. . . the Nebraska Carbon Sequestration Advisory CommitteeThank you for visiting the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, USA. What's NewDecember 6, 2005: A recent study conducted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has shown that the increasing trade imbalance between the United States and China is actually contributing to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The report shows that the growth of Chinese imports into the U.S. has increased the carbon emissions between the two countries by 700 metric tons between 1997 and 2003. The report also states the U.S. carbon emissions would have been 6 percent higher during that time span if it produced the goods that were imported from China, whereas emissions would have declined by 14 percent in China if it did not manufacture goods for the U.S. This new information implies that the U.S. may be indirectly responsible for more carbon emissions than widely perceived. December 1, 2005: Members of the United Nations Climate Change Conference have finalized the "rule book" to the Kyoto Protocol. Under the agreement, the parties established the Joint Implementation Supervisory Board. Also, Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is fully established. Other decisions made define a wide range of operational considerations for running the Protocol. These decisisons include how the emissions of countries are accounted for, as well the rules governing how the absorption of Carbon Dioxide in agricultural and forest land is measured. (Full press release available from UNFCCC). November 30, 2005: The first ever online auction of CERs was executed last week. Buyers took in approximately 130,000 CERs at a price between 3.75 and 6.75 euros. The auction was conducted by Asia Carbon Exchange and Climex. November 30, 2005: A recent article from Pointcarbon has stated that the number of private firms entering the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) market is increasing. According to the article, the main reason private industries are entering the market is the fact the the EUA price have been rather high. However, curiosity into how the market works and the opportunities it presents is also cited as a reason. The article also states that most buyers in the CDM market are very confused as to how the process works. Many buyers are reluctant to become "Project Participants" when CER contracts are signed because they believe that means they will have to be actively involved in the contract. This is not true. The level of participation in the project is determined at the signing of the contract between the buyer and the seller. Also, buyers must become "Project Participants" in order to receive their CERs immediately. If the buyer is not a participant, he or she will have to wait until 2008 in order to receive their CERs. November 29, 2005: Youth from around the world are at the Montreal MOP1/COP11 meeting this week, expressing concerns that inaction on climate change now means unacceptable, higher costs for their generation. The U.S. was given the "Fossil of the Day" award for its refusal to have any dialogue about the future of Kyoto beyond 2012, as well as its drive to use coal as the fuel of choice in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development. The award was delivered with a battery powered toy SUV filled with coal, and sent into the meeting hall (See "Its Getting Hot in Here" ). November 28, 2005: The 11th Conference of the Party and the 1st Meeting of the Parties (due to Kyoto going into force) opened today in Montreal, Canada, running through the period November 28-December 9, 2005. The meeting was expected to focus especially on further developing the Clean Development Mechanism with its Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) which can be used to offset emissions of greenhouse gases. Also, there will be special sessions on the potential for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), i.e. in sequestration as well as storage in soil, mines, etc. Conference will be looking beyond 2012 and trying to reduce the uncertainty that is adversely affecting the investment climate. November 15, 2005: U.S. Senators Lugar and Biden put forward a Senate Resolution calling for the United States to be more involved in the mitigation of Greenhouse Gases by active participation in negotiations and under the United Nations Framework Convention (See Pew Center Global Climate Change for this announcement as well as a recent report released by Pew). There is also interest by both Lugar and Biden in using ethanol fuel as a substitute for fuel from crude oil as well as in carbon sequestration in agriculture and forestry. November 15, 2005: The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that 5 million tons of carbon dioxide gas have been successfully sequestered in a Canadian oilfield. The project injected carbon dioxide that was piped from the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in Beulah, North Dakota into the Weyburn oilfield in Saskatchewan, Canada. This process increased the pressure within the oilfield and increased oil production there by 10,000 barrels of oil per day. Department of Energy officials also stated that if this project were extended to all oilfields in western Canada, the carbon dioxide stored would be the equivalent of pulling 200 million cars off the street. (See articles from Reuters and MSNBC). November 4, 2005: Researchers from the Idaho National Laboratory, the University of Idaho, Boise State University, and Idaho State University-Pocatello are preparing to test how well volcanic rock below the Colombia and Snake River Plain can hold carbon dioxide. The group, known as the Big Sky partnership, are planning to inject carbon dioxide into volcanic basalt rock and monitor whether the rock can hold it. If the basalt rock can store carbon, it appears this geologic formation may provide an advantage to storing carbon over other land formations. Because volcanic rock is young and reactive, injecting carbon dioxide into the formation will cause rapid chemical reactions that can turn the carbon into a harmless salt. This means the carbon will be unable to leak out. The testing, slated to begin in early 2007, is part of a 17.9 million dollar grant funded by private industry and the U.S. Department of Energy. (Click link to see full press release from the Idaho National Laboratory). November 4, 2005: The state of Vermont has approved new regulations for vehicle emissions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In an attempt to keep up with new emissions laws in California, Vermont is requiring that all 2009 and later vehicle models will be required to meet a new, more strict, fuel efficiency standard (see full article on msnbc.com) November 3, 2005: According to the World Bank, the global market for carbon emissions credits is heading for a supply crunch because bottlenecks are preventing the approval of projects that would supply emissions credits. The organization notes that Western Europe, Japan, and Canada alone may need as many as 3.5 billion metric tons of credits to meet their Kyoto obligations in 2012. However, these countries may struggle to reach 40 percent of their needed emissions credits. The organization also notes that in order to reach 1.4 billion CERs, the United Nations would need to approve approximately 2,200 emission reducing projects in developing nations. As of today, the UN has only approved 33 projects. November 1, 2005: At an informal meeting of 20 countries in London, Britain called for a broad international agreement to curb carbon emissions amid signs that natural disasters may be linked to global warming. Although no formal declarations were made, the countries (including the U.S., China, and India) agreed to work toward using cleaner energy, which would include carbon capture and storage. The countries also want to encourage private firms to invest in low carbon technology with the help of the World Bank. (See full article in the Washington Post) October 28, 2005: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially released estimates that show the potential costs of regulating carbon dioxide in the country. The EPA analysis shows that curbing carbon emissions in the U.S. would cost much less than the $400 billion estimated by the Bush administration. A proposal to cut emissions submitted by Tom Carper, D-Del. was estimated to cost $2.5 billion to $5 billion by the year 2013. A more stringent plan submitted by James Jeffords, I-Vt. would cost $32 billion to $54 billion by 2010. However, the Carper plan was also estimated to provide $161 billion in health benefits by 2020, while Jeffords plan will provide $ 211 billion in health benefits over the same time span. This was the most comprehensive analysis of competing legislative proposals that the EPA has ever done (see article on msnbc.com). October 24, 2005: The state of Texas, USA, has just sold a lease for an 11,000 acre tract of land in the Gulf of Mexico that will become the United States' first offshore windfarm. The windfarm will be located near Galveston Island. The farm will be planned, owned, and operated by Galveston Offshore Wind. Construction of the windfarm is expected to be completed within the next five years, and will cost approximately 300 million dollars. The farm will consist of 50 turbines, which will produce 150 megawatts of power. This is enough energy to provide electricity to 40,000 homes. Questions still remain about how the wind turbines will affect the coastal and migrating bird population in Texas. However, an environmental impact study to evaluate the affect on birds in the area will begin next spring (See full article on msnbc.com). October 11, 2005: DaimlerChrysler has announced that 500 diesel-electric hybrid buses have been ordered by New York City. It is believed to be the largest order of hybrid buses in history. These new buses will improve fuel efficiency, while also reducing emissions into the atmosphere. Reductions include 90% less particulate matter, 40% less nitrogen oxide emissions, and 30% less carbon dioxide emissions. Deliveries of buses to New York City will begin next year, and other orders have now been placed by transit systems in San Francisco and Toronto, Canada (See full article on msnbc.com). October 7, 2005: Intriguing contention by an Australian Commentator: The reason the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development canceled the planned November meeting is because they really do not have a substantive agenda (See Quiggin). Others see this as an indicator that the Kyoto Protocol, and the Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in November, is the more relevant, powerful international agreement as demonstrated by the canceling of the November Partnership meeting (See Black). September 29, 2005: The first meeting of Oregon's Carbon Allocation Task Force is being held today. This task force was commissioned by the governor of Oregon, and is looking to develop a cap and trade emissions reduction scheme for the state. The group also is looking into the possibility of requiring a renewable energy portfolio standard for the state. They plan to make a recommendation to the governor in time for policy to be proposed for the 2007 Oregon legislative session. September 29, 2005: According to a study conducted by the University of Colorado, NASA, and the University of Washington, the Acrtic ice shelf has melted for a fourth consecutive year. The shelf is now at its smallest size in a century. The study used satellites to examine the size of the ice shelf between the years of 1978 and 2005. They estimate that the ice now covers an area of 2.05 million square miles, compared to an average area of 2.70 million square miles between 1978-2000. The scientists involved in the report argue that this ice melting, in part, is probably caused by the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. (See full article on cnn.com.) September 28, 2005: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon sequestration may play an important role in limiting human induced global warming in the near future. According to the panel, using carbon sequestration to stabilize carbon dioxide levels may cut the cost by 30% when compared to alternatives, such as switching to cleaner technologies. However, the new report also warns that using carbon sequestration methods will significantly raise the cost of electricity for many years. So, it appears that governmental regulation will have to be implemented to force companies to use carbon capture methods, as the process is to expensive to expect companies to use it on a voluntary basis (See Article in New York Times). September 28, 2005: A new U.S. government index has indicated that greenhouse gas levels have risen in earth's atmosphere by about 20% since 1990. The will be updated annually in April. (See cnn.com for full article.) September 27, 2005: The European Commission will approve the addition of airlines to the European Emisssions Trading Scheme today. According to impact studies, requiring airlines to comply with emissions restrictions through a market-based system will only add a cost of 9 euros to a individual return airline ticket. Interestingly, the commission wants to apply the new restrictions to all airlines flying from the EU. This means that U.S. airlines may be forced to cut their emissions in Europe in order to keep flying there. The commission expects fierce opposition from U.S. airline firms on the issue. (See The Independent for full article). September 27, 2005: The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are preparing to enter the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme. However, companies in these regions are expected to proceed in the scheme with caution, so a huge wave of emissons allowances from the region is not expected to flood the market. (See article from pointcarbon.com). September 26, 2005: While speaking at a conference on "Global Challenges" in New York City, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that he has changed his mind on negotiating international environmental treaties. Now, he wants to put his faith in developing science and technology to combat global climate change. Blair is sure to receive criticizm from environmentalists, as well as people that believe Blair's idea falls to closely in line with climate change policy in the United States. (See article on pointcarbon.com). September 22, 2005: Carbonfund and Ceres have partnered to create a joint carbon offset program. Under the program, participants in the Ceres network will be encouraged to offset their personal and corporate emissions by sending donations to Carbonfund. The donations will be used to support a variety of carbon reducing projects, which include investment in renewable energy and sequestration. Ceres will also encourage businesses that already own carbon offsets to donate the offsets to Carbonfund. Then, the offsets will be permanately retired. September 21, 2005: The Chicago Climate Exchange has announced that the state of New Mexico has joined the exchange. New Mexico is the first state in the union to join CCX. September 21, 2005: Brazil launced its first marketplace for Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) this week. The exchange will be located in Rio de Janeiro. The market will be a platform for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in the country, as well as companies in developed countries that are looking to offset their carbon emissions. (See Pointcarbon's CDM and JI Monitor for Sept. 20, 2005.) September 21, 2005: The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is debating a mandatory emissions trading scheme in the country. The idea has been proposed by the National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP). The proposed scheme would start in 2010, and it would be mandatory and economy-wide. In order to minimize the effect on the U.S. economy, the price of buying emissions credits would be capped at $7. Also, enough permits would be allocated to companies to represent a 2.4% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction would be increased to 2.8% by 2020. Initially, 95% of the credits would be allocated for free. It is important to note that this trading scheme would not integrate easily with the trading scheme used by countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol. (See article on Pointcarbon). September 19, 2005: The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) is providing carbon credit aggregation services to farmers and ranchers (in Iowa, some areas in Kansas and Nebraska, U.S.A.) as part of a pilot program with the Chicago Climate Exchange. To date, the IFBF has organized two enrollment pools. It is anticipated a third pool will be organized between November 2005 and May 2006. To be eligible for the program, the land must be continuously no-tilled, strip-tilled, or ridge-tilled or seeded down to grass (after January 1, 1999). Potential participants can have their names added to a contact list such that they can be notified when enrollment for the next pool begins. To be placed on the contact list, send an e-mail with name, address, phone number and e-mail to Dave Miller, Iowa Farm Bureau at: damiller@ifbf.org . You may also call 515-225-5431 and leave the information with the office assistant. Information about this carbon program can be found on the Iowa Farm Bureau website. For a description of the overall situation for carbon and where this new offsets markets fits, see the latest Carbon Market Update including Notes (These Updates are also accessible under Understanding). September 16, 2005: Members of Cambrige Econometrics, a British economic forecasting group, are warning the the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) must be tightened in order to have a substantial effect on cutting emissions in Britain. The group is arguing that too many emissions credits are being distributed, and that the price for an allowance is not high enough for Britain to reach their emissions reduction goal. September 16, 2005: A court case regarding global warming in the U.S. has been dismissed. Eight states, including California and New York, were suing the 5 largest power producers in the country on the basis that they were contributing to global warming. The eight states say they will appeal the decision. (See article on msnbc.com) September 15, 2005: Although they are exempt from emissions cuts under the Kyoto Protocol, businesses in India are planning to slash their carbon emissions anyway. In doing so, India will create Certified Emission Reductions (CER) that they plan to sell for up to $5 billion over the next seven years. September 14, 2005: A study conducted by London's Carbon Disclosure Project has shown that many U.S. firms are preparing for greenhouse gas limits in the United States. Over the past 3 years, the group has sent questionnaires to the world's largest companies, asking them to quantify their greenhouse gas emissions. They also asked the companies how they are managing the risks associated with greenhouse gas emissions. This year, 60% of 250 U.S. companies responded to the survey, compared to 40% last year. (See Reuters UK for full article). September 12, 2005: The Ainsworth, Nebraska, USA, "wind farm" will be fully operational in 2006. The Nebraska Public Power District is bringing wind generating capacity on-line with this 36-tower facility in collaboration with the Omaha Public Power District, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska and the City of Grand Island, Nebraska. One of the most interesting features is the collaboration with JEA, a Jacksonville, Florida, USA, electric utility. JEA has a 20-year agreement to purchase 10 megawatts of capacity and the associated energy. (See: NPPD website for more details, including pictures taken during construction of the 36-towers). September 1, 2005: According to BBC News, Britain and the European Union (EU) are planning to give technology to China that would allow the country to develop a power station that helps to stop climate change. The technology will allow China to build a coal plant that uses "store and capture" methods to bury carbon deep into porous rock. Although the initial technology is a gift to China, someone will have to pay the future costs of actually storing the carbon. China feels that the U.S. or the E.U should pay the entire bill, since they believe that they have not caused increased carbon emissions. This will have to be sorted out in order for this program to work. September 1, 2005: It has been announced that a new group has been formed to investigate the possibility of storing carbon in underground reservoirs. The Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage Research will be looking at the possibility of storing carbon in various subsurface structures. These structures include deep saline aquifers, oil and gas reservoirs, and deep coal seams. August 29, 2005: According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a carbon emissions trading scheme could blossom in the United States, provided that the Federal government imposes mandatory emissions limits. If the U.S. embraced a cap and trade system, analysts believe that the resulting emissions market would be worth anywhere from 41 to 77 billion dollars annually. This is much larger than the 37 billion dollar annual market in Europe. August 28, 2005: The government of Spain has approved measures to double its production of energy through renewable sources. The plan calls for an investment of 29 billion dollars. However, the government only plans to pay for approximately 2.9 percent of the costs, leaving private industry to pay for most of the costs. The new measures are expected to help Spain meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. Spain has seen the largest increase in greenhouse gas emissions among the original parties of the treaty. August 24, 2005: Nine eastern states, from New Jersey to Maine, have agreed to cap power plant emissions at their current levels, and reduce the emissions 10 percent by 2020. The nine state initiative looks to establish a market-based cap and trade system for more than 600 energy producers in the region. Each state has an individual emissions cap under the system. New York has the largest cap, while Vermont has the smallest. August 21, 2005: The states of Oregon and Washington are prepared to adopt legislation that reflects California's new vehicle emission standards to reduce greenhouse gases. According to the legislation, all new cars, light trucks, and SUVs will have to comply with tougher emissions standards by the year 2016. In fact, vehicles will have to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent. (See full article on msnbc.com) August 19, 2005: A study conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows that the Earth's ability to absorb increased carbon dioxide emissions by humans is limited. The researchers used a new computer climate model that accounts for the Earth's natural carbon cycle in the study. This new model indicates that both oceans and soil will absorb less carbon if current trends in fossil fuel emissions continue. August 17, 2005: In Britain, both scientists and government officials are pondering the idea of monitoring personal carbon emissions in the country. Essentially, the idea is personal energy rationing. The idea is that each person in the country can be issued a card (basically a credit card) with a certain number of carbon allocations on it. Then, every time a person uses a form of carbon-based energy, the card must be swiped and carbon allocations will be removed from the card. Once you run out of allocations, you must either stop using carbon-based energy, or buy allocations from people that have not used their quota. Essentailly, a market-based carbon allocation market will form between the citizens. August 16, 2005: For those that feel guilty about emitting carbon into the atmosphere by driving vehicles, help is on the way. For a fee--figured by how many miles a person drives per year and the efficiency of the vehicle driven-- a person can now enroll with a company called TerraPass. TerraPass then takes your money and invests in projects that reduce industral carbon emissions and promote clean air technology. TerraPass has contributed money to projects like the Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility in Ainsworth, Nebraska. (For more information on TerraPass and other similar programs, see this article on msn.com) August 10, 2005: Carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks in the U.S. rose 25 percent between 1990 and 2003. Vehicles produced by GM and Ford were the biggest contributors to the increase in vehicle emissions. Emissions for GM vehicles during this period rose 6.3 percent, while Ford vehicles saw their emissions rise 7.7 percent. Part of the overall increase in CO2 emissions can be attributed to more people driving than in the past. However, more people also purchased more fuel inefficient SUVs and minivans during this period than in the past. This appears to be the main reason for the jump in CO2 emissions. (See full article on Reuters.com) August 8, 2005: President Bush has signed the proposed energy bill into law today. This is the first national energy legislation in over a decade. The law has authorized 14.6 billion dollars in tax breaks to encourage domestic energy production from conventional sources. The law also authorized increased funding for basic energy research, including studies on combustion and carbon sequestration. However, many groups are criticizing the law, as it failed to increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles and does not require energy producers to obtain energy through renewable methods. (See the Washington Post and Science Magazine for more on the energy bill). August 5, 2005: As the drought in parts of Europe continues this summer, the European Integrated Project (IP) warns that dying crops, dry land, and forest fires will release large amounts of carbon and contribute to global warming. This prediction is based on information obtained from measurements taken during the European drought in 2003. Before the drought in 2003, European ecosystems were carbon sinks, and absorbed approximately 7 to 12 percent of man-made carbon emissions. After the drought, however, ecosystems became net carbon contributors. The problem is not confined to Europe, either. Drought has also gripped the United States, and U.S. ecosystems may now become net carbon contributors as well. July 27, 2005: Bush Administration announces the "Asia-Pacific
Partnership on Clean Development" involving the U.S., Australia,
China, India, Japan and South Korea, which together account for
about 1/2 of the world's emissions of greenhouse gases, especially
carbon dioxide. Focus is on technology. (Note: Several premises
at work here: 1) eliminating poverty leads to higher environmental
quality, 2) poverty can be eliminated with economic growth which
is not served by caps on greenhouse gases, 3) such growth can be
accomplished with clean energy development, i.e. less CO2 being
released to atmosphere, 4) there is, or soon will be, technology
available to handle the burning of ever more coal, which is a more
plentiful resource in Australia, China, India and the U.S. Some
see this new pact as the "coal pact." Others see it as
redundant, in that the Clean Development Mechanism in the Kyoto
Protocol essentially does the same thing, i.e. helps developing
nations with clean energy/lower greenhouse gas emissions technology).
July 5, 2005: According to reports from Britain's Royal Society, the build-up of carbon in the atmosphere is also having adverse affects on the world's oceans. The report says that the oceans are absorbing large quantities of carbon that is released into the atmosphere, which in turn, is increasing the acidity of the oceans An increase in ocean acidity poses risks for ocean ecosystems. The study predicts that increased ocean acidity will make it difficult for certain species of plankton, a major component of the ocean food web, to produce their calcium carbonate shells. This means that the food supplies of the oceans may be largely reduced. April 18, 2005: Starbucks is planning to buy five percent of its energy needs for U.S. stores from renewable energy. By using 11 large scale windmills, Starbucks says that they will cut two percent from their annual carbon emissions. Sandra Taylor, the company senior vice president of corporate social responsibility, stated that her company is part of the global food economy, and that a change in climate may harm their coffee producers in developing countries. This would cause not only substantial harm to the quality of life of the coffee growers, but also cause problems with Starbucks's business. April 14, 2005: Mindy Lubber, president of the national environmental investment group Ceres Coalition, has publicly praised Cinergy Corporations leadership efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2004, Cinergy released a report calling for the adoption of Federal regulations on carbon dioxide emissions by power plants as a way of ending regulatory uncertainty and promoting long term planning. Their report also concluded that Cinergy would not suffer financially from the implementation of carbon dioxide regulations. April 8, 2005: A U.S. circuit court of appeals is listening to arguments to determine whether the Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles. New York, California, nine other states, and groups such as Greenpeace argue that the Clean Air Act gives the EPA authority to regulate any air pollutant, including carbon dioxide, that poses a risk to public health. The EPA contends that Congress has not granted it authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions under the law. The court of appeals will also hear cases from ten states, including Michigan (home of America's big three auto makers), that support the decision by the EPA to not regulate carbon dioxide emissions. (See article at planetark.com) March 24: An Australian company has developed a new program that allows for "carbon-neutral" traveling. Greenfleet, a non-profit Australian company will, for $40, plant 17 native trees on the motorists behalf. The trees, once grown, will help to absorb greenhouse gases. The company has already planted 1.7 million trees across Austarlia on the behalf of travelers. March 23, 2005: The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the creation of a greenhouse gas registry for agriculture and forestry operations. Farm and forest firms can register how much greenhouse gas has been kept out of the atmosphere, e.g. from using less tillage (in reduced or conservation tillage), or perhaps from installing a waste digester, or improving nutrient management. (See New York Times). March 7, 2005: According to the European Comissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas, the European Union ETS could cover maritime and aviation sectors as early as 2008. Dimas said that, with regard to aviation, the EU is intending to publish communications this summer. After that, they will consider whether aviation will join emissions trading. Also, the EU is currently studying emissions from ships in the maritime sector. Dimas does not see the maritime sector being added to the ETS before 2008. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 23, 2005: Nebraska public power plants have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy to improve the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions in power production within the state. Lincoln Electric System, Nebraska Public Power District, and Omaha Public Power District want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by three to five percent over the next decade. LES and NPPD are planning to install natural gas fired plants in the near future, while several other public power utilities are to begin construction this year on the state's largest wind energy facility. The facility is located near Ainsworth, Nebraska. According to NPPD, the wind generators (at a 40 percent capacity factor) will result in the reduction of approximately 220,000 tons of CO2 per year, when compared to coal. (See related article on pointcarbon.com). February 21, 2005: The CO2 Capture Project has announced the commencement of the second phase of its project to develop technologies to store carbon. The second phase of the project is building on the success of the first phase by building a focused suite of carbon capture technologies to be ready for pilot testing by the end of 2007. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 21, 2005: According to a recently published report, global warming could actually make U.S. air pollution worse. Scientists believe that further warming of the earth would block cold fronts that bring cool, cleansing air from Canada. As this happens, stagnant air and ozone pollution would build up over cities in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States. The model that scientists used predicts that there will be a 20 percent decrease in summer cold fronts from Canada. This in turn will cause problems for those that suffer from health issues related to pollution, such as people with respiratory problems. February 18, 2005: The Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have joined Saskatchewan and Manitoba as partners in the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program. The program now includes 216 organizations in 40 U.S. states, three Indian nations, and four Canadian provinces. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 16, 2005: The U.K. is planning to invite developing nations, as well as the U.S., to the G8 summit this summer to discuss opportunities to develop clean technologies to tackle climate change. U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to ask the United States to produce the cleaner cars and power plants that the developing world will need in order to sustain economic growth. Blair hopes that the prospect of profits for the U.S. scientific sector will lure the country into talks on climate change. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 16, 2005: The Kyoto Protocol officially comes into force today. This opens the door to emissions trading across the world, in both international and regional emissions trading schemes. According to PointCarbon, the value of the global emissions trading market will reach 34 billion euros in 2010. They also believe that 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide would be traded. (See article on pointcarbon.com) February 9, 2005: The European Council (EC) has adopted a set of proposals aimed at future negotiations of the Europen Union (EU) with its global partners over climate change policies after 2012. The proposals call the EU the leader in international talks on climate change after the end of the Kyoto period in 2012, and aims to involve the United States and Australia in future talks. The proposals also look to limit carbon emissions in the aviation and maritime transport sectors, as well as target deforestation. The proposals mention the continued use of flexible market based mechanisms as a way to cut carbon emissions, and points the the EU emission trading scheme as an example. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 9, 2005: UK Prime Minister Tony Blair believes that the United States is ready to discuss climate change policy again, although there is no chance of the government ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Blair said that the U.S. is starting to recognize the issue, partly as an issue of energy supply security as well as climate change. Blair also found the debate about climate change at the state level in the U.S. very encouraging. (See article on pointcarbon.com). February 8, 2005: Stated in a report by Reuters, the state of California is studying power plant emissions in what could be the first attempt by a state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Governor Schwarzenegger has repeatedly said that he wants to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in California, and is looking at implementing market-based mechanisms in order to reduce emissions efficiently. Reuters speculated that California could have a state-wide emissions trading scheme if emission caps on power plants, as well as automobiles, can pass legislation and lawsuits by businesses. (See article on pointcarbon.com). January 26, 2005: Entergy Corporation has purchased 1 million emission credits from Denbury Resources, a Mississippi oil company. Instead of selling the credits on the Chicacgo Climate Exchange, however, Entergy plans to keep the credits in an effort to convince congress that an emissions cap and trade system could work in the United States. Entergy purchased the credits as a part of their voluntary effort to reduce its emissions to 2000 levels. Currently, the company is 22 percent below 2000 levels. January 26, 2005: Officials from Ponca City, Oklahoma are planning to file a lawsuit against Continental Carbon over emissions by the local Continental plant. Residents of Ponca City have complained for years about the soot emitted by the plant, but the number of complaints has recently increased. This is what prompted action by city officials. The lawsuit is seeking to stop pollution and obtain compensation for environmental damange. Continental Carbon denies that the emissions are coming from their plant, but have admitted that workers from the company have been cleaning a fountain and statues at city hall daily for the past few weeks. Lab tests on the black soot have confirmed that the dust around the city is carbon black. January 25, 2005: Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would call for mandatory caps on emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon dioxide. The bill is calling for a cap of carbon dioxide emissions at 2.05 billion tons by 2010. This would be a 21 percent cut when compared to current carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. (See full-text article from cbs.marketwatch.com). January 24, 2005: The International Climate Change Taskforce has released a report calling for major industrial nations to cut back carbon emissions and help fight global warming. The report also calls for India and Japan to be involved in stopping global climate change. The group is hoping that the report will help convince American officials at the G-8 summit to agree to cuts in the country's carbon emissions. The report warns of dangers that are associated with global climate change, and looks for common ground between nations that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and those that have not ratified the treaty. January 19, 2005: The Pew Center on Global Climate Change has released a report that calls carbon sequestration a feasible method for keeping carbon emissions at a minimum. "The cost estimates of addressing climate change would be overly pessimistic without factoring in carbon sequestration," said Robert Stavins, a Harvard economist that worked on the report. He also said that carbon sequestration could have a large impact on climate change policy, especially in the U.S. The report concluded that 500 million tons of carbon dioxide could be sequestered each year for 30 to 90 dollars per ton, depending on the region and methods used. The amount of agricultural land needed to sequester the carbon would be huge. To sequester 300 million tons of carbon--which is one-fifth of U.S. emissions--would require 148 million acres, at a cost of 7.2 billion dollars. January 19, 2005: Canadian officials are considering a Kyoto plan in which large industrial polluters would be allowed to invest money into research and development, rather than actually cutting their emissions. The plan would give emissions credits to polluters that contributed to a Technology Investment Fund to foster clean energy and environmentally-friendly innovation. Under the new plan, a cap and trade system would only have a marginal role in the country. January 19, 2005: Researchers at the University of California-Davis recently briefed members of Congress as to the progress being made toward developing a hydrogen fuel cell. During the briefing, the group of scientists stated that hydrogen is one of the only long-term fuels that will allow for reductions in greenhouse gases, air pollutants, and oil use in the transportation sector. The group also stated that during the transition phase to a hydrogen economy, a hydrocarbon such as natural gas must be used to obtain hydrogen to power the unit. Once the transition is complete, zero-carbon sources such as wind and solar power could be used to obtain hydrogen, or we could continue to use natural gas and sequester the carbon emissions. January 19, 2005: The United States, participating in a U.N. conference in Kobe, Japan, is looking to have language removed from the "framework for action" document that links global climate change to future natural disasters. Passages in the main document, point toward "a future where disasters could increasingly threaten the world's economy and population." The U.S., as well as Australia and Canada, have asked that all references to climate change be removed from the document. However, the European Union, as well as poorer nations that could be most affected by climate change, are strongly opposed to removing references to climate change. (See ABC.com article entitled: Climate Change Debated at U.N. Meeting) January 18, 2005: Winter X Games Nine, a festival of extreme winter sports (snowboarding, snowmobiling, skiing, etc.) presented by ESPN in Aspen, CO., will attempt to be carbon-neutral. The games, in conjunction with Aspen Skiing Company, will use biodiesel in all heavy machinery and public transportation buses. Also, wind turbines will be the primary power generators of the games. Carbon credits will also be purchased to help offset any other carbon emissions. The games will be presented from January 29-February 1. (See article on EXPN.com, a division of ESPN.com). January 17, 2005: According to a new report out of Australia, sequestering carbon from energy production can significantly reduce the long-term costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The report also showed that Australia is in a prime position to sequester carbon, as the nation relies highly on fossil fuels and has an abundance of sites in which the country can store any carbon produced.(See article in the Australian Newspaper, The Age.) January 11, 2005: Donald Anthrop, professor emeritus of environmental studies at San Jose State University, has said that hydrogen-powered vehicles would actually increase carbon emissions, rather than stop them. Anthrop says the problem isn't in the hydrogen fuel-cells themselves, but rather the inefficiences present in current hydrogen producing techniques. Thirty-two quads of coal fired energy would be required to produce enough hydrogen to power the U.S. vehicle fleet. This is double the amount of energy required to power the vehicle fleet by gasoline. Anthrop says that converting to hydrogen fuel-cells would cause a 2.7 fold increase in carbon emissions. January 3, 2005: Australian Environmental Minister Ian Campbell said today that the United States and Australia must team together to combat global climate change, claiming that Australia is very vulnerable to any climate change. Signing of the Kyoto Protocol still appears to be out of the question. Campbell also suggested that Australia will also take part in carbon emissions trading, but at what level is uncertain at this time. (See pointcarbon.com). January 1, 2005: The European Union launched its carbon dioxide emissions trading scheme today. From this day forward, energy intensive business in the EU will be forced to monitor and lower their carbon dioxide emissions, or face a penalty. The scheme is thought by many to be the most cost effective way to harness carbon emissions. The launch of the trading scheme is a big first step in trying to combat excessive carbon emissions and control globabl climate change.
(See the "old news of 2004" for the significant news events of 2004)
Also see the following for breaking news...Linkages for all manner of International Meetings on Environment and Development Policy Earth Negotiations Bulletin provides daily news highlights about meetings Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative leads to standardized accounting and reporting practices for greenhouse gases (See World Resources Institute for other breaking news on resource issues). Planet Ark providing the latest environmental news (a Reuters news service). Point Carbon (which also has subscription service; providing e-mail service to subscribers on breaking news)
Last update: September, 2005 |