Greenhouse gases (GHGs) contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing the sun's rays (specifically infrared radiation) causing the greenhouse effect, which warms the surface of the Earth. Although greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, the elevated levels especially of carbon dioxide and methane that have been observed in recent decades are directly related to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and the deforestation of tropical forests. Here is a summary of three types of GHGs carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), nitrous oxide (NO 2). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the single most important greenhouse gas emitted by human activities especially the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation. CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for hundreds if not thousands of years and so it directly impacts the global mean surface warming. The lingering effects of CO2 and other GHGs mean that most aspects of climate change will persist for centuries even if emissions of CO2 are stopped immediately.
Methane (CH4) is the second most important long-lived greenhouse gas. Approximately 60 percent comes from human activities like cattle breeding, rice agriculture, fossil fuel exploitation, landfills and biomass burning. There are huge stores of methane that may be released from the permafrost as global temperatures increase.
Nitrous oxide (N20) is the third most important long-lived greenhouse gas. Approximately 40 percent of N20 is emitted into the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources including biomass burning, fertilizer use, and various industrial processes. Its impact on climate, over a 100-year period, is 298 times greater than equal emissions of carbon dioxide. It also plays an important role in the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Understanding the effects of GHGs is crucial if we are to tackle the catastrophic implications of climate change.
Despite a Republican majority control an energy efficiency bill managed to get through the Senate. The bipartisan bill named the Portman Shaheen Energy Efficiency Bill (S 535) focuses on government buildings, grid enabled water heaters and commercial tenants. The bill was authored by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) who have been trying to secure approval for energy efficiency legislation for years. It managed to squeak through the Senate on March 27 and it will now go to the House for consideration when they reconvene in mid-April. The bill was cosponsored by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and includes a bipartisan provision authored by Ayotte and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and includes "Tenant Star" certification. This provision provides incentives for tenants in commercial buildings to reduce energy consumption. This provision passed the House of Representatives last year.
The new Senate bill exempts thermal storage water heaters from upcoming energy standards.
A one hour webinar titled, Risk Management – Planning for Ups and Downs, will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
Recent developments in fracking, which brought on the shale boom, has drastically changed not only the way natural gas is extracted, but also its pricing dynamics in the open market. While higher natural gas production has dampened prices, daily price movements have become increasingly more volatile as the market wrestles with supply and demand balance.
A prudent risk management plan is needed to safeguard users against volatility in the budget, as a result of volatile market prices. Fully protecting against rising cost by fixing prices may not produce a low-cost budget, and total exposure to open market prices may yield a much higher than expected budget. A step-by-step risk management plan that culminates into an actionable risk policy would provide an achievable balance toward managing the energy budget in a volatile environment. Speakers
Phuong Le Project Manager, Sustainability & Energy Management Siemens
Ms. Phuong Le is an energy professional with over 15 years of experience in energy market valuation and energy consulting. She has direct experience in electric power and natural gas procurement in deregulated and regulated markets, financial modeling, commodity hedging, power plant valuation, and rate case intervention.
Ms. Le has managed the risk positions of wholesale and retail trading books transacting in commodity futures, swaps, and options in all electricity, natural gas, and coal markets in the U.S. Her experience in risk management of trader books consists of assessing daily VaR and P&L analysis, monitoring trader risk limits, reviewing structured transactions related to long-term contracts and tolling arrangements, and application of the FAS 133 accounting requirements. She also has direct experience with re-pricing and unwinding the asset management books associated with power plants across the U.S. in bankruptcy proceedings.
Ms. Le is knowledgeable on the regulatory side of the industry, and has experience in researching and analyzing the investment, capital budgeting and capital structure, cost of debt, common equity and financial and operating practices of public utilities. She has prepared discovery questions, exhibits and cross examination questions in a rate case intervention involving a water utility; participated in a rate case study reviewing the cost allocation and cost recovery mechanism for a power authority; and participated with the State Corporation Commission to define the terms and criteria of the Performance Incentive Program for rewarding or penalizing utilities in a regulated state.
Douglas R. Romaine, Associate Director, Sustainability & Energy Management Siemens
Mr. Douglas R. Romaine has over five years of experience in the electric power and natural gas industry, and is currently an Associate Director in Siemens Sustainability & Energy Management (SEM) division. Mr. Romaine specializes in competitive energy markets and risk management; through which, he has provided strategic planning support and analysis to various projects identifying market structures, energy procurement strategy, and utility operations. In addition, Mr. Romaine has provided operational support to physical generation assets and utility sized load. He has been involved extensively in Siemens growing Energy Management Services practice and has multiple project engagements for the firm, including Risk Management, Asset Management, Operations, Load Management, and Generator Bid/Dispatch Evaluation.
Mr. Romaine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Kentucky, and is currently obtaining a Master’s in Business Administration from The George Washington University.
Renewable energy is growing faster than fossil fuels in the US. In 2014 new capacity from renewables has grown faster than coal, oil and even gas. Renewable energy generating capacity has increased 72 times faster than coal and 163 times faster than oil. According to the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, between 2008 and 2015 wind and solar energy capacity in the US has tripled. Renewable energy now contributes just under 17 percent of total installed capacity in the US. That is more than oil and nuclear combined. A new US Energy Information Administration report indicates that the electricity generated from wind and solar grew much faster than electricity generated by fossil fuels in 2014. Expressed as a percentage, solar grew by 103 percent, and wind by over 8 percent.
According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's latest Energy Infrastructure Update report there was more new generating capacity from renewables (mostly wind and solar) in 2014 than there was from gas. Renewables generated 50 percent of new capacity while gas generated 49 percent. Although this is a modest difference of just over one percent, it is still remarkable given how much effort is being invested in US gas extraction.
More than one quarter (27 percent) of new generating capacity from US renewables came from wind while solar added an additional 20 percent. The remainder of renewable energy capacity (3 percent) came from biomass, geothermal and hydropower.
While renewable energy increased 12 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, gas output last year was very similar to the preceding year.
There is a compelling humanitarian and economic argument for embedding sustainability and social purpose into a company's DNA. Far too often businesses are singled out for egregious wrongs like environmental insults or employee mistreatment. However, there is an alternative. While many businesses conduct themselves in ways that contribute to the popular perception that capitalism is the problem, others are on the forefront of working towards meaningful change. Having a social purpose and being focused on sustainability are not yet be the norm. However, interest is growing as companies realize that doing social and environmental good does not detract from the bottom line it adds to it. The need for businesses to lead has never been more urgent as we ebb ever closer to irreversible climate tipping points and we witness the growing gulf between the rich and the poor. The intransigence of conservative politicians in places like Canada, Australia and in the US Congress make political solutions difficult if not impossible for the foreseeable future.
Some members of the business community have already demonstrated that they are capable of leading efforts to address environmental and social problems. There are a number of social actions from corporate brands that have received recognition. This includes everything from Apple's renewable energy leadership to water stewardship.
One good example involves Coca-Cola. After Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Coca-Cola suspended its brand advertising and directed the budget toward relief. The company also donated $2.5 million to relief efforts. This type of passive marketing is social entrepreneurship at its best. Coca-Cola doubled its global mentions without spending a dime on advertising. It is important to note that this does not compete with the profit incentive it adds to it. When a brand strives to address social issues it ultimately expands their customer base.
As Fred Keller, founder and CEO of Grand Rapids-based Cascade Engineering, said at a TEDxGrandRapids conference, "I believe that business has this wonderful opportunity to change the world for the better. Not because we must, but simply because we can." As Keller explained businesses are very well positioned to be change agents. They are directly tied to the economic system and as such they can quickly effectuate change.
Sustainability is a key driver of innovation which in turn provides meaningful returns. Innovation affords an opportunity to rethink and improve a product or service to create value and enhance brand appeal. In addition to being good for consumers, sustainable innovation has environmental and social benefits. This can boost a brands reputation and translate to improvements in brand equity (trust, awareness, regard, and esteem). One of the most powerful bottom line benefits of sustainability comes from innovation that reduces costs and enhances consumer appeal.
Sustainability leader Unilever offers a great example of how sustainability and innovation partner well together. For example, Unilever created a cleaning product that is a fraction of the size and weight of similar products and uses far less resources than its predecessor. This product provided a powerful competitive advantage while at the same time reducing costs for resources and transportation. The relationship between sustainability and innovation has been studied for more than a decade. In 2009 research conducted by Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami demonstrated that sustainable innovation is an important way of increasing profits. Their research showed that "sustainability is a mother lode of organizational and technological innovations that yield both bottom-line and top-line returns."
These researchers have suggested a five stage process: 1. Seeing compliance as an opportunity 2. Making value chain sustainable 3. Designing sustainable products and services 4. Developing an new business model 5. Crafting next practice platforms
The business case for sustainability has been building for years and it has been made by corporations, banks and investors and more than 20 studies. Each day anecdotal evidence emerges that includes improved ROI and enhanced shareholder value.
Those who are not yet on-board need to understand that the business environment has changed significantly in the last 50 years. In 1970 economist Milton Friedman published an article titled, "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits". This article is at odds with the far more inclusive understanding of business today. Dated business models premised on the thinking we see in Friedman's article are collapsing. The contemporary business context has an expanded sense of the success factors that help to drive profits. The sustainability equation sees profits as a byproduct of serving both people and the planet. This is the so called, "triple bottom line." Sustainability pioneers in the retail industry include Marks & Spencer in the UK. In 2007 they launched a plan that five years later helped the retailers to reap a profit of $286 million. Their sustainability initiative not only buoyed profits it had a host of ancillary benefits including job creation and attracting the attention of prospective employees. These recruitment and retention benefits contributed to a more inspired and productive workforce.
Sustainability has been shown to offer tangible results. A number of studies including a 2014 CDP report shows that sustainability is profitable. Whether through greater efficiency, decreased energy consumption, or increased use of more sustainable raw materials, these efforts have both environmental and economic benefits.
Sustainability demands that we must minimize our use of resources and be aware of the human factor associated with the creation of a good or a service.
Resource scarcity can interfere with manufacturing or make the cost of production prohibitive. This is a powerful incentive to minimize use of resources and find environmentally friendly alternatives where possible.
Providing a safe working environment with minimal environmental impacts to communities and consumers is also an important element of sustainability. Failure to address these social and environmental concerns also make a company vulnerable to legal challenges.
Considering people and the planet mitigates against these risk and enhances reputation. This is particularly relevant today when employees, shareholders and stakeholders are increasingly interested in a company's social and environmental impacts. Sustainability concerns extend all the way along a company's supply chain and are increasingly relevant to the public at large.
In addition such efforts also increase customer retention, new customer acquisition and by extension sales and profits. Sustainability can also be a way of countering floundering consumer confidence.
Sustainability is good for more than just public relations and painting a good corporate image. A number of companies have proven that there is merit to making improvements throughout their operations and their supply chains.
The World Engineering Summit (WES) 2015 will take place on July 21 - 24 at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. WES is a high profile conference organized by IES to further their mission of "advancing and promoting the science, art and profession of engineering for the well-being of mankind".
Climate change impacts are real and touches every area of engineering. Engineers are seeking better, cleaner, more sustainable solutions. WES Climate Change 2015 Expo is poised to present a regional showcase of the latest in green and sustainable engineering solutions to meet market need and demand.
THE WORLD ENGINEERS SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Call for Papers
A focal point for ideas, research findings and best practice on climate change, WES 2015 will address a range of critical issues in engineering and sustainability. The WES 2015 Organising Committee invites the submission of technical papers for presentation at the Summit.
Guests-of-Honour
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean, is the guest-of-honour for WES Opening Ceremony on 22 July Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Environment & Water Resources is the guest-of-honour for WES Gala Dinners & Award Night on 23 July
Minister for Education, Heng Swee Keat, will grace the event on 24 July, presenting prizes for National Engineers Day (NED) Energy Innovation Challenge and closing ceremony for the WES 2015
Plenary & Track Speakers
To harness the collective thinking and expertise to develop climate resilience, IES is convening engineers from multiple disciplines, urban planning specialists, energy specialists, environmental and water specialists, academia, financiers, policy makers, and business leaders of corporations from across industries around the world, and open up a discussion of innovative solutions to allow sharing of best engineering practices to help our porfession to realise milestones in the journey to a sustainable and resilient future. Check out the list of luminary speakers here. WES Photography Competition
The Singapore Engineers Photography Club invites you to submit photos “About Climate Change” by 1 June 2015. This is so that we can both promote photography as a fine art and also heighten the awareness on the reality and risks which climate change poses to community and society across the world.
Join the global movement with Timex INDIGLO® and Earth Hour. Pledge to act on March 28th at 8:30pm and for every shared pledge, Timex will donate $1 to Earth Hour. bit.ly/1G0N7wh
Timex is not the only business partnering with Earth Hour (scroll down for a list of partners). Thousands of businesses around the world are also getting on-board. There are some good reasons why businesses are working with Earth Hour to help protect the planet. Partners that help to promote Earth Hour, broaden the reach of the campaign as well expand people's access to their brands and their sustainability story. Brands partnering with this grassroots event because it is a great opportunity to showcase a company's commitments to environmental impact. This will encourage existing clients and attract new clients to use a socially aware company. Those that register pledge to turn off the lights at their place of business (both internal and external). However there is far more that they can do. In addition to promoting awareness and reducing energy usage, businesses can identify areas where their business can minimize environmental impact and reduce carbon emissions.
Earth Hour offers a range of resources suitable to businesses. They offer a How-To Guide to help businesses take action throughout the year. This guide includes information on how to generate maximum impact and how to tell your story and create an Earth Hour narrative for your brand. The guide also includes sample letters for employees, customers, supply chains and governments.
Here are nine examples of Earth Hour partnerships with business:
TIMEX
It’s #TimetoGLO. Timex is launching a global movement to support Earth Hour 2015 featuring their signature INDIGLO® technology. To join, pledge to act on March 28th at 8:30 p.m. and share your pledge to spread the word. For every shared pledge, Timex will donate $1 to Earth Hour.*
Timex.com/earthhour features the latest real-time, 3D engine technology. When you make a pledge to act on March 28th, you can upload a profile image to the site that will be transformed into glowing pixie-dust particles, representing your part in the “GLO-ing” global movement. Share your pledge on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #TimetoGLO to help spread awareness about Earth Hour 2015.
POCOYO
As 'Kids Ambassadors' for Earth Hour since 2010, Pocoyo and his friends (Elly & Pato) have helped raise the profile of the Earth Hour movement by encouraging people to support the cause and educating future generations on our planet and its environment.
In 2015, the creators of Pocoyo are using their power to 'change' climate change by educating children on the causes and effects of climate change and supporting Earth Hour crowdfunding projects for climate action. They will also rally and inspire influential creators on Youtube to join the movement and back crowdfunding projects to help achieve tangible environmental outcomes.
ROVIO ENTERTAINMENT
This year, switch off your lights for Earth Hour along with your favourite game. Earth Hour is collaborating with Rovio Entertainment Ltd and its hugely popular Angry Birds Friends game to spread the word on how we can all, birds and Professor Pig included, take action for the planet.
Rovio Entertainment Ltd, the creator of Angry Birds™, is a global industry-changing entertainment media company headquartered in Finland that creatively combines digital with physical, breaking the boundaries of traditional content delivery. What started as a casual game in 2009 became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release. Today Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded game of all time, it is a worldwide known entertainment brand reaching out into publishing, licensing, animations, books and location based entertainment. Rovio's animated Angry Birds feature film is slated for July, 2016.
TIMESCAPE
As Earth Hour’s official online event-hosting and storytelling platform, Timescape helps us track and explore all the stories, events and celebrations during Earth Hour from around the world.
Timescape is an online platform for building and sharing interactive map-based stories. Organizations across the world are using Timescape for Event tracking, Social Marketing and Impact demonstration. Write to us to learn more about mapping your world.
COTAP
As Earth Hour’s official communication partner, Cotap helps our team and thousands of volunteers around the world to coordinate landmark lights-off events and many more activities beyond the hour in 120 countries.
Cotap is a simple, secure mobile messaging app for teams. There’s no need to swap phone numbers, and personal and work messages stay separate. With mobile-first simplicity that users love, and the enterprise-grade security businesses need, Cotap reaches all employees where they’re most likely to read a message: on their smartphones.
KUSAGA ATHLETIC
As Earth Hour Global’s apparel manufacturer, Kusaga Athletic created the planet-friendly Earth Hour 2015 t-shirts with their unique ECOSOFT™ fabric material.
Made from sustainable crops, the ECOSOFT™ fabric passes through an advanced eco-friendly manufacturing process significantly reducing non-renewable energy usage and CO2 emissions. For more information about Kusaga Athletic, visit www.kusagaathletic.com.
GSI DIGITAL
As Earth Hour’s digital agency for their flagship digital property www.earthhour.org, GSI Digital has helped recreate the online user journey to be one that transforms the brand from an event to a movement.
Strength in technical development, depth in integration expertise and speed in delivery by GSI Digital helps Earth Hour accelerate the digital journey to reach millions around the globe. GSI Digital has been an ever-present partner for Earth Hour Blue movement and helps transform the digital journey of users around the world. GSI Digital don’t just build websites. They deliver a digital experience to your customers.
HAPPY MARKETER
As Earth Hour's social media partner, Happy Marketer is helping maximize the impact and reach of this movement through Social Media.
With a potent combination of training, strategy and analytics, the team at Happy Marketer helps Earth Hour find the perfect messaging to spread the message and activate our existing passionate users. And this means the message of conservation is going where it's never gone before.
Happy Marketer is a digital consulting and training firm that helps companies make the most out of their digital campaigns across search engines, social media, content and analytics. Learn more about them here.
CROWDONOMIC
Our friends at Singapore based company, Crowdonomic, have tirelessly helped us build an amazing crowdfunding platform for the planet.
Technical expertise to deliver the platform, as well as support for our teams around the world to help build and drive their projects further is a super hero feat worthy of a shout out. Click here to visit Earth Hour Blue crowdfunding page powered by Crowdonomic.
Crowdonomic is a Fin-Tech business offering a full portfolio of crowdfunding solutions. It is the region’s foremost crowdfunding platform where global smart capital meets the region’s most promising startups. The management team, who has a background in investments and technology, has been dedicated to develop crowdfunding in Singapore and is one of the few industry players to actively engage regulators to help shape competitive crowdfunding policy.
Earth Hour 2015 is about giving people a voice to speak out against the most daunting challenge in human history. This popular movement gives hundreds of millions of people an opportunity to weigh in on climate change. Although the issues are complex Earth Hour is accessible to everyone. It is urgent that we speak up and demand a better future for our planet. Widespread engagement is critical to the success of our efforts to combat climate change. Earth Hour unites people from all over the world who share a common desire to act on climate change. The event tells politicians and businesses that we want to address climate change now. Extreme weather like the hurricane that recently ravaged the small islands that make up the state of Vanuatu can leave people feeling powerless. However, events like Earth Hour give everyone an opportunity to engage and do something to augur change. The toll of climate change is devastating and often overwhelming, but Earth Day gives us a platform that empowers us to act so that we can be part of a movement that makes a difference.
As we ebb ever closer to a hoped for international climate agreement at COP21, the participation of people around the globe has never been more urgent.
Send a message, show your care, turn off your lights for Earth Hour and be an agent of change throughout the year. Talk about climate change with friends and family, find ways in which you can act in a more environmentally responsible fashion and encourage others to do the same.
We are at a pivotal juncture, time is rapidly running out to change our course, but if we all stand together we can make the needed changes for ourselves and future generations. Earth Hour motivates people to work together to address the most pressing challenge of our times.
In the most general sense switching off our lights for Earth Hour reminds us of the energy we use, in particular it reminds us about the dangers of fossil fuels, which is both the most common source of energy and the primary driver of climate change. Thankfully we have cleaner alternatives, particularly renewable sources of energy that can help to wean us off of fossil fuels.
Future generations will wonder what we did to avert the climate catastrophe. Today is the day to stand up and be counted secure in the knowledge that ogether we can make a difference.
Take a stand against climate change and join Earth Hour 2015. Hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 local time. This is the most important collective action to combat climate change and in addition to turning off your lights there are a number of ways you can get involved. Thousands of local activities with an environmental theme will take place today. You can also support the Earth Hour Project or pledge to achieve an environmental outcome. Earth Hour is part of the WWF which is one of the largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations in the world. The Earth Hour event first launched in 2007 has grown exponentially. It now includes people in 162 countries and more than 7000 cities. Last year the event helped to raise $57 million for a variety of environmental causes.
On this day countries often focus on themes that are relevant to their local context. Last year Australia focused on coral reef protection, Madagascar focused on deforestation and Argentina pushed legislation to create a new marine sanctuary.
Earth Hour is about more than turning off your lights for one hour to show your commitment to climate change action, it is about showing your commitment to climate action throughout the year.
Click here for more information on how you can get involved.
In France we are seeing efforts to both curb vehicular emissions and increase renewable energy. City officials in Paris have instituted a system that is designed to curb the number of cars that can drive in Paris. This follows new legislation mandating either solar panels or plants on the roofs of all new buildings.
Last March France restricted both GMOs and cars, this March their vehicular restrictions continue alongside the new rooftop initiative. Air quality is problem in Paris, so city officials are using partial bans on cars to reduce pollution from car exhaust. On Monday March 23, Paris banned cars vehicles with even-numbered license plates. To enforce the ban there were more than one thousand police. The policy was enacted into law last year and it gives government the authority to limit vehicles dependent on air quality readings.
In another move that benefits air quality France has issued a decree that demands that a part of all new rooftops to be covered in either plants or solar panels. The new law was passed on Thursday March 19 and it applies to all new buildings in commercial zones across the country.
Green roofs sequester carbon, provide oxygen and offer an additional layer of insulation. Additional benefits include the promotion of biodiversity, providing a nesting place for birds and retaining rainwater which reduces runoff.
Republicans have fired multiple salvos in their proxy war against the Obama administration's carbon reduction efforts. Under the pretext of deficit reduction Republicans are using their majorities in the House and the Senate to support the fossil fuel industry and push forward a slate of anti-environment amendments.
After the midterms it became obvious that Republicans would use their new-found power to redouble their efforts to cripple environmental protections and climate change mitigation efforts. It was known that their primary target would be the EPA. Although their authority is limited by the President's veto power, they are nonetheless deploying their arsenal against all forms of environmental protections. Voting along party lines the House and the Senate have already approved non-binding budget blueprints. This effort foreshadows a conflict that can be expected to endure throughout the remainder of the President Obama's term.
In what is colloquially called a "vote-a-rama" senators debated and voted on a pile of nonbinding fiscal 2016 budget amendments yesterday and into the wee hours this morning. While the votes have very little real world impact, they do reveal the Republicans' policy position.
A successful amendment put forth by Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rejected the Obama administration's efforts to reduce coal pollution.
An amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) calling on Congress to address carbon emissions was defeated by Republicans who rejected the call for policies "protecting Americans from the impacts of human-induced climate change, which include action on policies that reduce emissions by the amounts that the scientific community says are needed to avert catastrophic climate change."
Before the vote Sanders said that Republicans, "continue to show themselves to be the anti-science party" when it comes to climate change. However, five Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for the Sanders' amendment. This is an attempt to address the concerns of their own constituents.
The five Republicans who voted for the Sanders' amendment include Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Mark Kirk of Illinois and Rob Portman of Ohio all of whom are up for reelection next year. Portman has proposed an amendment that would encourage states to say "no" to the EPA's Clean Power Plan. The two remaining senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have a history of voting for carbon legislation.
Another successful amendment came from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). His motion prohibits the enactment of a federal carbon tax.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said of the Republican position on climate change, "They've got no good place to go. They're somewhere between 'This is a hoax' and 'I'm not a scientist,'"
Republicans oppose the EPA clean air mandate just as they oppose efforts to provide assistance to those preparing for and recovering from the devastation of climate change-related events. They also reject efforts to reduce climate change causing carbon.
Concerns about air pollution and poor viability have pushed Beijing to announce the closure of all of its coal plants. As a major coal supplier to China Australia is watching with interest and more than a little bit of concern. The move to shut Beijing's remaining coal plants comes in response increasingly vocal protests that are making government officials nervous. Pollution is one of the major sources of friction between the government and citizens. There are also a very real productivity issue at stake. The move to close the plants is intended to reduce the incidence of death and disease associated with the chronic air pollution. Beijing's last coal fired electricity plants will be switched off in 2016. Beijing has air pollution rates that are almost twice the national standard. However, Beijing is not the most polluted city in China. Nine out of ten Chinese cities exceed the government's own minimum air quality standards.
The closures will reduce China's consumption of coal by 9.2 million metric tons annually and prevent 30 million tons of climate change causing carbon from being released into the atmosphere each year. The Beijing coal plant closures are in addition to the closure of more than 2,000 smaller plants which are slated to occur by the end of this year.
At present almost two thirds of China's energy is derived from coal. However, people in China are concerned about air pollution and these concerns are a contributing factor pushing the central government's world leading climate mitigation efforts. China's energy equation is rapidly changing due to massive investments in cleaner energy including hydroelectric, solar, wind and nuclear.
As the world's largest emitter of carbon, China is under pressure from within and without to reduce its emissions. China has already signed a major emissions reduction deal with the US and further cuts can be expected at the COP 21 climate talks later this year in Paris.
All of this calls into question Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's efforts to supply more coal to China. He is working to significantly expand the nation's coal extraction and he is investing billions of dollars to expand Australia's coal export infrastructure.
These Australian coal projects, not only imperil the Great Barrier Reef, they may end up being worthless if the Chinese coal market dries up. At the very least the reduction in Chinese coal consumption will drive down the already low price of coal. To make matters worse last fall China announced that it will reintroduce import tariffs of 6 percent a tonne on thermal coal used to generate electricity.
Like Canada's tar sands, coal is a dirty source of energy and a major contributor to climate change. At a time when the data clearly shows that the world is moving away from coal, Abbott's massive coal investments make little sense. There is already a glut of coal as markets are rapidly declining.
Indian mining giant Adani is developing the Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland and Australia's largest coal terminal at Abbot Point. In January, the Mackay Conservation Group launched a legal challenge to the project. They allege that the Abbott government's environmental assessment was flawed because it did not take into account projected greenhouse gas emissions from the project. The same criticisms have been leveled at the Keystone XL pipeline which would ferry 800,000 barrels of tar sands crude each day from Alberta to the the Gulf of Mexico.
The indigenous people of Australia are challenging the coal project. In a similar fashion Canada's indigenous people have challenged the tar sands.
Abbott and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have a lot in common when it comes to fossil fuels. The Canadian situation may serve as a cautionary tale for Australia. Just as Canadians are reaping the economic repercussions of Harper's misguided energy efforts, Australians will end up footing the bill for Abbott's energy miscalculations.
Abbott and Harper are united in the love for fossil fuels and they also share a belligerent disregard for climate science. Their common obsession with fossil fuels wastes tax payer's money on doomed energy investments and it would appear they are both destined to preside over vast quantities of stranded assets.
In addition to epic energy mismanagement, the defining legacy of these two men will likely be their wanton disregard for future generations.
On Monday March 23, Wetland Resources LLC was announced as the winner of the fifth annual Water Challenge business pitch at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. Their winning pitch focused on planting trees to protect Louisiana's coastline. The competition sought high-potential entrepreneurial solutions for wetland and marshland restoration, storm protection and rain harvesting.
Wetland Resources has set the ambitious goal of planting one million trees in ten years. Their plan is to plant Bald cypress and Water Tupelo trees in the Central Wetlands in Violet. In addition to being hurricane resistant, these trees also absorb water which reduces the impact of storm surges. The trees are grown in waste water from the city of Hammond and they have a 1000 year lifespan. The panel of judges awarded Wetland Resources with $10,000 in seed capital to the company's founders, the husband and wife team of Gary Shaffer and Demetra Kandalepas. The money will go towards the patenting of a cypress "sleeve" that protects against nutria (a large, semiaquatic rodent) and makes seedlings easy to plant.
In addition to the $10,000 prize, Wetland Resources also won a $500 dollar award for being the Audience Favorite.
Ella Delio, director of environmental and regional initiatives at the Greater New Orleans Foundation said that one of the things that was learned through the Water Challenge is that, "it’s going to take all of us — businesses, nonprofits, policymakers and artists — to tackle our water issues innovatively and effectively."
The Water Challenge initiative is a collaboration between Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation, The Idea Village and the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) that aims to identify and support entrepreneurial solutions that apply innovative approaches to how we live with water.
Apple's successful adoption of a host of sustainability initiatives demonstrate that it is never too late to go green. The conventional wisdom suggests that to be recognized as a sustainability leader you have to get there first and be green to the core. However, Apple has made some profound changes in recent years which have taken the company from the fringes where it was singled out as a sustainability laggard to its current incarnation as a sustainability leader.
A 2013 Green Market Oracle article asked whether Apple's sustainability efforts where too little too late. It would appear that the answer to that question is apparently not. In 2012 Apple did a reversal on their resistance to EPEAT and they radically improve working conditions of their suppliers in China.
Apple CEO Tim Cook's hiring of former EPA chief Lisa Jackson in 2013 was a powerful signal that the company was serious about sustainability. Hiring Jackson to head their sustainability initiatives has made a powerful difference. She has said of Apple's sustainability efforts we are "swinging for the fences."
In 2015 Cook explained that engaging sustainability initiatives is about more than ROI. However, Apple's bottom line appears to be benefiting alongside its reputation. In 2014 the Motley Fool published an article which suggested that Apple's gross margins have become much more stable after being subject to wild volatility. Also in 2014, CSR Rep Track 100, ranked Apple as the 5th best CSR company in the world.
Apple has emerged as a sustainability leader and the numbers suggest that engaging sustainability has been good for the company. Apple has announced some massive renewable energy investments that is both environmentally sustainability and good business strategy. These investments position Apple as one of the world's leading companies.
These efforts include $1.9 billion plan to build and operate two data centers in Europe (Ireland and Denmark) powered by wind energy. The Irish facility is being built on land that will restore native trees to the Derrydonnell Forest. The project will also incorporate and outdoor education space and a walking trail. The Denmark facility will capture waste heat and help to warm local homes. The company has also announced that they will be employing advanced green building designs.
Apple is also a solar energy leader. They are investing almost $3 billion into solar facilities in California and Arizona. The Arizona project alone will produce 70 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power more than 14,500 homes. The company is also partnering with First Solar to build a 2,900 acre solar farm in Monterey California.
With Apple's commitment to go 100 percent renewable, the company's environmental footprint is getting much smaller. Apple's improvements are improving the company's ratings. Apples efforts were reflected in improved rankings in Greenpeace's most recent electronic report and this is likely to improve when Greenpeace does its updates in April 2015.
It all comes down to leadership, and Cook is the real deal when it comes to environmental sustainability.
"We know that climate change is real," Cook said at the Goldman Sachs technology conference in San Franciso. "Our view is that the time for talk has passed, and the time for action is now. We’ve shown that with what we’ve done."
The Energy Show will take place on March 25 10am - 6pm and March 26 10am - 6pm in RDS, Dublin.
The Energy Show, presented by SEAI, is an annual two-day business exhibition showcasing the leading sustainable energy technologies and practices. Entry to the Show is free to business professionals.
The Energy Show is the flagship event for professionals in the energy sector. This two day event is a business only exhibition showcasing leading suppliers of sustainable energy products and services from Ireland and Europe. This year the event has grown to include:
* SEAI Energy Theatre * Energy Studio * Electric and Alternative Vehicle Showroom * International Markets Area * Free workshops
The Energy Show 2015 has a number of free Visitor Workshops. They have also introduced the new SEAI Energy Theatre which can be found on the exhibition floor and it will present seven topical 45 minute briefings on each day of the Energy Show.
The registration form will take approximately 3 minutes to complete. You can click into the relevant sections or navigate using the TAB key.
At the registration process, you will also have the option to also book into some of our free visitor briefings. Click here for more information or here to register.
If you have any queries please feel free to contact us at energyshow2015attendee@conferencepartners.ie or call us on + 353 1 2969393, we would be happy to help.
The plunge in the price of oil makes this an ideal time to deploy market disincentives that can cut emissions and combat climate change. We know that if we are to stave off the worst impacts of climate change we must substantially reduce our emissions. As the leading cause of climate change fossil fuels are the most obvious focal point.
All but the willfully ignorant understand that the economic costs of inaction far outweigh the costs of engagement. We have seen a number of studies which suggest the longer we wait the more it will cost. Scientists tell us that we are running out of time and we must address climate change as soon as possible. That is part of the reason why we must deploy market levers. They can quickly and efficiently augur the changes we need. A two tiered approach involving a carbon pricing scheme and the removal of subsidies would pull back the curtain and expose some of the hidden costs associated with fossil fuels. Together these two initiatives would correct the false impression that fossil fuels are cheap.
President Obama has said that carbon pricing allows the market to do the "heavy lifting." In 2013, Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change spoke about the utility of carbon pricing calling it , "an extremely effective instrument." He went on to say, "it’s only through the market that we might be able to get a large enough and a rapid enough response."
A number of studiesincluding one from UCL conclusively demonstrate that if we are to have a shot of curtailing climate change we must keep most of the known fossil fuel reserves in the ground. The UCL study's co-author Paul Ekins explained that falling oil prices present an ideal time to remove subsidies and implement a carbon tax.
While further innovation should be rewarded, we already possess the technological wherewithal to wean ourselves away from fossil fuels. The application of the two market levers outlined would generate billions of dollars that could be used to provide greater support for energy efficiency and renewables. This would would not only combat climate change it would improve people's health in the process. It will also create a host of economic spin-offs including jobs and reduced healthcare costs.
Now is the time to impose carbon pricing schemes and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. The plunging price of oil coupled with advances in clean energy provide a golden opportunity for politicians to rationalize their energy policies.
Scientists have made it abundantly clear that we must leave most of the world's known fossil fuel reserves in the ground if we are to stay within our carbon budget. This is essential if we are to keep temperatures from rising more than the internationally agreed upon 2 degree Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), upper threshold limit. This means that if we are to get serious about efforts to combat climate change we must do more than stabilize our use of fossil fuels we must see radical reductions.
The idea of a carbon budget was first introduced by a group known as the Nobel Laureates Symposium. In 2009 this group of scientists, including 20 Nobel Prize winners, signed a memorandum calling for a carbon budget that set limits on global emissions for 2020 and 2050.
Since the dawn of the industrial revolution we have emitted around 531 billion metric tons of carbon from the burning of fossil fuels, cutting down forests and making cement. A 2013 UN report estimated that we can burn no more than a total of 840 billion tons of carbon to have a 50 percent chance of keeping temperature increases within the upper threshold limit. "We are not on a path that would lead us to respect that climate target," said professor Thomas Stocker, co-chairman of the group that drafted the UN report.
The "Unburnable Carbon 2013," report with Lord Stern, not only stated that we must radically reduce the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere, it also made it clear that our current trajectory will far exceed our carbon budget.
According to a 2015 study by researchers at the University College London's (UCL) Institute for Sustainable Resources, we have a maximum carbon budget of no more than 1,100 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2050. However, our current trajectory will far exceed that number and augur a 5 degree Celsius temperature rise.
We know that we currently have about three times more fossil fuel reserves than we can safely burn. The UCL study specifically indicates which reserves are unburnable. To keep temperatures below the upper threshold limit we must not extract (and burn) US and Australian coal, Canada's tar sands, Arctic reserves and shale gas.
"These results demonstrate," the study says, "the stark transformation in our understanding of fossil fuel availability is necessary."
It is high time that a science based understanding informs policy decisions. Negotiators who are scheduled to convene at the COP21 climate summit in Paris later this year must focus on a science based agreement.
"This gives a clear scientific basis for a carbon budget and an indication of how much carbon we have already used and how much we have left before we start breaking planetary boundaries," said Samantha Smith, head of the climate and energy program of environmental group WWF. "This has gone from being an interesting piece of modeling to being something that now has solid foundation in the IPCC report."
The UCL study states that 82 percent of all known fossil fuel reserves must be left underground. This is at odds with increasing rates of extraction and ongoing exploration. As the study's co-author Paul Ekins explained to National Geographic, putting hundreds of billions of dollars into fossil fuel exploration and development is "deeply irrational" economic behavior.
The UCL report also puts an end to the ruse of carbon capture as the technnological savior that will allow us to continue our unrestrained use of fossil fuels.
A lot of time has been spent focusing on minor efforts that are little more than window dressing. It is time for us to get real about limiting our carbon emissions and crafting science based energy policies.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canada's ruling federal Conservatives went all in on fossil fuels and now that the price of oil has plummeted they are feeling the heat from the economic fallout.
Canada offers an energy policy case study. Rather than best practices, this is a cautionary tale of energy mismanagement on a national scale. Not only are fossil fuels the primary contributors to climate change, they are also increasingly less profitable.The combination of low oil prices and an impending low carbon regulatory regime make fossil fuels a very risky and volatile resource in 2015 and beyond. This is especially true of Alberta's vast tar sands reserves which are some of the most dirty and expensive fossil fuels on the planet. Some are waiting for oil prices to go up again, however many of those in the know are suggesting that prices will not rebound anytime soon. The IEA predicts that it will be at least ten years before we see oil prices return above $100 per barrel.
While some are biding their time waiting for higher oil prices, Alberta is falling into recession. If oil prices stay as low as they are now, Canada's wealthiest province will be running a deficit for the foreseeable future. In short order Alberta went from a budget surplus to a $500 million deficit and a $12 billion debt. Unless oil prices miraculously rebound, losses of more than $10 billion are predicted in the province for the following three or four years.
In addition to the layoffs in and around the fossil fuel industry, the government of Alberta is already beginning to cut jobs and services. This suggests that austerity measures are not only for those nations that spend beyond their means, it is also for nations that bet heavily on fossil fuels. Alberta's provincial government is even talking about raising taxes which amounts to heresy for conservatives in wild rose country.
The rest of Canada will not be immune to the pain of the oil price collapse. Economic hard times will ripple right across the country, so even those far removed from Canada's oil epicenter will feel the pinch. Deficits are the order of the day from coast to coast thanks to Harper's irresponsible energy policy.
Canada is mired in an old energy economy and as such the nation is poorly positioned to compete in the new world of opportunities that are taking shape.
Rather than invest in renewables and lay the foundation for the future, Harper doubled down on fossil fuels and tried to squeeze every petro-buck he could out of his climate killing cash cow. Canada's chief cowboy has made a colossal mistake by putting all of the country's energy eggs into the petro-basket.
Now that chicken is coming home to roost and Canadians will suffer the consequences for decades to come.
Despite some unseasonably cold temperatures in Canada and the northeastern portion of US, the winter of 2014/2015 was the warmest winter ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere. Year to date temperature statistics reveal that 2015 is on track to be the warmest year in recorded history according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to NASA February 2015 was ranked as the second-warmest such month on record in its database, behind February 1998.
The trend of warmer weather continues adding to 30 consecutive years of above average temperatures. The globally-averaged land surface temperature during this past December to February was 2.63 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, tying with 2007 as the highest for that period since instrument records began in 1880. The average temperature across land and ocean surfaces was the warmest on record during meteorological winter, beating the previous record set in 2007 by 0.05 degrees Fahrenheit.
For 2015 so far, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit above average, according to NOAA, beating previous records set in 2002 and tied in 2007, by 0.07 degrees Fahrenheit.
The UN's 2015 World Water Development report, released by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said the planet will face a 40 per cent shortfall in water supply in 2030 unless the international community “dramatically” improves water supply management. diarrhea
The report indicates that the demand for water is slated to skyrocket 55 percent by 2050 while 20 percent of global groundwater is already over exploited.
The report urges the international community to devote an entire sustainable development goal to water itself – from issues of water governance and quality to wastewater management and the prevention of natural disasters. Clean water is a matter of life and death. There are a host of disturbing water statistics. One of the most pressing preventable water related concerns involves tragic childhood mortality. Nearly 1,000 children die every day from diarrhoeal disease linked to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, or poor hygiene.
In an effort to raise greater awareness about the importance of improving water quality and access, UNICEF has launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #wateris.
To read the report UN's 2015 World Water Development Report click here.
The front lines in the war against climate change are forming and much of the organization is taking place online. We are witnessing an era of unparalleled ecological action. Corporations are inculcating environmental sustainability into their DNA. Grassroots protests and petitions are emerging from every quarter of the real and virtual worlds. We appear to be undergoing a paradigm shift away from the wasteful ways of the past and towards an emerging low carbon economy.
The Internet has been a key driver of collaboration and social media has played a pivotal role helping people and organizations to share constructive solutions.
Al Gore is among those who think that the Internet could play a salient role in the war against climate change. In a recent speech at the South by Southwest Interactive conference the former US vice president called on people to use the power of the social media. Gore advised people to use the Internet to organize their efforts for a healthy environment and to call out politicians who deny climate change. Gore has been a champion of the fight against climate change for almost a decade. He starred in the Academy Award-winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," and he is the founder and chairman of the Climate Reality Project.
Gore's suggestion that we should use the Internet in the war against climate change should come as no surprise as he has deep ties to technology. He is a director on Apple's board and senior partner at the venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers
Better water management is essential to sustainable development. World Water Day was celebrated on March 22 and the theme for 2015 is, "Water and Sustainable Development." Water covers 71 percent of our planet's surface it is vital to life. Water is a crucial to human health, nature, urbanization, industry and energy production. This year the UN has launched a campaign focusing on water and sanitation. By 2030 the demand for water is expected to grow 40 percent and this burgeoning demand is compounded by increasing scarcity due to climate change. Water is central to sustainable development and effective management is directly related to reducing poverty, Water resources, economic growth and environmental sustainability.
In his message marking World Water Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "To address the many challenges related to water, we must work in a spirit of urgent cooperation, open to new ideas and innovation, and prepared to share the solutions that we all need for a sustainable future." Ban also warned that access to safe drinking water and sanitation was among "the most urgent issues" affecting populations across the globe. "The onset of climate change, growing demand on finite water resources from agriculture, industry and cities, and increasing pollution in many areas are hastening a water crisis that can only be addressed by cross-sectoral, holistic planning and policies – internationally, regionally and globally," Ban said.
Almost 750 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and two and a half billion people around the world do not have access to adequate water facilitates for sanitation purposes.
We need water for our survival and for hygiene that combats disease. According to the UN, the return on investment of attaining universal access to improved sanitation has been estimated at 5.5 to 1, whereas for universal access of improved drinking-water sources the ration is estimated to be 2 to 1.To cover every person worldwide with safe water and sanitation is estimated to cost US$ 107 billion a year over a five-year period.
Nature and the ecosystem services upon which we depend are themselves dependant on water. We have yet to incorporate the true value of water into our economic models.
Water is key in urban settings particularly in the developing world. A million people moving to cities every week and one in two people already living in an urban environment. By 2050 it is expected that there will be another 2.5 billion people living in urban centers.
Our industries are also demanding large quantities of water. It takes more water to manufacture a car than to fill a swimming pool, 10 litres of water are used to make one sheet of paper and 91 litres are used to make 500 grams of plastic. The demand for water used in manufacturing is expected to grow by 400 percent from 2000 to 2050. Once again this demand is more acute in the developing world and emerging economies. The corporate world has become increasingly serious about water conservation and recycling.
The water and energy nexus is inseparable. Producing energy requires water and energy is used to deliver water.
Water is critical to food production. Some food sources are far worse than other. As little as one litre of water is needed to irrigate one calorie food, however, inefficient water use can mean 100 litres are used to produce one calorie. It takes fifteen thousand litres of water to produce a kilo of beef while only 3,500 litres of water to produce a kilo of rice.
More water is used in agriculture than in any human endeavor. Approximately 70 percent of the water withdrawn is used for agricultural. By 2050 we will need to produce 60 percent more food and in the developing world food production will have to double. Our current rates of water consumption for agriculture are unsustainable.
Water is also about equality in the developing world. Every day women spend 200 million hours carrying water. This detracts from time spent more productively. Every dollar invested shows a return between US$5 and US$28. Climate change further compounds the issue of availability of water and increases the amount of time required to get it.
It is critical that we do a better job of managing our water resources. We must also develop innovative approaches that will enable us to address increasing demand for water and growing scarcity due to climate change.
