1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 1218)

IPCC Concludes Meetings

United Nations Climate experts from more than 130 nations wrapped up their meetings in Valencia, Spain on Saturday, presenting a summary of more than 3,000 pages of scientific reports produced on global warming in the past year. The 26-page summary, agreed upon by the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) after several days of debate, will be provided to environmental ministers and policy makers from around the world before the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia next month. The Bali Conference will focus on creating a two-year timetable for negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which is currently the main UN plan for fighting global warming. The Kyoto Protocol only applies to 36 industrialized nations (not including the U.S. and China) through 2012. The summary brings together information from three separate reports published by the IPCC in February, April and May of 2007 asserting that mankind is responsible for global warming. The February report said there was more than 90% probability, or “very likely” that the burning of fossil fuels had caused most of the earth’s warming in the past 50 years. The April report described the probable worldwide impacts of warming, including food and […]

Read More

Japan Improving Environmental Rep

Japan is taking steps to bolster its environmental leadership on the world stage. Reportedly Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda plans to pledge more than US 1.8 billion in loans for environmental projects in Asia at a summit of the region’s leaders next week in Singapore. In addition, Japan was the first country to connect to the UN’s new carbon trading system last week, enabling the country to begin purchasing carbon credits to meet its goals under the Kyoto Protocol. Recently, the nation, whose ancient capitol hosted and gave its name to the Kyoto Protocol, has been criticized for failing to reduce emissions quickly enough to meet target obligations set by the initiative to combat global warming. Japan’s emissions last year were 13% above the average level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions it has pledged to meet over the next five years, according to a government report. The nation is the world’s fifth biggest emitter of GHG. According to Japan’s Ministry of Environment, the country has received 8.6 million tons of carbon credits since connecting to the International Transaction Log (ITL), which was put into service last week by the UN to track carbon credit trading under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development […]

Read More

Carbon Credit Standard Launches

The Climate Group, a nonprofit organization of businesses and environmentalists is launching a new standard for carbon emissions credits today on the London Stock Exchange, in an effort to provide a reliable system of verification for purchases of carbon offsets. The London-based group says it aims to assure businesses that the carbon credits they buy are genuine and truly represent emissions-cutting projects. The new standard called the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) will be applicable to projects located around the world–each credit representing an offset of a ton of carbon emissions. The program also establishes a single database to track the credits to ensure their authenticity. The Climate Group says the rigour and transparency of the new VCS will boost market confidence for many companies and individuals keen to take a lead on tackling climate change by going carbon-neutral. They believe the international standard will drive greater investment into credible offset around the world. The VCS is the result of a two-year consultation with the industry, NGOs and market specialists, led by The Climate Group, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Mark Kenber, Policy Director of The Climate Group and co-chair of […]

Read More

Maxwell Enters Long-Term Deal with Chinese Battery Co.

Energy storage company Maxwell Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: MXWL) has signed a deal with one of China’s largest producers of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to create new “hybrid” energy storage products. Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co., Ltd., will combine its battery technology with Maxwell’s ultracapacitors. David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and CEO, said that the companies see a large market opportunity for products that leverage the complementary strengths of double layer capacitor and li-ion battery technologies. “We believe that the products we envision will give end-users the best of both worlds in terms of the long cycle life, rapid charge/discharge characteristics and low temperature performance of ultracapacitors and the large energy storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries,” Schramm said. Schramm also said Maxwell intends to move some of its product assembly to Lishen. The AP reported that Maxwell shares surged to $11.39 in premarket trading, up 14.7% from Friday’s closing price of $9.93. About Lishen Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co., Ltd., claims to be China’s leading producer of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with 2007 sales estimated to reach approximately $200 million. In 2006, Lishen was ranked eighth among Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 High Potential Chinese Enterprises. For additional information, visit http://www.lishen.com.cn. About Maxwell Maxwell manufactures […]

Read More

Invenergy Purchases 800MW Turbines from GE

Invenergy Wind LLC announced that it will purchase 800 megawatts (MW) of wind turbines from General Electric for projects in North America and Europe slated for 2009. With Invenergy’s previous purchases of 600 MW for 2007 and 700 MW for 2008 from GE, the latest purchase brings the total to 2,100 MW for Invenergy’s projects in the US, Canada and Europe. Invenergy Wind currently has 13 facilities with more than 1,200 MW of wind energy projects in operation and construction in the US and Europe. Wind energy projects completed and under construction by Invenergy Wind are expected to generate more than 3.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power almost 400,000 homes. With its portfolio of operating and construction projects, Invenergy is one of the largest privately owned wind energy generation companies in the world. About Invenergy Wind LLC Invenergy Wind LLC is a subsidiary of Invenergy LLC, a developer, owner and operator of utility-scale electricity generating facilities including wind energy and natural gas-fired projects. The company has comprehensive expertise in the development, financing, construction, operation and management of power generation projects serving a wide range of utilities, load serving entities and industrials. Invenergy is headquartered in […]

Read More

Court Orders New Fuel Economy Standards

Yesterday the Ninth Court of Appeals in San Francisco voided fuel economy standards set in 2006 for light trucks, ordering the federal highway commission to create new fuel economy standards for upcoming models that take into account the environmental effects of vehicle emissions. The appellate court also ruled that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must close a loophole that allows SUVs and other light trucks to meet lower fuel efficiency standards than cars, which are roughly the same weight. In addition, the NHTSA will be required to set fuel efficiency standards for large pickup trucks, which have been exempt from rules thus far. The ruling is the latest legal setback for the auto industry and adds a new angle to the debate over Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) currently being waged in congress. The most ambitious proposal is to boost fuel efficiency standards to 35 mpg for all vehicles by 2020. The 2006 standards set by the NHTSA, which prompted the lawsuit by 11 states and several environmental groups, required light trucks to get 24 miles per gallon by 2011, an increase of less than 2 mpg over 2007 models. The standard for sedans, compacts and wagons, remained […]

Read More