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Posts Tagged ‘emissions’

UK energy and environmental policy: Play God or just have your say

uk-energy-and-environmental-policy-play-god-or-just-have-your-say

You might think you can do a better job than the UK government at cutting CO2, becoming more energy efficient and deciding how Britain should move towards a low carbon economy.
Well the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change let’s you try it out – in a computer simulation, of course.
The Independent’s environment editor loves [...]


Insects: Food or foe?

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As an alternative to cutting meat consumption in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is considering the promotion of insects as a food source.
The idea comes from a UN policy paper by a Belgian scientist at the University of Wageningen named Arnold Van Huis, who points out that [...]


Consumerism, greenwashing and the ‘bonfire of the environment’

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Since the environment and appearing to be green are increasingly in vogue, yet consumerism is more rampant than ever, a curious corporate, consumer and governmental culture is emerging.
It’s the culture of ‘lets not and say we did’.
For example, let’s go on about cutting emissions, but then expand offshore drilling. Or let’s make our corporate logo [...]


Who has the real dirt on emissions trading?

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Cap and trade or emissions trading schemes can be confusing. They have been touted as the chief market-based solution for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, preserving valuable natural resources like forests, while making money for rich and poor countries alike.
The far right and climate change skeptics hate them for obvious – and sometimes less obvious – [...]


Committee on Climate Change: UK must invest in green tech

committee-on-climate-change-uk-must-invest-in-green-tech

The UK’s independent advisory body established under the Climate Change Act has stated that Britain needs to invest more in low carbon technologies in order to meet its goal of cutting 1990 emissions levels by 80% by the year 2050.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) was established with the purpose of reporting to the UK’s [...]


New airplanes are greener, but there will be a lot more of them in the air

the-new-airplanes-are-greener-but-there-will-be-a-lot-more-of-them-in-the-air

Pipe dreams of a future of eco-friendly travel go up in smoke when you look at the projected numbers for air travel. In short, total emissions from flying are set to skyrocket.
The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner is being touted as 20% more fuel efficient than its rivals, lighter and more durable due to it’s carbon [...]


Climate change: vulnerable nations promise to cut emissions

climate-change-vulnerable-nations-promise-to-cut-emissions

Six nations pledged to either go carbon neutral or low carbon at a meeting this past weekend in the Maldives. All are developing countries and most are low-lying island nations, which are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels resulting from climate change.
Though these countries contribute almost nothing to climate change, their commitments to cutting greenhouse [...]


European CO2 emissions could be reduced with 95 percent by 2050

european-co2-emissions-could-be-reduced-with-95-percent-by-2050

According to the recently released yearly study Energy Revolution (conducted by Greenpeace and the EREC – European Renewable Energy Council) Europe could reduce it’s CO2 emissions with 95 percent by 2050. The results of the study show that Europe could achieve this spectacular reduction in CO2 emissions by producing up to 97 percent of its [...]


UK: Will biomass farming replace livestock?

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A recent piece for The Ecologist, entitled ‘Biomass Britain: do fields of energy crops spell an end to grazing livestock’, explores the possibility of a revolution in the UK’s land use.
70-80% of land in the UK is used by the British livestock industry. The possibility of a near-complete shift from livestock farming to the growing [...]


1 ship=50m cars: That’s how polluting ocean freight is

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I’ve assumed that transport via boat, whether shipping goods or people, is less polluting and has a lower carbon footprint than flying or road freight, for example. Not so, according to both scientific research and inside information from the maritime shipping industry.
While diesel cars – once known as smelly, noisy polluters – have relatively cleaned [...]


Germany could use only renewable power by 2050

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Germany’s Federal Environment Agency claims that the European nation could get all its power from renewables by 2050.
At the moment Germany derives 16% of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind – a threefold increase from 1995. Some 300,000 jobs in the renewable energy field have been created since 2000 and Germany [...]


UK environmental policy: Government greenwashing?

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Ready for some negative news?
The 8.6% fall in UK greenhouse gas emissions last year was down to the economic slump rather than government initiatives.
According to an article in the Guardian, the government needs to take significant action over the next year in order to reach legally binding emissions targets (34% on 1990 levels by 2020). [...]


Unilever tops UK corporate climate change index – with a little help from Greenpeace

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In light of a recent survey naming UK companies as the worst among 300 of Europe’s largest corporations when it comes to their contribution to global warming, another survey has been released, this time focusing only on British firms.
The new list, called the FTSE carbon strategy index, compares Britain’s 350 biggest companies in terms of [...]


Japan’s govt says go to bed 1 hr earlier to cut emissions – should the UK follow suit?

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A new campaign by the Japanese government encourages people to go to bed one hour earlier in order to save energy and cut down on CO2 emissions. Not watching TV and having lights on late at night could cut household energy consumption by up to 20%
The campaign, launched by Japan’s Environment Ministry, is called ‘Morning [...]


New report describes the return of acid rain – this time it’s from farms and cars

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In the 70s and 80s acid rain received lots of attention for being a scourge upon forests and freshwater lakes and streams, poisoning aquatic life, insects and humans as well as corroding monuments and buildings in urban areas.
Acid rain never went away, but its levels changed and its sources shifted. You see, acid rain is [...]


Bonn climate talks news: 10 more years to seal the deal; row over logging

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The UN climate talks taking place in Bonn, Germany this week are not proving to be a source of positive news for the global environment.
An binding agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently enough to avoid the risk of runaway global warming and climate change were meant to be the goal of last December’s climate [...]


Super Greenhouse Gases are On the Loose…And You’ll Never Guess Where They’re Lurking

super-greenhouse-gases-are-on-the-loose-and-youll-never-guess-where-theyre-lurking

We’ve all heard of super-heroes and super-villains, but did you know there are also super-greenhouse gases?
Recently, a rather serious issue was brought to my attention and now I am bringing it to yours. Lurking about our world are things known as HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons). They are man-made gases used as refrigerants and can be found in [...]


New UN report says diet high in meat and dairy is ‘unsustainable’

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A UN report entitled ‘Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production’, released Wednesday, states that eating less meat and dairy is necessary to avoid catastrophic effects of climate change, global hunger and energy shortages.
From an article in the Guardian:
As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for [...]


Breaking: Agreement on international forest protection reached at Oslo conference

breaking-agreement-on-international-forest-protection-reached-at-oslo-conference

At a UN climate conference in Oslo, Norway this week, nations agreed on an increase in aid from rich to poor countries to protect the Earth’s forests and curb global carbon emissions. UN figures state that deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for 17% global emissions. Preserving forests is widely regarded as the least expensive [...]


UN Climate deal: Back to the future or stuck in neutral?

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It seems to be the same old story when it comes to the prospects of a binding emissions deal happening in Cancun next November, or any time soon for that matter. India’s environment minister doesn’t think it will happen and China is not expected to impose limits their CO2 emissions.
So far, non-legally binding commitments offer [...]


Young, blessed and couldn’t-care-less: Age of Stupid or stupid age?

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Here is an extra clip from Age of Stupid director Franny Armstrong’s The Stupid Show in which young citizens of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are interviewed about environmental attitudes in their country.
This could easily just be seen as a typical ‘laugh at the rich kids’ bit of reality TV. There is nothing exclusively [...]


Europe’s pollution and emissions from transportation go up

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An EU study has shown that despite efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from transportation within Europe, both have actually increased over the ten year period of 1997-2007.
The report, from the European Environment Agency (EEA), gauges pollution and emissions levels from the transport sector in 32 European countries. While high emitters like passenger [...]


Study: CO2 Emissions Raising Ocean Acidity Levels at Faster Rate

study-co2-emissions-raising-ocean-acidity-levels-at-faster-rate

Many people love going to the beach. I’m actually heading there tomorrow. There are so many things you can do at (or in) the ocean, such as swimming, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, whale watching, and so forth. It is an extremely vast ecosystem with so many life forms that scientists still haven’t finished [...]


Video: New Zealand takes on problematic methane emissions

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One third of greenhouse gasses in New Zealand come from livestock, according to the below report from CNN Eco Solutions.
Home to just 4 million people, New Zealand has 38 million sheep 9 million cows, which fuel large export industries in dairy, meat and wool. These animals produce vast amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 21 [...]


Carry on Bonn – UN climate talks come to Germany

carry-on-bonn-%e2%80%93-un-climate-talks-come-to-germany

Copenhagen it’s not, but the first UN climate meetings since December’s disappointment in Denmark began today in Bonn, Germany.
According to a report from BBC News, developing countries are strongly on board with the UN process and would like to see a binding global climate deal under the Kyoto Protocol by the next major summit, which [...]


India’s low-carbon growth strategy

indias-low-carbon-growth-strategy

India is a country of over one billion inhabitants and already the fourth largest emitter of CO2. While India’s per capita emissions are still low, the South Asian powerhouse has a projected annual economic growth rate of 8-9%. This means a growing middle class and a concomitant demand for the hallmarks of affluent society, such [...]


Europe has much bigger carbon footprint – when trade is factored in

europe-has-much-bigger-carbon-footprint-%e2%80%93-when-trade-is-factored-in

China’s soaring greenhouse gas emissions are significantly fueled by Western consumerism. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
According to an article in Time magazine, ‘22.5% of the carbon emitted in China is actually exported to other countries’.
So in a way, unofficial ‘carbon markets’ [...]


Is solar power silly in countries with little sun?

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Several recent articles in the British and international media have dealt with the question of solar power and government schemes that encourage homeowners to install solar panels.

One such plan, announced yesterday by UK energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband is a Pay As You Save program that provides ‘green loans’ to those who install [...]


Australia and Indonesia Announce Plans to Save Sumatra’s Forests

australia-and-indonesia-announce-plans-to-save-sumatras-forests

Sumatra: A large, Indonesian island that is home to over 200 mammal and nearly 600 bird species, including critically endangered animals such as the Sumatran tiger, rhino, and orangutan. It’s also the target of a new environmental initiative launched by Australia and Indonesia.
Yesterday, those 2 nations announced a multi-million dollar plan to reduce greenhouse gas [...]


Foreign Pollution has been Bitten by the Travel Bug

foreign-pollution-has-been-bitten-by-the-travel-bug

In this day and age, the green standard is slowly becoming the norm. People expect more sustainability out of businesses and government policies. They expect their neighbors to be as eco-minded as they are and some obsessively follow every bit of news that mentions climate change, co2 emissions, cap-and-trade, and so forth.
We all have our [...]


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