Climate Change News

Business & Sustainable Development News

Security for shillings - Microinsurance
One of the things holding back agriculture in developing countries is the unwillingness of farmers with small plots of land to invest in better seed and fertiliser. Only half of Kenyan farmers buy improved seed or spend money on other inputs. Many use poor-quality seed kept from previous harvests. That is understandable when drought or deluge can destroy their crop, but it has the effect of reducing yields. A new microinsurance scheme promises to help.

2nd panel will review U.N.'s work on climate
The review aims to help the U.N. climate change panel avoid the kinds of errors that have brought its work into question in recent months, officials said.

The value of sustainability
AP Moller-Maersk released its first sustainability report with its annual figures last week. Maersk is not the first shipping company to attempt to quantify its efforts in the whole basket of activities that fall under the rubric of sustainability.

African electricity for Europe?
The European Commission said Thursday that five countries that were failing to meet targets for renewable energy could make their quota by buying electricity from North Africa and the Balkans. That could provide a boost for renewable energy in countries like Tunisia, involving companies like Terna and Steg. It also could help the Desertec project, which envisages the construction of large solar farms in North Africa, and for hydro power projects in countries like Montenegro and Albania.

Big auto and EU face off over green van targets
Europe's vanmakers have gone a long way towards meeting proposals to curb climate-warming emissions, but as debate on the 2016 targets kicks off big auto is seen digging its heels in over the last mile.

Climate: Progress seen on forest scheme, Germany to join
Around 60 countries pushed ahead on Thursday with a multi-billion-dollar scheme to reduce climate-changing emissions from deforestation, to which Germany added its support, British minister Joan Ruddock said on Thursday.

White House finalizing rules to cut car emissions
The White House is finalizing rules on the first U.S. greenhouse gas emission standard for automobiles, which would raise average fuel economy 42 percent by 2016 in a bid to slash oil imports and fight climate change.

Road map to sustainability rests on corporate governance
More companies are combining their strategies for increasing profit and addressing climate change.

IBM earns energy efficiency certificates from server upgrade
Technology giant IBM has become the first company to register energy efficiency certificates (EECs) on an APX registry, following improvements to a data centre in Canada.

How to Embed Sustainability Into Your Company's DNA
The nonprofit Ceres unveiled a comprehensive report today to help companies embed sustainability into their DNA in order to successfully compete in today's changing business landscape.

Japan weakens climate bill, pressured by industry
Japan watered down legislation to fight climate change on Thursday after weeks of wrangling within the government over plans for an emissions trading system that has met stiff resistance from industry.

Industry slow to sell biocharcoal climate merits
Industry has struggled to commercialise a charcoal technology which some say could reverse the effect of manmade carbon emissions, as countries fail to implement incentives and technical problems nag.

EU to exceed 2020 green energy target - forecasts
New forecasts suggest the European Union will exceed its target of getting 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2020, the European Commission said on Thursday.

Making plastic easier to recycle
Researchers at I.B.M. and Stanford University said they had discovered a new way to make plastics that can be continuously recycled or developed for novel uses in health care and microelectronics.

Political ads: new weapon in U.S. climate change war?
Big business is now free to blitz the airwaves to attack politicians who support action against climate change, which could smother messages from environmentalists.

Lack of Government Policy, Not Technology, Is Barrier to Climate Change Mitigation
A climate scientist and a business leader join forces to assert the validity of climate science, and recommend the adoption of a market-based cap-and-trade program.

EU comes up with exit strategy for climate talks
The EU's new commissioner for climate action wants Europe to continue leading global negotiations and pursue deeper emission cuts, even if the current pledge of 20% reductions by 2020 was not matched by other developed countries.

Electric cars create boom in lithium search
The lightweight metal is enjoying a boom in interest because of its critical role in hybrid and electric car batteries.

India and China back climate deal
As China and India, among the largest sources of greenhouse-gas emissions, gave approval Tuesday to the Copenhagen Accord, the European Union sought to regain the initiative on global climate policy.

In Spanish solar bust, lessons for the world
Puertollano's wrenching fall points to the delicate policy calculations needed to stimulate nascent solar industries and create a stable green industry.

APX adds energy efficiency certificates to registry
Environmental registry APX has widened its service to include renewable energy and energy efficiency certificates for voluntary markets, it said on Wednesday.

Study raises question of emission 'imports'
While China has taken on the mantle of world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, almost one-quarter of these emissions is generated during the production of goods and services meant for export, often to the wealthy world, according to a new study.

Trading down
Looking at the carbon emissions associated with a country's consumption, rather than its production, does not change the general outline of what is going on in the world: rich people still emit more carbon dioxide than poor people do. But it does heighten the contrast.

European 'super-grid' in the works
A coalition of 10 European companies announced plans yesterday to launch an electricity "super-grid" in the North Sea.

New climate partnership planned to protect forests
Governments will seek a new climate partnership in 2010 to protect tropical forests with funds going through the United Nations, the World Bank or bilateral channels, Norway said on Tuesday.

India 'associates' itself with Copenhagen Accord -minister
India has agreed to formally associate itself with the climate accord struck in Copenhagen last year, one of the last major emitters to do so, the environment minister said in a statement on Tuesday.

China endorses Copenhagen climate accord
China formally signed up on Tuesday for the climate accord struck at the Copenhagen summit, the last major emerging nation to endorse a plan strongly favoured by the United States.

Deutsche Bank urges private sector leadership on climate
Much more initiative by the private sector will be required to take the UN climate negotiations forward after the weak Copenhagen Accord agreed in December, Mark Dominik, vice president of Deutsche Bank Group, told EurActiv in an interview.

NGOs take Commission to court over biofuels reports
Four environmental groups have sued the European Union's executive for withholding documents they say will add to a growing dossier of evidence that biofuels harm the environment and push up food prices.

IBM makes Earth-friendly plastic from plants
IBM researchers on Tuesday said they have discovered a way to make Earth-friendly plastic from plants that could replace petroleum-based products tough on the environment.

Electric charge is a leap of faith
Volkswagen, a long-time sceptic about hybrid and electric cars, has officially shifted gears.

GM crops flourishing in developing world, says report
The planting of genetically modified crops has surged, particularly in developing countries, because of the global food crisis, according to a report.

Radically rethinking the automobile
The vision of smart, eco-savvy cars free from the threat of congestion, crashes, pollution and parking spats could soon become reality, according to the authors of a new book, "Reinventing the Automobile."

Climate forest deal in sight: Indonesia
Wealthy and developing nations should be able to seal an agreement this year on deforestation, unlocking a key part of the next treaty on global warming, Indonesian negotiators said Monday.

Economic value of nature 'still invisible', says UN
A United Nations initiative is making massive calculations in an attempt to put a price on nature services such as soil, forest or fresh water in a drive to convince policymakers to implement the 'polluter pays' principle to protect nature, said Pavan Sukhdev, who leads the initiative.

Smart grid spending powers ahead in Asia
Japan, South Korea and China are investing about $9 billion this year in infrastructure and information technology to make electricity networks more efficient, creating lucrative opportunities for niche technology and equipment providers.

Russia launches 'cash-for-clunkers' to revive car market
Russia launched on Monday a cash-for-clunkers programme encouraging drivers to trade in old cars for new ones in order to prop up a domestic market badly hit by the global economic crisis.

Global climate battle plays out in World Bank
The United States and Britain are threatening to withhold support for a $3.75 billion World Bank loan for a coal-fired plant in South Africa, expanding the battleground in the global debate over who should pay for clean energy.

Interview: Asia should seek common carbon market
Emerging Asian CO2 markets should link up to ensure sufficient liquidity, a Korean expert said.

New report lays out cold climate truths for U.S., China, E.U.
A former U.S. climate negotiator is saying aloud what few others right now dare: An international global warming treaty is not likely to emerge anytime soon.

Analysis: low-carbon development to feature main stream lifestyle in China
Premier Wen Jiabao has said in his government report given on Friday that the nation backs development on low-carbon technology and fostering low-carbon-related industries and consumption.

Automakers try to turn green in gold with Geneva show
Staking claims on "sustainable mobility solutions," carmakers have turned the 80th International Motor Show in Geneva into a high-tech gold rush.

Cap-and-trade key to US energy reform - Exelon CEO
U.S. energy reform has stalled now that the Democrats have lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and Republicans drift to a more negative position, a top industry executive said on Saturday.

Green Jobs, Green Technology in the Spotlight in New Report
In the run-up to the release of the federal government's national broadband plan, a coalition of groups are detailing the ways that green technologies can grow the economy while cutting the country's carbon footprint.

Potato Drags GM Food Into Europe
Genetically modified (GM) foods appear to be back on the European Union's political menu - thanks to a potato.

Steel, cement to cash free emission permit billions
The ten companies holding the largest number of surplus emission allowances under the EU's cap-and-trade system stand to make a profit of 3.2 billion euros in the 2008-2012 trading period, according to a new analysis of EU data.

German greenhouse gas emissions down 8.4 pct in 2009
German environment agency Umweltbundesamt (UBA) said on Friday the country's greenhouse gases emissions were down 8.4 percent year-on-year in 2009 or 80 million tonnes

Mercedes to double investment in electric car technology
Mercedes-Benz will nearly double its investment in batteries and fuel-saving engines as part of an effort to offer electric vehicles.

Labor, environment groups push 'green' broadband
Labor and environmental groups joined with the U.S. government on Thursday to promote high speed Internet access and related technologies to create green jobs and help lift the United States out of recession.

Smarting from the wind
Energy: Turbines equipped with sensors can now "see" the wind before it arrives, and then take appropriate action.

Highs and lows - Monitoring greenhouse gases
You might think that measuring the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would be a priority. If you did think that, though, you would be wrong.

A quantum leap for lighting
Consumer electronics: Tiny semiconductor crystals, called quantum dots, enable new forms of energy-efficient lighting.

IBM energy unit sees China rev rising $400m by 2014
IBM expects the China revenues of its energy and utilities division to grow by $400 million from now until 2014 as Beijing banks on "smart grids" to make the country more energy-efficient, a senior executive said.

Rolling out the changes
Transport: Manufacturers are using a variety of chemical additives and new materials to reduce the environmental impact of tyres.

Power upgrade 'will cost Europe 28bn by 2015'
Europe will need to invest up to 28 billion euros in electricity infrastructure over the next five years to secure its key energy goals, including integrating renewable energies into the grid, Konstantin Staschus, secretary-general of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), told EurActiv in an interview.

EU targets action on forests
The European Commission yesterday (1 March) launched an EU-wide consultation to quiz stakeholders on whether the 27-country bloc should act to protect European forests and enhance their resistance to climate change.

EU rules out binding green criteria for biomass
The European Commission yesterday (25 February) ruled out binding EU-wide sustainability criteria for biomass, offering member states recommendations for national action instead.

Wal-Mart to cut emissions from supply chain
Wal-Mart Stores Inc plans to massively cut greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain within five years -- an effort the retailer said is equivalent to taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

ADB to issue first-of-its-kind water bond
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is marketing a novel bond to finance investments in the water sector in its countries of operation. Its inaugural water bond to be sold by Daiwa Securities to Japanese retail and institutional investors will mark the first time that the ADB has issued a bond targeted at a specific sector, and is understood to be the first bond offering fixed income investors exposure to the water sector in the region.

30+ carbon footprint guidelines baffle companies
Companies are struggling to comprehend the thirty-odd number of guidelines for reporting their carbon footprints.

EIB to raise climate lending to 20 billion
The European Investment Bank (EIB) hopes to lend at least 20 billion ($27 billion) to climate change initiatives this year, up from almost 17 billion in 2009, said EIB president Philippe Maystadt today.

The battle over biofuel made from algae
A European lobbying group weighed in Tuesday on a fierce debate over the environmental value of using algae to produce biofuels for vehicles.

Geothermal energy gets U.S. cash but hits roadblocks
Technology to generate energy by harnessing the earth's inner heat is finally getting respect and looks on track to test ways to expand the industry, thanks to new U.S. government funding. But steep startup costs and financing remain barriers, and new geothermal technology to pump cold water into hot rock also has sparked worries about the risk of manmade earthquakes, dimming prospects for near-term expansion.

The environmental cost of doing business
A U.N. report to be released this spring has calculated that the world's top 3,000 companies cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damage per year, according to the company writing the report.

Obama speech to business group leaves greenhouse gas issues up in the air
A speech by President Obama to top CEOs yesterday left some climate experts and energy industry lobbyists searching for stronger clues about White House policy preferences as members of the Senate struggle to come up with a fresh proposal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Tata's JLR gets 519-bln-dollar 'clean technology' car loan
India's Tata Motors said Thursday it received a loan of over half a billion dollars to fund clean car technology research at its British-based premium car unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

PRI Commits Investors to Consideration of Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues
The United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) was launched in 2006, and at present has over 700 signatories. Those who sign on to the Principles believe that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues affect the performance of investment portfolios, and commit to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making, practicing active ownership, and seeking corporate disclosure on ESG issues.

Chemical companies defend sustainability actions
Industry association Cefic and several European chemical firms defended the environmental gains of their 'Responsible Care' sustainability programme on Wednesday in the face of criticism that it does not embody a cradle-to-grave approach.

Record low Mekong River poses threat to millions
Water levels in the northern Mekong River are at record-low levels, posing a threat to water supply, navigation and irrigation along a stretch of water that is home to millions, a regional official said.

Environmental disaster looms from River Po oil spill
A giant oil slick threatened wildlife, fishing grounds and tourist spots Thursday as it moved down the Po, Italy's longest river, towards the sea, defying all efforts to stem its progress.

Europe worried about standstill on US climate bill
European concern is growing about the prospects of securing a new international climate treaty, as support appears to be waning in the US for domestic climate legislation that would include a cap-and-trade system.

Brussels to table EU clean cars strategy
The European Commission is set to propose a strategy on clean and fuel-efficient cars by May, followed later by an action plan to help introduce green vehicles to the market.

China, India adding to e-waste timebomb: UN
Mountains of discarded computers and mobile phones could soon pose serious threats to public health and the environment in developing countries without swift action, the UN said Monday.

U.S. Senate weighs final push to move climate bill
A last-ditch attempt at passing a climate change bill begins in the U.S. Senate this week with lawmakers mindful that time is running short and that approaches to the legislation still vary widely, according to sources.

CDP sends out carbon questionnaires to 4,500 firms
More than 4,500 companies have been sent questionnaires about their greenhouse gas emissions and climate strategies this year by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). This is up from 3,700 companies questioned last year.

Investors Call on 86 Global Compact Signatories to Produce Annual Communication on Progress
A coalition of investor signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment identify 86 large, publicly traded companies as laggard in producing annual Communications on Progress as required by the Global Compact, and urge them to do so or risk delisting.

BRAC in business
Fazle Hasan Abed has built one of the world's most commercially-minded and successful NGOs.

Electric bikes on a roll in China
Chinese commuters in their millions are turning to electric bicycles -- hailed as the environmentally-friendly future of personal transport in the country's teeming cities.

Climate financing misses $30bn target
Rich nations' near-term climate finance pledges fall short of the $30 billion promised in Copenhagen.

Drax calls for biomass support to cut coal burn
Britain's biggest coal plant needs better renewable energy support to invest in new facilities to burn woodchips instead of coal and fully utilise its existing carbon cutting capability, the chief executive of Drax told Reuters on Friday.

U.N. climate chief gives up struggle
The disarray in the global effort to address climate change deepened Thursday with the resignation of Yvo de Boer, the stolid Dutch bureaucrat who led the international climate change negotiations over four tumultuous years.

Jordan enlists army in climate fight
Jordan has unveiled plans to help fight climate change, including upgrading its armed forces by 2020, an area usually overlooked in the global warming debate.

Shale gas gambit pits New York neighbor against neighbor
The race to exploit America's promising reserves of shale gas has triggered a clash between landowners in New York state, pitting those eager to earn royalties from drilling against farmers who fear gas companies will be able to drill without their consent.

Study says businesses cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damage
Firms would lose one-third of their profits if they were held accountable for environmental damage, according to a new, unpublished study from the United Nations.

Gap between firms' reputations and performance
Some companies are much greener than consumers think, according to an analysis of 115 major corporations and US consumers' perceptions of them by magazine New Scientist and research firms Earthsense and Trucost.

EU member states approve new emissions registry rules
European member states have approved proposals to revise the EU carbon emissions market's registry system to make it more standardised and secure, the EU executive Commission said on Thursday.

Fortis eyeing new investors for $1.2 billion China green fund
Fortis Investments is considering broadening access to its China environmental mandate, into which around $1.2 billion has been raised since its launch in December.

Europe on course to meet 2020 renewables targets EWEA
The EU is on course to slightly exceed its target of sourcing 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Sustainability toolkit launched for forest financing
Financiers of forestry projects can access a free toolkit that will help ensure their money is invested in operations that are sustainable and legal.

Overpopulation and climate change
With the continuing failure of governments to reach agreements on combating climate change, the outlook for both humans and nature remains bleak. And nowhere is the failure more conspicuous than in the avoidance of the subject of population growth. Population is a double-barreled environmental problem - not only is population increasing; so are emissions per capita.

UN climate chief Yvo de Boer to step down in July
U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer will step down to join a consultancy group as an adviser, he said on Thursday, two months after a Copenhagen summit failed to support a legally binding climate pact.

Kyoto risks dying as no new climate deal in sight
Efforts to extend the Kyoto climate pact framework risk collapse in a setback to years of diplomatic bargains, as chances fade that the United States will join other rich nations in capping emissions.

Export-driven U.S. growth may hinge on competition in global energy markets
Global energy markets are ready to expand significantly, but the Pew Center on Global Climate Change says the U.S. economy only benefits from that growth if it joins Europe and Asia in the rush to invest in clean technology.

EU executive creates climate, energy departments
The new European Commission created two new departments on climate change and energy on Wednesday following its formal endorsement by MEPs and member states last week. Some details regarding the organisational structure still have to be worked out.

Norway outlines ways to reach deep 2020 CO2 cuts
Norway laid out ways to reach one of the world's toughest climate goals on Wednesday with measures to clean up sectors from oil to transport that it said would trim just 0.25 percent from the economy by 2020.

Solar project Desertec plans to add five partners - CEO
Five companies from Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, France and Italy will join the Desertec solar power project that aims to supply 15 percent of Europe's power by 2050, chief executive Paul van Son said on Wednesday.

ARGENTINA: Agrofuels Rev Their Engines
In a measure that was delayed by supply problems, this year Argentina is beginning to require that gasoline be mixed with ethanol and diesel fuel with biodiesel, at a proportion of five percent, to possibly reach 20 percent by 2015.

New Association to Support, Promote Green Building Products
The Green Roundtable/NEXUS has launched the Green Product Association (GPA) to advance the sustainability of building products and help manufacturers promote their products.

Indonesia to reclassify oil palms as forest
Indonesia is set to redefine oil palm plantations to prepare for a UN-led forestry carbon market.

Several shipping giants help the environment by pulling back the throttle
By halving its cruising speeds over the last two years, Maersk has not only cut fuel consumption on major routes by as much as 30 percent but achieved an equal cut in ships' emissions of greenhouse gases.

Lower-priced products offer access to customers in developing markets
Big-name pharmaceutical companies embrace generic drugs. The companies are pursuing a growing consumer base in emerging markets where many people pay out of pocket for their medicines but often cannot afford expensive brand-name drugs.

Worldwide growth in wind power
The Global Wind Energy Council, a trade group, estimates that wind power capacity grew by 31 percent worldwide in 2009, with 37.5 additional gigawatts installed.

Conoco, BP, Caterpillar leave climate coalition
ConocoPhillips, Caterpillar Inc. and BP America have left the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of more than two-dozen companies and environmental groups lobbying Congress to pass greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade legislation.

Does the huge China-Australia coal deal square with the Copenhagen Accord?
Environmental activists are attacking a $60 billion deal that will keep Chinese power stations supplied with Australian coal for at least the next two decades.

Climate skeptics exploiting scandal: US envoy
The US pointman on climate change on Tuesday accused vested interests of exploiting scientific scandals and pledged to act even if China and India balk at the controversial Copenhagen accord.

2010 Sees the Publication of Two Lists of Most Sustainable Companies
Following its 2009 purchase of Innovest, RiskMetrics uses for its Global ESG 100 the ESG research previously supplied to Corporate Knights, while Corporate Knights turns to three research providers, including a startup of Innovest cofounder, for its Global 100.

Sustainability Investment News Order reprints | Send it to a friend | Print it | Save it February 16, 2010 2010 Sees the Publication of Two Lists of Most Sustainable Companies
Following its 2009 purchase of Innovest, RiskMetrics uses for its Global ESG 100 the ESG research previously supplied to Corporate Knights, while Corporate Knights turns to three research providers, including a startup of Innovest cofounder, for its Global 100.

ETS airline emissions cap delayed until summer
The European Commission is unlikely to propose an emissions cap for airlines operating flights into and out of the EU from 2012 before the summer, an industry source told ENDS. The cap was initially due to be announced last August.

Obama steps up nuclear investment for climate fight
President Barack Obama announced $8.3 billion in loan guarantees on Tuesday to build the first U.S. nuclear power plant in nearly three decades, a move designed to help advance climate legislation in Congress.

Texas to challenge US greenhouse gas rules
Texas and several national industry groups on Tuesday filed separate petitions in federal court challenging the government's authority to regulate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Houston aims to be U.S. electric car capital
Houston, nicknamed the Petro Metro for the profusion of oil and gas companies that dot its skyline, is an unlikely host for an electric-car revolution.

Q&A: "Sustainability Issues Are Economic Issues"
Fresh from a whirlwind tour of non-stop meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos and a U.N .investor summit on climate risk attended by George Soros, Al Gore, and 500 of the world's most powerful institutional and private investors, Mindy Lubber has a full plate.

Green cities ready welcome mat for electric cars
In cities like San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and San Diego, a combination of green consciousness and enthusiasm for new technology seems to be stirring public interest in the cars.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce in legal challenge against EPA over GHGs
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is mounting a legal challenge to the Obama administration's bid to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Air Act.

British Airways to buy jet fuel from city waste
British Airways will start sourcing a small portion of its jet fuel from municipal waste from 2014, under a deal with U.S.-based biofuel company Solena Group, the two companies announced on Monday.

Forest issues set to advance in post-Copenhagen talks
A plan to slow deforestation was an area of rare agreement amid the contentious logjam that was December's climate negotiations in Copenhagen, according to attendees.

Microsoft co-founder Gates tackling climate change
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has broken from philanthropic work fighting poverty and disease to take on another threat to the world's poor -- climate change.

Climate: Is the Copenhagen Accord already dead?
Less than two months after it was hastily drafted to stave off a fiasco, the Copenhagen Accord on climate change is in a bad way, and some are already saying it has no future.

UN panel admits new error in key climate report
The UN climate change panel admitted Sunday to having imprecisely stated in a key report that 55 percent of The Netherlands is under sea level, saying that is only the area at risk of flooding.

Britain examines bonds for green energy industry: report
Britain is considering the introduction of "green bonds" offered to the public to help fund the sustainable energy industry, a newspaper reported Monday.

Lack of will on climate hobbling carbon trade
Touted by its supporters as the best and cheapest way to fight global warming, carbon trading is losing momentum amid the uncertainty created by the failure of the Copenhagen summit meeting and President Barack Obama's troubles in the United States.

Pinpointing the sources of emissions
Portable analyzers made by the Silicon Valley company Picarro take precise real-time measurements of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases.

EU report urges action on 'chemical cocktails'
There is sufficient know-how to assess risks to human health and the environment resulting from combined exposure to multiple chemicals, a European Commission report argues.

Controversy mounts over EU biofuels fall-out
Fresh controversy is mounting within the European Union over biofuels and their unintended impact on tropical forests and wetlands, documents show.

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
Masdar City is an incongruous development: a six million square metre, £14 billion, carbon-neutral, zero-waste city in tiny Abu Dhabi, one of the world's smallest nations, yet one of its largest oil producers.

Geothermal energy may be available in two years
Heat from the Earth s core could be used to power homes, businesses and public buildings in south Dublin within two years under Ireland s first geothermal energy project.

Are Hummers green machines? Japan says yes
Starting in the past week, Japanese buyers of the Hummer H3 from General Motors could receive a $2,780 subsidy under revised Japanese fuel-efficiency standards for imported cars.

High-Efficiency Solar Cell Made from Earth-Abundant Materials
IBM today announced it has built a solar cell -- where the key layer that absorbs most of the light for conversion into electricity, is made entirely of readily-available elements -- that set a new world record for efficiency and holds potential for enabling solar cell technology to produce more energy at a lower cost.

Walmart Canada Unveils Website To Drive Business Sustainability
Walmart Canada announced today the launch of ShareGreen.ca, a website to share sustainable business practices across the Canadian business community. The virtual site will give organizations of all sizes access to the successful green business practices of many of Canada's top corporations and organizations.

UK, Ethiopia to head climate funding effort
Britain and Ethiopia will head a new United Nations panel that aims to secure $100 billion every year by 2020 to help developing nations cut emissions and adapt to climate change, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.

India, China resist calls to back climate pact
India and China are resisting requests to sign up for the Copenhagen Accord for fighting global warming that risks unravelling without clear support from major emitters.

Spain approves domestic coal-burning plan
Spain's cabinet on Friday approved a plan to boost use of domestically produced coal rather than cheaper imports, a move which energy and competition watchdogs have warned will inflate power prices.

European carbon scheme is a success, research says
The European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is a success and its flaws have not harmed its basic aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, multi-national research showed on Friday.

Land-use concerns may change E.U. subsidy policy
As-yet unreleased studies on indirect land-use change could ultimately "kill" subsidized biofuels in Europe by adjusting the formula used to calculate their environmental impact, a top official at the European Commission has suggested.

Companies with water-use risks unlikely to report them, study says
Many companies in water-intensive industries -- including mining, beverages and electric power -- aren't fully disclosing potential risks posed by water scarcity, according to a new analysis.

Urban growth, global trade fueling tropical deforestation -- study
The leading drivers of deforestation in tropical countries are burgeoning city populations and globalized agricultural trade, according to a new large-scale study.

Book Review: Solutions for Impact Investors: From Strategy to Implementation
Published in November 2009 by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the monograph Soluti ons for Impact Investors: From Strategy to Implementation asserts that the sharp dichotomy between profit-maximizing financial investment and give-it-away' charity is gradually losing its edge.

Spain pushes for common strategy on electric cars
EU industry ministers on Tuesday (9 February) discussed plans to establish a common strategy for electric cars, a pet project of the Spanish EU presidency.

Sustainability's best friends: codes, specifications and targets
A raft of industry standards are driving sustainable targets to highly ambitious levels.

ADB Offers USD135 Million Loan To Green Coal Power Project In China
The Manila-based Asian Development Bank has received approval to provide a USD135 million loan to a green coal power demonstration project in Tianjin to help develop clean coal power system and reduce green house gas emissions and pollution in China.

E.U. studies take issue with support of biofuels
The European Commission has been keeping a lid on studies that a top farm official suggests could "kill" heavily promoted and subsidized biofuels in Europe by focusing on their total environmental impact.

Early EUA auctioning unlikely before 2012
The early auctioning of 2013 carbon permits in the European Union's emissions market is unlikely before 2012 as squabbles in the 27-nation bloc over the auctioning mechanism threaten to hinder plans.

Lobbyists for US cap and trade face daunting task
The U.S. Senate's stalled climate bill is getting a last big push from an unlikely ally -- a group of energy companies who say a carbon market will help them get financing for the next generation of energy production.

G20, U.N. vote reform could help climate deal
Climate talks by the Group of 20 and a suggested shift to majority voting for U.N. decisions could revive work on a new pact to fight global warming after the low-ambition Copenhagen summit, analysts say.

Lack of Awareness About Water Risks Threatens to Sink Global Firms
Although many consider water to be "free," its growing scarcity promises to carry a hefty price tag for the world's businesses and for those who have invested in them.

China to set up renewable energy centre -report
China plans to build a national renewable energy centre to enhance the country's clean energy development, the China Daily reported, citing a government official.

The gulf between U.S. and the developing world
The blessings of a temperate climate make California the greenest place in America, but California is still a lot browner than China.

Tokyo emissions trading plan may become a model for others
A plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions in the heart of Tokyo, one of the world's biggest and richest metropolitan areas, may prompt political action on a stalled national effort.

Deutsche Bank, Nasdaq launch clean energy index
Nasdaq and an arm of Deutsche Bank launched a global alternative energy and clean technology stock index on Wednesday that attempts to provide a pure signal of how the business is performing.

Weyerhauser, M&S, L'Oreal Among Leaders in First Forest Footprint Report
A handful of international companies are well aware of their forest impacts, and are working to minimize those impacts, although the vast majority of firms have yet to take dedicated action.

UN climate panel needs overhaul, say top scientists
The Nobel-winning UN panel that serves as the scientific bedrock for global climate negotiations needs a serious makeover, several of its most senior members said Wednesday.

Study Shows Wide Gap Between Actual and Perceived Green Efforts
New research suggests some of the world's largest companies are still struggling with communicating their environmental efforts to customers.

Wind, solar groups push US renewable energy standard
U.S. industry executives from the wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass sectors pushed on Tuesday for a federal renewable energy standard, which they said would foster economic growth and create jobs.

German coalition agrees to delay solar cuts
Germany's ruling coalition has agreed to delay cuts in solar power incentives by two months, parliamentary officials said on Tuesday, easing pressure on solar companies so they will have more time to sell components.

Price ultimate driver of greener energy use -GE
Pricing systems that encourage households to use energy more efficiently are the best way to help consumers to protect the environment, a senior General Electric Co executive said on Tuesday.

China says water pollution double official figure
A new Chinese government survey of the country's environmental problems has shown water pollution levels in 2007 were more than twice the government's official estimate, largely because agricultural waste was ignored.

Nuclear giant Areva buys solar company Ausra
The world's largest nuclear plant builder, Areva SA, is entering the solar power industry, with the company announcing on Monday its acquisition of U.S.-based solar thermal player Ausra.

Rapid city growth threat to Africa's development-UN
Rapid and chaotic urbanisation is threatening sustainable development in Africa, the head of the U.N. housing agency said on Monday, but taking steps to mitigate climate change could help tackle some of the problems of cities.

UK should press EU for tigher carbon caps -report
Prices for European carbon emissions permits are too low to deliver low-carbon investment and the British government should press the EU to tighten limits on emissions, a UK Parliamentary committee said on Monday.

"Smart" power key as EU sparks electric car debate
Electric cars must be backed by "smart" power networks if they are to help the world's climate problems, environmentalists warned on Monday as European ministers prepared to debate a strategy for the sector.

Australia aims to halve agricultural emissions
Australia today launched a A$70 million initiative to halve emission intensity from agriculture.

Riding green wave, Philips says 'let there be LED'
More than a century into its existence, Philips is once again betting heavily on semiconductors. This time the consumer electronics firm is looking to harness their potential as a source of light.

Palm oil plantations are now 'forests,' says EU
The European Commission and some EU member states hope to redefine palm oil plantations as "forests," according to a leaked document from the EU executive.

Smart grids to enable renewables at 'moderate' cost
The EU could be powered almost entirely by renewable energies in 2050 without power disruptions by adding intelligence to its existing grids and building new cross-border connections, according to a study by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), an industry group.

Survey finds U.S. energy standard would create hundreds of thousands of jobs
An aggressive renewable energy standard (RES) would create more than a quarter-million jobs by 2025, according to a new study sponsored by renewable power companies and advocacy groups.

U.S. solar market will feel impact of German feed-in tariff cut
Germany's plan to cut a major incentive for solar power generation is expected to cause a global oversupply of solar panels that could further drive down U.S. prices this year.

Commission disappoints on green growth strategy
The European Commission has shown little ambition to develop a truly green growth strategy in its consultation on a post-Lisbon strategy for 2020, several stakeholders have said. Ideas proposed lack substance, they say.

Novo Nordisk Slashes Emissions and Water Use, But Sees Waste Grow
Novo Nordisk slashed greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in 2009, at the same time the Danish pharmaceutical giant boosted sales and profit over the year before.

A Netscape moment? Electric cars
The idea of the "Netscape moment", a fund-raising that signals the spawning of a whole new industry, is dear to Silicon Valley types who think back fondly to the browser firm's spectacular initial public offering in 1995. So it was not surprising that in late January Shai Agassi, a former software entrepreneur, greeted a $350m investment in his company, Better Place, led by HSBC, in just those terms.

China wind, solar companies seek growth in U.S., Europe
Chinese wind and solar companies told a renewable energy conference on Thursday they were looking abroad for burgeoning markets in renewable energy.

Shell and Cosan team up on ethanol
Shell and Cosan team up on ethanol. A champion of futuristic biofuels embraces the old-fashioned kind.

Don't hold your breath - Carbon markets after Copenhagen
Something curious has been happening in the carbon markets. They are entirely political creationseven the most inventive financial engineers would not, on their own, have come up with the idea of a difference in value between the air people breathe in and the air they breathe out. Yet traders seem pretty uninterested in political cues. At the chaotic end of the Copenhagen climate summit in December, prices in the largest market in carbon-dioxide emissions, the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), did drop from 14.60 ($20.50) to 12.70. But that still left the price of a tonne of carbon dioxide comfortably above its lowest level last year.

Hot, dry and crowded - Australia's expanding population
As he prepares to call an election later this year Kevin Rudd, Australia's prime minister, is hoping his government's handling of the global financial crisis might help him win a second term. Australia was one of the few rich countries to avoid a recession. Unemployment in December fell to 5.5%. But a report published on February 1st announces an even bigger challenge for the economy: a population explosion.

Wind power grows in Europe
For the second year in a row, more wind power capacity was installed in the European Union than any other power technology, according to data compiled by the European Wind Energy Association.

Aircraft engine makers hope for short-haul refit boost
Aircraft engine makers will know within months if Airbus will launch a programme to fit more efficient engines to its top-selling single-aisle models, a step that might also prompt rival Boeing to follow suit.

US 25 pct green power goal to add more jobs -study
A national mandate requiring utilities to generate 25 percent of power from sources such as wind and solar energy by 2025 will create three times more jobs than weaker measures Congress is considering, a study released by renewable energy advocates said on Thursday.

Analysts applaud Shell's Cosan biofuels bet
Investment analysts have responded positively to Shell's planned $12 billion joint venture (JV) with Brazilian ethanol giant Cosan, predicting it could help push Brazilian ethanol into world markets.

FTC moves may signal start of 'greenwashing' crackdown
The Federal Trade Commission is expected to crack down on "greenwashing" when it updates its environmental marketing guidelines for the first time since 1998.

China strives for first 'green' Expo
China, the world's number one emitter of greenhouse gases, aims to hold the first "green" World Expo in Shanghai, as the sprawling metropolis tries to shed its polluted past and become eco-friendly.

Hopes build for US Green Bank
A proposed Green Bank' to help finance renewable energy projects in the US may get a boost from an unexpected source: a series of jobs bills aimed at lowering the nation's stubbornly high unemployment rate. And renewable energy advocates hope the Green Bank will encourage US banks to get off the sidelines and start lending money to clean energy projects.

Book Review: The Surprising Solution: Creating Possibility in a Swift and Severe World
Author Bruce Piasecki describes a new global equity culture in which the corporations that thrive will be those that respond to the social challenges of a resource-restrained world.

EU agrees billions to fund renewables, CCS
EU member states this week (2 February) agreed how to allocate billions worth of EU money from the bloc's emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) to support renewable energies and emerging technology to capture carbon dioxide and store it underground.

Has the Economy Helped or Hurt the Growth of Green Business?
The Great Recession and the fledgling recovery from it have been the big stories in the business world for the last year, but a new report from GreenBiz.com shines a light on how the economy has shaped the environmental impact of business operations.

Obama eyes biofuels, clean coal in new climate push
President Barack Obama laid out new steps on Wednesday to nudge the United States toward energy independence, backing measures to boost production of biofuels and bury pollution from coal.

World's top polluting nations submit plans to cut emissions
The climate change accord reached at Copenhagen in December has passed its first test as countries responsible for the bulk of climate-altering pollution formally submitted their emissions reductions plans, meeting the agreement's Jan. 31 deadline.

South Korea sees $4.8 billion renewables investment in 2010
South Korea, heavily dependent on oil and gas imports, estimated on Wednesday that renewable energy investment would hit reach 5.5 trillion won ($4.78 billion) this year, jumping 52 percent from 2009.

Online fraudsters steal EU carbon permits
Online fraudsters have targeted international carbon markets to steal emissions permits from companies and sell them illegally, officials said on Wednesday.

China outpaces EU and US with new wind turbines
China installed more new wind turbines than either Europe or the United States last year, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said on Wednesday.

Big companies push more suppliers to track emissions
The number of corporations pushing greenhouse gas emissions reporting and reduction strategies onto their suppliers is quickly growing and will likely triple in the next five years, according to a new survey by a U.K.-based nonprofit.

Biofuels industry set to suffer from lack of green rules
TheEU's current indecisiononenvironmental criteria for biomasscould discredit the wholeindustry, which lives off its climate-friendly image, Eric Johnson, managing director of Atlantic Consulting, told EurActiv in an interview.

Siemens to invest 346 million dollars in India
German industrial group Siemens said Tuesday it would spend 16 billion rupees (346 million dollars) in India, mainly in renewable energy, as part of a drive to step up investment in the country.

GE Launches New Ecomagination Healthcare Products, Opens Renewable Energy HQ
General Electric's line of Ecomagination products has grown by five with the addition of new GE Healthcare products that use less energy, water and materials.

Shell unveils biofuel joint venture in Brazil
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on Monday said it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the intention of forming a 12 billion-dollar joint venture with biofuel industry leader Cosan.

Huge hydroelectric dam approved in Brazil's Amazon
Brazil granted an environmental license on Monday for the construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

Ryanair near bottom of 'ethical ranking' list
Ryanair has appeared in the bottom 10 of an ethical ranking of 581 companies, based on environmental performance, corporate social responsibility and information provided to consumers. The ranking was compiled by Geneva-based Covalence, which measures qualitative data on 45 criteria including labour standards, waste management, social utility and human rights policy.

Electric bikes develop into a global industry
Millions of people around the world are taking part in an accidental transportation upheaval, the growing popularity of electric bikes as an alternative to cars.

India reiterates carbon goals for climate accord
India has reiterated a goal of slowing the rise of its carbon emissions by 2020 as part of pledges due by Sunday under a "Copenhagen Accord" to fight climate change, an official statement said.

Copenhagen climate deal gets low-key endorsement
Nations accounting for most of the world's greenhouse gas emissions have restated their promises to fight climate change, meeting a Sunday deadline in a low-key endorsement of December's "Copenhagen Accord".

Are There Large New Gains from Trade?
Each time trade ministers gather, economists seem to offer new projections of how much wealthier the world might be after liberalising trade. One recent study has created a stir by suggesting US$300-US$700 billion in potential global welfare gains from an ambitious Doha deal.

Trade and Climate: Joined at the Hip?
Two events of importance to sustainable development advocates took place at the close of the year 2009: the long-delayed WTO ministerial conference and the Copenhagen climate summit.

Automakers hit pay dirt in rural India
Rickshaws and bullock carts may be anachronisms elsewhere, but they are the standard means of transportation in rural India. But with government incentives and aggressive salesmanship by manufacturers, cars are making inroads into these untouched markets.

Suppliers that don't manage CO2 could lose clients
Suppliers that fail to manage their greenhouse gas emissions could lose clients, said a report published on Monday.

UK has to move beyond carbon cuts to stay competitive
Britain needs to focus on more than just carbon dioxide emission cuts and manage its water, waste and food resources better to remain competitive, a report by the Aldersgate Group said on Monday.

Experts take the stage to wrestle with issue of lasting and useful design
While most designers would agree that sustainability is important, they're very likely to disagree about everything else to do with it. What exactly is sustainable design? What constitutes success? And failure?

China out front in renewable-energy race
China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year.

IMF working on plans for "green fund" - IMF chief
The International Monetary Fund is working on proposals for a multibillion dollar "green fund" to help countries tap funds to deal with the effects of climate change, the head of the institution said on Saturday.

Failed efforts in protecting biodiversity
According to Ahmed Djoghlaf, the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the world is losing ground on efforts to protect biodiversity.

Race is on to develop green, clean technology
It is shaping up to be the Great Game of the 21st century. To top officials and business executives here at the World Economic Forum, Topic A this year was the race to develop greener, cleaner technology, which is emerging as one of the critical factors in reshaping the world economy as emerging powers snap at the heels of battered Western economies.

Environment an issue of sovereignty, China says
As a Sunday deadline approaches for countries to submit their plans to the U.N. on climate change, China is stressing that developed rather than developing countries need to make globally binding commitments.

Houston gains rank as US carbon hub
Houston is tied with New York in becoming a future trading hub for the US carbon market.

China reiterates goals for curbing climate change
China has reiterated a goal of slowing the rise of its greenhouse gases by 2020 as part of pledges due by Jan. 31 under a "Copenhagen Accord" for combating climate change, an official letter showed on Friday.

GE, PG&E Corp. Hold Top Spots on Corporate Knights' List of Most Sustainable Companies
General Electric Company, the PG&E Corporation and Tnt Nv , an international express and mail delivery service based in the Netherlands, rank first, second and third place respectively on Corporate Knights magazine's sixth annual Global 100 list of most sustainable firms.

China's clever water use boosts food yields
China produces more food for the same amount of water than other countries in Africa and Asia, researchers have found.

U.S. electric carmaker Tesla files for IPO
U.S. electric sports car maker Tesla Motors filed for an initial public offering of up to $100 million, aiming to cash in on growing investor interest in battery-powered vehicles and green technology.

Study shows white-roofed buildings can drive down emissions and urban temperatures
White roofs can significantly cool down buildings, make cities more pleasant and reduce the impact of global warming by saving on energy costs, according to a new study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

U.S. may lag in the global race to create clean energy jobs, supporters say
President Obama's focus in the State of the Union message Wednesday on lifting employment this year overshadowed his campaign for clean energy jobs in the future. "Jobs must be our No. 1 focus in 2010" was one of his top applause lines. With unemployment stuck at 10 percent, he seemed to have no practical or political choice. His administration's investment in "green" job creation, although unprecedented, is too small by itself to jump-start a stagnant, debt-burdened economy, economists said.

Lawmakers join forces to waterproof EU policies
A newly-established Water Intergroup in the European Parliament has started to help MEPs consider EU water policies more horizontally, as the European Commission prepares to put its water strategies in line with climate and resource-efficiency policies.

Russian plant pits jobs against environment
Reopening the paper mill on Lake Baikal's shores won't threaten area wildlife, factory management said yesterday.

A lighter burden - Financing solar power
Switching to solar power may help to save the planet. Homeowners, however, aren't so sure it will save them money. Energy costs may be lower than their existing electricity bills, but the initial expense of installing solar panels puts many people off.

Climate: the long and winding road after Copenhagen
After the near-train wreck of last month's Copenhagen climate summit, what lies ahead for efforts to beat back global warming? Next week may yield the first clues.

EU plans grid upgrade for renewables
The European Commission is working on a framework for developing Europe's electricity grids to integrate the massive increase in renewable energy expected in the next decade, a senior official said last week (28 January).

Emissions labels for motorbikes
The European Commission plans to propose rules that would oblige motorcycle manufacturers to label new models with the amount of carbon dioxide they emit, Giacomo Mattino, a senior official in the directorate for enterprise and industry, said Thursday.

Regulator wants risks on climate disclosed
The Securities and Exchange Commission said for the first time that public companies should warn investors of any serious risks that global warming might pose to their businesses.

US government to cut greenhouse emissions by 28 percent
The White House announced Friday that President Barack Obama would order the US federal government to reduce its greenhouse gas pollution by 28 percent by 2020.

China's green tech revolution
Targeting mainland China with his energy-saving inventions, Peter Fung and executives like him have their eye on the hottest competitive advantage around: an ambitious government with deep pockets.

U.S. cap-and-trade must take back seat -executives
Business executives and policy officials said a U.S. cap and trade scheme must give way to a clean energy law, after U.S. President Barack Obama favoured "green jobs" in his State of the Union Address.

US recommits to climate goals
The United States Thursday officially told the United Nations it will cut carbon emissions, predicting Congress would move ahead on fighting climate change but pressing other countries to do likewise.

Renewable power growth to beat coal -Alstom
Power equipment maker Alstom expects demand for renewable and nuclear technologies to outstrip growth in coal and gas fired electricity projects, Chief Executive Patrick Kron said on Thursday.

What the Auto Industry Can Learn from the High Tech Sector
In a recently released Cleantech Point-of-View (POV) article , Airfoil Public Relations urges the automotive industry to adopt the flexible, fast-to-market strategies of the technology industry and points out that tech developers have much to learn from best manufacturing practices developed by auto companies.

German tariff cuts to spark solar sector bloodbath
A potential deep cut in feed-in tariffs in Germany will hit solar companies around the world and increases pressure on large players to reduce exposure to the world's largest photovoltaic market.

China winning green race--US venture capitalist
China is leapfrogging ahead in the development of green technology, and the United States is "barely in the race," a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist said on Thursday.

UNEP Report Describes Urgent Need to Address E-Waste
With growth of e-waste in developing countries expected to multiply by 2020, the report identifies technologies that can increase recycling rates and generate jobs in a low-carbon economy.

EU plans centralised CO2 auctioning from 2011
The European Commission is considering auctioning emissions permits over centralised platforms from 2011and might cancel auctions if carbon prices are "abnormally low," according to two leaked documents.

Will U.S. companies be shut out of clean-tech markets by China and other competitors?
The United States must make long-term investments in clean energy development or risk being shut out of a $2.3 trillion industry, a new report by a liberal think tank has found.

EU drafts reveal biofuel's "environmental damage"
Biodiesel and other "green" fuels that Europeans put in their cars can have unintended consequences for tropical forests and wetlands, European Union reports show -- the first evidence of EU misgivings.

CEOs seek firm signal on US climate change policy
Global leaders in the energy business say they want some certainty in U.S. climate policy to encourage development of new technologies and other investment, but they do not expect federal legislation to pass this year.

Converting auto fleets to electricity
While mass consumer acceptance of electric or hybrid-electric vehicles evolves, one maker of electric vehicles is looking to tap into the renewed activity in the auto fleet market.

Maplecroft launches US climate indexes
Risk analysis firm Maplecroft has launched a family of indexes to track climate-related innovation and carbon management at some of the biggest companies in the US.

UK biofuel suppliers fall short of sustainability targets
Several major suppliers of transport fuel in the UK failed to meet the sustainability criteria for biofuels in the first year of the government's pioneering Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).

Cap-and-trade advocates scale back their hopes
The advocates of a comprehensive U.S. bill to combat global warming are turning their sights to a more modest package of climate and energy measures.

Packaging industry to set sustainability indicators
The Global Packaging Project, a group of retailers and consumer goods manufacturers mainly in Europe and the US, is to adopt global indicators for measuring companies' performance against sustainability criteria. The indicators are being tested.

SEC tells US firms to disclose climate risks
After substantial prodding from investor advocates, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will provide guidance to companies about what they must tell their investors about climate risks and opportunities.

Climate debate goes to court
The case of a small Alaskan town, which is accusing companies of climate-change damage, may not seem like a big deal now. But neither did the first lawsuits against tobacco companies.

Tracking corrupt research, and missing the point
Sometimes you can't understand a scientific debate without knowing who is paying whom - as in the recent case with exaggerated predictions of Himalayan glacier melt - but in general, the focus should remain on the quality of the science rather than the money trail.

U.S. and China slide in rankings on environmental issues
The listing puts some of the globe's largest economies far down the scale, with China sinking to 121st and the United States to 61st.

DAVOS-American VCs unfazed by China cleantech-Reuters survey
Fears the United States will lose a battle with China to create clean technology for a climate-changing world don't fly with Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

Clean tech: can sovereign wealth help?
It may seem like a perfect match. If sovereign wealth funds, which manage assets of $3 trillion, invested in clean tech, they could help plug the chronic shortage of funding to tackle climate change.

Business-enviro campaign promotes carbon cap as job engine
As President Obama seeks to ensure a recession-battered electorate that creating jobs is his top priority, a coalition of companies and environmental groups is lobbying to ensure that climate and energy legislation remains part of his agenda.

Collaboration key to China-US energy challenge -Duke
Cooperation between China and the United States in areas such as carbon capture and nuclear technology will be vital even as trade tensions mount, a senior executive with a leading U.S. power utility said.

Obama aims to win climate bill with nuclear, oil
President Barack Obama, trying to save the stalled U.S. climate change bill, appeared to back away from creating a market in planet-warming emissions on Wednesday, while reaching out for Republican votes by promoting nuclear energy and offshore drilling.

U.S. SEC prods companies on climate change disclosure
U.S. securities regulators on Wednesday nudged companies toward disclosing risks associated with climate change in their annual reports.

EU agrees to make lowest climate offer to UN
The European Union has decided to stick to its lowest offer for cutting carbon emissions under a UN climate accord, but will maintain a conditional pledge to do more if others follow suit, EU diplomats said on Wednesday (27 January).

Autodesk, Vestas Listed Among Portfolio 21's Top 10 Green Companies for 2010
Design software developer Autodesk, Vestas, the East Japan Railway and Henkel are among the firms that have made the Top 10 Green Companies list compiled by global mutual fund Portfolio 21.

A quest for direction after Copenhagen
Lacking international leadership, environmental technology firms may focus on local and national markets.

Environmental index puts Iceland at No. 1
A new ranking of nations by environmental performance puts Iceland at the top of the list, leading a cluster of European countries known for their green efforts.

Wind power in U.S. adds capacity at record pace
In spite of a crippling recession and a tight credit markets, the U.S. wind energy industry had a record year in 2009, trailing natural gas as the second-biggest source of new electric generation.

Australia keeps 5 to 25% CO2 cut range for accord
Australia will stick to its 5 to 25 percent emissions cut range as part of a global commitment to fight climate change under the controversial "Copenhagen accord", the government said on Wednesday.

India's 'miracle' biofuel crop: too good to be true?
To its fans, jatropha is a miracle crop, an eco-friendly answer to India's growing energy needs, but some experts are starting to question whether the wonder-shrub is too good to be true.

BC Hydro sees green power supply deals soon
Long-term power contracts are expected to be awarded shortly to small clean energy producers in British Columbia, an official at the Canadian province's main power utility said on Tuesday, as the industry despaired at how long the process was taking.

Sixty Companies Agree to Measure Emissions From Product Life Cycles and Supply Chains
The November publication by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) , an accounting tool for the measurement and management of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of two protocol standards for emissions accounting, has led to agreements by 60 corporations to measure the emissions of their products and supply chains.

Wind power comes of age in U.S.
In spite of a crippling recession and a tight credit markets, the U.S. wind energy industry had a record year in 2009, trailing natural gas as the second-biggest source of new electric generation.

Clean energy deal for Ontario
Samsung C&T and Korea Electric Power have signed a deal with Ontario worth 7 billion Canadian dollars to build facilities to produce 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar power in the province.

Don't sacrifice health in climate battle, warns Gates
Spending more on climate change research could put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk by stripping away precious global health funding, Bill Gates has said.

China says 2010 pollutant targets already met - Xinhua
Chinese has already reduced emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent below 2005 levels, meeting its target a year ahead of schedule, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Indonesia to kick off $1 bln green investment fund
Indonesia plans a $1 billion green investment fund this year to drive infrastructure developments that aid growth and help cut greenhouse gas emissions, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

Copenhagen Accord faces $30 billion aid test
Rich nations are pledging almost $30 billion in aid from 2010-12 to help the poor combat climate change in an early test of last month's "Copenhagen Accord" that is vague about conditions and who gets cash.

EU emissions to rise 5.9% in 2010 -BofA-Merrill Lynch
European carbon emissions from fossil fuels will rise by 5.9 percent this year as the economy recovers, but carbon prices will stay decoupled from short-term fundamentals, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said on Monday.

Coke introduces plant-based bottles
Coca-Cola Co. has introduced new bottles that are made partially from plants, a move the company hopes will reduce its carbon footprint and better its image with environmentalists.

Business as usual off the agenda for elite in Davos
The largest global gathering of senior business, political and economic figures kicks off on in Davos on Wednesday as the World Economic Forum (WEF) holds its 40th annual meeting in the Swiss alpine resort.

Stop eating meat to save the planet?
The virtues of vegetarianism as part of the battle to curb climate change are far from being an issue just for the spiritually inclined.

Most Socially Responsible Mutual Funds Outperformed Benchmarks in 2009
A study of mutual funds managed by members of the Social Investment Forum finds that two-thirds outperformed their benchmarks across nearly all asset classes in 2009, and most large cap funds outperformed the S&P 500 over three and 10 years.

Big backers join car-charging venture
Better Place, the closely watched start-up that hopes to create vast networks of charge spots to power electric cars, is set to receive $350 million in new venture capital.

S.Korea targets $24 bln smart grid spending by 2030
South Korea is aiming for spending of 27.5 trillion won ($24 billion) over the next two decades on smart grids to make electricity distribution more efficient, cut greenhouse gas emissions and save $26 billion in energy imports.

Electric car firm Better Place raises $350 mln
Better Place, an infrastructure provider for electric cars founded by former SAP executive Shai Agassi, has raised $350 million in fresh equity as part of a second round of financing.

Emerging nations pledge climate change unity in India talks
Environment ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China said on Sunday that talks in New Delhi had further cemented their alliance following the Copenhagen climate change summit.

Small cars, big question
For all the woes of the city that hosts it, Detroit's annual motor show is still a bellwether for America's car industry. Last January, as the industry grappled with its biggest crisis in living memory and at least two of Detroit's Big Three carmakers teetered on the brink of collapse, the usual razzmatazz was replaced by fear and foreboding. This year hope had returned, but accompanied by deep uncertainty.

Chile: Water a Matter of National Security
In its proposed constitutional reform, the Chilean government recognises that the availability of freshwater is a matter of national security. Environmentalists applaud the initiative, but some business groups are worried it will hurt their bottom line.

Apple Tells Shareowners to Reject Proposal for Annual Sustainability Report
For the second year in a row, a shareowner resolution requesting the publication by Apple of an annual sustainability report has been filed, and for the second year in a row Apple's Board of Directors has recommended that shareowners vote down the proposal.

Nike Shrinks GHG Footprint to 2007 Levels and Dumps Carbon Offsets
Nike has brought its footprint for greenhouse gas emissions back to 2007 levels and reports progress in other climate and energy areas, but has revisited its carbon neutrality goals and no longer purchases carbon offsets, the firm says in its latest corporate responsibility report.

France devises sustainable development barometer
In an attempt to address sustainable development challenges, France this week presented a series of indicators to measure progress towards green growth and jobs.

Liner shipping sector calls for efficiency standards
New ships should meet binding efficiency standards and existing ships should face fines if they drop below a separate efficiency benchmark, says the World Shipping Council (WSC), which represents the liner shipping industry.

Official data confirms 3.3% drop in car emissions
Average emissions from new passenger cars fell by 3.3% to 153.5 grams of CO2 per kilometre in 2008, according to official data published by the European Commission last week. This is the largest decrease since monitoring began.

Novozymes sees U.S. producers failing to meet 2010 mandate
The world's biggest producer of industrial enzymes sees U.S. biofuels producers falling just short of meeting the nation's 2010 blending mandate.

The climate agreement that wasn't
Just a month after world leaders fashioned a tentative and nonbinding agreement at the climate change summit meeting, the deal already appears at risk of coming undone.

Plug-ins will make up 20% of global market by 2030 -- report
Plug-in electric vehicles will make up nearly 20 percent of the global market for passenger cars and light-duty trucks in 2030, a leading economic forecasting firm said today.

China-led group may discuss climate fund for poor
A meeting of four of the world's fastest-growing carbon emitters on Sunday ahead of a Jan. 31 deadline for countries to submit their action plans to fight climate change may discuss a climate fund for poorer nations.

EU to stick with 20% climate offer in letter to U.N.
The European Union will stick with its lowest offer for cutting carbon emissions under a U.N. climate accord, fulfilling the wishes of industry, a draft letter shows.

EU industry protests against carbon "benchmarks"
European Union proposals to curb carbon emissions will put EU manufacturers at a disadvantage to less-regulated overseas rivals and must be loosened, industry group BusinessEurope said.

U.S. climate bill, Copenhagen setbacks force clean developer rethink
Still reeling from disappointing UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December, clean energy project developers were dealt another blow this week when U.S. Democrats lost their Senate supermajority, potentially killing a federal cap-and-trade scheme for years to come.

Airbus to test biofuels when available
Airbus Industrie is sure that biofuels, the 'green' hope of the aviation sector, will work in its planes and is looking forward to testing them, a senior official for the European airliner builder said on Thursday.

Brazil to create climate fund, technology for poor
Brazil will propose the creation of a joint fund with China, India and South Africa to help poor countries adapt to global warming as part of a broader attempt to revive stalled global climate talks.

Electricity sector could reduce emissions 18% by 2030 -- study
The electricity sector could shave up to 18 percent off its energy use and carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 by aggressively embracing smart-grid technologies, according to a new analysis.

UAE's Masdar, Spanish partner secure $760M for solar projects
The United Arab Emirates' Masdar initiative and a Spanish partner have secured $760 million to build two concentrated solar power arrays, capable of producing 100 megawatts collectively, in southern Spain, officials said today.

Nearly 60 Companies Test New Product, Supply Chain Emissions Measuring Tools
More than 50 corporations, including Kraft Foods, IKEA, Ford, GE and SC Johnson, are measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of their products and entire supply chains with two new standards from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative.

Glaxo to share malaria drug data
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will release 13,500 malaria drug candidates into the public domain as part of its 'open innovation' agenda, it announced yesterday (20 January).

Seven PepsiCo Plants in UK Achieve Zero Waste
Seven PepsiCo manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, including the firm's largest factory in the country, have gone zero waste and no longer send rubbish to landfill, the company announced last week.

German ministers reach consensus on solar tariff cuts
Key German government ministers have agreed to make double digit cuts to solar feed-in tariffs (FITs), to the dismay of the German solar industry.

Middle East ESG index finally to be launched this year
The first environmental, social and governance (ESG) index of Middle Eastern and North African companies is due to be launched later this year two years after it was first announced.

Copenhagen climate accord is a lonely orphan
The tentative and nonbinding climate agreement that emerged from the United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen last month already appears at risk of unraveling, the top U.N. climate official warned Wednesday.

World Bank selling green' bonds to Japanese investors
The World Bank is aiming to raise some $110 million to finance low-carbon development through a five-year 'green' bond currently being marketed to Japanese retail investors.

EU faces years more wrangling over car emissions
Europe's incoming climate chief is determined to crack down on emissions from cars, but any new goals are at least a decade away.

Greens embrace enzymes in climate change fight
Industrial biotechnology is gaining supporters among environmentalists as a way to make significant cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions and eventually move to a society free from fossil fuels.

How to make a play in the smart electrical grid-execs
Investors in clean technology see the expected upgrade to a smart electrical grid in the United States as a massive opportunity, but finding the right investments will require patience.

U.S. carbon plan to lean on states after Senate vote
U.S. regions will lead efforts to contain greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years if Washington can't pass its own legislation, but will have crack down harder if they are to force industry to take meaningful action on fighting global warming.

Ontario, Samsung in green energy deal - reports
Ontario, Canada's most populous province and the country's industrial heartland, is set to award a multibillion dollar deal to consortium led by Samsung Group to build renewable energy equipment such as wind turbines, media reports said on Wednesday.

Toyota secures long-term lithium supply for batteries
Toyota Tsusho Corp., a key supplier for Toyota Motor Corp., secured loans for a stake in an Argentina-based lithium project, with production planned for 2012.

UN climate panel admits Himalaya glacier data "poorly substantiated"
The UN's climate science panel acknowledged on Wednesday that a grim prediction on the fate of Himalayan glaciers that featured in a benchmark report on global warming had been "poorly substantiated" and was a lapse in standards.

Morocco hopes to shine in mega solar project
Morocco has launched what it claims is the biggest solar-thermal energy project in a single country, aiming to produce nearly 40 per cent of its electricity needs 2,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020.

Electric cars will get more popular -Shell CEO
Royal Dutch Shell Plc expects electricity-powered vehicles to account for as much as 40 percent of the worldwide car market by 2050, Chief Executive Peter Voser said on Thursday.

EU issues post-Lisbon strategy for greener growth
The European Commission unveiled a successor to the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs on Wednesday, setting five EU targets for 2020 including Europe's energy and climate goals. It proposes several "flagship" initiatives to achieve these targets.

U.N. climate treaty may need extra year
A U.N. climate treaty may need an extra year beyond a December deadline to agree details, delegates at U.N. talks said on Thursday even as a U.S. Senate committee approved a carbon-capping bill.

Carbon market downbeat on 2010 climate pact: survey
Most of the carbon market doesn't expect a climate pact in 2010 and is less hopeful about the CDM.

US EPA says to ease carbon rules on small business
The Obama administration will give small businesses a break on coming carbon dioxide emissions rules but big emitters like coal-fired power plants will face a crack-down, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said on Wednesday.

Better rules could boost African CDM projects -UN
African governments need to set clear rules in order to attract more projects under the U.N. Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the United Nations Environment Programme chief said on Wednesday.

Cree, Dow, GE Get Millions in Tax Credits for Cleantech, Green Building Products
Cree Inc., Dow Chemical Company, GE, CalStar Products and Serious Materials are among the more than 100 firms receiving $2.3 billion in tax credits for cleantech manufacturing that's expected to create thousands of U.S. jobs while producing advanced technology and equipment to generate, efficiently use and manage energy.

Micronesia intervenes in Czech plan
The Federated States of Micronesia maintains that refitting a coal-fired power station would result in continued emissions of greenhouse gases.

Report Details the Growth of Market for Forest Offset Credits
Forest carbon offsets may have their detractorsin a 2006 Guardian article, author George Monbiot likened offsets in general to papal indulgences, and described some forest offset projects as disastrous forays into tree-plantingand incentives for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) were excluded from regulatory markets in the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.

Commission presents 'options' for 2020 biodiversity targets
Recognising its failure to deliver on a target of halting biodiversity loss in the EU by 2010, the EU executive yesterday (19 January) tabled policy options for a new 2020 target. The options range from scaling down previous ambitions to stepping up the EU's contribution to halting global biodiversity loss.

China renewable energy use 8.3% of total in 2009 -official
China's renewable energy consumption accounted for 8.3 percent of the total in 2009, according to an official with the National Energy Administration.

EU to launch new electric cars project - Zapatero
The European Union is about to embark on a major new project to support the growth of electric cars, Spain's prime minister said on Wednesday in his role at the helm of the European Union.

Massachusetts vote hurts U.S. climate bill's chances
Republican Scott Brown's upset victory on Tuesday in the special U.S. Senate race has dealt a further blow to Democrats' drive to pass a climate control bill in 2010.

Putin backs Russia's first electric car project
Russia's richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov won early backing from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for his plan to start mass production of electric cars, Putin's spokesman said on Tuesday.

Growth possible without global deal: Camco
Camco reckons it can grow its CO2-cutting business even if leaders fail to agree a post-2012 deal.

Putin under fire over world's deepest fresh water lake
Environmentalists on Tuesday condemned Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for allowing a controversial paper plant on Siberia's pristine Lake Baikal to reopen, calling it a "crime."

UN Introduces Website for Partnerships with Business
The need for humanitarian assistance following disasters such as earthquake in Haiti leads to development of the first single interface connecting business with the entire UN system.

Fighting carbon emissions half a world away
A Pacific island nation has challenged plans by the Czech Republic to refit a coal-fired power station, in an appeal that environmental acdvocates described as the first of its kind.

Wal-Mart Promotes Eco-friendly Lifestyle In China
Wal-Mart China has launched a nationwide community education initiative focusing on encouraging a low-carbon lifestyle to mitigate global warming.

UAE's Masdar, E.ON start CDM joint venture to cut emissions
The UAE's Masdar and Germany's E.ON have established a joint venture to develop projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the companies said on Tuesday in a statement.

India unveils rules to boost green power investment
India has crafted rules for trading of certificates aimed at rewarding producers of clean energy, a move expected to boost the share of electricity from renewable sources in one of the world's top carbon polluters.

Japan alters car scrappage scheme to include U.S.
Japan's Trade Ministry changed the terms of its car scrappage incentive scheme on Tuesday to include vehicles imported from the United States, after complaints from Washington that U.S. vehicles were being excluded.

Kenya at carbon crossroads, says report
Kenya's planned development path will more than double its carbon emissions unless efforts are taken to pursue low carbon development, according to an environmental think tank.

Canadian Tar Sands Are Target of Shareowner Resolution at Shell
Coalition of investors successfully files a resolution addressing the financial, environmental, and reputational risks of Shell's oil extraction from Canadian tar sands.

Price fixing
The insight that nature provides services to mankind is not a new one. In 360BC Plato remarked on the helpful role that forests play in preserving fertile soil; in their absence, he noted, the land was turned into desert, like the bones of a wasted body. The idea that the value provided by such "ecosystem services" can be represented by ecologists in a way that economists can get to grips with, though, is rather newer.

Petrobras to buy landfill gas to power refinery
Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras on Monday agreed to buy natural gas from a Rio de Janeiro landfill for use in a nearby refinery in a project meant to monetize waste and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

In new row, UN climate body to probe Himalayan glacier forecast
The UN's panel of climate scientists said on Monday it would probe claims its doomsday prediction for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers was wrong as an expert said he had warned of the mistake.

UAE's Hydrogen power, CCS project ready in 2014
A $2.2 billion hydrogen power plant and a linked carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the United Arab Emirates should be completed in 2014, a senior executive at the company building the plant said on Monday.

World leaders make fresh call for clean energy commitments
World leaders raised a fresh alarm on global warming Monday, urging international action to increase use of clean energy at a four-day forum that opened in the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi.

UAE, Deutsche Bank set up $265 mln clean tech fund
Abu-Dhabi government owned Masdar and Deutsche Bank have launched a $265 million clean technology and renewable energy fund, Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Monday.

Oil rigs to whirligigs - Offshore wind power
THE diameter of a wind turbine capable of generating five megawatts (MW) of electricity is, at 120 metres, roughly that of the London Eye. If it is to be installed in seas 40 metres deep, its pylon and foundations must measure 170 metres or so, half again as high as St Paul's Cathedral. If it is to stand in the North Sea, it will confront waves that can rise more than ten metres high and winds that can reach over 100 kilometres an hour.

Privacy concerns could derail smart grid -- report
Privacy concerns have derailed the Netherlands' initial foray into compulsory use of smart electricity meters, and similar problems could pop up in Britain or other nations unless action is taken, according to a report by Datamonitor, a market analyst.

Car makers may face tougher CO2 curbs in EU
Curbs on carbon dioxide emissions from new cars should be reviewed and possibly tightened as they may be insufficiently ambitious, the nominee for European Union climate commissioner said on Friday.

Cement maker pushes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
With cement production accounting for as much as 5 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, Cemex is angling to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions and perhaps wind up with some credits it can sell.

Uncertain future for US climate law after Copenhagen
The future of a US climate law is hanging in the balance in Congress as lawmakers gear up for crucial midterm elections amid a persistent economic slump, experts say.

Toyota to double hybrid output in 2011 -Nikkei
Toyota Motor Corp aims to double its global output of gas-electric hybrid cars to 1 million units in 2011, as it fights to stay in the lead in the growing market for low-emission cars, the Nikkei business reported on Monday.

Hedegaard eyes tougher emission cuts from transport
Connie Hedegaard, the EU's incoming climate policy chief, pledged to tackle transport emissions during a confirmation hearing in the European Parliament on Friday (15 January), saying she would table an integrated legislative package on climate and transport during her mandate.

Study suggests peat CO2 credits more valuable
An Indonesia-based study is showing carbon-rich tropical peat lands trap more greenhouse gases than first thought, driving up their potential value on the carbon market and strengthening the case for their protection.

Execs plan to boost clean-tech investments next year -- survey
Shrugging off concerns about the global recession, business executives plan to boost spending on renewable energy and clean technology next year, according to a new survey by the auditor and consultant Ernst & Young.

Climate talks set to drag on for another year
UN climate talks in Barcelona last week ended with little progress, prompting speculation that a legally binding treaty will need another year to negotiate.

Current Government Policies Are not Enough to Ward Off Climate Change
Report from Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors warns that global emissions reduction targets are insufficient to meet the requirements established by climate science, but finds that aggressive policies and incentives can succeed.

Green Buildings Continue Impressive Growth, New Market Study Finds
Green building activity has sustained impressive growth during 2009, amid a brutal construction market that has decimated other segments of the construction marketplace, according to the 2009 Green Building Market & Impact Report published today by GreenerBuildings.com.

G20 makes little progress on climate financing
Rich countries and developing nations fought over climate change on Saturday, failing to make progress on financing ahead of a major environmental summit in Copenhagen next month.

Companies More Likely Than Ever to Invest in Efficiency Retrofits, Study Says
Seventy-four percent of corporate real estate executives now say they would be willing to pay a premium to retrofit the office space they own to achieve sustainability goals, a new survey has found.

Spain: Windfall for the Grid
IPS, 10 November 2009 - Wind energy notched up a new record in Spain on Sunday, when it generated 53 percent of total electricity demand nationwide for part of the day, according to official figures announced Monday.

How to rewire the 'scientist-public disconnect' on climate change
A greater understanding of human nature may be the key to protecting Mother Nature from climate change, a new book says.

Climate fears may cool oil demand, but prognosis is still on gloomy side
Copyright 2009 International Herald Tribune All Rights Reserved The International Herald Tribune November 12, 2009 Thursday FINANCE; Pg. 4 813 words Climate fears may cool oil demand, but prognosis is still on gloomy side; Economic crisis and push to find alternatives may have effect on emissions Jad Mouawad NEW YORK ABSTRACT The International Energy Agency has reduced its forecast for oil consumption, citing slowing demand because of the economic crisis and increasing use of alternative energy sources.

EU on track to meet Kyoto targets
Latest estimates show that the EU is set to overshoot its collective emission reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol, the European Commission said yesterday (12 November).

Splitting the cost - The economics of nuclear power
Nuclear energy is unlikely to work without a carbon tax. Planning is not the only obstacle to a rebirth of nuclear power in Britain. The technology's torturous economics are, if anything, even trickier. The trouble is that, whereas the fuel is cheap, nuclear-power plants themselves are very expensive to build and the pay-off from that investment is slow

Farmers v greens
The biggest obstacle to a climate-change bill is rural America. America will not pass a cap-and-trade law in time for the global climate-change summit in Copenhagen next month. To understand why, it helps to ask a farmer.

Putting jobs where the people are
A handful of entrepreneurs has decided to open call centers and data entry offices in rural villages, where few, if any, jobs now exist.

Invest in nature today, save trillions tomorrow: study
Investing billions today to protect threatened ecosystems and dwindling biodiversity would reap trillions in savings over the long haul, according to a UN-backed report issued Friday.

Brazil stems loss of Amazon rainforest
Brazil experienced the smallest loss of its sprawling Amazon rainforest over the past year in more than two decades, the government said, attributing the change to its tougher environmental policies.

Farms on the radar at Copenhagen climate talks
U.N. negotiators will next month put farming onto the radar of climate regulations for the first time, but governments face aggressive lobbies and gaps in the science proving the extent of agricultural emissions.

EU nears deal on buildings eco-standards from 2018
New energy economy standards could kick in for all new public buildings in the European Union from 2018, and for all new homes and offices from 2020, a source close to the EU negotiations said on Friday.

Nature 'services' undervalued, EU report finds
The cost of nature conservation is by far outweighed by societal and economic benefits, argues a new report supported by the European Commission and published on Friday (13 November).

Can you have prosperity without growth?
Efforts to combat climate change will remain hobbled because of the failure of the economic system to give the planet's environment a value and actions that harm it a cost. Such a cost may violate the belief in unremitting consumption that many economists and businesspeople (and more than a few consumers) hold, but the absence of a price on carbon emissions is a situation that needs needs to be fixed urgently.

U.S., China announce sweeping joint clean-tech initiatives
The presidents of the United States and China -- the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases -- announced joint initiatives today aimed at boosting renewable energy, energy efficiency and the use of electric vehicles and launching a U.S.-China clean energy research center.

Fossil-fuel emissions up 2 percent in 2008, tracking worst trends
Carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose two percent last year to an all-time high, leaving Earth on a worst-scenario track for global warming, scientists reported on Tuesday.

Climate: Hopes pinned on US emissions offer at Copenhagen
With less than three weeks left before the UN climate showdown in Copenhagen, hopes are pinned on the United States, which is keeping everyone guessing on when -- or if -- it will declare its hand.

Alternative fuel can power 15 pct of flights by 2020: Airbus
Alternative fuels could power 15 percent of global air traffic by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030, European aircraft-maker Airbus said at the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday.

China, U.S. to promote clean energy development for sustainable growth
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said here Tuesday that he hoped China and the United States would strengthen dialogue on policies and seek a more effective cooperative mechanism to promote clean energy development.

Africa must act to tackle water crisis, says report
Africa's freshwater resources are under serious threat from climate change and urgent adaptation measures are needed, says a study.

Offsets lose credibility as salves for carbon glut
It has proved difficult to monitor or quantify the emissions-reducing potential of the thousands of green projects financed by customers' payments, and there are no industrywide standards.

Allianz eyes renewable China, India projects
Allianz SE plans to invest in renewable projects in India and China as it seeks to expand its overall clean energy portfolio by more than a billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the next three years, a company executive said.

Clearing ground for a deal to save forests
One does not have to venture off the beaten track to discover why south-east Asia's biggest economy is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

As smart grid expands, so does vulnerability to cyber attacks
As he prepares to leave office as head of the nation's electric grid operations monitor, Rick Sergel is warning the power industry that if it doesn't move faster and harder to protect itself against cyber threats, Congress and federal regulators will increasingly impose their own rules.

India's cabinet approves solar power programme
India's cabinet on Thursday approved its first solar power plan, pledging to boost output from near zero to 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2020 as part of its plan to fight global warming.

Energy chiefs warn crisis stifling investment
The economic crisis is jeopardising key energy industry investments that are needed to cope with future growth in demand and shifts to cleaner energy, executives and officials warned on Wednesday.

All new buildings to be 'near-zero-energy' by 2020
EU governments and MEPs struck a political deal on Tuesday on plans to revise the 2002 energy performance of buildings directive that will force all new buildings constructed after 2020 to consume "near-zero-energy".

California sets limits on energy-gulping TVs
California regulators gave final approval on Wednesday to the first mandatory U.S. energy curbs on television sets, a growing but often overlooked power drain that accounts for 10 percent of home electric bills in the state.

Copenhagen still a "golden opportunity" for CDM
The U.N. summit in Copenhagen next month is unlikely to agree on a new global climate treaty, but carbon market players are urging delegates to seize the opportunity to agree reforms to the $33 billion trade in Kyoto carbon offsets.

Studies Find Positive Link Between ESG Integration and Investment Performance
In a follow-up to a 2007 review, Mercer has assessed the state of the field of academic research into environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors, again finding that consideration of ESG factors can lead to positive investment performance.

Stern review' of biodiversity calls for more ecosystem markets
Policy-makers should expand payments for ecosystem services and harness the power of markets to help protect the planet's biodiversity, according to a landmark study.

Carbon Disclosure Project Launches CDP Water Disclosure Initiative
Seeking to replicate its success in increasing voluntary reporting by companies on carbon emissions, the CDP develops a mechanism for corporate reporting on water use.

Nine million Latin Americans slide into poverty: ECLAC
Many of the economic gains achieved in recent years in Latin America have evaporated due to the global financial crisis, as nine million more people in the region sink into poverty this year, a UN body announced Thursday.

Sasol to cut emissions, invest in solar power
Petrochemicals group Sasol, the world's leader in making motor fuel from coal, plans to reduce its carbon footprint by capturing its emissions, producing solar power and making its plants more efficient.

Climate goal needs "more than technology" -Shell
Action to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is beyond simply inventing new, low-carbon technologies and depends on wider changes to behaviour and the way communities are built, said a Royal Dutch Shell executive.

US Uses Less Water Than It Did a Generation Ago As Global Concern Grows Over Scarcity
The United States is using less water than it did 35 years ago, which is a good thing given the rising concern about water issues among investors and stakeholders worldwide, new information released this week shows.

GE Signs Clean Technology Agreements In China
GE has signed a series of "Company to Country" agreements aimed at promoting collaboration between GE and Chinese public and private sector aviation, energy, and transportation organizations on clean technologies.

World Bank unit to review palm oil and other carbon-intensive loans
A complaint filed by Indonesian community groups in response to practices by one World Bank-funded corporation has spurred a major re-examination of how the International Financing Corp. (IFC) -- a major lending arm of the World Bank to the private sector -- conducts its lending.

Harnessing the power of salt, Norway tries osmotic power
After wind, sun, currents and tides, a company is preparing to make clean electricity by harnessing another natural phenomenon, the energy-unleashing encounter of freshwater and seawater.

China keen on low-carbon economy
Beijing's iconic Olympic venue -- Bird's Nest -- might have been a little bit different from it is now if it were built today. "I would choose to use solar film to power air-conditioners in the Bird's Nest instead of the current ground-source heat pump," said Ding Gao, an engineer of the landmark building. Ding, director of the Building Energy Engineering Center of China Architecture Design and Research Group, said China's keen interest in low-carbon economy has boosted the development and implementation of "green" technology.

Green with envy
The urgency of dealing with climate change means that many countries are drawing up national policies to limit emissions. Yet in a globalised world, where production is increasingly mobile across national borders, some worry that there is a fundamental tension between the effectiveness of such policies and a commitment to open trade.

Businesses want more guidelines on green issues
About 50 per cent of America s top business leaders believe a lack of clarity on climate legislation is negatively impacting upon the ability of the US to compete in the global market.

U.S. Senator Graham calls cap-and-trade plan dead
The idea of imposing a broad cap-and-trade system to cut America's greenhouse gas emissions is dead and will be replaced with a new approach, an influential Republican senator said on Tuesday.

NZ opens centre to tackle agriculture emissions
New Zealand has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars on research to reduce emissions from agriculture, the first step from a global alliance which has been established to target reductions in the sector.

E.U. approves biotech potato for cultivation
The European Commission began a new push to allow farmers in Europe to grow more biotech crops, despite persistent public opposition to the technology.

Hopes for global carbon market dim -survey
Investors are downbeat about prospects for a global carbon market as uncertainty over policy continues, a survey showed on Wednesday.

After 5 years of trading, experts say European carbon prices are too low to spur renewables
As some U.S. senators and the Obama administration grope for a way to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, their only point of comparison -- the E.U. Emission Trading System, or ETS -- has so far failed to reach the carbon price level most experts say is needed to encourage investments in renewable energy.

REACH list of dangerous chemicals doubled
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added 14 substances to the list of "very high concern" chemicals to undergo special health and safety scrutiny under the bloc's chemical regulation REACH.

Proposed ISO criteria get cool response from bioenergy sector
European bioenergy organisations have expressed concerns about plans by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for a new standard to address sustainability issues linked to bioenergy.

Renewables targets, Green Bank' likely if cap and trade fails
If climate legislation stalls in the US Congress this year, lawmakers will likely move forward with an energy bill that includes a federal renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and a 'Green Bank' to help finance renewable energy projects, according to law firm Van Ness Feldman's 2010 outlook.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Releases New Standard
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which has certified more than 180 million of acres in North America, has released an updated version of its certification standard.

California's Building Code Turns a Deeper Shade of Green
California's Green Building Standards Code, the first of its kind when placed on the books 18 months ago, moved toward a new phase this week with the adoption of mandatory measures that are aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use and other environmental impacts of new construction.

Investors urge governments to act on climate change
Global investors representing $13 trillion in assets called on the United States and other countries on Thursday to adopt policies to fight climate change they said would unleash a potential flood of private money into renewable and efficient energy.

Electric car road test planned for Quebec
Quebec's power utility is teaming up with Mitsubishi Motors to road test the performance of up to 50 all-electric vehicles against the rigors of the Canadian climate and measure their infrastructure needs.

Climate is investment chance of a lifetime -Deutsche Bank
Green technologies posed the investment opportunity of our lifetime said Deutsche Bank's global head of asset management, in a study published on Thursday.

$150 million forest carbon market in the balance -report
The global market for carbon offsets from planting trees and preserving forests, worth nearly $150 million to date, could stall without a U.S. climate bill or a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, a report said on Thursday.

India's prime minister unveils 'solar valley' vision
A network of 'solar valleys', generating the know-how to realise India's solar energy ambitions, has been mooted by its prime minister, Manmohan Singh.

Germany moves toward trimming solar power incentives
The government, photovoltaic companies and consumer lobby groups moved closer on Wednesday towards an agreement on trimming state-mandated incentives for solar power to reflect a steeper overall slide in costs.

India to create market for energy efficiency credits
In an effort to curb energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, India intends to create a market for energy-efficiency credits that could reach $16 billion by 2015. The system would allow companies exceeding certain benchmarks to sell credits to companies that don't meet them, said Ajay Mathur, director-general of the country's Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

China's RE law to make CDM grid link easier
China's revised renewable energy law will make it easier for CDM projects to connect to the grid. Developers reckon the amendments will allow more projects to link to the grid and could boost prospects for renewable projects in more remote areas.

Automaker reaches for big prize
BYD Auto's goal would require the company to overcome numerous hurdles, including crash and emissions testing that can sometimes take years, not to mention arranging a network of dealers.

U.S. carmakers continue long lag in efficiency -- EPA
Light-duty vehicles featured better fuel economy and emitted less CO2 for the fifth year in a row, U.S. EPA said in an annual report on Friday.

Big investors push SEC to make companies disclose climate risks
Institutional investors managing more than $1 trillion in assets have asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to spell out the climate-related financial risks corporations should disclose on their financial forms.

Renewable energy costs drop in '09, solar halved
Solar energy costs will drop by half in 2009 while other low-carbon technology costs will see their pre-subsidy costs drop by 10-20 percent, renewable energy analysts said on Monday.

Business coalition calls for firm CO2 treaty
The private sector investment needed to tackle climate change will not be made without a binding international deal on carbon emissions, according to the head of a big business coalition.

As nations haggle over carbon cuts, measurement is tough
Targets and trust. These are at the heart of a tougher new global climate pact possibly just weeks away. The bigger the pledged emissions cuts or reductions in growth in carbon dioxide pollution, the greater the need to prove nations meet those targets and curb the pace of climate change. And proof of emissions reductions over time will help unlock billions of dollars in climate funds for poor nations.

IEA warns of huge cost for energy 'revolution'
The economic crisis gives the world a chance for a low-carbon "revolution" to ensure energy supplies and fight global warming, but it will cost a huge chunk of worldwide output, the IEA warns.

Who should monitor corruption?
The perils of corruption, particularly for the poor, are real. Corruption flourishes in the dark, seeps into daily life and before long becomes the norm. Even a small bribe can deny a family food or a child medicine. That is why it is imperative to put a spotlight on corrupt practices everywhere and to pursue ways to prevent and punish them

Japan may meet CO2 goals, but only due to recession
Japan is expected to report as early as this week that its greenhouse gas emissions sank last year, the first year of its Kyoto Protocol obligations.

U.S. eyes deal with China on climate change monitoring
The United States hopes to reach agreement with China during President Barack Obama's visit on how to record and monitor countries' efforts to fight global warming, a top State Department official said on Tuesday.

Forest Carbon Offset Market Needs Consistent Accounting Standards
The market for offset credits to mitigate deforestation is growing, but investors and other stakeholders require that guidance be provided in accounting for them.

Increasingly, U.S. is odd nation out in climate plans
With less than three weeks remaining before negotiators gather in Copenhagen to hammer out a global response to climate change, a rapid-fire succession of countries are unveiling national plans that serve as opening bids for reining in heat-trapping emissions.

HP, Intel, General Mills Top List of Best Corporate Citizens
Corporate Responsibility Magazine today released its 11th annual Best Corporate Citizens list, putting Hewlett-Packard, Intel and General Mills in the top three categories.

(Not yet) marching as to war - Climate change and public opinion
Signs of climate-change doubt in some democracies. Even as politicians and protesters gear up for a fateful climate-change meeting in Denmark, some of their fellow citizens have little stomach for a fight.

Electric cars 'no greener than diesel', study claims
Switching from diesel to electric cars will not dent transport's carbon footprint over the next 15 years as long as Europe's electricity supply remains based on fossil fuels, according to Danish analysis.

Vehicle exhaust linked to heart and respiratory illnesses
A report by an independent institute found "evidence of a causal relationship," but not proof of one, between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function and accelerated hardening of the arteries.

Biodiversity: A Tipping Point on Species Loss?
Humanity is destroying the network of living things that comprise our life support system. While this sawing-through-the-branch-we're-perched-on is largely unintentional, world leaders can't say they didn't know what's going on: 123 countries promised to take urgent action in 2003 but have done little to stem the rising tide of extinctions in what's known as the extinction or biodiversity crisis.

Automakers show off their greener side
At the opening of the Detroit auto show, the internal-combustion engine seemed almost pass as global automakers presented a number of hybrid gas-electric and battery-powered models.

Crops in India and China face climate-change risk
China and India, which make up about 37 percent of the global population, face a future of sharply lower crop yields as a consequence of climate change, leading scientists in both nations warned recently.

Copenhagen failure could help voluntary CO2 market
The failure of world leaders to clinch a deal in Copenhagen last month could fuel growth in the market for voluntary carbon offsets as businesses self-regulate in the absence of a legally binding climate agreement.

China-led group to meet ahead of climate deadline
Four of the world's largest and fastest-growing carbon emitters will meet in New Delhi this month ahead of a Jan 31 deadline for countries to submit their actions to fight climate change.

Seeking a Consumer Culture Revolution
The last 50 years have seen an unprecedented and unsustainable spike in consumption, driven by a culture of consumerism that has emerged over that period, says a report released Tuesday by the Worldwatch Institute. This consumerist culture is the elephant in the room when it comes to solving the big environmental issues of today, the report says, and those issues cannot be fully solved until a transition to a more sustainable culture is begun.

Hybrids, Real and Concept, Emerge at Detroit Auto Show
As with the Consumer Electronics Show this year, the annual North American International Auto Show had its fair share of green technology - both real and conceptual - on display.

BMW, Mercedes fight for e-car lead, but VW sceptic
Daimler and BMW are feuding over just whose test fleet of small electric cars is closest to serial production in an attempt to ditch their image of thirsty, high-performance luxury cars.

Borneo project aims to save forest, boost livelihoods
An Indonesian firm hopes to save an area three times the size of Singapore from logging, by enticing locals to protect the forest while potentially earning itself millions from selling carbon credits.

Investors Remain at Risk Due to Corporate Breaches of Supply Chain Standards
According to a new EIRIS report, companies in consumer industries are responding to NGO pressure, but recommends investor engagement with companies on supply chain polices, management, and reporting.

Graft threatens Indonesia's carbon offset billions: report
Billions of dollars set to flood into Indonesia under a U.N.-backed forest protection scheme are at risk because of graft unless the country puts strong oversight mechanisms in place, a report released on Tuesday warned.

EU's incoming trade chief rejects carbon tariffs
The European Union should not impose border tariffs on goods from countries that fail to cut back their climate-damaging emissions, the EU's trade commissioner-designate said on Tuesday.

Study predicts big-city dwellers will give electric cars an early push
Electric vehicles could become a larger presence in the streets of New York, Shanghai and Paris in the next five years than elsewhere. According to independent research conducted by McKinsey & Co., the cars could make up more than 15 percent of new vehicles sold by 2015 in some mega-cities.

U.S. announces $187 million for fuel efficiency
The Obama administration plans on Monday to announce the selection of nine projects totaling $187 million aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks.

Ford Introduces Next-Gen Focus, Confirms Plans for Electric Car
Ford unveiled its next-generation Focus today at the 2010 North American International Auto Show , where the company showed off its best bet for making deeper inroads into the market for fuel-efficient -- as well as efficiently made -- compact cars.

Germany sticking to ambitious 2020 emissions target -adviser
Germany will stick to a more ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020 even though the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen fell short of expectations, a government adviser said on Monday.

U.S. eyes new nuclear plants in climate battle
The Obama administration wants to help the nuclear industry build a power plant for the first time in years to help diversify U.S. energy supplies and fight climate change, the White House said on Monday.

EDP Renewables eyes more wind projects in Europe
Portuguese wind power generator EDP Renewables is eyeing more offshore projects in Europe, after winning a tender to develop a 1.3 gigawatt (GW) wind farm off the Scottish coast.

UN chief sees poverty fight as priority this year
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Monday he would make the drive to achieve key poverty-reduction goals around the world by 2015 one of his key priorities this year.

Ford chief bets on one global car
The car is small, fuel-efficient and packed with technology and safety features that, Alan Mulally believes, will appeal to consumers in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Initiative seeks 1,000-fold cut in IT power demand
An initiative launched today by Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs aims to develop technologies within five years that can reduce communications networks' energy consumption by a factor of 1,000.

Prius hybrid tops Japan's car sales in 2009
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius was Japan's best-selling car last year, the first time a hybrid has topped annual sales.

Green guide disputed, but influential
Whatever might be said of its methods and accuracy, there is little question that the Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics'' has become an important fixture on the consumer electronics scene.

Beijing To Increase Investment In Solar Power
From 2010, Beijing will invest at least CNY200 million each year in six major solar power projects.

China goes into alternative solar field
The nation is starting to build its own so-called concentrating solar power plants, a technology more associated with California deserts. And Chinese manufacturers are starting to think about exports.

U.K. bets on wind power and jobs it would create
In a bid to revamp Britain's energy strategy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown awarded contracts to major energy companies that are to erect wind farms along Britain's coastline.

Batteries for electric vehicles to remain costly -- study
While most analysts expect electric vehicles to grab a bigger share of the market, a slow decrease in the cost of battery packs will hinder their ability to compete with conventional vehicles, according to a new study by Boston Consulting Group.

Google wants to buy, sell electricity in US
Internet search giant Google is seeking government authority to buy and sell electricity in the United States, a further expansion of its operations aimed at boosting renewable energy.

Obama awards $2.3 billion in clean energy tax credits
U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a $2.3 billion tax credit on Friday to boost jobs by promoting clean energy, as new data showed the country's unemployment rate remained stuck in the double digits.

Subsidies encourage investment
In a flurry of deal-making bolstered by government subsidies for renewable energy, venture capitalists invested $5.6 billion in green technology companies worldwide in 2009.

EU to outline options for future biodiversity policy
The European Commission will outline options for a plan and a target to tackle biodiversity loss beyond 2010 in a policy paper expected to be published on 19 January, it announced on Friday.

NY gov unveils $300 mln funds for clean energy
New York Governor David Paterson on Friday unveiled about $300 million of funding to promote clean, renewable energy in the state.

U.S. EPA plans to tighten Bush-era smog limits
U.S. environmental regulators on Thursday proposed tougher limits on smog than the Bush administration required, which would cost polluters up to $90 billion but save Americans a similar amount on health bills.

Canada to study biofuel's environmental impact
The Canadian government has ordered a study of the environmental impact of making ethanol and biodiesel just as a government regulation mandating fuel blending is set to take effect.

Report takes aim at U.S. ethanol policy
The federal biofuels policy is expensive, ineffective from an energy security standpoint and environmentally damaging, according to a think tank policy study that urges Congress to revise ethanol targets to more "achievable" levels.

Climate change worsening natural catastrophe rate Munich Re
Losses from natural catastrophes were dramatically lower in 2009 than the previous year, owing mainly to a benign North American hurricane season, according to Munich Re.

Clean-tech investors favoured energy efficiency in 2009
Clean technology investors ploughed money into the energy efficiency, transportation and power storage sectors in 2009, at the expense of more traditional renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind, according to end-of-year reports from two analysis firms.

Experts split on significance of China's new green energy law
Renewable energy specialists in China have questioned the significance of a recent amendment to the country's 2006 Renewable Energy Law, saying it will have little, if any, effect on renewable energy companies on the ground.

FTSE 100 companies have set emission targets to help the UK meet its 2020 carbon cap.
Firms in the London Stock Market's leading index have set themselves an annual greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 2.5 per cent, according to a report today by the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Nokia, Sony Ericsson Retain Top Spots in Green Electronics Guide
Some of the top electronics companies saw their scores drop in the latest Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics due to missing goals for eliminating chemicals and not taking a stance on proposed revisions to the European Union's law on chemicals in electronics.

Indonesia says forest plan can meet emission target
An ambitious Indonesian plan to plant millions of hectares of forest should allow the country to exceed its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than a quarter by 2020, the forestry minister said on Wednesday.

Obama admin awards $100M for 'green' job training
The Labor Department announced almost $100 million in grants today to train women, minorities, military veterans and dislocated workers for "green" jobs, such as installing solar panels and weatherizing homes.

Power storage stocks led clean energy rise in 2009
Power storage and energy efficiency shares led a 40 percent rise in a selection of global clean energy stocks in 2009, after a 61 percent drop in 2008, according to London-based research group New Energy Finance.

Report calls for emission-cutting rules for airlines and shipping
Global emissions from planes and ships will triple by midcentury unless policies are put in place to curb their greenhouse gas output, according to a new report from an environmental think tank.

Global Investment Portfolios Filled with 'Hidden' Climate Risks
Investment portfolios around the world are filled with "hidden risks" because their managers do not consider climate change when making investment decisions -- largely because asset owners aren't asking them to.

Global carbon market growth stalls in 2009, trading volumes rise
Growth in the global carbon market stalled in 2009 as the economic downturn slashed industrial greenhouse gas emissions and dented carbon prices, despite a rise in traded volumes, analysts said on Wednesday.

Japanese project aims to turn CO2 into natural gas
Japanese researchers said Wednesday they hoped to enlist bacteria in the fight against global warming to transform carbon dioxide buried under the seabed into natural gas.

Using waste in Cambodia
Cambodia opened its first biomass "charbriquette" factory in Phnom Penh last month, an enterprise that will produce fuel for stoves from waste biomass material.

Indian Government Issues Voluntary Guidelines for Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility
At the conclusion of the first India Corporate Week, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs issues guidelines intended to encourage best practices in corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

Spanish EU presidency outlines green priorities
The EU's post-Copenhagen climate strategy, energy efficiency and biodiversity will be among Spain's environmental priorities during its six-month spell at the helm of European policy. This is the first EU presidency under the new Lisbon treaty.

Mexico vows to set new efficiency rules for autos
Mexico will limit imports of inefficient used cars and encourage low-carbon technology to reduce its overall volume of tailpipe exhaust, the energy ministry said on Tuesday.

US scrapped more cars than bought new ones in 2009
Americans scrapped more automobiles than they bought last year as the ragged economy reduced demand and some major cities expanded mass transit service, according to a new report.

U.S. carbon mkt growth seen without climate bill
Voluntary carbon markets in the United States will grow especially at the regional level even if a stalled federal climate bill fails to impose "cap and trade" on American industry, the chairman of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) said on Tuesday.

US awards 2.3 billion dollars for 'green jobs'
The administration of President Barack Obama announced Friday it was awarding 2.3 billion dollars in tax credits aimed at promoting "green jobs."

The seat of power - Renewable energy
Better sewage treatment is the latest thing in clean energy.

Dangerously hopeful - Ghana and its oil
Can one of Africa's best-governed countries beat the curse of black gold? As Ghana prepares to pump oil in the second half of 2010, hopes are rising, both among hard-pressed market traders at home and in the far-flung diaspora, where Ghanaians are quitting jobs in American banks to head back to an optimistic homeland.

China's thing about numbers
Amid the alphabet soup and baffling procedures of last month's climate-change conference in Copenhagen, it was easy to forget the overall aim: to move from a world in which carbon dioxide emissions are rising to one in which they are falling, fast enough to make a difference. How fast is enough?

Counting their blessings - Emerging markets and recession
Assessing the political and social consequences of the global recession in emerging markets. Developing countries have come out of the recession stronger than anyone had expected. This will have profound consequences for the rest of the world.

Big French firms to pay variable carbon tax from July
New legislation on a carbon tax that was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1 will come into force in July and will also apply to France's biggest polluters, senior government officials said on Tuesday.

EU's IPP approach to product policy 'still alive'
The 2003 Integrated Product Policy (IPP) remains a central element of EU product policy even though it is rarely explicitly mentioned in today's policy announcements, the European Commission said in an implementation report published in late December.

Growth in offshore wind projects
A report published in December by Emerging Energy Research predicts that the offshore wind energy market will surge to $30 billion over the next decade from its current $10 billion.

Indian prime minister calls for 'innovation ecosystem'
India should pursue an "innovation ecosystem" to drive the country's development over the next ten years, prime minister Manmohan Singh has said.

'Can we feed the world without damaging it?'
Industrial farming, with its heavy use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizer and irrigation, is exhausting the environment, and with billions more mouths to feed in the upcoming decades, the problem will only worsen unless the efforts of organic farming and genetic engineering are combined.

VC Investment in Greentech Approaches $5B in 2009
Cambridge, MA VC investment in green technologies totaled $4.85 billion in 356 deals in 2009, down from 2008's $7.6 billion, though the number of deals in 2009 exceeded the previous year, as entrepreneurs and venture firms look to greentech to help lead the economy back to health.

Fault lines remain after climate talks
Opinions about the results of the climate change talks in Copenhagen last month suggest that, if nothing else, the fault lines that preceded the conference are still very much in place.

Managing water in southern China
A series of droughts in China, including some earlier this year, has raised concerns that Hong Kong's water supply might not be as secure as had been thought.

China to be world's third biggest wind power producer: media
China is set to become the world's third largest wind power producer in 2009, state media reported, as the Asian giant seeks various ways to expand energy supply to power its economic boom.

French industry fears revised carbon tax
The French government's first job for 2010 is to revise its planned carbon emissions tax, raising fears among businesses they will be hurt by changes to the environmental measure.

Debate rages over future of plug-in hybrids
Hybrid car advocates have taken aim at a government study that predicts it will take decades and hundreds of billions of dollars before the vehicles reach viability.

Washington slaps fee on plastic shopping bags
Residents of the US capital may have to dig a little deeper into their pockets when they go grocery shopping once the city slaps a five-cent levy on each plastic bag issued at the checkout line.

Invasion of the Little Green Molecules
While the world's climate negotiators were getting ready for Copenhagen earlier this month, a meeting was taking place in Mumbai to discuss progress in green chemistry, a field that like the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has the potential to greatly enhance the world's environmental health and sustainability.

Japan looks to trade with its neighbors for growth
The long-term growth strategy seeks to tap into the dynamism of its Asian neighbors, create millions of jobs in new industries and fuel economic expansion of at least 2 percent a year over the next decade.

EUAs slip to end 2009 down 21% for year
European Union carbon futures slipped in light trading on Thursday to end the year down 21 percent from 2008 closing prices.

Korean Companies Expect to Increase Sustainability Management Practices
Survey finds that while such issues as environmental management and supply chain management remain low among corporate priorities in Korea, climate change legislation and the outperformance of sustainable companies will lead to widespread implementation.

US Patent and Trademark Office Launches Program to Speed Patent Applications in Green Technologies
While the inability to come to a binding agreement in Copenhagen was surely a disappointment for many, a global commitment to a transition to a low-carbon economy does by now seem inevitable. Inevitable as well will be international competition to bring to market the technologies that, primarily through private investment, will drive the new economy.

How Socially Responsible Investors View Companies in 2010
In the wake of a recovering economy and stock market, how are socially responsible investors viewing your company? Portfolio 21, a 10-year-old mutual fund investing in green companies around the world, recently offered 10 guidelines for investing in 2010.

China introduces law to boost renewable energy
A new Chinese law requires power grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators, in a move that will increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources in coal-dependent China.

Ecosystems strain to keep pace with climate - study
Earth's various ecosystems, with all their plants and animals, will need to shift about a quarter-mile (.42 km) per year on average to keep pace with global climate change, scientists said in a study released on Wednesday.

U.S. cracks down on lung-harming ship emissions
U.S. environmental regulators on Tuesday finalized engine and fuel standards for U.S. flagged ships to cut emissions that cause lung diseases and save more than $100 billion in health costs.

Investors could cash in on building energy efficiency, report says
Buildings in the United States account for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. But, as anyone might sense from working with a real estate broker, the buildings business also represents a lot of money.

State funding fuels China's global push in wind, sun
When A-Power Energy Generation Systems secured a deal to supply turbines for a U.S. wind farm project in October, the little-known Chinese firm had an ace up its sleeve to help it clinch the deal.

Australia backs carbon plan,early poll chances cool
Australia promised to press on with its carbon trade plan on Tuesday despite the U.N. climate summit's failure to set emissions targets, but the Copenhagen outcome has cooled chances an early election on climate policy.

India says to better cuts in gas emissions growth
India could improve upon its aims to slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the environment minister said on Tuesday after returning from climate change talks in Copenhagen.

UN agrees to reform climate process
The United Nations bowed to intensifying pressure on Monday to start sweeping reforms of its processes for reaching agreement on climate change.

Copenhagen sets money on the move
The most tangible outcome of the climate agreement announced here Friday turned out to be cash. The Copenhagen Accord set no goal for conclusion of a binding international treaty, leaving months, and perhaps years, of additional negotiations before it emerges in any internationally enforceable form. But money in notable quantities should, in principle, start flowing next year.

U.S. cap and trade looks out of reach in 2010
U.S. lawmakers face an uphill battle enacting a climate bill in 2010 that includes a cap-and-trade market in greenhouse gases, after this month's U.N. meeting in Copenhagen failed to hammer out a global pact on emissions cuts.

For Europe, an air of frustration at talks
Caught off-guard by pact, European leaders felt pressure to back an accord they didn't like.

Climate summit leaves the hard work undone
The United Nations climate change talks concluded with a statement of intention, not a binding pledge to begin taking action on global warming - a compromise seen to represent a flawed but essential step forward.

Clear-cutting the truth about trees
Our current plans to shift to green energy centered on so-called carbon offsets and cap-and-trade systems may devastate our vital forest ecosystems.

Weak climate deal highlights U.N. flaws
A weak U.N. climate deal, agreed on Saturday after two weeks of talks pulled back from near collapse, underscored the vulnerability of a process depending on consensus and may mark a diminishing U.N. role.

China says "development right" key in climate talks
China will treat talks on a binding global climate change pact in 2010 as a struggle over the "right to develop", a Chinese official said, signaling more contentious deal-making will follow the Copenhagen summit.

Private sector goes into development finance
The first tentative moves by western banks and fund managers into microfinance are gathering momentum. Most of the big banks have set up divisions that provide financial services to low-income clients in emerging markets, particularly to those who have or wish to set up businesses.

Deal leaves plenty to play for
The agreement struck at the Copenhagen climate change summit will not be enough to stave off dangerous levels of climate change, according to numerous analyses.

Business chiefs hit at climate agreement
Global energy businesses are disappointed and confused by the climate deal agreed in Copenhagen, saying it does not provide enough certainty to justify the huge investments needed to cut carbon emissions.

Rising affluence sees Beijing cars pass four million mark
The spiralling number of cars on the roads of China's sprawling capital are a sign both of the increasing affluence of the city's middle class -- and the challenge the government faces in terms of reducing toxic air pollution.

A pro-bicycle city faces trouble promoting electric cars
Cars in the pinched, medieval streets at the center of this city can quickly clog traffic. The policy has been to find myriad ways to discourage them, clearing the way for more and more bicyclists.

EUAs tumble 8%, at 6-month low on disappointing Copenhagen deal
The benchmark contract for European Union carbon emissions futures dropped 8 percent on Monday to a six-month low after a U.N. climate deal fell far short of its original goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Canadian auto parts makers poised for green gains
A push by U.S. automakers to build more fuel efficient vehicles is playing to a strength of Canada's auto parts makers and positions them to pick up market share as the industry emerges from recession.

Mexico next stop to salvage UN climate talks
The world will find it hard to get U.N.-led climate talks back on track in Mexico in 2010 after an unambitious deal agreed in Copenhagen set no firm deadline for a legally binding treaty.

Commission gives green light to genetically-modified potato
In a controversial move, the European Commission yesterday (2 March) gave the green light for the first genetically-modified potato to be cultivated in the European Union.

China's agricultural patents on the rise
Patent applications for agricultural innovations, particularly for genetically modified (GM) crops, have surged in China in the past decade, according to intellectual property experts.

EU farm greenhouse gases too high, need cap-study
Greenhouse gas emissions from European livestock and fertilisers exceed carbon absorption by all the region's trees and soils, underlining the need to cap farms' contribution to climate change, a study showed on Sunday.

First, do no harm
The best way to make hospitals green is to keep people out of them. Last month Britain's National Health Service (NHS) calculated its carbon footprint at 21m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year--just short of the amount emitted by the Drax coal-fired power station in Yorkshire, western Europe's largest.

A slushy shade of green
The record-breaking warmth experienced in Vancouver over the weeks running up to the Winter Olympics left the ski slopes slushy and bumpy, with many of the world's best skiers tumbling like novices on a double black diamond. It also put something of a dent in the attempts by Vanoc, the organising committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics, to make its games greener than any that have come before.

The future of Europe's forests
Forested areas face acute challenges because of climate change, said Janez Potocnik, the European Union commissioner for the environment.

Developers today won the right to appeal decisions made on CDM projects
The UN plenary is set to adopt a raft of proposals in the next few hours, which will also include measures to make it easier for some countries to host emission reduction projects.

Green tech IPOs stronger in 2010 but no deal rush
Green technology companies could see a little more investor interest in 2010 if rising oil prices encourage energy users to look for alternative sources of fuel.

States reach deal on intelligent transport systems
Transport ministers reached agreement on Friday on draft rules to create an EU framework for deploying intelligent transport systems (ITS). Governments are aiming to finalise the legislation in negotiations with MEPs early next year.

Brazil warns EU on biofuel sustainability
EU rules for calculating indirect land-use changes caused by biofuel production would not be legitimate without an internationally-accepted methodology, a group of developing countries has told the European Commission.

Touch wood - Climate change and forests
Whatever else historians say about the Copenhagen talks on climate change, they may be remembered as a time when the world concluded that it must protect forests, and pay for them. In the Kyoto protocol of 1997, forests were a big absentee: that was partly because sovereignty-conscious nations like Brazil were unwilling, at any price, to accept limits on their freedom to fell. All that is history.

Hopes are fading for a climate deal
There were signals from China and elsewhere that an agreement on major issues was unlikely.

China, U.S. hold key as leaders try to rescue climate deal
World leaders tried to rescue a global climate agreement on Friday but the failure of leading greenhouse gas emitters China and the United States to come up with new proposals blocked chances of an ambitious deal.

Will Goldman's New Bonus Policy Continue to Encourage Short-Termism?
Harrington Investments files a shareowner resolution that would require executives to retain shares awarded as bonuses until after retirement.

Carbon capture to win EU funding before renewables
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects will likely be first to benefit from funding out of the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), with support for renewables to follow later, a draft European Commission proposal suggests.

A legendary river changed by Asian ambition
The Mekong, which flows through six countries, is now dotted with dams, restaurants, casinos and other signs of development. Critics worry whether the livlihoods of fishermen and farmers will be put at risk.

No deal on emissions cuts as climate talks enter final day
U.S. President Barack Obama joined other world leaders in a last push for a new global climate deal on Friday, but with no agreement on the core issue of greenhouse gas emissions they faced an enormous task.

Obama heads to Copenhagen, sees progress with China
The United States is making progress with China on outstanding issues overshadowing U.N. climate talks but cannot say whether a deal will result after President Barack Obama arrives in Copenhagen, officials said.

Energy efficient buildings key to UK emissions cuts -report
Improving the energy efficiency of Britain's buildings is crucial for meeting the country's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets by 2050, a report by the government-backed Carbon Trust found on Friday.

Hopes for Copenhagen climate deal fade
Prospects for a strong U.N. climate change deal grew more remote on Thursday at the climax of two years of talks, with developed and developing nations deadlocked on sharing cuts in greenhouse gases. Dozens of heads of state were arriving in the Danish capital to address the Dec. 7-18 conference, which is meant to sign a new pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions on Friday.

Talks seek to avert 'green trade war'
The U.S., E.U. and other developed economies are so far resisting calls in Copenhagen to renounce the use of import fees on goods from non-carbon-taxing countries.

As climate negotiators stalemate, industry acts
The apparently deadlocked effort by delegates from nearly 200 countries meeting in Copenhagen to reach a deal to combat climate change has highlighted the considerable political challenges involved in lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.

UN climate talks face uphill battle despite funding pledges
UN climate talks move into the final two-day straight on Thursday blighted by bitter wrangling that could wreck efforts to draw up a sweeping pact to combat global warming.

POSCO to invest 7 trln won in green sectors by 2018
South Korea's POSCO, the world's No.4 steelmaker, said on Thursday it would invest 7 trillion won ($6.03 billion) in environmental businesses by 2018, aiming to reach 10 trillion won in annual sales.

Obama heads to Copenhagen as climate talks falter
U.S. President Barack Obama heads to Copenhagen on Thursday to help secure a U.N. climate pact, staking his credibility on an as yet elusive deal that has ramifications for him at home and on the world stage.

Developing countries join forces in protest at summit
Ongoing climate negotiations were temporarily upended on Monday when dozens of developing countries threatened to walk out in protest, saying that the world's richer countries were not doing enough to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

Toyota plans wide sales of its plug-in car in 2011
Toyota Motor said Monday it planned a widespread release of the low-emission car in 2011.

Siemens Increases Investment In China's Environment
Siemens AG says that it has signed a range of new orders worth about CNY2 billion with Chinese firms; and its environmental business accounted for a significant proportion of the total.

Danish PM to become president of UN climate talks
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will replace Danish minister Connie Hedegaard as president of the U.N. climate talks for a final summit session, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Copenhagen: Is there a political price of failure?
The official line is that the Copenhagen climate summit will not -- cannot -- be a failure. Yet behind the scenes, diplomats and analysts are already quietly totting up the political cost if the outcome on Friday turns out to be a fiasco overseen by two-thirds of the world's leaders.

Fighting global poverty requires 'climate-smart' development, World Bank says
One billion, 600 million people today live without electricity and 1 billion lack clean water, while a quarter of children from developing nations are malnourished, according to the World Bank's latest annual World Development Report.

China and U.S. hit impasse on climate
China and the United States, the two largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions, reached an impasse at the United Nations climate change conference over how compliance with any treaty could be monitored and verified.

Time dwindles, but rich-poor divide stalls climate talks
Leaders at climate negotiations here scrambled Tuesday to break through disputes between richer and poorer nations that have stymied the talks, but major players appeared to be no closer to reaching an agreement on the main issues dividing them.

No gains soon from plug-in cars
Despite the excitement about a type of electric car called a plug-in hybrid, such vehicles are unlikely to arrive in meaningful numbers for a few more decades, according to an analysis in the United States.

At climate talks, danger to free trade mounts
Pressures are mounting in Europe and the United States to impose restrictions, called border adjustments, on imports from low-cost producers like China and India that are resisting cutting greenhouse gases.

Forestry deal could end up high point in Copenhagen
Negotiators here were closing in on a sweeping deal that would compensate countries for preserving forests and other natural landscapes that play a crucial role in curbing climate change.

Carbon capture ruled out of UN clean projects list
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will not be added to the list of technologies that industrial countries can invest in to offset their emissions, after some countries expressed their reservations at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

World leaders try to save troubled climate talks
World leaders took the stage at the largest ever climate talks on Wednesday as ministers scrambled to rescue troubled negotiations on a pact to avoid dangerous global warming.

China suspends move to limit e-bikes
China's Standardisation Administration said on Wednesday it has suspended some requirements that could have restricted the use and production of electric bicycles in the country.

Forestry deal emerges as substantial step at talks
Negotiators have all but completed a sweeping deal that would compensate countries for preserving forests and, in some cases, other natural landscapes.

Japan raises climate aid to about $15 bln by 2012
Japan will raise its aid to help developing nations combat global warming to about $15 billion until 2012, assuming a strong U.N. climate deal is reached in Copenhagen, the government said on Wednesday.

Copenhagen puts smart grid cos on power drive
While world leaders slug it out over a new U.N. climate deal in Copenhagen, companies involved in smart grid technologies are attracting attention for their potential to cut emissions and costs.

Goldman Sachs to Allow Shareowner Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation
Goldman Sachs, the investment bank that received a $10 billion bailout from taxpayers via the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), reversed its long-standing opposition to shareowner resolutions on executive compensation, stating in a press release issued last week that it will allow an advisory vote on the firm's compensation principles and the compensation of its named executive officers at the firm's Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 2010.

Maersk, Fortum, TVO plan to bury carbon offshore
Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk has teamed up with Finnish power producers Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) and Fortum in a project to capture carbon on land and bury it under the seabed.

The U.S. is on board
The United States is ready to take the steps necessary to achieve a comprehensive and operational new agreement on climate change.

Copenhagen bogs down in details and disputes
China and the United States were at an impasse Monday at the United Nations climate change conference over how compliance with any treaty could be monitored and verified.

Dubai bailout will not hit Masdar
Abu Dhabi's state-owned green energy firm Masdar said the emirate's decision to bail out its debt-laden neighbour Dubai would not affect its plans to invest $15 billion in renewable energy ventures.

Carbon price of $10/tonne could help save forests-report
A price of $10 per tonne of planet-warming carbon dioxide could be incentive enough to halt greenhouse gas emissions from many land uses in Brazil and Indonesia, a leading conservation group said on Tuesday.

Ministers try to break deadlock at climate talks
Ministers strived to break a deadlock in global climate talks on Tuesday, three days before world leaders are meant to agree a new U.N. pact aimed at averting dangerous climate change.

E.U. pledges $3.5 billion for climate aid
The European Union will contribute the funds starting next year to help poorer countries deal with climate change and to improve the chances of reaching an accord next week at climate change talks in Copenhagen, European government leaders said on Friday.

US unveils plan to deliver clean energy to poor countries
The United States on Monday unveiled a 350-million-dollar, multinational effort to help provide clean energy technology to developing countries.

Cities start thinking globally but acting locally
While the eyes of the world have been on Copenhagen for the UN climate summit, they might usefully have turned further east, into the Baltic, to the small Danish island of Bornholm. With only 43,000 inhabitants, it has never attracted much attention. Yet it is pioneering a vision of the energy system of the future.

Some blue-chip companies see carbon price and legal framework as keys to future
The chief executive officers of some of the biggest companies in the world agreed on Friday that a price on carbon and government support to change consumer behavior are keys to them offering more environmentally friendly products that would make money at the same time.

U.N. talks stall after African protest over Kyoto
The main session of U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen stalled on Monday after African nations accused rich countries of trying to kill the existing U.N. Kyoto Protocol.

Toyota to sell plug-in hybrids to consumers in 2 yrs
Toyota Motor Corp will begin selling "affordable" plug-in hybrid cars in 2011, upping the ante on General Motors and Nissan Motor as they aim to take the lead in the field of rechargeable cars.

Copenhagen so far
There is no chance of an interim agreement from the global warming conference without the enthusiastic participation of China.

When Obama goes to Copenhagen, he'll have everything but a consensus
The president is handcuffed by the Senate, which is split on global warming policy, so he can only offer promises to other nations for now.

Posturing and progress on climate
The United Nations climate meeting has unfolded more or less as expected: with much posturing, minor progress and punctuated moments of drama, inside and outside the summit venue.

Spain's renewables boom seen driving gas capacity
Grid operators and utilities on Tuesday said planned expansion in Spain's booming renewable energy sources must be matched by raised output from gas-fired plants which can cover emergency shortfalls.

Major economics report on water policy finds 'affordable' solutions
As populations grow and economies develop, the global gap in water demand and supply is projected to grow. But the right policies can close the gap at "affordable" costs, a new report says.

Greenhouse gases reach record levels -WMO
Concentrations of greenhouse gases, the major cause of global warming, are at their highest levels ever recorded and are still climbing, the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Monday.

Progress in UN climate talks, tougher issues ahead
U.N. climate talks have made progress at the half-way mark but many of the toughest issues such as greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2020 are deadlocked, delegates said on Saturday.

Businessmen, the planet needs you
Achieving the low-carbon economy of the future will not be possible without the active role of business.

Obama proposes $3,000 home energy rebates
President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed rebates of up to $3,000 to help homeowners pay for the cost of making their homes more energy efficient, a $6 billion program intended to create jobs.

China to develop low-carbon economy: top economic planner
China's top economic planning body has confirmed the government will take concrete actions to develop a low-carbon economy after it pledged to substantially reduce carbon intensity at last year's Copenhagen Conference.

Systems should 'inform and motivate,' not 'command and control' -- EPRI study
Many "smart grid" proponents envision a system that reaches into homes to turn down appliances or tweak operating modes based on the grid's needs. But that approach puts heavy responsibilities on the grid operator, along with new opportunities for failure.

European patent office to study green innovation
The European Patent Office (EPO) has embarked on a detailed study to map the growth in eco-innovation since the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The move comes ahead of the next month's UN climate summit in Copenhagen and as major industry players line up behind green technology.

MSCI Will Acquire RiskMetrics
In a deal that is certain to have ramifications for the rapidly consolidating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment research industry, MSCI, a provider of stock market indexes and risk and performance analytics, has agreed to acquire RiskMetrics Group, a provider of risk management and corporate governance products and services.

Shell defends continued focus on fossil fuel-paper
Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive Peter Voser defended the oil giant's retreat from some green technologies to concentrate on oil and gas production in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Value of U.S. voluntary emissions trading drops steeply
The failure of greenhouse gas emissions regulations to pass through Congress and the steep global recession dealt a severe blow to the nascent market for trading in offset credits in the United States, as seen in data released yesterday by a top carbon market information firm in a new report.

Europe all mouth and no money in green tech race
Europe's plan to lead the green technology race has a gaping financial hole for the next four years, handing the advantage to rivals China, Japan and the United States.

Britain announces soft loans for home efficiency
British households will be able to take out soft loans to improve the efficiency of their homes from 2013, repaying these from energy savings made, the government said on Tuesday.

Tata to bring electric Nano to Europe in 3 years
India's top vehicle maker, Tata Motors, said on Tuesday it would bring an electric version of the Nano, the world's cheapest car, to Europe within three years, starting with Britain and Scandinavia.

Sweden to build 2,000 new wind turbines: minister
Sweden will build 2,000 new wind turbines over the next decade as part of a bid to dramatically increase its production of renewable energy, Enterprise and Energy Minister Maud Olofsson said Tuesday.

Palm oil: environmental curse or a blessing?
It is blamed for everything from deforestation to threatening the extinction of the orangutan, but palm oil is a vital source of income for many developing countries, the crop's producers say.

Greenery on the march
Clean technology: Finding alternative sources of energy is becoming a pressing military necessity for America's armed forces.

Skeptics expound on vision of a world gone mad over global warming
Climate skeptics, few in number in Copenhagen, displayed at least as much passion for their cause as the environmental activists who have flocked to the conference to push for action on global warming.

U.S. envoy dismisses reparations for climate
The top U.S. envoy to climate talks here has flatly rejected arguments by diplomats from poor lands that the United States owes a debt to developing nations for decades of American emissions that contributed to global warming.

Billionaire puts in his 2 cents' worth
George Soros identified a new pot of $100 billion that could help poor countries cope with climate change.

Asia climate plans to boost energy efficiency sector
Asia's aggressive emission targets and legislation around carbon and power use are expected to drive demand for energy efficiency products and services, creating lucrative opportunities for investors in the sector.

Climate talks: draft blueprint sees 1.5-2.0 C maximum warming
The first official draft blueprint for a deal at the UN climate talks sees targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 or 2.0 degrees Celsius (2.7 or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a document seen by AFP on Friday.

Japan seeks to make CO2 tech part of its goal
Tokyo is considering ways to reflect in its 2020 greenhouse gas emission-cutting goal the value of a global contribution to emissions cuts from Japan's energy-saving technology, a vice trade minister said on Friday.

Europe pledges 7.2 bln euros for climate aid to poor nations
Europe will give 7.2 billion euros (10.6 billion dollars) to help developing nations tackle climate change, the EU presidency announced Friday, hoping to boost UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

Bloomberg acquires New Energy Finance
The financial data and news company Bloomberg LP said today that it has acquired New Energy Finance, a global provider of clean-energy and carbon market news and analysis.

Climate talks: Battlelines emerge in draft blueprint
A three-way battle over a historic pact on climate change loomed in Copenhagen on Friday with the emergence of an official draft blueprint likely to spark fierce week-long haggling.

Google wants to help watch over world's forests
Google on Thursday unveiled a tool that lets scientists and defenders of the environment use the Internet to keep an eye on what is left of the Earth's forests.

EU scrambles through the night to find climate cash
EU leaders reconvened Friday after a night of diplomatic arm twisting aimed at securing six billion euros in pledges to help poor nations tackle climate change, and provide a boost to UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

Clean energy to grow into 1.6 trillion euros industry: WWF
The clean energy technology sector will grow into a 1.6 trillion-euro (2.4 trillion-dollar) industry by 2020, becoming the third largest industrial sector after automobiles and electronics, WWF said Friday.

China second most attractive country for renewables investment
China is second only to the US as the most attractive country to invest in renewable energy projects, according to consultancy Ernst & Young.

Industry looks at green electric future
The world's electricity industry will set out a plan on Tuesday for rolling out the technologies needed to cut carbon dioxide emissions, showing how ambitious plans to tackle global warming could be achieved.

U.S. and China still at loggerheads
Deep divisions remained evident over critical elements of a proposed new climate agreement that would have to somehow accommodate the variegated interests of nearly 200 nations.

Paper battery shows promise for grid, vehicle energy storage
Ordinary office paper coated with an inky layer of carbon nanotubes or nanowires can make a lightweight, flexible and highly conductive battery or superconductor, according to Stanford University researchers.

Climate deal, if reached, would not come cheap
At the Copenhagen climate meeting, some of the most intense and difficult discussions for negotiators center on the immediate and long-term financial arrangements that would need to accompany a deal.

Oceans absorb a quarter of annual emissions-report
The world's oceans absorb about a quarter of all carbon dioxide emitted by humans each year and it is making the water so acidic it could start dissolving some cold water corals, scientists said on Thursday.

Kenya wind firm signs Vestas, to pick contractors
A Kenyan firm looking to put up a 300 MW wind project says it has signed a turbine deal with Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems A/S and will soon pick contractors for a transmission line and substations.

Japan's climate ambition eclipses EU, study finds
The only developed country to have pledged to cut carbon emissions in line with recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is Japan, with its minus 25% commitment by 2020 compared with 1990 levels, a new study has found.

Carbon fraud causes 5 billion tax loss -Europol
Fraudulent trading in European Union carbon emissions credits in the past 18 months has led to more than 5 billion euros in tax revenue losses for several EU nations, European police agency Europol said in a statement.

Research and development lag despite call for green-tech innovation, says OECD
As delegates meet for a global climate summit in Copenhagen, officials from U.S. research institutions and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) urged industrialized nations to partner on science and technology and said a go-it-alone approach ignores the tough reality of today's technology challenges.

Paper battery shows promise for grid, vehicle energy storage (
Ordinary office paper coated with an inky layer of carbon nanotubes or nanowires can make a lightweight, flexible and highly conductive battery or superconductor, according to Stanford University researchers.

Majority of SMEs Say Their Green Policies Undaunted by Recession, UK Survey Shows
Sixty-one percent of the small and medium enterprises responding to a recent survey by the Forum of Private Business say the recession has had no impact on their environmental policies, while the remainder are divided over whether the downturn has hobbled or spurred their green plans.

Saving energy even before the light's on
A study by Osram shows that over the life of the bulb, from manufacturing to disposal, incandescent bulbs use almost five times as much energy as compact fluorescents and LED lamps.

Fuelling fears
There is an awesome amount of energy tied up in an atom of uranium. Because of that, projections of the price of nuclear power tend to focus on the cost of building the plant rather than that of fuelling it. But proponents of nuclear energy--who argue, correctly, that such plants emit little carbon dioxide--would do well to remember that, like coal and oil, uranium is a finite resource.

SMEs look to environmental sector for green shoots
The promise of green jobs arising from eco-innovation and upgrading Europe's building stock offers small firms some hope for economic recovery. EurActiv's media network surveys the green economic landscape across Europe.

Sunshine, sewage to power cities of the future
"These are the three giant stomachs of Lille." Amid the hum of machinery and warm odour of putrefying autumn leaves, official Pierre Hirtzberger is explaining how three giant fermenters can convert household food waste, trimmings from parks and gardens and the slops from school and hospital canteens into enough methane gas to power about a third of the buses in the French city.

China wary about reform as doubts hit CDM market
After doing so well out of a $6.5 billion U.N. carbon trading regime, developers and investors circling China's energy-intensive industries are filled with doubt.

Novozymes calls for CO2 target for washing
Makers of washing machines and detergents should agree to cut carbon emissions from clothes washing by 80 percent in five to 10 years, the head of the world's biggest maker of industrial enzymes said on Monday.

CDM "pointless" versus China emissions growth, says Citi carbon trading head
Trade in permits to pollute is "largely pointless" when compared with the scale of growth in greenhouse gases in China and must be scaled up, one of the carbon market's most senior traders said on Monday.

Climate talks: Three issues that could bust a deal
With only days left before the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, three big questions have emerged that could seal or shatter the effort to turn back the peril of global warming.

Once taboo, population enters climate debate
For decades, debate over whether to limit global population growth was stifled or ignored, branded as immoral and a return to heartless Malthusian logic. But the potential impact on climate change of a planet teaming with up to ten billion souls has again forced the issue into the open ahead of the December 7-18 UN climate conference in Copenhagen.

53 nations back $10bn "fast start" climate fund
The Commonwealth's 53 member states have backed a UK proposal to provide $10bn (6.7bn) annually between 2010 and 2012 to help the world's poorest nations tackle climate change. A joint declaration was issued following a meeting in Trinidad last weekend.

Australia carbon laws in doubt, election possible
The Australian government's plans to cut carbon emissions were headed for defeat in a hostile Senate after the elevation of a new opposition leader opposed to carbon trade laws, setting a trigger for an early 2010 election.

EU starts screening raw materials critical list'
An expert group set up by the European Commission has begun screening a list of forty-nine "potentially critical" raw materials whose availability to industry could come under threat as global competition for natural resources intensifies, EurActiv has learned.

I'd rather not know: the psychology of climate denial
If the evidence is overwhelming that man-made climate change is already upon us and set to wreak planetary havoc, why do so many people refuse to believe it?

Coal concerns lead U.S. climate bill challenges
For anyone trying to understand why the United States is having such a hard time joining an international effort to combat global warming, a short drive west from Washington to one of the smaller states in the country might explain a lot.

World carbon emissions overshoot "budget" -PwC
The world has emitted extra greenhouse gases this century equivalent to the annual totals of China and the United States above a maximum for avoiding the worst of climate change, a study estimated on Tuesday.

REDD hopes for green light in Copenhagen
While nations bicker over the size of emissions cuts and climate funds, saving forests has turned out to be among the least contentious issues in U.N. climate talks and has achieved the most progress.

Options for delaying the ethanol blending wall: John Kemp
As the market for E10 gasoline (a mixture of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent petroleum-derived gasoline) becomes saturated, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the ethanol industry are urgently seeking ways to push back the "blending wall" .

In murky waters, a contentious plan for carbon
The company, Asia Pacific Resources International, says it wants to create a ring of industrial tree plantations around the Kampar Peninsula's core to preserve it.

Thomson Reuters Acquires ASSET4, a Major Provider of ESG Investment Research
Consolidation in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment research industry certainly ranks as one of the year's most important stories for the growing number of sustainability investors, who in the absence of regulatory mandates for transparent corporate report on so-called extra-financial considerations rely on such researchers for their investment analysis and decision-making.

Google eyes investments in renewable energy
Google Inc. plans to invest funds in one or more renewable energy projects, a company executive said yesterday.

India's provisional emissions intensity target at 24% by 2020
India thinks it may be possible to cut its carbon intensity by 24 percent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels, according to provisional government estimates obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

Big developing nations oppose halving emissions by 2050
China, India, Brazil and South Africa oppose setting a goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at a Copenhagen climate conference starting next week, European diplomats said on Wednesday.

Fluor sees U.S. power market boost with carbon law
Fluor Corp, the largest publicly traded U.S. engineering company, expects the now-dormant market for work on U.S. power plants to take off once carbon regulation is put in place.

Green future affordable, with deep CO2 cuts-study
Prices of everyday goods such as clothing and food will barely rise if rich nations slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a study on Wednesday that concludes green lifestyles are affordable.

Scope and complexity of climate debate makes teaching a big challenge
Environmental law has expanded rapidly over the past four decades and now encompasses concerns ranging from air and water quality to the decontamination of hazardous waste sites and the protection of biodiversity. One of the most recent specialties to be studied in law schools is climate change, a complex field that many schools are now starting to explore.

China to remove outdated industry: state media
China is planning "rare" and "heavy-handed" steps to phase out outdated industry, state media said Wednesday, days after Beijing pledged to slow the growth in its fast-rising carbon emissions.

Efficiency best policy says study
Governments around the world could make rapid, substantial and relatively cheap cuts to carbon emissions by pursuing energy efficiency in place of more ambitious, but expensive, technological solutions, says a new study.

A vision of a renewable world
In an article last month in Scientific American, two California academics outline a path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 through "millions of wind turbines, water machines and solar installations."

China solar panel makers see boost from Copenhagen
In Trina Solar's brilliant white factory in eastern China, masked workers in lab coats turn silicon wafers into solar power cells capable of harnessing the sun's clean and limitless energy. China is now the world's top producer of the cells -- the tile-like engines of solar panels -- and firms like Trina see next week's climate talks as a potential key moment in the wider adoption of renewable energies like solar.

Is the future in plastics without the oil?
For an earlier generation, one that grew up watching the movie "The Graduate," the future might have been capsulized in one word: plastics.

Japanese manufacturers to cut GHGs 14% by 2020
Japanese manufacturing firms expect to cut their emissions by 14 per cent by fiscal 2020. The expected cuts are relative to 1990 levels, and are the result of an environmental management survey conducted by Nikkei, Japan's biggest business daily.

In Denmark, a haven of green thinking, electric cars meet skeptics
A big tax break may draw buyers, but it is not certain they can be persuaded to make the switch.

Bypassed on the road to Copenhagen
Days before the opening of the Copenhagen meeting on climate change, Europe has been largely pushed to the sidelines, watching as China and the United States seek to set the rules of the game.

China, India targets in right ball-park' for carbon budget PwC
argets from China and India to reduce their carbon intensity are in the right ball-park for getting the world back in line with its 'carbon budget', according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Bankwatch blasts EIB over fossil fuel lending
Spending on renewable energy by the European Investment Bank (EIB) is being undermined by its continuing support for fossil fuels, according to funding watchdog CEE Bankwatch Network.

Three G10 governments mulling climate-linked bonds'
Governments of at least three of the world's 10 largest economies are actively discussing issuing 'index-linked climate bonds', according to the think-tank that has pioneered the concept. And a number of sub-national bond issuers are also considering launching bonds whose returns are linked to policies to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, said Michael Mainelli, director of the Z/Yen Group.

Coke to move to climate friendlier vending machines
Coca-Cola Co said on Thursday that it will eliminate a major greenhouse gas in its new vending machines and coolers, raising the bar for climate friendly refrigeration in the food and beverage industry.

New energy investors focus on proven technology
Venture capitalists are moving away from early stage energy technologies and are focusing investments on scaling up proven techniques, a member of the British Venture Capitalist Association said on Thursday.

Global emissions to double on current pledges-Ecofys
Global greenhouse gas emissions will nearly double from 1990 levels by 2040 based on current emissions reductions pledges, climate consultancy firm Ecofys said on Thursday.

U.S. 2008 greenhouse gas emission fall 2.2% -EIA
Man-made U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell last year as record oil prices and a weak economy reduced demand for fossil fuels, the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.

New index rates forests' potential to combat warming
A new "Forest Carbon Index" released today by a nonpartisan think tank uses a range of data to pinpoint the best places to channel billions of dollars that could flow to forests under global efforts to address climate change.

Experts divide over size of the electric car 'boom'
To some experts, the future of electric cars is right around the corner. Others say that even if this future arrives, it will be fraught with risk.

Agriculture CO2 market could reap $50 billion-FAO
A scheme allowing carbon emitters to pay farmers to operate sustainably could create a $50 billion carbon market but such a programme is unlikely to emerge from the Copenhagen climate talks, a U.N. official said on Friday.

ADB spends 700 million dollars on global warming fight
The Asian Development Bank said Friday it would invest 700 million dollars to help member countries adapt to climate change and develop renewable energy technologies.

Global warming skepticism on rise in U.S.
In the U.S. heartland, global warming talk is often seen as hot air and opinion polls show skepticism on the rise, fueling conservative opposition to a climate change bill that is a priority for President Barack Obama and making some Democrats vulnerable in the November 2010 congressional elections.

Copenhagen talks must mandate CDM reform-IETA
A multi-billion dollar scheme driving clean-energy investment in poorer nations is faltering and urgently needs reforms mandated by negotiators at this month's U.N. climate talks, a report released on Friday said.

Green-job sector stumbles along in U.S.
The United States is likely to install just one-eighth as much new solar power this year as Germany does, and China is expected to surpass America this year as the leader in adding new wind energy capacity.

Efficient aviation
Both Boeing and Airbus have trumpeted the efficiency of their newest aircraft, the 787 and A350 respectively. Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference. But a group of researchers at Stanford University, led by Ilan Kroo, has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use, and it would not require them to buy new aircraft

Heat count - Carbon-management software
Carbon-management software takes off. Programs that help businesses cut greenhouse gases are proliferating.

A Chinese wind-power IPO
China's biggest producer of wind power, China Longyuan Power, is in essence a staid regulated utility. It buys turbines, erects them and sells the electricity they generate to China's power distributors at prices fixed by the state. So why is its initial public offering next week on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange generating such excitement?

Good policy, and bad
Greenhouse gas emissions targets can be implemented through three sorts of policy instrumentsregulation, carbon-pricing and subsidies. Governments generally like regulation (because it appears to be cost-free), economists like carbon prices (because they are efficient) and businesses like subsidies (because they get the handouts).

What needs to change
Those who have had the misfortune to be closely involved in climate-change negotiations are not short of ideas on how the process might be made more productive. One improvement would be to stop trying to deal with so many gases at once (see box). Another would be to stop trying to deal with so many countries.

A long game
Unlike America's leaders, China's bosses are not much troubled by recalcitrant legislatures. The government has therefore had no difficulty in executing a smart volte face on climate change. Around three years ago its fierce resistance to the notion of any limit on its greenhouse-gas emissions started to soften. It now seems to be making serious efforts to control them.

The green slump
The slogan that BP adopted in 2000, "Beyond Petroleum", was brilliantly unforgettable. It linked the company's name with the bright, clean future which, the flower/sun logo implied, was to be found on the far side of fossil fuels. But that, as it turned out, was unfortunate, for the company is no longer hurrying towards those fresh green pastures.

Cap and tirade
After eight years of resistance from the Bush administration, America may be about to get mandatory federal greenhouse-gas emissions controls. The House of Representatives has passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey bill.

Stopping climate change
Rich and poor countries have to give ground to get a deal in Copenhagen; then they must focus on setting a carbon price.

Is it worth it?
Ever since climate change became a subject for public discourse, economists have been making life difficult for environmentalists. Their problem is that mitigating climate change will require sizeable investments. When making investments, governments and companies normally look at rates of return. If an investment looks likely to deliver a decent return, it is worth making. If it doesn't, it isn't.

Beware the great 'greenwashing' con, experts warn
Around the world, there are few legal requirements companies must adhere to when marketing products as green or sustainable. As increasingly eco-conscious consumers are faced with more and more choices, experts warn that marketing strategies dubbed "greenwashing" could be leading them astray.

Copenhagen climate talks: Main issues
The December 7-18 UN climate conference was initially billed as the completion of a new pact for tackling greenhouse-gas emissions and their impacts beyond 2012.

UN climate talks: The key players
Following is a snapshot of the main players in the global climate talks, ahead of the December 7-18 conference in Copenhagen.

Factfile on UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen talks
The December 7-18 UN climate conference in Copenhagen is tasked with framing a new deal for tackling global warming and its impacts beyond 2012.

Climate change in Brazil: follow the meat
Brazil's ability to meet its ambitious 2020 target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels depends largely on the ability of its agriculture sector, and particularly its huge cattle industry, to meet growing world demand without destroying more forest. The cattle industry is the main culprit of deforestation, which accounts for around 75 percent of carbon emissions in Brazil, one of the top global emitters

U.N. climate talks to seek deep CO2 cuts, aid
The biggest climate meeting in history, with 15,000 participants from 192 nations, begins in Copenhagen on Monday seeking to agree curbs on greenhouse gas emissions and raise billions of dollars for the poor in aid and clean technology.

India's Tata launches low-cost water filter for rural poor
India's giant Tata Group on Monday unveiled a new low-cost water purifier, which it hopes will provide safe drinking water for millions and cut the toll of deadly diseases.

Reducing carbon emissions: the options
Here are the main options for tackling greenhouse-gas emissions, listed by order of feasibility.

U.S. EPA moves on climate as Congress stalls
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday cleared the way for regulation of greenhouse gases without new laws passed by Congress, reflecting President Barack Obama's commitment to act on climate change as a major summit opened in Copenhagen.

Poorer nations target mid-2010 climate deal-draft
China, Brazil, South Africa and India want a global climate treaty wrapped up by June 2010, according to a joint draft document prepared for the Copenhagen climate summit which opened on Monday.

US says carbon shift is boost to Copenhagen
The United States said it had seized the climate initiative with a regulatory shift that labels greenhouse gases a dangerous pollutant, as a landmark conference entered a second day Tuesday.

Obama admin will speed reviews of 'green' patents
The Obama administration vowed today to streamline the patent review process for "green" technologies and committed $100 million for federal research, development and demonstration projects.

Delegates stake out positions in Copenhagen
A much-anticipated global meeting of nearly 200 nations - all seeking what has so far been elusive common ground on the issue of climate change - began in Copenhagen on Monday.

U.S. will formalize carbon dioxide ruling
The Environmental Protection Agency completed its determination that greenhouse gases endanger human health and the environment.

Putting a price on biodiversity
Science shows that when forests are cut, a wide range of global ecological benefits is diminished, and coming up with substitutes is very expensive.

China CO2 targets not enough to avert climate risks -report
China must do much more if it is to halve per capita greenhouse emissions by 2050 and thereby avoid a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, but it cannot go it alone, a report released in Beijing said on Tuesday.

Stern report: 2C goal may be closer than you think
Carbon reduction targets pledged as part of international climate negotiations may be sufficient to put the world on a path that gives a reasonable chance of limiting global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius, a new report has found.

Japan industry unites against carbon tax
Japan should not consider a carbon tax as it would damage the economy which is already among the world's most energy efficient, its top industries said in a rare combined stand on the opening day of the Copenhagen climate conference.

Coal throbs at the heart of India growth engine
A thin coat of coal dust covers everything from trees to houses in Korba, a coal mining town in central India which lies at the heart of the country's struggle to balance economic growth with climate change concerns.

CDM project developers baffled by Chinese wind farm rejections
Project developers are baffled by a U.N. climate panel's decision to block 10 Chinese wind farms from receiving carbon financing, saying the move could slash investment in Chinese wind and other forms of clean energy.

Trimming the costs of wind power;
Significant challenges remain before the wind-energy industry can achieve its potential, and chief among these is cost.

The science of warming is once again in the spotlight
Just two years ago, a United Nations panel that synthesizes the work of hundreds of climatologists around the world called the evidence for global warming ''unequivocal.'' But as representatives of 192 nations converge in Copenhagen on Monday to begin negotiating a new international climate accord, they do so against a background of renewed attacks on the basic science of climate change.

Obama, flipping plan, to attend on final day
The White House said that President Barack Obama had changed the date he would appear at the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen to Dec. 18, the last scheduled day.

Many fault lines cut through the climate debate
With the scientific consensus more or less settled that human activity - the burning of fossil fuels, torching of forests, and so forth - is contributing to a warmer and less hospitable planet, one might reasonably ask, why is it so hard to agree on a plan to curb those activities? The answer lies with the many fault lines that cut through the debate over climate change.

Trading struggles to shrug off its jinx
Without a predictable and reasonably high price for carbon emissions, most economists say, there is little prospect of setting in motion the many investments needed to shift from a carbon-intensive industrial economy to a more sustainable energy base in developed and developing countries alike.

Copenhagen takes to mini-windmills
In a bid to introduce wind power into the cityscape, the utility company Dong Energy, 73 percent-owned by the Danish government, has acquired rights to sell a device that is only 30 feet high and produces enough energy annual to satisfy the needs of a family of four.

Will big business save the Earth?
Many major U.S. companies are now a force for environmental progress and do not only care about immediate profits.

U.N. climate talks open, deal "within reach"
The biggest climate meeting in history, with 15,000 participants from 192 nations, opened in Copenhagen on Monday with hosts Denmark saying an unmissable opportunity to protect the planet was "within reach".

Historic climate conference opens to dire warnings
A landmark conference on climate change opened in Copenhagen on Monday, with grim warnings of the apocalyptic dangers for mankind if world leaders fail to agree a way to save future generations.

A heated debate
A majority of the world's climate scientists have convinced themselves, and also a lot of laymen, some of whom have political power, that the Earth's climate is changing; that the change, from humanity's point of view, is for the worse; and that the cause is human activity, in the form of excessive emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. A minority, though, are sceptical.

Mail-strom
Is global warming a trick? That is what some saw in a huge batch of e-mails and documents taken from the servers of the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia, in England, and put up anonymously on the web. The result has been a field day for those sceptical of the idea of man-made climate change, who have combed through them, pouncing and pronouncing on snippets that seem to show scientific malfeasance.

Business frets about growing 'water gap'
Emerging economies such as China and India should adopt strict policies to curb their water use in key sectors such as agriculture, argues a new report by McKinsey & Company, warning that increasing scarcity threatens the stability of countries in which companies operate.

It's off to Denmark we go
In the optimistic view, Barack Obama has given a jolt of energy to the Copenhagen climate talks. On November 25th the White House announced that he will appear during the first week of negotiations with a specific American promise: to cut greenhouse gases by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, by 30% by 2025, by 42% by 2030 and by a full 83% by 2050. But cynics can spin the news the other way: Mr Obama was going to be in Scandinavia anyway, to pick up a Nobel prize that many feel he did not deserve in Oslo.

A hill of beans
America's food-waste problem is getting worse. In many countries one of the side effects of the second world war was to breed a generation that could not abide waste. Newspapers, jars and string were diligently saved and reused. Glass bottles were returned to their makers. Most importantly, though, food was never, ever thrown away.

China sets target on greenhouse gas emissions
The Chinese government announced Thursday that it had set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, relative to economic development. China is aiming to reduce what it calls carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent compared with 2005 levels, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

Corporate America seeks clarity on plans to cut emissions
The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama would present a provisional target at the Copenhagen summit meeting on climate next month to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Aircrafts' efficiency 'barely improved since 2000'
The energy efficiency improvements of new commercial aircrafts have been close to zero since the beginning of the decade despite the oil price hike, a study published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) on Tuesday has shown.

Sustainable investment in China a growing opportunity' BSR
Investing sustainably in China is possible but growth is being hampered by a number of factors, including a lack of relevant information, according to a report from sustainability consultancy BSR.

McKinsey, World Bank warn on water
Governments and private institutions must invest $50 billion-$60 billion annually between now and 2030 to avoid future water shortages causing serious economic and environmental consequences, according to a report from McKinsey and the World Bank.

CDP water initiative exposes disclosure challenges
Investors have welcomed the launch of a water disclosure programme by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), but the initiative exposes a plethora of challenges in understanding the risks and opportunities associated with water scarcity.

Green stimulus cash at risk HSBC
Less than a fifth of the promised $513 billion in government green stimulus money is set to be spent this year, raising the risk of retrenchment as governments seek to exit fiscal stimulus strategies, according to HSBC

Earth Capital Partners on course' for $5bn fund-raise
The Stanley Fink-backed Earth Capital Partners (ECP) is still on course to raise $5 billion into environmentally-focused funds, as it prepares to name a cornerstone investor in a new renewable energy fund.

Companies seek climate certainty
The most important environmental meeting in more than a decade and arguably the most important ever will take place next month in Copenhagen. At the United Nations conference countries will attempt to forge a new global framework on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

Obama to pledge carbon reduction
The president will tell delegates to the international climate summit meeting that the United States intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions "in the range of" 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, officials said.

Climate change to cost trillions, say economists
Estimates vary widely on the costs of damage from climate change, easing these impacts and taming the carbon gas stoking the problem, but economists agree the bill is likely to be in the trillions of dollars.

Parliament rubberstamps law on tyre labelling
The European Parliament yesterday (25 November) gave its final blessing to a new EU regulation that will introduce fuel efficiency labels for all new tyres from November 2012.

India electric car pioneer plans biggest plug-in car plant
Chetan Maini, the engineer who pioneered India's first electric car, had his eureka moment two decades ago when he drove a vehicle fuelled by solar power across the blazing Australian outback. Now Maini, the man behind Reva Electric Car Co., is building in southern India what he says will be the world's biggest factory making battery-powered city commuter cars.

China unveils carbon target ahead of Copenhagen
China has unveiled its first firm target to curb greenhouse gas emissions, laying out a carbon intensity goal on Thursday that Premier Wen Jiabao will take to looming climate talks as his government's central commitment.

Obama offers 17% U.S. emissions cut, to attend Copenhagen
The United States unveiled its proposal to cut greenhouse gases by 2020 on Wednesday and said President Barack Obama will attend U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen next month -- before other world leaders show up.

Land pressures turning a quarter of India to desert: study
Nearly a quarter of India's land mass is desert or is turning into desert, according to a study published Wednesday, with deforestation and overgrazing among the main factors spurring the process.

Passing Climate Tipping Points Would Devastate Ecosystems, Economies
Rising global temperatures could take the world past a number of tipping points, the results of which would have enormous environmental, social and economic impacts on ecosystems and regions around the world.

Report Maps the Attitudes and Influence of Stakeholders on Corporate Social Responsibility
Although mainstream investors are identified as resistant to corporate citizenship activities in many countries, a report from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship sees the influence of socially responsible investors to be growing.

India's solar energy promise
India said last week that it would spend about $900 million on solar energy, but many skeptics doubt the government will pull off a big increase in solar power.

Optimism for greentech sector points to more IPOs
Purse strings are loosening, new bets are being placed, and cautious optimism has caught on in the green technology sector.

Mankind using Earth's resources faster than replenished
Humanity would need five Earths to produce the resources needed if everyone lived as profligately as Americans, according to a report issued Tuesday.

DuPont bets on bright future for solar sales
To become one of the biggest suppliers to the solar sector, DuPont has had to think small. Working at near-nanoscale level is how its researchers and scientists have quietly made the U.S. chemical giant the leading producer of non-silicon materials for the sector, and why it expects its revenue from the solar business to more than double in the next three years.

Tiny "carbon neutral" club struggles with costs
Norway, Costa Rica and the Maldives are struggling with high costs and technological hurdles to stay in the world's most exclusive club for fighting climate change -- seeking to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

Electricity still a dream for a quarter of the world's people -- report
Some 130 years since Thomas Edison's breakthrough with artificial light, nearly a quarter of humanity still lacks electricity, a fact officials here want delegates to the upcoming U.N. climate talks to consider.

For peat's sake, stop
Bogs, mires, marshes, swamps, fens and quagmireswhatever they are called, and wherever they are found, peaty wetlands emit about 1.3 billion tonnes of CO2 a year as a result of human activity that drains them and thus exposes them to the oxidative effect of the atmosphere. Nor does this figure include the effect of fire on dried-up bogs. That can double the amount of CO2 released in a year, in those places it affects. That, at least, is the conclusion of a report published by Wetlands International, a lobby group, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting being held in Barcelona this week.

Balancing energy needs and hazards
Companies that make ultrathin solar panels using a toxic compound are watching nervously as the European Union considers expanding a ban on such materials in electrical components.

Making palm oil 'sustainable'
Last week, an association of palm oil producers and environmental groups concluded its annual meeting with a decision not to include emissions standards in its certification criteria for "sustainable" palm oil.

Las Vegas gambles with an uncertain water future
Straddling the border between Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover Dam is a symbol of human engineering might. For more than 70 years, its massive walls have tamed the flows of the Colorado River, fueling the growth of cities like Las Vegas that depend on it to supply water and power from its generating station.

Low-emission technologies need assist from policymakers -- report
Several low-emission technologies have the potential to transform the transportation sector within five years if policymakers and regulators can help clear hurdles to commercial markets, according to a new report.

RBS launches emerging markets SRI index
UK bank RBS has launched an equity index that will track socially responsible companies in emerging markets and will shortly launch two products based upon it.

US to boost solar manufacturing with tax credits
US Senators have introduced a bill that would extend the 30% solar investment tax credit (ITC) to equipment and facilities used to manufacture solar technology.

Fear of hunger drives a land grab
Rich but resource-deprived countries in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere are seeking to outsource their food production to places where fields are affordable and abundant -- mainly in Africa.

Philippines targets $2.5 bln geothermal devt
The Philippine government aims to approve contracts to explore and develop the country's massive geothermal energy resources, which could attract more than $2.5 billion in private investment, an official said.

Accessing credit a daunting task for eco-innovators
Companies are finding it difficult to get loans for eco-innovation projects because banks lack the technological knowledge to approve them, according to European businesses.

Industry seeks clarity on sectoral emissions cuts
There is still "enormous confusion" over sectoral approaches to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, with many developing countries opposing them for fear that they will lead to back-door emission caps, according to the WBSCD's Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).

JV formed to develop Desertec plan
A joint venture has been set up to pursue the 400 billion ($595 billion) Desertec project, to build solar and wind projects in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to supply local energy needs and export electricity to Europe.

Car makers bank on efficiency credits for electric vehicles
The Obama administration is proposing to spur the development of hybrid and electric cars by allowing the low-to-zero emissions produced by one such car to count for up to two vehicles when an automaker's fuel-efficiency standards are calculated.

Climate insurance is in the cross hairs as negotiators prep for Copenhagen
Advocates for nations vulnerable to climate change are accusing the United States of trying to "kill" a prominent global warming provision that would create a massive insurance program for countries that face rising destruction from natural disasters.

Low-cost carbon fixes for Mexico
How much would it cost to stop increasing greenhouse gas emissions in Mexico? According to a new study from the World Bank, not very much.

South Korea drops weakest 2020 emissions cut target
South Korea, the OECD's fastest-growing carbon polluter, has ditched its weakest voluntary 2020 emissions target and will choose one of two stricter options ahead of a global meeting in Copenhagen.

US Senate panel approves Democratic climate bill
A controversial climate change bill cleared its first hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, allowing President Barack Obama to tout progress in the run-up to next month's global warming talks in Copenhagen.

EDF Energies Nouvelles coping well in the crisis
The current economic climate is favourable for French wind and solar power company EDF Energies Nouvelles as equipment prices remain low and banks are more prepared to lend, its chief executive said.

S.Korean steel firms to invest $16 bln - ministry
South Korea's steelmakers plan to spend 18.71 trillion won ($16.02 billion) in capital investments in the next three years on equipment to reduce greenhouse gases and energy consumption, the government said on Monday.

Megacities must tie clean air goals to carbon cuts, say experts
Residents of the world's largest cities are ideally positioned to achieve the twin goals of clean air and lower carbon emissions, according to scientists in China and the US.

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