Gather a hundred heads of state in the same place, get them talking privately among themselves and hope a global climate pact starts to gel.
That's the gamble the UN chief is taking, organizing an unusual high-level summit next week intended to build momentum for striking a deal this year on mandatory worldwide cuts in greenhouse gases.
"The very fact that more than 100 leaders from all around the world are gathered in one place — have you ever seen in climate change negotiations that such a large number of heads of state are gathered together at one place at one day?" UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday while taking questions at a monthly news conference.
Less than three months remain before 180 nations meet in Copenhagen to hammer out a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, and negotiations are proving difficult. The Kyoto accord has had mixed success in binding 37 industrial countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels by 2012.
Rather than hold actual negotiations, Ban's one-day event encourages world leaders to chat informally in round-table sessions and try to collectively leapfrog beyond the confines of nationalist interests.
Adding to the heightened expectations is that US President Barack Obama's first speech to the United Nations will come at this summit and deal solely with climate change, one day before he and other heads of states and ministers begin delivering their broader messages to the 192-nation General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.
"Now, I believe that almost all the leaders of the world, they realize that this an issue of great urgency," Ban said. "I expect even though this is not a negotiating forum, the leaders will really demonstrate their strong political will."
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
China signs deal with US firm to build world’s largest solar power plant
When finished by energy giant First Solar from Arizona, the solar facility will supply power to three million Chinese homes.Energy giant First Solar from Arizona has won a deal to build the world's largest solar power plant in the Mongolian desert, AFP reports.
The US company will construct the two-gigawatt plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Tuesday with Chinese officials.
The solar facility will be built in four stages over a decade and will eventually supply power to three million Chinese homes, the company said in a statement.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but First Solar said that if a similar plant were to be built in the United States, the cost would be about five to six billion dollars.
"In China, due to lower labor costs and other factors, we expect the plant cost would likely be lower," Lisa Morse, First Solar spokeswoman, told AFP.
The first phase of the Ordos solar power plant will be a 30-megawatt "demonstration" project that will see construction begin by June 1, 2010, officials said
The US company will construct the two-gigawatt plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Tuesday with Chinese officials.
The solar facility will be built in four stages over a decade and will eventually supply power to three million Chinese homes, the company said in a statement.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but First Solar said that if a similar plant were to be built in the United States, the cost would be about five to six billion dollars.
"In China, due to lower labor costs and other factors, we expect the plant cost would likely be lower," Lisa Morse, First Solar spokeswoman, told AFP.
The first phase of the Ordos solar power plant will be a 30-megawatt "demonstration" project that will see construction begin by June 1, 2010, officials said
Wind could cut a third of China's emissions
China could cut its emissions by 30 percent in the next two decades if it switches to wind power to meet about half of its electricity demands, US study says.
China's energy needs are expected to double by 2030, but the country could reasonably meet half of those needs with wind, a study in the journal Science says.
Using meteorological data to assess the potential for wind power in China - world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide — the researchers also say wind could theoretically supply all of the giant's energy, though it only laid out the figures for meeting half its needs.
“The world is struggling with the question of how do you make the switch from carbon-rich fuels to something carbon-free,” lead author Michael McElroy, a professor of environmental studies at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said in a statement. “The real question for the globe is: What alternatives does China have?”
Coal currently supplies 80 percent of China's electricity, and hundreds of coal-fired power plants are built every year to keep pace with demand, but Beijing is also investing heavily in renewable energy.
It plans to build seven large wind-power bases over the next decade, and already ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed capacity, at 12.2 gigawatts — about equal to the energy produced by two dozen average-sized coal-fired plants.
China's energy needs are expected to double by 2030, but the country could reasonably meet half of those needs with wind, a study in the journal Science says.
Using meteorological data to assess the potential for wind power in China - world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide — the researchers also say wind could theoretically supply all of the giant's energy, though it only laid out the figures for meeting half its needs.
“The world is struggling with the question of how do you make the switch from carbon-rich fuels to something carbon-free,” lead author Michael McElroy, a professor of environmental studies at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said in a statement. “The real question for the globe is: What alternatives does China have?”
Coal currently supplies 80 percent of China's electricity, and hundreds of coal-fired power plants are built every year to keep pace with demand, but Beijing is also investing heavily in renewable energy.
It plans to build seven large wind-power bases over the next decade, and already ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed capacity, at 12.2 gigawatts — about equal to the energy produced by two dozen average-sized coal-fired plants.
Greenpeace: EU is trying to get away with leaving a tip
Greenpeace and Oxfam International criticize the EU Commission for not being ready to pay Europe’s share of the climate bill.
It is not enough. EU has to pay more than 15 billion euro (22 billion US dollars) a year to developing countries to fight climate change and its consequences, Greenpeace and Oxfam International agreed in their comments on the EU Commission’s financing proposal, published yesterday.
"The EU is trying to get away with leaving a tip rather than paying its share of the bill to protect the planet's climate," Greenpeace campaigner Joris den Blanken said to Reuters.
Elise Ford, head of Oxfam International's Brussels office, noted in the Financial Times that the proposal would "in effect, rob tomorrow's hospitals and schools in developing countries to pay for them to tackle climate change now".
The 15 billion euro is the maximum proposed by the Commission’s proposal that ranges from two billion euro to 15 billion euro. At the presentation, the Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas stressed that "the level of funding will depend on how ambitious the Copenhagen agreement turns out to be." EU wants the developing countries to rein in their emissions growth in return for greater financial aid, Financial Times reports. Stavros Dimas also urged the US and other wealthy countries to come up with their financing proposals.
"As I have said before: no money from developed nations - no deal in Copenhagen," he said.
According to the Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard it was “high time” for the proposal to arrive. "It is good that the European Commission finally has mentioned the financing of a climate treaty," Hedegaard said to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA.
EU estimates that the developing countries need a total of 100 billion euros a year in 2020.
It is not enough. EU has to pay more than 15 billion euro (22 billion US dollars) a year to developing countries to fight climate change and its consequences, Greenpeace and Oxfam International agreed in their comments on the EU Commission’s financing proposal, published yesterday.
"The EU is trying to get away with leaving a tip rather than paying its share of the bill to protect the planet's climate," Greenpeace campaigner Joris den Blanken said to Reuters.
Elise Ford, head of Oxfam International's Brussels office, noted in the Financial Times that the proposal would "in effect, rob tomorrow's hospitals and schools in developing countries to pay for them to tackle climate change now".
The 15 billion euro is the maximum proposed by the Commission’s proposal that ranges from two billion euro to 15 billion euro. At the presentation, the Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas stressed that "the level of funding will depend on how ambitious the Copenhagen agreement turns out to be." EU wants the developing countries to rein in their emissions growth in return for greater financial aid, Financial Times reports. Stavros Dimas also urged the US and other wealthy countries to come up with their financing proposals.
"As I have said before: no money from developed nations - no deal in Copenhagen," he said.
According to the Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard it was “high time” for the proposal to arrive. "It is good that the European Commission finally has mentioned the financing of a climate treaty," Hedegaard said to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA.
EU estimates that the developing countries need a total of 100 billion euros a year in 2020.
Australians produce the most CO2
Australia has overtaken the US as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas polluter per capita, a study shows. China leads as the world’s biggest overall polluter.
Australians have overtaken Americans as the world's number one individual producers of carbon dioxide, British risk consultancy Maplecroft says.
The firm’s study places Australia's per capita output at 20.58 tons a year, some four percent higher than the United States and topping a list of 185 countries.
Canada, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are next in the top five. However, China remains the world's biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, followed by the United States.
Australia has high transport costs for goods and people due to the country’s vast size and isolation. It has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels.
However, emissions trading legislation was defeated in the Senate last month, leaving the target in doubt.
Australians have overtaken Americans as the world's number one individual producers of carbon dioxide, British risk consultancy Maplecroft says.
The firm’s study places Australia's per capita output at 20.58 tons a year, some four percent higher than the United States and topping a list of 185 countries.
Canada, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are next in the top five. However, China remains the world's biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, followed by the United States.
Australia has high transport costs for goods and people due to the country’s vast size and isolation. It has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels.
However, emissions trading legislation was defeated in the Senate last month, leaving the target in doubt.
US car dealers appeal ruling on emissions
Auto dealers and business leaders appeal a decision by the EPA that allows California to establish the first greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks in the US. The appeal sets the stage for a potential attempt to block the global warming rules.
The National Automobile Dealers Association and the US Chamber of Commerce has asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the EPA's decision. The EPA in July granted California's request for a waiver allowing it to push tougher air pollution rules.
The Environmental Protection Agency's decision cleared the way for California to implement a 2002 state pollution law that required greater fuel efficiency in new cars and trucks by 2016.
California's approach serves as a national model for fighting tailpipe pollution, and the Obama administration is expected to release proposed regulations this month to setting fuel efficiency standards at 35.5 miles per gallon (15.1 kilometers per liter) by 2016.
Environmental groups have backed the tougher requirements and said the appeal is an attempt to undermine the Obama administration's efforts to curb global warming.
"It's very clear that the Chamber of Commerce and the auto dealers hope to flatten the tires of the California car standards," says Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch.
Robin Conrad, executive vice president for the National Chamber of Commerce's public policy law firm, says there is "simply no legal justification for giving California waiver authority. Global warming is an international issue, not a local one."
The National Automobile Dealers Association and the US Chamber of Commerce has asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the EPA's decision. The EPA in July granted California's request for a waiver allowing it to push tougher air pollution rules.
The Environmental Protection Agency's decision cleared the way for California to implement a 2002 state pollution law that required greater fuel efficiency in new cars and trucks by 2016.
California's approach serves as a national model for fighting tailpipe pollution, and the Obama administration is expected to release proposed regulations this month to setting fuel efficiency standards at 35.5 miles per gallon (15.1 kilometers per liter) by 2016.
Environmental groups have backed the tougher requirements and said the appeal is an attempt to undermine the Obama administration's efforts to curb global warming.
"It's very clear that the Chamber of Commerce and the auto dealers hope to flatten the tires of the California car standards," says Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch.
Robin Conrad, executive vice president for the National Chamber of Commerce's public policy law firm, says there is "simply no legal justification for giving California waiver authority. Global warming is an international issue, not a local one."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Europe wants to speed up climate negotiations
The European Union is ready to show continued leadership on the climate agenda and will speed up the green diplomacy now, with less than three months to go to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen. That was the message from the EU Presidency, the Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, at a press conference in Copenhagen today.
”We will continue to show European leadership. Europe is not going to decide everything, we require of course agreement with everyone else in the world. But I think that it is not going to happen without European leadership,” Carl Bildt said. ”As we now approach the Copenhagen meeting we must accelerate the European global diplomacy and that is what we have decided here in Copenhagen to do, today, in the days, weeks, and months to come.”
By invitation of the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moeller, five European foreign ministers met in Copenhagen on Thursday. The foreign ministers from Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Finland and Denmark decided to unite diplomatic efforts to speed up the global negotiations on a new climate deal to take over, when emissions targets in the Kyoto Protocol expire in 2012.
”We decided to pool our diplomatic network around eight hundred embassies all together to influence key international partners in the climate negotiations. We will organize and coordinate our contacts with key countries, including of course developing countries,” Per Stig Moeller said. ”We feel that the momentum is now, and it is here in Copenhagen – only with political will from all participants – we can grasp that momentum. If we miss this opportunity it will fade away,” he said.
The British foreign minister, David Miliband, said that the world is now entering the ”hot phase of the campaign”.
”We are here because a Copenhagen deal hangs in the balance. There is a real danger that the world will not come together in the way that it is necessary to agree on an ambitious and comprehensive deal in December,” he said and mentioned the financing of a deal as an important unsolved issue.
The Danish minister said it is time for Europe to show ”leadership on ensuring an ambitious financial package that can assist the poorest countries to adapt to the challenges posed by the climate change. My colleagues and I have agreed that we must work as hard as possible together to help prepare the ground for a result at the European summit next month on this issue.”
The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, expressed understanding that the developing countries don’t want to harm their chances of economic development by a new climate deal.
The Finnish foreign minister, Alexander Stubb, sent the message that the climate negotiations are not just about global warming. The outcome is also important for the environment, the economy and the security of the world.
”We will continue to show European leadership. Europe is not going to decide everything, we require of course agreement with everyone else in the world. But I think that it is not going to happen without European leadership,” Carl Bildt said. ”As we now approach the Copenhagen meeting we must accelerate the European global diplomacy and that is what we have decided here in Copenhagen to do, today, in the days, weeks, and months to come.”
By invitation of the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moeller, five European foreign ministers met in Copenhagen on Thursday. The foreign ministers from Sweden, United Kingdom, France, Finland and Denmark decided to unite diplomatic efforts to speed up the global negotiations on a new climate deal to take over, when emissions targets in the Kyoto Protocol expire in 2012.
”We decided to pool our diplomatic network around eight hundred embassies all together to influence key international partners in the climate negotiations. We will organize and coordinate our contacts with key countries, including of course developing countries,” Per Stig Moeller said. ”We feel that the momentum is now, and it is here in Copenhagen – only with political will from all participants – we can grasp that momentum. If we miss this opportunity it will fade away,” he said.
The British foreign minister, David Miliband, said that the world is now entering the ”hot phase of the campaign”.
”We are here because a Copenhagen deal hangs in the balance. There is a real danger that the world will not come together in the way that it is necessary to agree on an ambitious and comprehensive deal in December,” he said and mentioned the financing of a deal as an important unsolved issue.
The Danish minister said it is time for Europe to show ”leadership on ensuring an ambitious financial package that can assist the poorest countries to adapt to the challenges posed by the climate change. My colleagues and I have agreed that we must work as hard as possible together to help prepare the ground for a result at the European summit next month on this issue.”
The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, expressed understanding that the developing countries don’t want to harm their chances of economic development by a new climate deal.
The Finnish foreign minister, Alexander Stubb, sent the message that the climate negotiations are not just about global warming. The outcome is also important for the environment, the economy and the security of the world.
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