As you no doubt know, the latest round of UNFCCC negotiations concluded in Bonn last week. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer seemed generally pleased. The representatives had, for the first time, a negotiating text with which to work. It was delivered on schedule and that in itself was a significant achievement. The AP reported […]
I would like to note here that only one Republican on the House Energy & Commerce Committee voted for the Waxman-Markey bill. Mary Bono Mack from California deserves, in my opinion, a pat on the back. Here is an article from the “Press-Enterprise” about her vote and the political pressures on her. The article notes: […]
After China and the US, which together contribute 40% of the world’s burden of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, you come to Indonesia and Brazil. Why? In a word, deforestation. Japan, because of its industrial emissions, comes in 8th overall. So when there’s news on the intentions of these major economies on reducing their GHG, we should […]
I continue to be knocked out by all the innovation and hard-driving progress in building out a zero-carbon world. I was telling a young man today, a very smart carbon offset development consultant, that I truly never thought, 15 years ago, that I’d live to see the day when we would have the activity and […]
The Democratic-led Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee supported legislation today that would allow for oil and gas exploration off the coast of Florida. In an ironic twist, this includes an area that Republican President George W. Bush took off limits in 2002. Far more Congressional action is needed before the legislation is past, but […]
Project Better Place is coming along nicely. These are the folks who could catalyze the quest for the electric car’s full penetration into all the world’s markets. I love this stuff – see Future Car for instance. Here’s an eye-opening interview with Shai Agassi, PBP’s founder. I mean, how cool is this?!
The consulting and market research company Point Carbon predicts that “Phase 3 of the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme [from 2013] (EU ETS) could see the price of an EU Allowance rise from €30/ton in 2013 to €40/t in 2016.” ETS allowances fell to nearly €8/t this year and have recovered slightly since. Firms sold […]
If you hadn’t guessed, I love looking at the arcane world of politics inside the Beltway and elsewhere. There’s a really readable article in this week’s “NY Times” magazine by the perspicacious Matt Bai. It’s about the politics of health care reform but you could transpose energy and climate change into what’s being said. There’s […]
“From here on, the primary judgment of all human institutions, professions, programs and activities will be determined by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human-Earth relationship.” This is what Thomas Berry said in an interview a few years back, as quoted in his recent “NY Times” obituary. Berry was […]
Oil prices rose yesterday as Goldman Sachs stated it expects prices to reach $85 by the end of the year from its current level just below $70. Its analysts believe the recent price increase is the first stage of a longer sustained rally. They are right to see oil price rise over the long-term as […]
A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the U.S. is overpaying for the purchasing and delivery of food aid that it donates to those in need, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Despite being the largest overall donor of food aid, the practice of buying food products from U.S. […]
The soaring price of food was one of the drivers of the Global Food Crisis, making it difficult for people to purchase food for themselves or feed for their animals. The Financial Times cites a biannual United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report that states that amount spent globally on food supplies will decrease […]
I hope to sit in on a couple of local events here in NYC in the next couple of weeks. The first is Carbon Finance North America 2009, June 11 and 12. The keynote speaker is Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and there will be worthy panelists from government, […]
The Obama administration is seeking $200 million in emergency aid for Pakistani refugees who have fled the Swat Valley region during a military campaign to oust Pakistani Taliban. In the areas cleared of the Taliban by the Pakistani military; shortages of power, water, food and medical supplies have raised the concern of the U.S. government, […]
You’re probably way ahead of me and know all about this little blockbuster 20-minute video, but in case you don’t, it’s fabulous and well worth the visit. You may have any number of quibbles, big and small, with some of what’s being said, but it is definitely lucid, well-argued, and smart. I’ve touched on some […]