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Climate Change Initiative Newsletter July 2002 (25)
Table of Contents
Climate Change initiative
Upcoming events
September 11 Roundtable of the Industrial Council on Climate Change: GHG mitigation for forestry and woodwaste industries, Ivano-frankivsk, Ukraine
Ukraine Climate Change news
1. ULRMC seminar on CO2 forest fire emissions
US Climate Change News
2. US proposes pollution cuts for motorcycles, boats
3. US promised more contributions to GEF
4. Ford and Ballard unveil hydrogen-fueled generator
5. California imposes Auto Emissions limitations
International climate change news
6. India Cabinet Approves Kyoto Protocol on climate change
7. CO2 Emissions Rise Sharply in N. America: U.n. Report
8. Europeъs flood part of global deluge
9. Japan government will fund fuel cell testing
10. Japan public sector takes 7% reduction obligation for its own emissions
11. Japan and Russia discuss CO2 trade details
12. Nuclear Energy to meet Kyoto Targets
13. Canadian firm says set to slash solar-power costs
14. Clean air projects seen as growth market in Brazil
15. World heading for warmest year yet - UK Met Office
16. Statoil wins prize for burying CO2 under North Sea
17. Organism found in Black Sea 'could halt global warming
18. Norway and its Climate Plan
1. ULRMC seminar on CO2 forest fire emissions
On August 15 the Ukrainian Land and Resource Management Center held а seminar on Remote Sensing of Fireъs Role in Carbon Exchange (based on а case study of the northern forests in North America).
Dr. French also presented methodology of calculating total carbon released from fire sites based on such parameters as the area burnt and the amount of carbon stored in the forest and soil, and related specific emissions factors for specific greenhouse gases releases.
The audience of Ukrainian forest fire specialists, researchers, remote sensing and GIS specialists met this presentation with great interest. Greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires remain an issue for GHG inventories in many countries.
US Climate Change News
1. US proposes pollution cuts for motorcycles, boats
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has proposed а 50 percent cut in polluting air emissions produced by motorcycles and an 80 percent reduction for gasoline-fueled recreational boats.
The standards, which were announced late July by the Environmental Protection Agency, would take effect in 2006 for new motorcycles and in 2008 for boats. "When final, these new standards would have clean air gains equivalent to reducing pollution from 9.4 million cars annually", said EPA administrator Christie Whitman. Motorcycles and boats account for 12 percent of hydrocarbon emissions and 3 percent of carbon monoxide emissions from mobile sources, which also includes automobiles, trucks and off-road vehicles.
The proposed standards would help avoid а range of respiratory and related health problems associated with ozone, carbon dioxide and soot levels, the agency said.
While many of the 5 million motorcycles currently on the road are cleaner than required, the average motorcycle still emits about 20 times more pollution per mile than а new car, according to EPA.
The boat standards will cover yachts, sport boats, fishing boast, jet boats and other types of pleasure craft and boats with outboard engines. EPA has already set emission standards for most marine categories. Exhaust emissions standards were set for some outboard engines and personal watercraft in 1996. The agency proposed emission guidelines for diesel-powered recreational boats in 2001 and commercial marine vessels earlier this year. The EPA said it expects those standards to be finalized early next year.
Environmentalists said they were happy to see the administration take а step to improve U.s. air quality, but pointed out the emission reduction requirement for motorcycles could have been as high as 90 percent.
(by Tom Doggett, REUTERS, July 31)
3. US promised more contributions to GEF
WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration pledged increased participation in а global fund aimed at cleaning up environmental problems in poor countries.
The Treasury Department said the United States had pledged $500 million over the next four years to the Global Environment Facility, or GEF, which emerged from the 1992 Earth Summit. The United States was one of 32 donor nations that agreed to pour in а total of $2.92 billion over the next four years. The U.s. money includes а catch, however: $70 million of the $500 million, which represents the increase from previous funding levels, is contingent on the GEF meeting numerical environmental goals for things such as reducing air greenhouse gases and increasing the amount of land under conservation programs. The Bush Administration has also asked Congress for more than $210 million to pay off U.s. arrears.
"President Bush wants to ensure that the Global Environmental Facility has the funding it needs to meet its program priorities and the policies in place to use those funds effectively. This pledge, and the policy reforms and performance targets that have been agreed by donors, are vitally important steps in meeting these critical objectives", said John Taylor, Treasuryъs under secretary for international affairs. "The level of replenishment is strong evidence of the participants' commitment to the global environment", said GEF Chairman Mohamed El-ashry.
(REUTERS, August 8)
4. Ford and Ballard unveil hydrogen-fueled generator
DEARBORN, Michigan - Ford Motor Co. and Canadian fuel cell developer Ballard Power Systems Inc. jointly unveiled on а hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine-driven generator they said could help pave the way toward the commercialization of fuel cell technology.
Ballard plans to begin producing the stationary generators, powered by а Ford 6.8 liter V10 truck engine, in the fourth quarter of this year, officials said. The initial customers for the engine are expected to be public utilities, which could use the generators during peak power demand.
The Ballard Ecostar hydrogen generator, able to produce 114 kilovolt-amperes (kva) of power, will be the cleanest combustion generator on the market, with no carbon dioxide emissions and almost no smog-creating nitrogen oxide produced, officials said.
"This product will provide Ballard with early revenue opportunities, will increase public awareness of alternative fuels and power solutions and assist in the development of hydrogen infrastructure", said Ross Witschonke, head of Ballardъs electric drives and power conversion division.
(by Michael Ellis, REUTERS, August 8)
5. California imposes Auto Emissions limitations
LOS ANGELES -- California will enact legislation that for the first time will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases coming from the tailpipes of all passenger vehicles sold in the state, even the beloved SUV, in а move that could change the kinds of cars Americans drive in coming years.The new law, to be signed by Gov. Gray Davis (D), is the first in the United States to directly affect consumers and to enlist American drivers in reducing the potential of global warming.
Although the new regulations will grant engineers wide latitude for design solutions, the new greenhouse gas emission standards for California will affect drivers nationwide, because California, with its 35 million residents -- more than Canada -- represents 10 percent of the national car market.
"You canъt make one car for California and another car for Washington, D.c.said Eron Shosteck, а spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The industry group opposes the new law, saying it will limit consumer choice, raise prices on the car lot and press smaller, lighter, gas-stingy vehicles upon buyers -- the cars that today are not selling.
Shosteck said that so far as he knew, the California measure was the first of its kind, and is without а counterpart in the Washington metropolitan region or elsewhere in the nation. Davis said that he had hoped that Washington would take the lead in tackling global warming, "but the worst thing we could do in California is to do nothing." He challenged the Bush administration to take warming seriously and begin working to reduce emissions with federal regulations.
The law grants the California Air Resources Board power to set "maximum" but "Economically feasible" emissions standards for gases such as carbon dioxide. Those standards will be set by 2005 and must be in automobiles sold by 2009.
Among the possibilities for the coming models: cars outfitted with harder, stiffer "Low friction" tires; vehicles with five- or even six-speed automatic and manual transmissions, or even an infinite number of computer-orchestrated gears; more finely tuned catalytic converters; and changes in the coolants used in air-conditioning systems. In the future, cars may look the same but have more sophisticated technology beneath the hood. Their designs also may be more streamlined, aerodynamic.
California is the only state that is allowed, under а 1967 law, to set its own, tougher regulations for emissions, а loophole that exists because of the previously extreme levels of smog around Los Angeles. "We have the cleanest cars, the cleanest burning fuel; we even have the cleanest lawn mowers", said Michael Kenny, the California Air Resources Board executive officer. Kenny points out that todayъs automobile is 98 percent less polluting than models from the 1970s, and that Los Angeles has not experienced а smog alert since 1998.
Once California increases its standards, other states are allowed to adopt the stateъs stricter rules.
Efforts to increase fuel efficiency -- the so-called CAFE standards -- failed to pass in Congress, essentially blocked by lawmakers from Michigan and Texas.
"The downside of all the advanced technology weъre talking about is that it costs more", said Robert Sawyer, а professor at the University of California at Berkeley who studies vehicle emissions and regulatory policy. "Thereъs not а market for fuel efficiency. Gasoline is cheap, so itъs no big deal. The auto industry has been putting all its advanced technology into increased power."
"California led the nation with the introduction of the catalytic converter, unleaded gasoline, hybrid vehicles, and now we will lead on global warming", said Russell Long, executive director of the Bluewater Network, а San Francisco-based environmental advocacy group that helped craft the legislation.
Long emphasized that California is the fifth-largest economy in the world, and "weъve proven time after time that protecting the environment is consistent with protecting the economy, and we believe other states will adopt the California standards and the impact will be enormous."
Davis said that warming could have profound impacts upon а state dependent on such things as snow fall in the Sierra mountains, which melts and then pours into the aqueducts that irrigate farmland and fills the taps of water-hungry cities. Davis also said that every coastal state should be worried about projections for sea level rise caused by melting glaciers at the north and south poles.
(By William Booth, Washington Post, July 22)
International climate change news
6. India Cabinet Approves Kyoto Protocol on climate change
NEW DELHI: The government approved ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change to strengthen the global efforts to meet the challenges adversely effecting the eco-system.
Briefing newspersons after the Cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Protocol was an important agreement to combat climate change.
She said its ratification would encourage other parties to join the protocol and strengthen global action to combat climate change essential for limiting adverse consequences on food productivity, sea level rise, water resources, forests and other eco-systems and associated socio-economic costs.
The minister said the protocol will enable India to access adaptation fund under the protocol which could be used for undertaking activities for water resource management, land management, agriculture, health and monitoring of diseases.
(THE TIMES OF INDIA, AUGUST 15)
7. CO2 Emissions Rise Sharply in N. America: UN Report
New York--Greenhouse gas emissions increased sharply in North America over the last 10 years, while they remained flat in Japan and the European Union, а UN report said.
Such emissions fell significantly in Russia, said the report, entitled "Global Challenge, Global Opportunity", which highlighted issues to be discussed at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The report said that carbon dioxide emissions increased 16 pct in North America between 1990 and 2000. These compares with the 7-pct reduction called for by the 1997 Kyoto environmental treaty. Russia reduced its emissions sharply, and Eastern Europe also managed to bring its emissions below the level allowed under the Kyoto pact. The report attributed the reductions to the closure of factories with poor fuel efficiency.
The report notes that global warming has taken а severe toll on the global environment in the form of an increase in severe droughts and floods and rising sea levels around the world. "If we do nothing to change our current indiscriminate patterns of development, we will compromise the long-term security of the Earth and its people", said Nitin Desai, the secretary-general of the summit.
(Jiji Press, August 14)
8. Europeъs flood part of global deluge
In the Czech Republic, the floods are being described as the worst in more than а century. Hundreds of towns and villages have been swamped by heavy rains and raging rivers, and а state of emergency has been declared. Bridges have been ripped from their foundations; roads and rail lines submerged; and wooden cabins, cars, and furniture swept away. The Czech government reports hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in central and southern areas.
The Czech Republic is the latest country hit in а season of torrents and torment in Europe. Heavy rains and flooding have also paralyzed parts of Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, and Ukraine. Austria has been declared а disaster area. The floods have claimed 94 lives in the first weeks of August and а half, 59 of them in flash floods in southern Russia.
As they watch their homes and businesses drown, some in Europe worry that these floods are the result of climate changes induced by man. In Asia, torrential rains in China have killed 900 people this year. In North and South Korea, Vietnam, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, floods have claimed another 700 lives in the past month.
"Rainfall is becoming more intense", says Prof. Phil Jones of the Climactic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, а prominent European meteorological institution. "This is not а [natural] cycle."
While in the United States the scientific community is split between those who believe unnatural climate change is occurring and those who donъt, in Europe experts tend to agree in the view that the global climate is undergoing massive changes and that human activities and industry play а large role.
But whether global warming is а clear culprit in the most recent flooding is а subject of debate, even among the Europeans. "Undeniably, people are responsible for this disaster", says Martin Kravcik of People and Water, а Slovak nongovernmental environmental think tank. "Central Europe is experiencing droughts in spring and fall and extreme rains in summer. Summer rains are expected to increase by 20-30 percent by 2010. This will cause catastrophic floods."
But many scientists urge caution in jumping to conclusions. "We believe that climate change will happen in the next 50 to 80 years and it will be mostly the result of human activities", says Sean Clarke, meteorologist at the Met Office, the British governmentъs weather agency. "It is possible that we are already seeing some of the effects, but it is impossible to know for sure."
(By Arie Farnam, The Christian Science Monitor, August 15)
9. Japan government will fund fuel cell testing
TOKYO - Japanъs government said it will work with automakers and energy firms in three-year projects to encourage the development of fuel cell technology for vehicles and households.
"The aim of the projects is to see what problems arise when using fuel cells and developing an infrastructure, to ascertain whether in total - including such things as maintenance - they are actually good for the environment", а government official said.
In one project, automakers including Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co, as well as General Motors Corp and Daimlerchrysler AG, will participate in road tests. Each automaker will provide one fuel cell vehicle for the tests. Five hydrogen supply stations in different parts of Japan will be set up to test different ways of refilling the hydrogen and examine safety issues. Most automakers have said they plan to have limited numbers of fuel cell vehicles on the market in 2003 and 2004, although Toyota has said it will have some available for government institutions by the end of this year. But the prohibitive costs involved in developing the vehicles mean that ordinary consumers are unlikely to be able to afford fuel cell vehicles for another 10 to 20 years.
The Japanese government is keen to encourage the development of fuel cell vehicles, having set а goal of 50,000 fuel cell cars on the road in Japan by 2010. Some Japanese auto executives have said the number is unrealistic.
In another project, energy and fuel cell development firms such as Nippon Oil Corp and Sanyo Electric Co Ltd will work on assessing fuel cells designed to power homes and businesses.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has set aside 2.5 billion yen ($21.50 million) in this fiscal yearъs budget for the projects.
(REUTERS, July 19)
10. Japan public sector takes 7% reduction obligation for its own emissions
In an effort to lead by example, the Cabinet approved а plan that commits the national government to cutting greenhouse gas emissions at ministries and affiliated bodies by 7 percent of fiscal 2001 levels by fiscal 2006.
"Greenhouse gas reduction efforts have not necessarily shown adequate results", Environment Minister Hiroshi Ohki said after the Cabinet meeting. "This is one way for the government to take the lead and show what should be done."
Under the plan, fuel consumption by official vehicles will be cut by at least 15 percent, energy and water used per square meter of office space are to be pared by at least 10 percent, waste will be reduced by 25 percent and combustible waste slashed by 40 percent. Consumption of paper and fuel for buildings will be held at 2000 levels.
The government will replace its nearly 7,000-car fleet with lower emission vehicles by fiscal 2005 and hopes to introduce the first of the fuel cell powered automobiles scheduled to come off assembly lines next year.
In terms of energy, the government will look to supply buildings with solar cells and adopt more energy-saving actions, including reusing water from dining halls for toilet water and increasing the purchase of energy-efficient products and reused items.
With this in mind, government buildings are to undergo а "Green diagnosis" by the end of the year to determine how operations can be streamlined and energy saved, thus cutting the amount of greenhouse gases released.
(Japan Times, July 20)
11. Japan and Russia discuss CO2 trade details
MOSCOW — The Russian government proposed in late June that Japan should take over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually from Russia so that Tokyo can achieve its CO2 emission reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol, government sources said.
The two countries have already started preliminary talks over the emissions trading, focusing mainly on the conditions of the deal, such as tax breaks. Under the proposal, Japan will fund repair work to modernize two Russian power plants in the Far East region to lower their CO2 emissions.
(Japan Today, July 30)
12. Nuclear Energy to meet Kyoto Targets
In а new report released end July, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) presents а brief analysis of the potential contribution of nuclear energy to lowering the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) - notably carbon dioxide (CO2) - released by the energy sector of those OECD countries that choose to continue with the nuclear option as а domestic energy supply source.
The Kyoto Protocol emission targets call for total annual emissions in OECD countries to be reduced by about 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2008-2012, relative to 1990 levels. Without nuclear power, OECD power plant emissions of carbon dioxide would be about one-third higher than they are at present. This is an annual saving of some 1 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or about 10% of total CO2 emissions from energy use in the OECD.
The benefit that nuclear energy offers in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions is not challenged by the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol does, however, incorporate conditions that specifically exclude nuclear energy as an option for implementation under two of the three "Flexibility mechanisms" that can be used (in addition to domestic action) by developed countries or countries in economic transition to meet their commitments.
At present, the targets and flexibility mechanisms refer only to the Kyoto Protocol compliance period (2008-2012). While the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol would enhance the importance of emissions savings of current nuclear power plants, additional opportunities for nuclear energy to make an increased contribution to GHG emissions reduction would arise after the Kyoto Protocol compliance period, inter alia because of the lead times involved in building new nuclear power plants. It is in this longer term that the debate about the possible role of nuclear energy in sustainable development will take on greater importance. Long-term scenarios for energy demand and supply show that expanded reliance on nuclear energy could have а significant effect on the reduction of CO2 emissions in the 21st century.
(NEA, 29 July 2002)
13. Canadian firm says set to slash solar-power costs
TORONTO - A Canadian company said it has developed solar cells that will slash the cost of solar power, holding out the possibility of а revolution in the generation of clean, renewable energy.
ATS Automation Tooling Systems, which makes testing systems for machines, said it plans to start production of the new solar cells in 2003 and make enough within а year to supply electricity for the equivalent of 6,000 homes. "What we have here is а new revolutionary product that cuts the barriers of cost", ATS Chief Executive Klaus Woerner told Reuters. "Our technology can stand on its own in the marketplace, as а viable energy alternative."
Energy experts said the technology could make huge strides in lighting up parts of the developing world where there is no electricity and also help the developed world, which is seeking environmentally friendly ways to generate power. But they also warned that mass-market application could take decades.
"It is technology that is not even out in the market yet. Solar technology is а niche technology and because of weather conditions there are some geographical regions where it is less applicable", said an analyst, who requested anonymity.
"These cells could have а substantial impact if this new technology is cheaper than other ones", said Andrew Pape-salmon, Vancouver-based director of sustainable energy for Pembina Institute. Demand for solar energy is growing by more than 30 percent а year, he said.
ATS, based in Cambridge, Ontario, said its photovoltaic technology, called Spheral Solar Technology, will use tiny silicon beads bonded in an aluminum foil. The cells will use а fraction of the silicon in current solar cells, more than halving the cost of power generation.
The basis for the technology used in ATS cells was laid several years ago at Texas Instruments . ATS bought the technology а few years ago and improved it and has more than 40 patents protecting it.
Woerner said the cells will be lightweight and pliable and can be used in homes, cars and industry. "(These cells) can be put into roofing tiles, roofing shingle systems, incorporated into factory walls, cars, as they are seamless with structures", Woerner said.
Canadaъs government said it was providing ATS with C$29.5 million ($19 million) in investment to help fund production. "Projects like this one in the field of solar energy represent steps towards decreasing harmful emissions and providing cleaner air for all", Karen Redman, parliamentary secretary to Environment Minister David Anderson, said.
ATS said it had already started design work on а 120,000-square-foot automated production pilot facility, and it will need nearly C$40 million to get production under way. It said it expects to spend between C$80 million and C$85 million over the next three years and will sell the cells through а new subsidiary called Spheral Power Inc. "We generally look for returns between 13 percent to 15 percent on capital. Here, the return will be substantially higher", Chief Financial Officer Ron Jutras said.
(by Rajiv Sekhri, REUTERS, CANADA: July 19)
14. Clean air projects seen as growth market in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil, Latin Americaъs largest country, may generate clean air energy projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight to reduce global warming, Brazilian and international energy experts say.
"Carbon credit trading is 4 to 5 times greater this year than expected", Nuno Cunha e Silva, Director of Ecosecurities told Brazilъs 2nd Clean Energy Forum in Rio de Janeiro, adding that he expected global turnover to reach $10 billion by 2005. Silva said there were small-scale biomass, wind and solar energy projects, as well as reforestation and urban waste energy schemes being prepared in Brazil.
The first Brazilian project financed by the World Bankъs Prototype Carbon Fund was signed in August, said Werner Kornexl, the Bankъs Brasilia-based private sector development expert. The Plantar pig iron project in Minas Gerais state involves the substitution of local charcoal for imported coke as an energy source in the steel production process. "Itъs small but profitable and brings in foreign capital, social and environmental benefits", Kornexl told.
By using charcoal produced from nearby eucalyptus plantations, the project avoids air pollution caused by burning coke and also generates 4,000 jobs. Kornexl added that а couple more renewable energy projects in Brazilъs two largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, were likely to be finalized later this year. Power is generated by burning methane gas seeping from urban waste landfills.
"Things are happening very quickly here in renewable energy", Kornexl said, noting that new projects brought in new technology. Brazilъs Koblitz Company started up а 10 MW wood-waste fired electricity power station at Piratini in Rio Grande do Sul late last year. "Weъre selling carbon credits in а very small way to а Canadian company", Koblitzъs commercial manager Marcilio Reinaux Jr. told Reuters. The 10 million reais ($2.9 million) power plant is supplied with wood-waste by local saw mills logging industrial pine plantations. "About 40 percent of the trees are waste", Reinaux said.
(by Peter Blackburn, REUTERS August 1)
15. World heading for warmest year yet - UK Met Office
LONDON - The first six months of the year have been the second warmest ever and average global temperatures in 2002 could be the highest ever recorded, British weather experts said.
"Globally 2002 is likely to be warmer than 2001, and may even break the record set in 1998", said Briony Horton, the Meteorological Officeъs climate research scientist. "The actual rise prior to 1970 was partly man-made and partly due to natural effects. But since 1970 scientists are in fairly general agreement that warming can be attributed to manъs polluting activities."
The Met Office said global temperatures were 0.57 degrees Celsius (1.03 Fahrenheit) higher than the long term average of about 15 degrees (59f) in the period from January to June. In the nearly 150 years since recording began, only in 1998 has the difference been higher, 0.6 degrees (1.08f), and that was caused by the influence of the El Nino weather phenomenon. The figures also showed that the Northern Hemisphere had enjoyed its warmest ever half year, with temperatures 0.73 degrees (1.31f) above the long term average.
The Met Office spokesman said scientists predicted that, depending on the level of pollution, global temperatures would rise between 1.4 (2.52f) and as much as 5.9 degrees (10.62f) in the next 100 years. "Thatъs the worst case scenario and it would cause major problems of melting icecaps and tremendous flooding", he said.
(REUTERS, August 2)
16. Statoil wins prize for burying CO2 under North Sea
OSLO - Norwegian state-controlled oil firm Statoil said that it won а prize for pioneering work to curb emissions of gases blamed for global warming by burying them beneath the seabed.
Statoil said that it would collect а 2002 technology prize at the World Petroleum Congress in Rio de Janeiro in September. Since 1996, Statoil has been injecting carbon dioxide produced by the Sleipner West natural gas field in the North Sea into formations about 1,000 metres (3,3001 ft) deep.
It said that emissions of carbon dioxide have been cut by about one million tonnes per year. Statoil is now studying to see if the gases stay put or leaches upwards. Statoil is also planning to use the technology at the Snoehvit field off northern Norway.
(REUTERS, August 9)
17. Organism found in Black Sea 'could halt global warming
German scientists claim to have discovered а methane-eating life form, which could halt global warming. Researchers say it lives in the Black Sea and could be the worldъs oldest organism at four billion years old.
The team from the Max Planck Society found the microorganisms at depths where there is no light or oxygen. Until now, scientists had thought methane could only be broken down with oxygen.
The German researchers hope the organism could be used to 'Eat up' reservoirs of the greenhouse gas which are trapped below the Earthъs surface. Some of the methane is trapped in permafrost and itъs feared it could be released as the Earth warms up, adding to pollution problems.
Scientists from Max Planck have worked for two years on the project, with researchers from Hamburg University and the Alfred Wegener Institute in northern Bremerhaven. Joint author of the study, professor Antje Boetius, said: "Perhaps micro-organisms like those found in the Black Sea were the original inhabitants of the earth. It could be а way of hindering climate catastrophe."
Researchers say the organisms form corals in an area of the Black Sea previously thought to be without life.
(Ananova, August 9)
18. Norway and its Climate Plan
On 18 June, just after Norway ratified the Kyoto Protocol as the third industrialised country (30 May), the Parliament approved the Government’s Climate Plan. Norway’s Parliament approved the Government’s proposal for а domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading system. This system will be among the first there is. However, proper legislation is yet to be in place, and the industries targeted by the scheme will continue lobbying to ease their obligations.
The Government’s White Paper also recommended measures for:
- more extensive use of waste as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels, possibly including а ban on dumping of degradable waste;
- reduction in the use of mineral oils for heating by at least 25% in the period 2008-2012 from the average for the period 1996-2000;
- fuel switching from oil to new renewable energy;
- more research and development in eco-friendly energy technology;
- improving the framework conditions for gas-fired power plants with CO2 processing technology;
- replacing gas-fired power plants on offshore oil installations in the North Sea by electric power through cables from the Norwegian mainland.
In addition, the Government recommended а tax on the import of hydrofluorocarbons (Hfcs) and perfluorocarbons (Pfcs) equivalent to the CO2 tax on fuel oils from 2003. The Government has already signed voluntary agreements with electrical appliances companies (on sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions reductions), and the aluminium industry (on CO2 emissions reductions).
According to the Government, implementation of these measures is to reduce total GHG emissions in 2010 to 4 per cent above 1990 level, compared to 16 per cent above 1990 levels in the business as usual scenario. This corresponds to а reduction of about 6 million tonnes of CO2e (MTCO2e) from the baseline. In order to achieve these reductions, the emissions trading scheme and measures implemented in the industry are to provide about 1,6 MTCO2e. Among the other measures listed above, the Government expects another 1,5 MTCO2e from offshore electrification; 2 MTCO2e from landfill/waste measures (however, in а letter to the opposition, the Environment Minister admits this number is highly uncertain); 1mtco2e from replacing fuel oil by biofuels; and а total of about 0,25 MTCO2e through fees on use of Pfcs and Hfcs, and а voluntary agreement with the electronic appliances industry on Sf6, respectively. The rest of the reductions are to be achieved through the Kyoto mechanisms. Norway has signalled earlier that it will not make use of its credits from forest management (1,47 MTCO2e/year under Annex Z of the Marrakesh Accords) to fulfil its Kyoto commitments in the first commitment period, and that it does not want Norwegian companies to do so either.
(Pointcarbon, July 29)