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.

Cut 10 percent off your energy bill

Government data suggests that the burning of natural gas and heating oil for the purpose of heating homes accounts for up to six percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Plugging leaks and stopping drafts in your home can quickly and easily result in saving 10 percent off your energy bill. If you want to go a step further, there are federal tax credits available for installing green insulation and energy-efficient windows and doors.

Stopping drafts can be as easy as noticing where they are in your house and caulking the gaps around windows and doors. This guide from The Daily Green can help you get started.

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.

Save money and the environment by renting items

Renting things instead of buying them can save you a lot of money as well as keep the environment cleaner. The Daily Green has put together a list of a dozen or so items that most people probably don't know you can rent. Some of them are very practical, while others are downright silly but humorous nonetheless.

For instance, a new power saw will cost you around $150. However, many retailers and other places will rent it to you for $30. Given that most power tools are only used on average for a half-hour over their entire lifetime, this can save you a fortune. Other things you can save big bucks on renting include textbooks, sports equipment, camping gear, and other items.

Check out the full list on The Daily Green's website.

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.

Electric car completes 313-mile trip

Who says electric cars don't have the range necessary to replace that traditional gas motor vehicle that you and your family rely on? An Australian businessman made his own argument for the viability of electric cars by completing a 313-mile trip in his Tesla Roadster.

The man completed the trip during the Global Green Challenge, an Australian solar car race that has been held since 1987. The Global Green Challenge includes a division for production cars, which is what the Tesla was competing in.

The trip smashes the previous record of 241 miles, which was also held by a Tesla Roadaster. For more info on the historic trip as well as the Global Green Challenge, check out this story from The Daily 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.

Save hundreds on your next television

Believe it or not, televisions now account for about 5 percent of all residential electricity use in the United States. Many consumers are not aware of the fact that there is a wide range of energy use required to operate even seemingly similar televisions. For instance, plasma televisions consume significantly more than their similarly-sized LCD counterparts.

While the energy use may not add up to much, you could be looking at saving hundreds of dollars when you consider that you will use a new television for five to 10 years, especially if it is a more expensive model. And, as people become more conscience of their energy use, you can bet that manufacturers will do their best to meet the demand for more efficient televisions, which will increase your options for saving money on your electricity bill.

For more information, check out this story from The Daily Green.

One in five jobs could be green by 2030

A report released this week by the American Solar Energy Society suggests that by 2030 about one in five jobs in the U.S. will be in the emerging energy-efficiency and and renewable energy sectors, adding that the sectors could employ about 37 million people in the next two decades.

Granted, this report is from a trade industry group for the renewable energy sector, but it is obvious that green sectors, such as those listed above, are gaining jobs as more government funding is released for green projects and more private sector companies are popping up to meet the demands of consumers.

Interestingly, while the common perception is that green jobs that are created will be in high-tech fields, the report states that most of the jobs created will be in more traditional fields, such as agriculture or carpentry. For more info on the future of green jobs, 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.

Electric cars showcased at Tokyo car show

Electric vehicles are the talk of the show at the Tokyo motor show, which is taking place this week.

All of the leading Asian automakers are jostling for position in the expanding electric car market, as each looks for the new big thing to ignite a spark in an industry-wide slump in sales. Both Nissan and Toyota announced at the show that they plan to have all-electric cars ready to ship in the United States by 2012. Toyota officials also said they company remains on track to deliver a plug-in version of the popular Prius to consumers by the end of this year.

For more info on the electric cars being displayed at the show, 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.

CVS offers coupons for reusing bags

CVS will begin giving customers a $1 coupon for every four times they use a cloth bag. While grocery stores have been offering discounts on reusable bags for a while now, the amount of the reward CVS is offering is a lot greater than similar programs.

Members of the company's ExtraCare rewards program will have the opportunity to purchase a "Green Bag Tag" card to attach to their cloth bag. Every time they make purchases, the tag will be scanned at the register. After the tag is scanned four times, the customer will receive a $1 coupon as part of their receipt.

Company officials said its stores will have the tags in about two weeks. To read more, check out this story from The Boston Globe.

The first laptop bags with solar panels

Mascotte Industrial Associates, a UK company, has developed the first line of consumer electronics bags with built-in solar panels.

The bags are fitted with Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. This marks the first time that DSSC technology has been used in consumer products. DSSC is a type of "thin-film" solar technology that allows solar panels to be manufactured quickly and molded to fit various materials. A similar techonology is being used in cell phones that are fitted with solar panels, which providers have started marketing this year.

The bags will be displayed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair this week and will be capable of charging laptops, cell phones, cameras, and other devices. For more information, check out this story from Business Green.

Companies produce biofuels from sewage

U.S. biofuel company Qteros says it has created the first commercially-viable technology for creating ethanol from the materials found in municipal waste (what we would call sewage).

The company has teamed up with an Israeli bio-tech company, Applied CleanTech, to use one of Applied's technologies to complete the process of making ethanol. The technologies have the potential to save municipal waste water plants a lot of money by giving them a way to create revenue by selling energy.

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