainability Efforts Now Include Recycling

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On February 21, 2013, H&M launched an ambitious program designed to reduce the amount of clothing that goes into landfills. The clothing retail giant is now accepting used clothing of any brand in its 48 markets around the world. H&M is working on the 3 R's, (reduce, reuse or recycle), with the ultimate aim of sending no waste to landfills.

H&M has partnered with Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International, and I:Collect. Under the partnership, I:Co will repurpose the clothing collected at H&M stores.

Customers who submit clothing under this initiative will be compensated. For each bag of clothing donated, customers will receive a voucher for 15 percent off their next purchased item.

The company says it wants to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle and create a closed loop for textile fibers.

In its website the H&M lists their sustainability initiatives and explains their efforts by saying: "Offering our customers fashion and quality at the best price means that we need to keep unnecessary costs down. Making the most of the resources we buy and avoiding waste at every stage of our value chain is central to this."

Under H&M’s "Conscious program," they have become the No. 1 user of organic cotton worldwide and they have banned perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, in all of their products ordered after Jan. 1, 2013.

H&M is working towards resource efficiency which also helps them to minimise the negative environmental impact of their operations. This includes manufacturing waste, transport and product packaging, shopping bags, shop fittings and construction waste from building new stores. They are also working with their customers and business partners to reduce waste.

For more about H&M's sustainability initiatives click here.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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White Paper - Energy & Markets Data Book Q1 2013

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Environmental Leader has released the latest edition of its quarterly data book, which supplies busy executives and research teams with a collection of charts presenting environmental, sustainability and energy-related data on a quarterly basis.

Data topics include energy use, renewable energy growth, supply & prices, smart grid, projections, costs and the role of the consumer. Our goal is to make the job of gathering essential information and metrics a bit easier for corporate decision-makers.

To download your complimentary white paper click here.

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Event - Natural Products Expo West

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This event will take place on March 7-10, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Natural Products Expo West is where new products turn into record profits, relationship building and ROI is always high and brand awareness builds momentum with each better business practice.

Join in an experience with over 3000 exhibits from over 1,800 different companies showcasing the newest products in natural and specialty foods, organic, health and beauty, natural living, supplements and pet products.

For more information click here.

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Event - Ecobuild Sustainable Design and Construction

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This event will take place on March 5th - 7th 2013 in London, UK. Ecobuild is the biggest event in the world for sustainable design, construction and the built environment. More than just an exhibition, Ecobuild brings together communities from across diverse industry sectors to learn, share, see and discover – it's the perfect platform to meet with the key players, business leaders and industry professionals.

For more information or to register click here.

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Event - Deeper Water Offshore Wind

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Profitably Delivering Larger Wind Power Stations In Deeper Water, Further Offshore.This is Europe’s senior offshore wind conference and networking event, it will take place on March 6th 2013 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, in Central London, UK. This one day conference is part of the Global Insight Conferences series.

There will also be a separately-bookable, post-conference, half-day workshop on March 7th 2013 titled, Technological Innovations For Cost-Effective Foundation Installation and Maintenance.

Issues that will be addressed at the primary conference include:

1. A Look To Governmental Support & Progress: UK and German perspectives
2. Economically-Viable & Durable Foundation Structures: Latest thinking, progress made and the move towards floating foundations 
3. Accessing Prototype Testing Demonstrator Sites: De-risking projects and increasing reliability and confidence
4. Lowering The Cost Of Deeper Water Projects – Panel Debate: Project efficiencies, technological innovation and asset optimisation
5. Collaboration, Standardisation, Partnerships Or Alliancing? Fruitful contracting strategies for high-risk, deeper water projects
6.Supply Chain Cost Implications: Key market trends, procurement strategies and bottlenecks for Round 3/deeper waters
7.Project Updates – Panel Debate: An insight into project plans, timescales, volumes and forecasts 8.Efficient & Secure Grid Connection: Optimising electrical design and transmission technologies 9.Vessels, Access, Logistics: Co-ordinated, cost-effective and safe logistics
10.Commercial & Bankable Deeper Water Projects: Investigating trends in finance and risk
11.Watertight Operations & Maintenance Strategies: Minimising costly downtime and improving reliability

For more information or to register click here.

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Event - Offshore Wind Financial Risk Management Forum

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This event will take place on March 14th 2013 in London, UK. Offshore Wind Financial Risk Management Forum is part of Wind Power events. What is the best way to manage financial risk in my offshore wind farm? This and other questions will be answered at this event.

Offshore wind is frequently in the headlines due to the high risks associated with the wind farms. As the industry grows, so does experience. Mistakes have been made and now we are learning why. How can we prevent the same high cost, preventable mistakes happening again?

Identifying potential risks and managing them effectively will ultimately bring down the overall cost of offshore wind. Lowering costs makes wind an attractive investment opportunity for the lenders, allowing wind to compete with other forms of renewable energy.

At the Offshore Wind Financial Risk Management Focus Day your questions will be answered:
  • What is the best way to manage financial risk in my offshore wind farm?
  • How do I make my wind farm a more attractive investment?
  • How do I reduce my insurance premiums?
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Event - Cleantech Forum 2013, Sustainability Meets Innovation: Reigniting Cleantech

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The Cleantech Forum will take place at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California on March 18-20, 2013. How can environmental sustainability and innovation be top of mind for customers and corporations, but not deliver the right returns for investors? Cleantech Forum 2013, Sustainability Meets Innovation: Reigniting Cleantech, will tackle this disconnect by convening cleantech’s most prominent investors, entrepreneurs, and supporters with the world’s largest corporate strategics, sustainability leaders, and technology buyers.


For more information click here.

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Event - This Way to Sustainability Conference VIII

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This event will take place on March 7th and 8th 2013, at California State University, in Chico. It will explore approaches that will make a difference for a sustainable future. Our annual conference provides a forum to discuss current issues that are relevant to us all. We seek to develop common ground to help build a sustainable society; one that balances economic needs, social needs and environmental realities. We will address solutions for the global problems we are all now facing. The conference will include workshops, seminars, posters, and facilitated discussions.

This student-run conference hosts over 100 speakers and 1,400 participants at our CSU, Chico campus. This is an enormous educational opportunity for students.

Conference Registration is required for all conference events, presentations, keynote presentations, workshops, and receptions.

Purpose: Explore approaches that will make a difference for a sustainable future. This annual conference provides a forum to discuss current issues that are relevant to us all. They seek to develop common ground to help build a sustainable society; one that balances economic needs, social needs and environmental realities. They will address solutions for the global problems we are all now facing.

Audience: The target audience is broad but aimed at the growing number of faculty, staff, students, administrators, public officials and citizens who embrace the concept of sustainable development, who wish to work together to build sustainable communities, who believe that we can learn from one another, and who realize there are many voices and perspectives that must be heard. Sessions are designed for beginners, as well as those with advanced knowledge. So that everyone has a chance to participate registration fees have been kept to a minimum.

PRESENTATIONS

Business and Economic Solutions: The “green” economy has provided new jobs and opportunities. This theme focus provides an opportunity to share green business advances and solutions that are sure to improve our economic future. It will also showcase available green job opportunities. Inspirational leaders will share their success stories and entrepreneurial experiences to help students and community visualize their transition to future occupations. Some sessions will address the issues of how large corporations have helped to advance an agenda of a sustainable future.

Educational Solutions: What do students learn from a sustainable curriculum? What has been solved by teaching future generations about sustainability? This theme will focus on integrating sustainability into the curriculum. Educators will lead discussions on how schools and individual instructors have integrated sustainability into their curriculum and share their evaluations of the effectiveness of a sustainable curriculum.

Energy and Water Solutions: These presentations will help identify solutions to our need for energy to fuel our economy. What have we learned so far, what options are available to us now, and what lies ahead? What can we do to ensure a clean and abundant water supply for future generations? This theme will focus on solutions for our energy and water challenges.

Sustainable Solutions for Food and Agriculture: These presentations will provide insight on methods and solutions developed that will allow us to feed the world’s growing populations sustainably. This theme will focus on food, agriculture and nutrition. Solutions for healthy living, healthy eating, growing organic, farming, eating locally, and solutions for feeding our growing world populations.

Sustainable Lifestyle Solutions: Speakers will share everyday choices that make a difference. We all share the earth with many beings and we express that connection in many ways; in our ethics and our art, in our inspirations and our meditations. This theme will focus on solutions, ideas and opportunities people have found in creating a sustainable future, daily sustainable practices and life changes.

Speaker’s Corner: This theme will provide a venue for other sustainability-related issues and solutions that speakers want to address.

You can take a look at past years' conferences by visiting our archives. See conference programs, event info, photo galleries, and more.

For more information or to register click here.

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Event - World Water-Tech Investment Summit

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This event will take place on March 6th - 7th, 2013 in London, UK. The World Water-Tech Investment Summit is staged by Rethink Events Ltd. At this event 40 C-level speakers will discuss the challenges in bringing new water technologies to market with a focus on Smart Water Technologies and Industrial wastewater treatment. This event will address ways of accelerating the adoption of new solutions in the mainstream water market. The goal of the summit is to foster new business partnerships, with extensive opportunities to network with international representatives from utilities, engineering consultancies, technology developers and investors.

Highlights

•Network with international business partners and clients at an official summit reception at the Foreign Office hosted by UKTI
•Uncover new opportunities in global markets including Saudi Arabia, Cambodia and Mexico
•Pre-arrange one-to-one meetings with companies of your choice using the latest meetings technology software
•Listen to today’s most innovative water-tech companies present their solutions in Dragons’ Den-style technology showcases
•Forge new business partnerships during seven hours of informal networking built into the agenda

Speaker Topics

•Smart, data-driven technologies for municipal water infrastructure
•New technologies in treating and recycling industrial water: Oil & gas, mining, food & beverage •Intelligent irrigation and the role of water technologies in agriculture
•Investor appetite for water-tech companies – and where the market is heading in 2013
•The role of engineering consultancies in bringing new technologies to market

For more information or to register click here.

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Video - Bill McKibben of 350.org Speaks at Forward on Climate Rally

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Here is the entire speech by Bill McKibben at the Forward on Climate rally on February 17, 2013. 50,000 concerned citizens watch at the largest rally on climate to date in Washington DC.

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Video - What the Forward on Climate Rally Looked Like

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An estimated 50,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, February 17th for the Forward on Climate Rally at the National Mall. The rally preceded a march to the White House to urge President Barack Obama to take action against climate change and reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

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Video - Thanks to All Who Supported the Historic Forward on Climate Rally

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Thank you to the nearly 50,000 who demonstrated on Presidents Day Weekend at the Washington Monument, the thousands at 20+ solidarity rallies across the country, and the more than one million online activists who stood up and spoke out to tell President Obama that right now its time to move Forward on Climate.

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Video - Webinar on US Energy Efficiency Policies

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Fossil Fuel Powered Carbon Bombs

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A February 11th, 2013 Greenpeace report indicated that the fossil fuel industry is planning 14 massive carbon bombs. As stated in the report, "The world is quickly reaching a Point of No Return for preventing the worst impacts of climate change." Taken together massive coal, oil and gas projects will produce as much new carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2020 as the output of the entire US.

According to Greenpeace these projects will increase already unsustainable levels of emissions 20 percent by 2020. If they go forward with these projects we are certain to surpass the carbon limits set by climate scientists which will make it impossible to avoid runaway climate change. According to scientists the upper safe temperature limit is 2 degrees Celsius, however, taken together, these projects will increases global temperatures by 5 or 6 degrees.

Greenpeace says these 14 developments would produce 54,674 million tons of coal, 29,400 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and 260,000 million barrels of oil--but add 330 billion tons of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2050.

Some of the chief culprits identified in the Greenpeace list of 14 carbon bombs are:

Coal production in Australia
Coal production in China
Coal production in Indonesia
Deepwater oil projects in Brazil
Deepwater oil projects in the Arctic
Tar sands development in Canada
Tar sands development in Venezuela
Shale gas and conventional gas in the US
Shale gas and conventional gas in the Caspian Sea

As stated in the report the fossil fuel industry is moving ahead, "with total disregard for this unfolding global disaster."

The results in the Greenpeace report mirror findings in the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank. In 2012 the IEA reported that we could not burn more than one third of fossil fuel reserves by 2050 to remain within 2 degrees. Last year the World Bank also released a report which indicated that we are likely to see a 4-degree increase by century’s end.

Scientists are warning that time is running out to avert a climate catastrophe. There have also been dire warnings from the WRI, PricewaterhouseCoopers, International Renewable Energy Institute, World Meteorological Organization and UNEP.

The Greenpeace report was created by Ecofys, an environmental consultancy.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Northface Launches a Bold Clothing Recycling Initiative

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The North Face has launched an industry leading pilot recycling program for clothes. According to EPA estimates, more than 21 billion pounds of clothes linen and other textiles were thrown away in 2010, almost all of which (85 percent) ended up in landfills. According to the UN Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year.

The Northface recycling program is called "Clothes the Loop," it provides customers in ten participating North Face stores with bins where they can drop off apparel hats and footwear from any brand.

Items collected are then sent to an I:Collect (I:Co) which either resells them or recycles them. Money generated by the program will be donated to the Conservation Alliance, which funds community-based campaigns to protect outdoor areas.

Customers who donate used apparel earn discounts that can used towards the purchase of The North Face products.

In addition to their public recycling efforts, the North Face is also reducing its own waste production.. Since 2008, the company has reduced the waste its headquarters sends to landfill by 35 percent and achieved an almost 17-fold increase in recycling.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Webinar - Sustainable Asset Management

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Driving Operational Excellence through Sustainable Asset Management will take place on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 – 8am Pacific/11am EST, the webinar includes time for a Q&A session. Environmental Leader is offering this one-hour sustainable asset management webinar along with Aberdeen, Frostbyte Consulting and IHS. This webinar will outline successful strategies used by some of the top performers and discuss a sustainable asset management strategy to drive operational excellence.

Three industry experts will be presenting and leading the Q&A:
  • Kevin Prouty, Senior Vice President, Aberdeen Group
  • Steven Andersen, Managing Director, Frostbyte Consulting
  • David Cain, Senior Solutions Director, IHS
To register for the presentation and join the conversation click here (seating is limited for this webinar)

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Comprehensive Climate Legislation in the US this Spring?

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Buoyed by President Obama's commitment to address climate change in his second term, leading Democrats are pushing for comprehensive climate legislation. In his State of the Union address President Obama called on Congress to pass a "market-based" climate measure and then promised to exercise his executive authority if lawmakers fail to act. On Valentines Day, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) indicated that she hopes to bring climate legislation to floor by the summer of 2013. “We’re going to go in earnest to this topic and this bill," she said. As the Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Boxer stated her intent to bring a comprehensive climate bill to a vote within the next few months.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and would put a price on carbon emissions. Boxer called the bill “the gold standard” for climate legislation.

Although the President has vowed to act on climate change, as Sanders noted, “We will never fully deal with this crisis until Congress passes strong legislation.”

The bill would slash greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. A carbon fee contained in the bill would generate $1.2 trillion in the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The bill, known as the Climate Protection Act, would impose a fee of $20 per ton of carbon in the first calendar year after the bill is signed into law. The fee would rise 5.6 percent per year over the next decade.

These fees would offset increased costs by returning 60 percent of the revenues generated by the largest fossil fuel companies to citizens under what is being called the Family Clean Energy Rebate Program. The remainder of the revenus generated would grow renewable energy, energy efficiency, job training programs and R&D.

A companion bill from Sanders would eliminate tax breaks for fossil fuel companies.

The bill also has important implications for fracking as it would require the gas drilling industry to disclose the chemicals they use. The bill would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fracking under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

If the bill proves unsuccessful, more stringent regulations are sure to follow. While some business leaders can be expected to vociferously resist the bill, others may embrace the predictability it will provide.

Even though the bill contains provisions to minimize the effects of energy cost increases on consumers, it is very doubtful that the bill will be able to secure any support from the GOP. Republicans and some centrist Democrats have thwarted climate change legislation during the President's first term and can be expected to do so again.

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CCAC Celebrates its One Year Anniversary

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The Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC) celebrates its first anniversary today.  Launched by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an initial group of six country partners and the United Nations Environment Programme, the Coalition has quickly grown to 55 partners, including 27 countries, the European Commission, as well as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and eighteen NGOs. 

“In its first year the Coalition has been brilliant in developing a spirit of urgent optimism, a spirit that is critical for solving the daunting problem of climate change,” stated Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, one of the NGO members.  “And it's already working on plans for taking its strategies to the scale it needs to meet the bold challenge of cutting the rate of warming in half for the next 40 years, with the World Bank pledging billions of new dollars for their efforts. The Coalition is a rare climate success story.”

The CCAC is the first-ever global effort specifically dedicated to reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). SLCPs include black carbon (soot), recently recognized as the second most powerful climate pollutant after carbon dioxide, methane and ground-level ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are used as refrigerants and to make insulating foams.

To address these pollutants, the Coalition has undertaken a set of fast-action initiatives: reducing methane from urban landfills and from the oil and gas industry; reducing black carbon emissions from brick kilns and from heavy duty diesel vehicles and engines; promoting alternatives to HFCs; scaling up finance to reduce all SLCPs; and developing SLCP National Action Plans.  The Coalition is also developing additional proposals to address open burning of biomass and pollution from cookstoves.

Fast action to reduce SLCPs has the potential to cut the rate of climate change in half, slowing global temperature rise by up to ~0.6°C by 2050, while preventing 2.4 million air pollution-related deaths per year, and avoiding around 30 million tonnes of crop losses annually.  Reductions of SLCPs are complementary to reductions of carbon dioxide emissions and can often be achieved simultaneously.  If large-scale reductions of both SLCPs and carbon dioxide are undertaken immediately, there is still a high probability of keeping the increase in global temperature to less than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial temperature for the next 30 years and below the 2°C guardrail for the next 60 to 90 years.

"The success of the CCAC shows that more and more countries are now recognizing the multiple, cost-effective benefits that swift, coordinated action on SLCPs can deliver,” said UN Under Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who put the CCAC at the top of his list of UNEP’s accomplishments in 2012. “UNEP has partnered with researchers for over ten years to bring the science of short-lived climate pollutants to the fore. This research clearly shows that action on SLCPs can deliver important near-term climate gains, and contribute to the achievement of health- and food security-related goals,” added Mr. Steiner, speaking from the UNEP Governing Council meeting in Nairobi.

In addition to cutting the rate of global warming in half, reducing emissions of SLCPs is particularly beneficial for some of the most vulnerable and threatened regions on the planet, including the Arctic, which is warming at more than twice the global average rate, and setting off self-amplifying warming feedbacks, according to UNEP’s Year Book 2013 released this week.  Addressing pollutants such as black carbon, which has especially powerful warming effects in regions of ice and snow, may be the most effective means of slowing and delaying imminent climate impacts in those regions in the near term.

IGSD has long been a champion of efforts to reduce HFCs, black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone, and serves as the NGO representative on the Coalition's Steering Committee.

The CCAC website is here.
IGSD’s Primer on SLCPs is here.
Achim Steiner's Policy Statement at the Opening of the First Universal Session of UNEP's Governing Council is here.

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A New Environmental Movement Breeds Hope for the Future

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Something is happening to the environmental movement that is giving us reason to hope that we may succeed in changing our current trajectory. On Sunday February 17th, 35,000 people came together to demand action in the face of a growing climate crisis. Part of this burgeoning climate activism is attributable to people's first hand exposure to extreme weather. Droughts, hurricanes, snowstorms and wildfires are forcing people to recognize that our climate is changing and they are increasingly coming to the understanding that we must act now.
As Greenpeace director Philip Radford wrote about those gathered at the Climate Forward Rally, "a new, diverse coalition of Americans," are coming together to demand climate justice.

The nation is rallying around the President and demanding that he keep the promises he made in both his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech. However, if he is to keep his word he will need the support of the American people. Powerful interests are arrayed against us, trillions of dollars are at stake and those who seek to keep the old energy economy alive are proficient at manipulating the public trust.

Supporters of climate legislation were defeated in the President's first term but we cannot afford to allow that to happen again in the next four years.

We cannot succeed in changing the national direction without changing public opinion, and the climate rally in Washington D.C. may be the first step towards four years of unprecedented climate action in the US.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that we cannot sustain the current rate at which we burn fossil fuels and we certainly cannot add to the carbon catastrophe by exploiting even more of Alberta's tar sands. If we are to have a livable future we must end our addiction to fossil fuels and redouble our efforts to develop more sources of renewable energy.

Change will only come if President Obama can muster the courage and summon the political leadership to amend his "all of the above" energy strategy. It starts with the politically difficult decision of rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline. If he can garner the support of the American people the President may move on to arrest Arctic drilling, stop coal exports and perhaps even end the nations growing reliance on fracking for natural gas.

The new environmental movement gives us reason to hope that we may be able to bring about the kind of change we so desperately need.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Way Forward on US Emissions Reductions

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On February 6, 2013, the World Resources Institute (WRI) released a report that examines ways of moving forward on climate action. The WRI report is titled, “Can the U.S. Get There From Here?” it explores strategies for reducing carbon pollution through a combination of existing federal laws and state action.

This new report indicates that with leadership from federal and state governments the US can cut its carbon emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

According to the report, to advance climate mitigation efforts we need to see the federal government act in four key areas:

1. Power: Rigorous federal carbon pollution standards for power plants and cleaner electricity.
2. Hydrofluorocarbons: Eliminating use and emissions of hydrofluorocarbons.
3. Methane: Regulation that stops methane leaks in oil and gas extraction and transport processes.
4. Efficiency: Improving the energy efficiency of our economy.

States will also need to get involved though initiatives that cut emissions and investments that support the growth of clean energy and efficiency.

However, if we are to achieve the levels of carbon reduction recommended by climate scientists, the report indicates that existing laws are inadequate and new legislation will be required.

As we await new climate legislation the report recommends modernizing US energy infrastructure and developing clean energy.

The WRI report shows that with sufficient political will we can turn back the tide of climate change. While the report charts the way forward it highlights the importance of political and policy ambition as the keys to progress on climate action.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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