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The Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol approved US$82 million for a World Bank project that will allow India to completely phase-out of production of CFCs. India is the second largest producer of CFCs in the world. With this project, CFCs are eliminated from 71 percent of developing countries and transition economies. Earlier this year an agreement was reached to permanently close down all CFC production facilities in China and Russia.
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The European Commission published a 5-year plan to integrate environmental concerns into the air transport industry, even while the UN-based International Civil Aviation Organization is working on a world-wide policy to be completed by 2001. According to a recent study the EU cited, carbon emissions from the aviation industry are increasing by 3 percent annually and in 50 years, the industry’s emissions may account 15 percent of climate change. According to the European Environmental Agency, air transport is projected to grow by a whopping 182 percent in the period 1990-2010. The EU plan employs three types of financial incentives to improve industry energy efficiency by 4-5 percent: a ticket surcharge, a charge based on distance and emissions per kilometer, and a take-off and landing charge. An energy tax on aviation fuel was omitted because a study showed that carbon emissions would only be reduced by a quarter of a percent.
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Starting this July, UK Pension fund trustees must expand disclosure to include whether the fund’s investment strategy considers social and environmental factors. The new regulations are aimed at increasing public awareness of socially responsible investing.
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Several national investing concerns recently announced plans to create socially responsible mutual funds, including The Vanguard Group and TIAA-CREF. Fidelity Investments is developing an index fund pegged to the Calvert Social Index. Over $1 trillion are invested in social funds in the U.S., although the funds vary widely in terms of their definition of socially responsible companies. TIAA-CREF is the object of a campaign to direct a percentage of their investment dollars toward positive investing, investing in leading companies in social and environmental considerations, rather than simply screening out companies with negative track records. According to Emily Hall of Morningstar, Inc., the new funds promise the competition needed to bring fees down. The average social investing mutual fund charges fees about 15 percent higher than conventional funds.
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The goal of providing 10 percent of the U.S. western states’ power through geothermal is achievable by 2020, according to Bill Richardson, Energy Secretary. The U.S. Department of Energy’s “GeoPowering the West” is a new initiative to capitalize on the abundant geothermal resources found in the western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Geothermal plants in California currently produce about 1,600 megawatts of power, about seven percent of the states annual power needs. $4.8 million in research grants for geothermal energy technology development projects will be disbursed. The plan calls for eight states to have geothermal electric power facilities by 2006, and seven million homes to be powered with geopower by 2010. Public comments are being accepted until April 30 on the draft action plan: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The UK Department of Environment, Transport and Regions is funding a day of free energy efficiency and environmental design advice to architects through the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) Design Advice Service. BRE assigns one of its approved practitioners to review design plans and offer recommendations for improvement. Rather than being resistant to having another professional review their designs, architects are responding positively to the service and are offering it as a value-added extra to clients. Last year, over 300 projects of all sizes used the service. When longer consulting sessions are called for clients receive a 30 percent discount. Contact BRE Design Advice Service
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Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler quit the Global Climate Coalition, an industry group that lobbies against restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that the science linking them to global warming is unsound. In leaving the Coalition, both companies pointed to the credible evidence that links greenhouse gases to global warming and stated that membership in the GCC is impeding their ability to make progress on environmental initiatives. Both companies also remain opposed to the Kyoto agreement; Ford because of the treaty’s exemptions for developing nations and DaimlerChrysler because of its preference for technological solutions. Ford is the first member of GCCs board to leave. British Petroleum, Shell Oil, and Dow Chemical left the coalition over the past two years. This month yet another report was issued stating the warming of the Earth’s surface is “undoubtedly real,” this time by researchers of the National Academies of Sciences. It finds that surface temperatures in the past two decades have risen at a rate substantially greater than average for the past 100 years.
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Don’t miss the bi-annual international conference on business and the environment on March 22-24 in Vancouver, B.C. It has grown to be one of the world’s largest environmental conferences with 10,000 participants, 500 corporations, 400 technology exhibits, 250 speakers, and 50 international buying delegations from around the world. $460 million in business was generated by exhibitors at GLOBE ’98. This can only increase; the worldwide environmental industry has revenues of more than $450 billion annually. Showcases include Clean Energy Avenue, Software Alley, Sustainable Transport and the Learning Lane. http://www.globe.ca
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A five-year, CFC-Free Energy Efficient Refrigerator Project has begun in China. The comprehensive policy bundles all the elements for market transformation: energy efficient choices and education for customers; technical assistance and financial incentives for manufacturers to build them; distributor incentives to purchase them; dealer incentives to stock them; and a bulk purchasing program for Chinese government agencies. In 1989, the U.S. EPA agreed to help China eliminate CFCs from refrigerators. A successful prototype model of 40 percent greater efficiency was produced and tested, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab developed a market transformation program. China’s refrigerator industry is the largest in the world with sales growing at 21 percent a year. From 1985-1998, households owning a refrigerator climbed from 7-76 percent, but the average Chinese refrigerator is about half as efficient as European refrigerators. Since 80 percent of China’s electricity comes from coal, the benefits of increasing efficiency are tremendous in this populous, increasingly affluent country. Lawrence Berkeley Lab predicts, for example, that in addition to avoided emissions from coal-burning plants, the program will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 100 million tons as a result of greater efficiency. Earlier this year the Chinese government certified 103 domestic appliances as energy-efficient, […]
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Frost & Sullivan released the report, “North American Stationary Fuel Cell Markets,” which assesses current market conditions and identifies issues industry players need to address to mainstream the technology. The authors project a compounded annual growth rate of 49.6% by 2005. Deregulation of North America’s electric power industry combined with increasing environmental awareness, will ensure growth. This emerging market generated only $20.9 million in revenues in 1998, an increase of 20 percent from 1997. Fuel Cells 2000 updates its “Fuel Cell Directory” annually. It features 700 listings of fuel cell manufacturers, researchers and consultants, suppliers, associations and interested government agencies internationally. Fuel Cells 2000: http://www.fuelcells.org
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