Oct 22, 2014 - The U.S. and European Union are pushing for a stronger explanation about the dangers of climate change and the consequences of failing to stem fossil-fuel emissions in the UN’s most extensive report on global warming.
The appeals are detailed in a document putting together comments from more than 30 governments about the United Nations report, due to be published next month. The study is the culmination of five years of work by some 2,000 scientists.
“This report is a story of what happens if we don’t act, and what can happen if we do,” U.S. negotiators wrote. “It should be an effective story.” The text, they said, “lacks a threading narrative.” read more>>>
OCT. 22, 2014 - Expanding the notion of corporate benefits beyond discounted health club memberships and low insurance rates, a group of major companies is set to offer employees access to cheaper solar systems for the home.
Under an arrangement announced Wednesday, employees of the companies — Cisco Systems, 3M, Kimberly-Clark and National Geographic — will be able to buy or lease solar systems for their homes at rates substantially lower than the national average, executives said. The program, offered through Geostellar, an online marketer of solar systems, will be available to more than 100,000 employees and will include options for their friends and families in the United States and parts of Canada. read more>>>
Money and politics have divided Florida for decades, but the rising sea level has finally prodded the south into action.
October 23, 2014 - When a region wants to break away from its state or from the U.S.—whether we're talking about Texas, Vermont, or the former Confederate states—it's usually because of government, politics, and money. But for the city of South Miami, which earlier this month passed a resolution to separate southern from northern Florida, the main concern is climate change.
North and South Florida have had their differences for decades, says Walter Harris, vice mayor of South Miami. South Florida is largely urban and leans left, he says, whereas the north—where the capital, Tallahassee, is located—is mostly rural and much more conservative.
These long-standing political divisions are further fueled by an economic imbalance: according to the resolution for independence, 69 percent of Florida's 22 billion dollars of tax revenue comes from the 24 counties in the southern part of the state. read more>>>
October 23, 2014 - The $10 billion a year Michigan businesses and residents pay for electricity makes it clear how central the energy sector is to the health of our economy.
For a strong manufacturing sector, we need an energy strategy that keeps costs down, minimizes the risk of price spikes, promotes economic development and preserves excellent reliability. Making energy efficiency and renewable power the foundation of our energy policy will achieve those goals while also protecting public health and the environment — themselves core components of a thriving economy.
To help Michigan regain its position as a manufacturing leader, state leaders should enact a strategy that: read more>>>
16 October 2014 - India has set a target of achieving an overall wind energy installed capacity of 27.3GW by 2017 and 38.5GW by 2022.
According to estimates by Novonous, this will create a $31.25 billion opportunity for the wind market in India extending at least until 2022.
“The wind energy market in India has been growing for many years” said Ambarish Kumar Verma CEO of Novonous. “The total installed capacity of the Indian Wind Energy market is 21.13 MW and India stands at the 5th Rank in terms of the total installed wind power capacity just behind China, USA, Germany and Spain.” read more>>>
October 18, 2014 - A green economy, according to the United Nations environment programme, is one that “results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities”. While seemingly altruistic, the concept is by no means unrealistic. Its viability is substantially improved by innovations in renewable energy, arguably the lifeblood of a sustainable economy.
Today we are experiencing a new energy transition. The numbers speak for themselves: in the year 2000, the total solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed globally was about 1.5 gigawatts (GW). Less than 15 years later, one commercial organisation has more than six times that capacity installed worldwide. This revolution is centred on the growing realisation that renewables – and solar in particular – are no longer just a subsidy-enabled option, but are cost-competitive with conventional fuels. read more>>>
October 18, 2014 - South African President Jacob Zuma has encouraged all sectors in the country’s development efforts to implement measures to fight climate change, APA learnt on Saturday.“If all sectors implement the measures to fight climate change at the same time, together we can build the biggest mitigation buffer against climate change,â€� Zuma said at the official opening of the Environment House at the headquarters of the Ministry of Environmental Affairs in Pretoria.
According to the President, the solution to climate change and global warming problems lay in every development sector managing its affairs effectively. read more>>>
October 18, 2014 - Saudi Arabia could consume as much oil as it exports by 2030 and it uses nearly 200bn kWh of electricity every year, according to an expert.
“There are excellent foundations here in Saudi Arabia for sustainability in green building and you can sense the commitment when the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has initiated a decree that in 5 years all companies have to meet new air, water and noise pollution standards. As a start 90,000 mosque across the Kingdom would be made more eco-energy,” said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Building & Industrial Systems.
He added “therefore, Saudis should make their economy more energy, efficient and how to accelerate green building.” read more>>>
2014-10-18 - In recent times, government leaders, politicians, economists, ecologists and common people around the globe are increasingly becoming familiar with the concepts of green economy, green growth, green accounts, green banking and green jobs. Lots of seminars and publicity are taking place in different countries to create awareness on these among the general people and the policymakers.
Developing countries have invested heavily in green technology, causing the south-south renewable trade to grow faster than global trade, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed.
Speaking at the launch of the report, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner referred to a widely-held belief that environmental goods and services could potentially harm the economies of developing states, because they cannot have a competitive edge over goods and services based on industrial technology. read more>>>
October 17, 2014 - Several countries are implementing stricter fuel-efficiency standards, but none appear to be enforcing them as strictly as China.
Perhaps thinking U.S.-style fines were too lenient, the country that is now the world's largest new-car market will "punish" carmakers who don't comply with upcoming gas-mileage rules.
China will restrict production and publicly name the automakers who fail to meet fuel-economy targets for 2015, Reuters reports. read more>>>
Oct 16, 2014 - A new white paper from Navigant Research examines the critical issues facing cities and utilities as they develop energy policies suited for the 21st century.
Cities are a focal point for some of the most profound economic, environmental, social, and technological issues facing the world today. There is increasing demand to move to cleaner and more efficient energy resources to meet the demands of an urban population that will expand by 2.4 billion people during the next 35 years. Click to tweet: According to a new white paper from Navigant Research, the spread of smart city technologies and policies, developed in response to the rapid growth and change happening in cities around the world, is helping to drive sweeping and fundamental changes in the energy landscape. read more>>>
Oct. 13, 2014 - The tech giant Google is looking to start a pilot project to test a flying wind turbine design that could revolutionise the wind energy sector.
According to reports, the company has selected a site on Hawaii where it hopes to develop and test its latest innovation.
Makani Power, which Google acquired last year and absorbed into its Google X division, is running the project and has designed lightweight kites that can harness energy from high-altitude winds. read more>>>
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