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.

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.

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.

Green projects in danger as international climate talks continue

So far, international negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol have been stagnant at best, even after leaders from 177 countries met in Bangkok last week to discuss a new climate change agreement.

The problem is that the interests of developed countries (such as the United States and most of Europe) and less developed nations (such as China, India, and Brazil) are conflicting. The developed nations want the less developed nations to commit to cutting a percentage of their emissions, but those countries say that the developed nations are the ones responsible for climate change and also have the money to make the cuts, so they should have to do most of the work. In a way, both groups have a good point and are right in a lot of respects.

However, debate over how the new agreement should be structured and what it should contain aside, if leaders fails to agree on a new climate change treaty, many green projects around the world are in danger of being shut down after 2012. Obviously, this would be a travesty, as much of the progress those projects have made would be lost. For more info on what is at stake during the global climate change discussions, check out this story from The Washington Post.

New Mexico announces plan for giant energy converter

The inability to transport solar and wind energy between different power grids in the U.S. has also been a limiting factor in the expansion of renewable energy use in the country. However, a project announced today by the State of New Mexico will make it possible to more effectively transmit solar and wind energy between the three main U.S. energy grids.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said the new energy hub will "be the largest power converter in the world, making New Mexico the meeting place for America's electricity needs." The state and the company that would be in charge of constructing the converter are now seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If the project is approved, construction could begin as soon as 2011.

For more information on the renewable energy hub, check out this story from Business Green.

Solar Decathlon showcases homes of the future

For the new two weeks, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., has been turned into a residential development to showcase the best solar homes available in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition.

University teams from around the country as well as teams from Germany and Spain have spent over two years building solar-powered houses. Like the decathlon at track & field competitions, the contest has 10 "events," or areas that the house are judged on: architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and net metering.

The purpose of the competition is to promote the world's growing need to find ways to harness and use alternative energies. For more info on the Solar Decathlon, check out this story from CNN.

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

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.

Portland deli recognized for energy conservation

Elephants Delicatessen in Portland is in the national spotlight for its dedication to conserving energy and battling climate change. The small business is being recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for its use of effective energy management practices and innovative efficiency solutions in its buildings.

Named one of 11 award recipients nationally, Elephants Delicatessen is a leader in incorporating energy-saving technologies and practices in its business. The company uses 100 percent wind power produced by Northwest wind farms to power its 9,000 square-foot flagship store and 13,000 square-foot commissary. This purchase of clean wind power offsets 426 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the environment, which can be compared to removing 71 cars from the road for one year or removing 53.7 homes from the electric grid for one year.

The company also completed a lighting conversion, switching to energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, resulting in 50 percent lighting cost savings. It also purchases Energy Star qualified products when the lifespan of existing equipment expires.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

World population grows faster than expected

Since 1999, the world's population has grown by about 79 million people a year. A report released today by the World Resources Institute suggests that the world's population is growing more quickly than expected and could reach 9.1 billion people by 2050. The current world population is about 6.8 billion.

Here are some interesting facts from the report, courtesy of The Daily Green:

• More than 95% of population growth is occurring in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia, regions that account for more than three-quarters of the current population. U.N. demographers estimate that by mid-century, Africa will be adding 21 million people a year to world population and Asia 5 million.

• Although the populations of Japan, Germany, Russia, and some Eastern European countries are already declining, U.N. demographers do not indicate a population peak among industrial countries as a group until 2036.

• Global spending on contraceptive supplies and services totaled $338 million in 2007, considerably less than half the amount in 1995 — despite a 20% increase in the number of people of reproductive age in developing countries.

For more info on the report, check out this story.

EPA recognizes Portland small business

he Joinery, a hardwood furniture producer in Portland, Ore., is getting a green thumbs up from the Environmental Protection Agency for its dedication to fighting climate change by using green power.

EPA is honoring certain Green Power partners across the United States for outstanding contributions in helping grow the nation’s voluntary green power market. The Joinery is being recognized for its dedication to green power purchasing.

The Joinery has long made green power a priority. In 1996, the company purchased wind-derived renewable energy certificates. In 2004, it increased wind power purchase to cover 100 percent of its electricity needs. In 2008, the company bought 280 million kilowatt-hours of green power equal to its entire electricity consumption.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

TVs will be 40 percent more energy-efficient in May

The Department of Energy released stricter requirements for televisions to receive an Energy Star rating last week, meaning that, starting in May, some televisions will be 40 percent more efficient.

For those of you that are interested in cutting your energy bill, this means that the televisions will cost you 40 percent less money to operate. Once you decide it's time to buy a television, you can search for Energy Star-rated televisions on the Energy Star website here. There are currently 19 plasma TVs and 199 LCD models that qualify for the rating.

For more information on this as well as how to recycle your old TV, click here.

Oregon landowners ordered to restore stream bank on Rogue River

Robert and Marilyn Malloy must remove unauthorized fill material they placed along the bank of the Rogue River at their property in Eagle Point, Ore., according to a compliance order issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Rogue River is an important salmon-bearing river that supports a significant recreational fishing industry.

“The onus is on property owners to do their research and read the regulations,” said Tony Barber, EPA’s Oregon Operations Office Director. “The consequence of not doing so is too great: Our valuable water resources and wildlife are put at risk.”

The Malloys placed riprap, a material used to armor shorelines from waves and water erosion, along a 345 foot section of stream bank. The alleged activity was conducted in the spring of 2006 on their 63 acres of property without required Clean Water Act permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Rogue River is designated as critical habitat for threatened salmon species under the Endangered Species Act.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

Fossil fuel companies lobby Congress

The Daily Green is reporting that of the 1,000 or so companies that are paying lobbyists to influence legislators on climate and energy policy, no other group is spending anywhere close to the amount that fossil fuel companies are spending.

The Washington Post backs up this claim, reporting that oil and gas industries spent over $82 million lobbying Congress in the first half of 2009. The alternative energy industry spent only $12 million over that time.

The House has already passed a landmark cap-and-trade regulation. Whether the Senate passes it is yet to be seen. Environmental groups would like to see the Senate pass a version with more stricter requirements, while fossil fuel industry advocates would prefer if the legislation was never approved by the Senate. For more info, check out this story from The Daily Green.