Copenhagen talks draw world leaders

With the U.N. Climate Change summit set to begin two weeks from today in Copenhagen, over 60 world leaders have confirmed they will be at the summit, including the heads of state of the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia. President Obama has said he may attend but has not confirmed that he will definitely be attending.

Leaders from over 192 countries have been invited in hopes that their presence will help increase the chances that a politically- and legally-binding agreement is made. In addition to Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have not confirmed that they will be attending the summit.

So, what do organizers of the conference hope to accomplish? The short answer is a legally-binding agreement on emissions reductions. The problem is that each country has its own agenda and own ideas on what should and should not be in such an agreement. This Daily Green story has more details on what the organizers are hoping to accomplish and the politics behind a potential agreement.

L.A. mayor unveils rail transit plan

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced plans earlier this month to expand the rail transit offerings in the traditionally car-centric Los Angeles County. The plan calls for the quick planning and construction of several high-speed rail tracks in the area.

"The fact is that this is the most important thing that we can do to alleviate congestion and gridlock, to improve the quality of our air, and to really vindicate the people’s will for the need to address transportation,” Villaraigosa said.

Funding for the projects is expected to come from a sales tax measure intended to fund transit projects as well as partnerships with the federal government and members of the private sector. For more information on rail transit plans for Los Angeles County, click here.

Climate bill could boost economy by $100 billion

A study conducted by researchers from the University of California at Berkley, Yale University, and the University of Illinois has concluded that the proposed climate legislation being debated in the United States Senate could boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the U.S. by as much as $111 billion by 2020.

The study found that the roll out of a cap-and-trade system for emissions would speed up the development and adoption of clean technologies and create between 900 million and 1.9 million jobs. The study even concluded that the average household income in the U.S. could grow by about $500 to $1,000 as a result of the bill over the same time frame.

The report;s findings are in conflict with the arguments from many industry groups as well as many Republican lawmakers, who argue that the legislation will cost the U.S. billions and also cost Americans job.

For more on the study, check out this story from Business Green.

Senators discuss climate bill compromise

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said today that he hopes to release a new, compromise draft of the Senate climate bill before the U.N. climate change talks in Copenhagen next month.

Such a move could slightly increase the chances of a binding agreement coming out of the conference. It is believed that the likelihood of a legally-binding agreement coming out of the talks hinges largely on the United States' willingness and ability to commit to emissions reduction targets.

The current bill would require the U.S. to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020, but the bill has been met by opposition from both Republicans and moderate Democrats. Senator Kerry is holding bi-partisan meetings in hopes of working out a compromise that enough lawmakers will agree to vote for.

For more information on the U.S. climate bill and the Copenhagen climate change talks, check out this story from Business Green.

Workers are more productive in green offices

A San Diego University study has concluded that workers in green buildings are more productive than workers in more carbon-intensive environments.

The research team examined 154 buildings with over 2,000 businesses to make their findings. The researchers found that tenants in buildings that had either Energy Star or LEED certification reported that their workers were five percent more productive in terms of workload and sick days. In addition, businesses in the greener buildings reported higher employee morale, lower employee turnover, and greater ease in recruiting new employees.

For more information on the study, check out this story from Business Green.

The world's biggest polluters

Some of the answers may surprise you. China has overtaken the United States as far as most total emissions go, as the Asian country has seen its emissions double in the last 10 years.

The biggest surprise, however, may be that Australia has passed the United States as far as highest emissions per capita. It is very surprising to see them higher on the list than countries such as the United States and Canada, which are colder and use much more fossil fuels for heating homes and businesses.

Both the United States and China pledged to address global warming and work on reducing their emissions at a recent U.N. meeting in New York. Both of these countries, as well as many other countries from around the world, will be meeting in Copenhagen next month for the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference. Representatives from countries around the world will work on negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire.

For more information on which countries are the biggest polluters, check out this post from The New Ecologist.

Senate leaders put climate bill on hold

Democratic leaders in the Senate decided today to put off more debate on the proposed climate change legislation for at least five weeks so the EPA can do an analysis of what the bill would cost to implement.

The delay will mean that any vote on the bill will almost certainly not occur until next year. This also means that no bill will be passed before the U.N. climate change summit in Copenhagen on December 7 despite pleas from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the U.S. to set the tone for the discussion by passing its own binding legislation.

With a lack of legislation before the summit, the U.S. team of negotiators will not have any mandate from Congress on what they should negotiate for. This could limit the team's willingness to agree to binding carbon emission reduction targets, something that U.S. negotiators have been hesitant to agree to in the past.

For more information, check out this story from Business Green.

Government releases green energy bonds

The U.S. Treasury Department released about $2.2 billion in bonds today aimed at jump starting the renewable energy sector.

The bonds will basically serve as low-interest loans to people who want to start renewable energy projects, giving them an opportunity to begin projects despite the fact that other sources of funding have dried up because of the current recession.

Government officials hope that the bonds will get several projects, such as wind or solar farms, quickly into the construction phase of development. To read more, check out this story from Business Green.

White House talks up climate change bill

After meetings between key Democratic and Republican lawmakers, White House officials are much more confident that a compromise can be reached on a climate change bill than they were just a month ago.

Republican senators who were previously opposed to any kind of climate change legislation have been hinting that they may support a bill so long as it included provisions to fund nuclear energy and domestic oil exploration. White House officials have said that both items are at least somewhat negotiable, meaning that whatever compromise is agreed upon will likely have at least some Republican support.

The talks between lawmakers are important as the UN's Copenhagen climate change summit in December quickly approaches. Progress on the bill will give U.S. officials a better idea of how to go about negotiating the provisions of a potential successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

For more on U.S. climate change talks, check out this story from Business Green.

UK's weather service releases climate change map

The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, released an interactive map today that details the catastrophic impact of a four-degree rise (in Centigrade) in global temperatures.

The map is based on a report that the office released last month, where researchers concluded that the world could see a four-degree rise (equivalent to seven degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature over pre-industrial averages by 2060. Temperatures would likely rise more closer to the poles and less in areas around the equator.

The map details scientists' conclusions on the impact of rising temperatures on water supply, forest fires, agriculture, and sea levels. Scientists have also concluded that increased health risks associated with malaria and other airborne diseases would likely occur.

"Climate change is a truly global problem that needs a global solution and it is a solution we have within our grasp," UK's Foreign Minister David Miliband said. "But to tackle the problem of climate change, all of us – foreign ministries, environment ministries, treasuries, departments of defense and all parts of government and societies – must work together to keep global temperatures to two degrees. It is only by doing this that we can minimize the huge security risks presented by a future four-degree world."

For more information and to see the map, check out this story from Business Green.

Nine Verizon sites named to Best Workplace for Commuters list

Best Workplaces for Commuters is an innovative membership program that provides qualified employers with national recognition and an elite designation for offering outstanding commuter benefits, such as free- or low-cost bus passes, assistance with vanpool fares, and strong telecommuting programs. Employers that meet the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits—a standard created by the Center for Urban Transportation Research and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—can get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters.

Best Workplaces for Commuters welcomes these workplaces to the 2009 list:

• Verizon California Inc., Mission Hills, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Long Beach, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Santa Monica, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Huntington Beach, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Pomona, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Menifee, CA
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Everett, WA
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Tigard, OR
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Beaverton, OR

Alternative energy vehicles on display at expo

More than 50 alternative energy vehicles were on display yesterday at the Fifth AltWheeles Fleet Day at the Staples World Headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts. The expo is the largest display of alternative energy vehicles on the East Coast.

The vehicles on display were fueled by everything from electricity to lithium-ion batteries to compressed natural gas. Experts on the manufacturing and operation of the vehicles were on hand to answer any questions that fleet managers attending the event had. Industry leaders also spoke about the importance of using alternative energy vehicles in corporate fleets.

For more info on AtlWheels Fleet DAy, click here for a story from The Boston Globe.

Samsung's new green phone turns heads

Samsung's Reclaim cell phone is turning heads among those interested in sustainable technology. The phone is manufactured using 80 percent recycled materials and includes a standard energy-efficient charger.

In addition to being more sustainable than your average cell phone, the makers of the phone did a good job of making sure it would be "cool" enough to interest the typical cell phone user. The phone includes a slide-action QWERTY keyboard and sports one button links to popular website such as Facebook and Twitter. The Reclaim also comes preloaded with green and environmental tips.

For more information on this and other green phones, click here.

Senate bill could lead to hybrid taxi fleets

Federal courts have previously struck down attempts by cities such as Boston, New York, and Seattle to require taxi companies to deploy hybrid fleets.

Last year, Boston passed a regulation that would have required fleets to be all-hybrid by 2015 before the courts ruled that it violated federal laws. The city justified the regulation by saying that hybrid vehicles are 74 percent more efficient than many of taxis currently on the road.

However, the Green Taxis Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Kerry in the Senate today, would allow cities to decide on their own whether taxi fleets should be all-hybrid or not.

“This legislation will help empower cities and towns across the nation, including Boston, to improve air quality, lower carbon emissions, and save cab drivers and passengers money,’’ Kerry said in a prepared statement. “We know we must reinvent the way America uses energy and once again Boston is leading the way.’’

For more info on the Green Taxi Act, check out this story from The Globe.

Environmentalists praise Senate climate bill

Environmental groups were unanimous in their praise for the Kerry-Boxer Climate Bill that was introduced in the Senate yesterday, but, as expected, the groups stressed that the bill was just a first step of many towards making the environment safer with climate legislation.

According to The Daily Green, environmental groups praised the bill for many reasons, including:

• Creating new "green jobs" via the Green Construction Careers Demonstration Project and funding for the Green Jobs Act
• Setting a short-term target for greenhouse gas reductions of 20% from major sources by 2020
• Preserving existing Clean Air Act regulations that will allow the Environmental Protection Agency to curb greenhouse gas pollution from power plants and other major sources.

While the praise was unanimous, the criticism of what the groups consider a emissions reduction requirement that is too lenient was also close to unanimous. For more on the bill, check out this story.

Proposed climate bill stricter than House version

The climate bill that is expected to be introduced in the Senate's Environmental and Public Works Committee today is more strict in regards to emissions targets than the one narrowly passed by the House earlier this year.

The bill would require a 20-percent emission reduction by 2020 from 2005 levels of CO2 emissions. The House bill requires a 17-percent reduction. Both bills target an 83-percent reduction by 2050.

The bill sets up a cap-and-trade system, which would allow industry members to buy and sell emissions within a total emissions cap. The House bill has a similar cap-and-trade system included.

The introduction of the bill is expected to ignite a climate change debate in the Senate within several committees before a debate on the Senate floor later this year. For more info on the bill, check out this story from The Boston Globe.

Global warming debate heats up

With the landmark Copenhagen climate conference just a little more than two months away, news surrounding a potential successor to the Kyoto Protocol is heating up. Last week, representatives of the so-called G20—finance ministers and central bank governors of 20 major national economies—met in Pittsburgh to discuss global warming, among other things.

As the pivotal conference approaches, scientific reports are coming out that are raising the stakes. The U.N. released a report this week that states that the world is on course for a 6.3 degree temperature increases even if all the proposed actions are implemented by every government worldwide. Part of the report is particularly scary as it states that the worst-case scenarios for global climate disasters are actually worse—and not as far in the future—as previously thought.

For a good summary of all the recent news in the global warming debate, check out this story from The Daily Green that contains links to six items that are making news.

Volvo goes green

Volvo has crafted an ambitious environmental agenda, making the company the latest automaker to work towards a greener future.

The automaker announced a new vision that will attempt to produce cars that produce no harmful exhaust emissions or environmentally-impacting carbon dioxide. Yes, they said no emissions. And, the company is putting its money where its mouth is by investing $2 billion in the project through 2014.

Volvo and other automakers are working towards the 35.5 mpg federal standard that will be in place as of 2015. The standard was part of the federal legislation passed by Washington last year that legislators, unions, and automakers all agreed on as part of a compromise.

For more information on how automakers are going green, check out this story from The Daily Green.

New report ranks 10 cities worldwide on emissions

A study released this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology had a surprising conclusion: Denver had vastly more per capita emissions than many cities around the U.S. and world, including the notoriously smoggy Los Angeles as well as New York City.

The report examined 10 cities (the three from the U.S. and then seven from various parts of the world) using seven metrics, including electricity usage, population density, waste removal, and others. The results were surprising to say the least, as Denver accounted for the release of 50 percent more per capita emissions than even Los Angeles using the metrics in the study.

Barcelona was by far the least polluting city examined. If you are curious about how other cities stacked up, check out the full story from The Daily Green.

Five ways to keep the environment safer based on the food you eat

Much of the food we consume has detrimental effects on the environment caused by packaging, pesticides, and the release of greenhouse gases. However, The Daily Green has five tips today that can help you keep these hazardous items out of the environment while making your own body healthier by consuming nutritious food.

From buying local products to purchasing organic goods in a smart manner, these tips are sure to help you on your way to living a greener lifestyle. Check out the full list when you get a chance.