Global Warming Today articles from December 2004

Global Warming Today archives from December 2004

Groups Sue Owens Corning Over GHG-emitting Insulation Plant.
December 1, 2004... The Oregonian recently reported that the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, the Oregon Center for Environmental Health and the Sierra Club joined together in filing a complaint last week in U.S. District Court in Portland concerning Owens...

Spain Proposes New Coal Plant Emissions Reduction Regulations.
December 1, 2004... Reuters recently reported that the Spanish government proposed last week initiating a 21-percent emissions reduction from coal-fired power plants between 2005 and 2007 as a means to help the county achieve its greenhouse gas (GHG) targets under...

UNICE Study Observes Decline in EU Competitiveness.
December 1, 2004... The Union of Industrial Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) recently released a study assessing the European Union's (EU) long-term climate change strategy which finds that as the EU implements the Kyoto Protocol, it will lose some...

Japan to Establish Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets.
December 2, 2004... Chinese news agency Xinhua recently reported that the Japanese Environment Ministry has revealed it plans to establish emissions targets for carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and three cholofluorocarbon alternatives and develop an...

Hungarian Government Approves Emissions Trading Draft.
December 2, 2004... Interfax recently reported that the Hungarian environment ministry has informed the news service that the national government has approved a draft law for the trading of carbon dioxide emissions beginning January 1. According to Interfax,...

British PM Calls for Global Warming Dialogue With U.S.
December 2, 2004... Reuters recently reported that at a news conference in London this week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for new international efforts to engage the United States in climate change talks. The statement comes as Britain is set to...

Nigeria Announces Ratification of Kyoto Protocol.
December 3, 2004... Local Nigerian newspaper This Day recently reported that minister of environment Colonel Bala Mande announced last week that Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has ratified the Kyoto Protocol. According to the paper, Nigeria had already...

New Stratospheric Temperature Data Support Earlier Research.
December 3, 2004... The University of Washington (UW) recently announced that UW atmospheric sciences associate professor Qiang Fu has conducted a new study revealing that direct temperature data from other scientists has validated a controversial new...

SMMT Report Reveals Reduction in Vehicular CO2 Emissions.
December 3, 2004... The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Ltd. (SMMT) recently announced the publication of "Towards Sustainability," its fifth annual report highlighting the U.K. automotive industry's economic and environmental performance. ...

Weekly Update.
December 3, 2004... 15TH NATIONAL ENERGY SERVICES CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION: THE TOTAL VIEW OF ENERGY SERVICES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY, December 6-8, 2004, Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, Clearwater Beach, FL AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION FALL MEETING 2004, December...

WA Official Drafts New Vehicular GHG Emissions Legislation.
December 6, 2004... The Seattle Times recently reported that U.S. Representative Ed Murray (D-WA) is drafting new state legislation that would impose strict automotive standards aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, similar to those recently...

New Service Provides Daily Prices for EU Emissions Market.
December 6, 2004... Norwegian analysis and consultancy company Point Carbon recently announced the launch of a new service, known as the Carbon Market Indicator, that provides daily prices for the European Union (EU) emissions trading market. According to...

New Global Warming Study Could Trigger International Lawsuits.
December 6, 2004... Reuters recently reported that a new study published last week in the journal Nature attributes Europe's summer heatwave of 2003, which is considered responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 people, to the effects of global warming...

WWF Says Power Companies Failing to Address Climate Change.
December 6, 2004... The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently announced the release of a new report which indicates that "despite their role as the biggest contributors to climate change...the planet's largest power companies are failing to make use of available...

EcoSecurities, KPC Sign CER Purchase Agreement for Austria.
December 7, 2004... Carbon trading adviser EcoSecurities Group, Ltd. and public consulting specialist Kommunalkredit Public Consulting (KPC) recently announced an agreement to acquire certified emissions reductions (CERs) on behalf of the Republic of Austria. ...

FOE U.K. Condemns Chancellor's Elimination of Fuel Duty Increase.
December 7, 2004... Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.K. recently issued a statement condemning U.K. chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown's decision to abandon this year's planned fuel duty increase, criticizing the official's lack of financial initiatives to...

Cinergy Reports on Potential Impact of GHG Regulation.
December 7, 2004... Cinergy Corporation recently announced the release of its new report on the potential impact of regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the operation of its electric generating system. According to Cinergy, although passage of GHG...

U.K. Companies to Boost Emissions Reduction Targets.
December 8, 2004... The U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently announced that six companies have volunteered to increase their collective carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions as part of the British emissions trading scheme...

New Study Links Wind, Current Changes to Indian Ocean Warming.
December 8, 2004... NASA recently announced that a new study authored by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researcher Tong Lee and published in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters suggests that changing winds and currents in the Indian Ocean during...

New Study Indicates Global Warming May Cause Reindeer Decline.
December 8, 2004... The University of Washington (UW) recently reported that a new study conducted by UW archeologist Donald Grayson finds that diminished reindeer populations in France approximately 10,000 years ago could be linked to a period of global warming....

CCX Announces Results of Compliance Report for 2003.
December 9, 2004... The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) recently announced the results of its first emission reduction compliance period -- calendar year 2003. According to CCX, each exchange member was required to have carbon financial instruments (CFIs) in...

New Report Indicates Reduction in Australian GHG Emissions.
December 9, 2004... The Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH) recently released a new report indicating that the country is on track to meeting its Kyoto Protocol target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 108 percent of their 1990...

Report Says Climate Change Top Threat to Coral Reefs.
December 9, 2004... The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently announced that it, in conjunction with more than 20 other organizations, has published the 2004 edition of Status of Coral Reefs of the World, a report complied by 240 experts from 96 countries which finds...

New Research Supports Theory of Warming-related Freeze.
December 10, 2004... Reuters recently reported that a team of scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has published new research backing a theory that a period of intense warming occurring more than 8,000 years ago led to massive polar ice...

Britain Not on Track to Meet Emissions Reduction Target.
December 10, 2004... Reuters recently reported that British environment secretary Margaret Beckett has revealed that the country may potentially not achieve its self-imposed 20-percent carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction target by 2010. According to...

CERES Examines How Mutual Funds Vote on Warming Resolutions.
December 10, 2004... The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) recently announced the release of a new study, titled "Unexamined Risk: How Mutual Funds Vote on Global Warming Shareholder Resolutions," which reveals that "a mere two percent of...

GMI, Scientific Alliance Report Questions Climate Research.
December 10, 2004... The George Marshall Institute (GMI) and the London, England-based Scientific Alliance recently announced they have released a new report that outlines 19 key questions and assumptions underpinning the climate change debate and global climate...

Weekly Update.
December 10, 2004... AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION FALL MEETING 2004, December 13-17, 2004, Moscone Convention Center West, San Francisco, CA EMISSIONS REDUCTION & ENERGY LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2004, December 14-16, 2004, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San...

Boulder, CO Raises Trash Tax to Fund GHG Reduction Efforts.
December 13, 2004... Local Colorado newspaper the Rocky Mountain News recently reported that the Boulder City Council has voted to increase for a period of two years the local trash collection tax in order to help raise money for the city's greenhouse gas (GHG)...

New Research Helps Gauge Influence of Warming on Climate.
December 13, 2004... The Earth Institute at Columbia University recently reported that three members of the university's Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics have conducted research, featured in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters, that...

FOE Criticizes U.K. Government on Climate Change Approach.
December 13, 2004... Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.K. recently commented that a new report from the British government on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reveals that the U.K. is not doing enough to address global warming, adding that Prime Minister Tony Blair's...

U.S. Officials Maintain Anti-Kyoto Stance, Cite New Initiatives.
December 14, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that U.S. officials revealed last week during the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change's Tenth Conference of the Parties (COPIO) in Buenos Aires that the U.S. will maintain its...

WWF Accuses OPEC of Blocking Climate Change Funds.
December 14, 2004... Reuters recently reported that during the recent United Nations conference on climate change in Buenos Aires, officials with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) accused Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nations and Saudi Arabia of...

DOE Selects New GHG-reducing Oil and Gas Projects.
December 14, 2004... Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Spencer Abraham recently announced the selection of 35 new cost-shared projects "that promise to strengthen our nation's energy security and reduce greenhouse emissions." According to DOE, the total award...

CCX Reports Record CO2 Trading in November.
December 15, 2004... The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) announced last week that total carbon dioxide (CO2) trading volume in November hit 481,400 metric tons, a monthly record for the exchange. According to CCX, the number surpasses the previous monthly record...

New Report Finds Amazon Burning Increases Brazil's GHGs.
December 15, 2004... Reuters recently reported that the Brazilian government has issued a new report which finds that the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased from 979 million tons in 1990 to 1.03 billion tons in 1994 due in part to the burning of the...

NCEP Consensus Strategy Includes Climate Recommendations.
December 15, 2004... The National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP) recently announced the release of a new report, titled "Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America's Energy Challenges," that contains detailed policy recommendations for...

DOE, Power Partners Sign MOU for GHG Reduction.
December 16, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Power Partners, a group comprised of the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, Electric Power Supply Association,...

New Study Finds Earlier Spring Arrival in U.S. Northeast.
December 16, 2004... Cornell University recently reported that new research conducted by university researchers indicates that spring in the U.S. Northeast is arriving up to one week earlier than it did 40 years ago due to a warming trend. According to...

CalPERS Endorses Vehicular GHG Reduction Efforts in CA.
December 16, 2004... The California state controller's office recently announced that the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has endorsed controller Steve Westly's call to bring auto executives to California to defend their plans to fight the...

NIRS Director Faults NCEP for GHG Reduction Approach.
December 16, 2004... Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) executive director Michael Mariotte recently criticized the "self-described" National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP), which released last week a report entitled "Ending the Energy Stalemate: A...

NiSource, Acumentrics to Develop CO2 Recovery System for DOE.
December 17, 2004... Acumentrics Corporation, a developer of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and uninterruptible power supplies for the distributed generation market, and NiSource, Inc., a Midwest electric and gas utility, recently announced that NiSource has been...

DOE Seeks Teams to Test CO2 Sequestration Technologies.
December 17, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced it has released a solicitation for the second phase of its Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program. The solicitation will provide up to $100 million over four years in federal funds...

New Report Considers Extreme Weather's Impact on Nature.
December 17, 2004... The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently announced the release of a new report, titled "Extreme Weather, does nature keep up?" which finds that "nature is struggling against the impacts of extreme weather and that many species and ecosystems will...

Weekly Update.
December 17, 2004... COAL GASIFICATION: POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR, January 20-21, 2005, Marriott Denver City Center, Denver, CO EUEC 8TH ANNUAL ELECTRIC UTILITIES ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE: AIR QUALITY, GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE & RENEWABLE ENERGY, January...

APEC Says Developing Economies Would Be Hurt by Kyoto.
December 20, 2004... The Australian National Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Centre recently released a new report that criticizes the United Nations' climate change initiatives, claiming developing economies would be damaged if they adopted Kyoto...

Scottish Minister Seeks Public Input on GHG Reduction Programs.
December 20, 2004... BBC recently reported that Scottish environment minister Ross Finnie is seeking public input on what actions need to be taken to reduce the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to BBC, members of Scotland's Green party have...

IFRIC Issues Guidance on Accounting for GHG Emissions.
December 20, 2004... The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) recently announced that the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) has released a new interpretation, IFRIC 3: Emission Rights, that specifies the accounting for...

OSU Team Uncovers Evidence of Ancient Climate Change Event.
December 20, 2004... A glaciologist and his team of researchers at Ohio State University say they have uncovered evidence the Earth may have undergone catastrophic climate change about 5,200 years ago. OSU Professor Lonnie Thompson presented his team's findings...

CPUC Approves State Utilities' Plans for GHGs, Renewables.
December 21, 2004... The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently announced that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved 10-year resource plans of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and...

NASA Scientists Link GHGs to Insect Control, Trees.
December 21, 2004... NASA recently announced that researchers at its Ames Research Center (ARC) have released two new studies examining the impact of insect control and tree planting on the Earth's greenhouse gas (GHG) levels. Both studies were co-authored by ARC...

Additional U.K. Funding Doubles REEEP Budget.
December 21, 2004... The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) recently announced it has received formal commitment from the U.K. government of a 2.5-million-pound (about $4.8-million) contribution for the partnership's 2005-6 financial year,...

EIN's Adjusted Holiday Publishing Schedule.
December 22, 2004... EIN will not publish its newsletters from December 23 through 31 in observance of the holiday season. We will resume our regular publishing schedule on January 3, 2005. We thank you for your continued support and wish you and yours the very...

WMO Finds 2004 Temperatures Some of Highest on Record.
December 22, 2004... Reuters recently reported that the United Nations (UN) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released its annual global climate report, which projects that 2004 will prove the fourth warmest year since WMO began yearly climate monitoring...

New Technology May Reduce GHG Emissions From Fossil Fuels.
December 22, 2004... DeanTec, Inc. recently announced that inventor Dean Johnson has developed new technology that modifies the rate at which hydrogen atoms are converted into water vapor and then atmospheric gas during the fossil fuel burning process, thus...

Cleantech to Host Venture Forum in San Francisco.
December 22, 2004... Cleantech Venture Network, LLC will host Cleantech Venture Forum VI, "a twice-yearly exchange of information about cleantech business and investment opportunities," March 22 through 24 at the San Francisco Marriott in San Francisco, CA. On...

Pew Center Releases Two Reports on Advancing Climate Effort.
December 22, 2004... The Pew Center on Global Climate Change recently announced the release of two new reports that "examine key issues facing governments and stakeholders as they begin weighing options for strengthening the international climate change effort...

Weekly Update.
December 22, 2004... COAL GASIFICATION: POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR, January 20-21, 2005, Marriott Denver City Center, Denver, CO EUEC 8TH ANNUAL ELECTRIC UTILITIES ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE: AIR QUALITY, GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE & RENEWABLE ENERGY, January...