Energy & Climate Change Working Group
News Archive
US fails in bid to kill off Kyoto process
From The Independent
December 19, 2004
Governments from around the world yesterday narrowly succeeded in keeping the international bid to combat catastrophic global warming alive, in the face of determined attempts by the re-elected Bush administration and oil-producing countries to kill it off.
The US performance in Buenos Aires appears to fly in the face of a commitment given by President Bush in 2001, when he announced that the US would withdraw from the protocol that it had previously played a key part in negotiating. In the face of international outrage, he said then that even though it was pulling out, the US would do nothing to obstruct other countries trying to reach agreement. [...] Environmentalists say that the re-elected Bush administration has decided to do everything it can to sabotage any further international measures, and is not concerned about the international condemnation it will incur in the process. [...] The Americans also objected to mentions of the need to tackle global warming as opposed to adapting to it, and backed an extraordinary demand from Saudi Arabia that oil-producing states should receive billions of dollars in compensation from the rest of the world if they burned less oil. Read full story
Colorado supports clean electricity
From Daily Kos
November 4th, 2004
On Election Day, Colorado voters approved a ballot initiative mandating clean electricity purchasing for the state. Amendment 37 mandated "that 10 percent of the state's electricity must come from wind and solar power by 2015." That makes it the first state to have put such a law into place through referendum. In the 17 other states, similar initiatives went through the state legislatures. Read full article
Russian Duma endorses ratification,
Kyoto Protocol comes into force
From Climate-L, IISD
October 24, 2004
The State Duma of the Russian Federation today endorsed ratification
of the Kyoto Protocol by a vote of 334 to 74. The next steps in the
ratification process are consideration by the Federation Council (upper
house of parliament), signing into law by President Vladimir Putin and
depositing the formal instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General
of the United Nations in New York. The Kyoto Protocol will enter into
force 90 days after Russia's instrument of ratification has been received.
Read full email
Rise in CO2 at Mauna Loa station warrants close future scrutiny
From The Guardian
October 11, 2004
An unexplained and unprecedented rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for two years in a row at one monitoring station suggests that, if the trend persists, the Earth's natural systems may not be able to absorb carbon at the same rate as in the past. Read full article
Russian cabinet ratifies Kyoto Protocol
from UNFCC
September 30, 2004
The decision of the Russian cabinet to forward the 1997 Kyoto Protocol
on climate change to the Russian Parliament (or Duma) for ratification
will—if the Duma moves to adopt—re-energize international
cooperation on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the Executive Secretary
of the United Nations Climate Change Convention said here today. Read
full release
(Submitted by Doug Hunt)
Carbon goes missing in Alaska
from The Scientist
September 24, 2004
The increased plant growth in the Arctic tundra, resulting from global
warming, is not capturing excess carbon, contrary to popular assumptions,
according to a University of Florida study of tundra soil over 20 years.
Read full article
(Submitted by Doug Hunt)
November 14, 2003:
Update on US Climate Change Action
The New Economics Foundation has published a report on Options for The Future Architecture of International Climate Change Policy evaluating eight leading proposals for structuring the Second Commitment Period and beyond.
Check out current and recent articles on Energy  and Climate (including articles in Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, New York Times and more) compiled by Tidepool, a project of Ecotrust
Michigan and New York Governors sign bills encouraging new energy sources (Center for a Sustainable Economy, 10/5/2002)
"Environmental Defense Disappointed by COP 8 Outcome"Â (10/31/02)
New Report by Environmental Defense on the Clean Development Mechanism highlights “Tough Tradeoffs Between Environmental & Development Concerns†(30 October 2002 -- New York). The report, Can the CDM Spur the Diffusion of New Technologies? A Case Study from the Aluminum Sector walks through a real case study of an aluminum smelter project in South Africa, with data provided by Aluminium Pechiney.
October 30:
Energy Bills'
Efficiency Provisions Reviewed by ASE
Alliance to Save Energy provided a review
of the status of energy efficiency provisions [PDF] in House and
Senate energy bills.
Daily COP
Briefings
For daily briefings on the climate negotiations underway in:
http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/climate/cop8/enbots/
and
http://www.iisd.ca/lingages/climate/cop9
Developing
nations 'must take lead on climate'
According to a
new report, developing countries must play a leadership role in
shaping durable and workable solutions to climate change at the international
level.
October 8:
Chesapeake
Climate Action Network meeting on Thursday
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network's general meeting is
Thursday, October 10th at 7-9 pm. For location and more information,
contact Mike Tidwell (301-270-3722) or see CCAN's website at www.chesapeakeclimate.org.
Green Building
Conference & Expo
The First International Green Building Conference & Expo, sponsored
by the U.S. Green Building Council, will take place November 13-15,
2002, in Austin, Texas. See US
GBC website for details.
Upcoming
Conference: "Energy for a Sustainable Future"
The Investors' Circle 2002 National Conference is October
27-29, Cambridge, MA, see website for more details.
A
Deal on Fuel Economy Rules Could Increase Oil Consumption
from New York Times, September 19, 2002 by DANNY HAKIM
October 4:
Tour of
Solar Homes in Washington DC
A tour
of solar home in the DC area will be held Saturday October 5, 2002,
to coinside with the Solar
Decathlon on the Smithsonian Mall.
September 18:
NY Times:
California
Power Failures Linked to Energy Companies
Widespread power failures during California's energy crisis
of 2000 and 2001 could have been avoided if five independent energy
companies had not withheld electricity they were capable of producing,
a study by state regulators said today.
September 17:
Photovoltaics
101 seminar in Massachusetts
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association is holding a workshop
on September 28th, PV 101 (Everything you always wanted to know
about photovoltaics but were afraid to ask!), in Greenfield, MA.
Richard Gottlieb and Carol Levin of Sunnyside Solar will present a comprehensive
overview of both grid-tied and battery-storage photovoltaic systems,
and answer participant's questions. See NESEA
Sustainability Series Workshops page for details, fee, and registration.
September 12:
Did you go to the World Summit in Johannesburg? Make your visit have less impact on the environment! Go to www.climatelegacy.org and www.waterneutral.org to buy a certificate to offset your CO2 emissions and water usage during the Summit. (Donations raised will fund renewable energy, clean water, and sanitation projects in South Africa.)
Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and City of Boulder file a lawsuit against OPIC and ExIM (US export credit agencies) for funding fossil fuel projects. Read more about the http://www.climatelawsuit.org/.
Calculate your CO2 blueprint! (from Safeclimate.net)
July 3:
Spending on energy
efficiency programs by North American power companies -- the biggest
polluters on the continent -- dropped by 42 percent between 1995 and
1999, largely because of deregulation. The findings were made public
this week in a report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation,
a Montreal-based agency created under the North American Free Trade
Agreement. The report came just two days after President Bush announced
that he would relax rules requiring utilities to install state-of-the-art
pollution-control equipment when repairing or expanding power plants.
[See Planet
Ark, Reuters, Robert Melnbardis, 19 Jun 2002 for more.]
Have you done a home energy audit? Figure out how much you can save
by making your home more efficient - use the Home
Energy Checkup tool of the Alliance to Save Energy to find out.
June 21:
Gail Karlsson provides a report from
Bali on the energy and climate change discussions at WSSD PrepCom 4.
April 22:
Al Gore wrote an op-ed Sunday in the New York Times, "The
Selling of an Energy Policy", where he suggests that under
the presidency of George W. Bush, oil interests have taken over the
global warming debate.
April 18:
Study
Says Eight Utilities Cause 6,000 Premature Deaths Annually Due to Clean
Air Act Violations [Wash. Post]
AEG Pays Residents $20M To Abandon Village Due To Power Plant Pollution [Wash. Post]
The Senate has voted to block oil drilling in ANWR, but the fight is not completely over, as the Administration looks to other states for further oil/gas exploration in wilderness areas [Wash. Post]. Make sure your Senators and Representatives know where you stand on the future of our energy production! (If this is an election year for them, be sure to make sure to bring that up!)
April 17:
Enough wind power in 3 states (or enough solar power in 100 Nevada square
miles) to supply electricity for the entire country. 30,100 deaths every
year due to existing power plant emissions. Wind power costs competitive
to within 2-3 cents per kWh (or less). Just a 0.4 MPG improvement in
CAFE standards would save as much oil as ANWR will ever produce. Exactly
why are we giving $36B to the "big polluter" energy companies
of yesteryear? And why are we letting it happen??? (Fighting
for America's Energy Independence, The Nation)
March 7:
Deling Wang, co-chair of the UNCSD/WSSD energy and climate change caucus,
has written a summary
on the impacts of various amendments to the energy bill and which
she thinks deserve your Congressperson's support.
February 7:
A summary
report from January's "Changing Power in New York" event
is now online. (This event was jointly sponsored by UNA-NYC and CitNet.)
January 12:
"Changing
Power in New York: Energy Options for National Security and Environmental
Protection", a panel discussion, will be held in New York City
on Thursday, January, 17.
Nov 30: US Government's closing statement in Morocco on Nov. 9th, during the Kyoto Protocol and climate change negotiations of COP-7. An excerpt: "...although the United States does not intend to ratify that agreement, we have not sought to stop others from moving ahead."
The latest issue of the Climate Action Network's newsletter, "eco", covers the proceedings at COP-7. [PDF]
Oct 22: Business Consultant Calls for a "National Energy Security, Fuel Efficiency and Hydrogen Transition Act of 2001". He suggests it would create a worldwide business boom and reduce US oil dependence. (Sustainable Business Insider)
Oct 19: To Find More Oil, 'Drill' In Detroit. Raising light truck CAFE standards to those of passenger cars would save twice the maximum output of proposed ANWR Arctic drilling. (Sustainable Business Insider)
Oct 18: Home Depot Now Offers Solar Panels to Retail Consumers. Previously a target of successful old-growth forest boycotts, Home Depot will initially offer the panels in three stores in San Diego area, helping to mainstream solar energy as a viable alternative. (AstroPower)
Oct 10:Â New Cars Less Fuel Efficient (LA Times)
Oct 5: The Real Price of Oil  (article by Mother Jones)
Aug 30:Â Governor Shaheen, New England agree to Climate Change Pact (from Congressman Waxman's website)
Aug 27:Â Power Surge:Â How We're Adding Energy from Below (by David Morris, Institute for Local Self Reliance in Washington Post)
Aug 14:Â Â A Climate Accord Without the US (article by RFF's R.J. Kopp)
Aug 2:Â Â Â House approves $70 billion in energy subsidies, tax breaks (from Taxpayer.net website)
Aug 1:Â Congressman Waxman Links Energy Subsidies with Industry Campaign Contributions [PDF]
July 26:Â US Rejects Phase-out of Fossil Fuel Subsidies - Report on G-8 Task Force on Renewable Energy (via Eco, July 26)
July 24:Â Governments Adopt Bonn Agreement on Kyoto Protocol Rules; US Dissents (via UNFCCC)
July 22:Â Blasts From the Past: Coal Mining in West Virginia (via NY Times)
July 10: Climate Widens the Gulf: Global Warming Could Make the Rich Richer and the Poor Poorer (via Nature)
June 22:Â Â The U.S., Developing Countries, and Climate Protection:Â Â Leadership or Stalemate? (from WRI)
June 18:Â Consumers Union on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Limit on Electricity Prices
May 2:Â Exxon Mobil in Baytown,Texas: Pollution and Legal Violations Study and Press Releases
