Archive for June 2010
Global warming effect, and is it affecting our climate?
June 25, 2010 | 
Author The 7 islands of the past Mumbai is now one small narrowing island, 25 miles long by 2 to 7 miles long, as seen in the settlement photo, linked to the mainland in the north-west, separated by an estuary. A part of this area is a water reservoir catchment (Borivili National Park) with two small lakes (Vihar, Powai) and its long snaking estuary, the Mithi river which also carries the cities waste water and industrial effects through 5 main outfalls (Borivali, Goregaon-Malad, Versova, BKC and Love-Grove - Worli) on the west and few on the east side (Mulund, Vikhroli, Trombay, Sewri-Wadala). In spite of this, there were “floods” and overkill rain is not the only reason.
Global warming
Keeping in mind one of the major environmentalists anxiety – lack of public awareness on Global warming; let us assess its impact. Also where wills the recent Bali Conference on climate change leads us. There were deep argues at Bali and 190 countries chalked out the Bali roadmap. But the thought battle was for developing countries like India and China. Today global warming is no longer just a panicky idea chiefly for India. The ripples of the climate conference in Bali spread to Mumbai. A day after the consultation ended thousands of Mumbaikars unplugged their electrical devices for one hour to save Keeping in mind one of the major environmentalists concern – lack of public awareness energy.
The IPCC report on climate change says India’s coastlines are the most helpless and so are its glaciers in the Himalayas where the meltdown has been alarming in recent years. Mumbai faces danger, as a large part of it is on broken land and the mangroves of the Sundarbans in West Begnal are losing chunks of landmass to the sea. Locals in Sundarban are planting Mango saplings, in an effort to ease the effects of climate change, to protect the islands against the hungry tide. India negotiated head on at Bali to be heard by developed nations. But more significant than reports and big numbers are people’s plan for conservation begins at home. So far work done related to global warming is mainly confined to research, conferences, seminars and workshops. But in India, the general population has very little knowledge about the burning subject of global warming. Efforts must be taken as early as possible to make awareness about it.
Government authorities and NGOs must take the plan in this matter. India, whose economy has grown by 8-9 per cent a year in recent years, is one of the world’s top polluters, contributing around 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions as its consumption of relic fuels gathers pace. But as a developing nation, India is not required to cut emissions — said to be rising by between 2 and 3 per cent a year — under the Kyoto Protocol, although mounting pressure from environmental groups and industrialized nations. As far as steps being taken, the government is doing its bit at least in fractions but this needs a grass root level planning including every individual. The urban crowd sure knows what it means but the rural kind hasn’t even heard the term in large. Let me ask a few questions and at the end we’ll know whether we have done enough to prevent global warming
1. Have we stopped using our vehicles even to the near by grocery store? We instead even use it to reach the beach where we take a walk.
2. Have we tested our vehicles for emission check?
3. Do we switch off lights when it’s not in use? We instead switch it on even in broad day light. Some even fit in dozens of lights to make the place glow and create a good ambience.
4. Have we once thought of what happens to the garbage we throw out every day? All we know is the municipality workers remove it from our front doors each morning and keep our streets clean.
5. Have we stopped to burn those dry dead leaves in our garden?
6. Do we stop to think before using logs to burn fire to keep us warm?
7. We all have a good amt of cloth bags stacked at home yet for fashion sense don’t we all use plastic bags? From the flimsy ones we get in local stores to the large colorful ones in huge malls and brands?
8. Don’t we buy those plastic containers while we have our traditional vessels and containers made of mud or other usable metals?
9. Even while using plastic containers, do we look for bio degradable variety?
10. Do we stop to think before cutting down trees for logs or wood to use for various purposes?
11. Do we use natural waste for our plants or choose chemical pesticides?
12. Do we unplug appliances after its use?
13. Have we tried to at least think of solar energy in any way, leave alone switching to it?
14. Have we understood or at least try to understand the terms: Recyclable or Biodegradable?
15. Don’t we all waste water even in times when two states in India are fighting their right towards a river?
16. Finally, have any of us planted a tree?
The answer to most of this or even all of this is a Big NO. Then, now, you know where India and its citizens stand in preventing global warming .If each of us follow at least half of what is asked above at least once in a while, am sure we’ll be in a better earth.
Plant a tree once in your lifetime and enjoy the way u feels inside. Get used to ecological goods and recycling your waste. Those broken glass jars or crushed plastic containers can always be recycled. Use your raw kitchen waste for your plants. They would look healthier than with the chemicals.
Kindly use public transport once in a while or better walk to your near by places as and when possible. It’s good to walk besides saving earth!
There are several distinct reasons for the many contributing causes of Mumbai’s floods, and we have to address each in turn:
Why did the Mithi River flood?
1. Because its mouth had been constricted to a third of its original width by unnecessary reclamation of land to construct rails, roads – mainly the Bandra?Worli sea?link and at the Love Grove, Worli Outfall. The proliferation of slums along the coastline, mudflats and the Mithi River has also been a contributor. The reclamation of 400 acres of dense mangroves at Goregaon?Malad Link road and 100 acres at Lokhandwala for commercial and residential complexes are few of the other reasons which add to the blatant violation of CRZ rules by the builder lobby in connivance with the bureaucracy and politicians.
2. Large scale reclamation and destruction of mangroves for the construction of the once Kalina low lying area by the State Government for Airport expansion and Runway extension being built at Mumbai Airport, right across Mithi River (left, below), and the Bandra?Kurla Complex by MMRDA contributed too. The Satellite picture shows one runway actually bridging the river, and another with the river diverted around one end.
Also, the Mithi River does not have any “floodbanks” to speak of anymore, due to uncontrolled construction on sides, defying common sense & environmental precaution. The salt?pans of Bhandup and Mulund and the mangroves at Vikhroli and Ghatkopar have been damaged and reclaimed by MHADA and slum lords
What about Mumbaikar?
It has become increasingly plain that the government along with BMC, the Collectorate, and Pollution Control Board has aligned their interests with those of the construction industry and slum lords, and regrettably against the interest of the people of Mumbai. The outrage against these agencies is gaining voice and the situation is akin to the emergency situation in some of our neighboring countries, only that there are many dictators. The utter neglect about the welfare of its citizens is an insult to injury to the Mumbaikars who contributes Rs.58,000 Cores to the national exchequer every year.
Biomass Boiler – Carbon Neutral Heating is Here
In the last few years it became impossible to get away from the hype about green technologies versus fossil fuel technologies. Solar panels, solar thermal and wind turbines have ruled the headlines with major projects undertaken around the world. However, let us not forget the humble wood burning stove. Although not as flashy as a gleaming white wind turbine rotating at a steady speed over a green hill or a high-tech solar photovoltaic cell generating electricity out of simple sun light, the wood burning stove has some important benefits to bring to the table.
First let’s understand how it works. Biomass means that the energy is produced from organic sources (bio-energy). The energy is released when organic sources (wood in this case) are burned, in the same way as mankind was doing for centuries. The fuel used in biomass boilers is either untreated wood or treated wood. Most common fuels are logs, wood chips and wood pallets.
Wood pallets are the most efficient of the wood fuel types. They are made from sawdust which is compressed at high pressure into small pallets (roughly the size of AAA batteries). They are made from by-products of local carpentries, joinery workshops and sawmills. The high pressure compression removes moisture and increases their output to weight ratio, meaning you need less fuel to get the same amount of heat. Another benefit is that they don’t leave as much residue on the burner due to full burning reaction.
Fossil fuels are normally associated with global warming and climate change. When fossil fuels are burned (e.g. natural gas in your domestic boiler), they release CO2 as part of their natural chemical reaction. This gas was captured within the fuel for millions of years in underground deposits. By burning it now, we release this gas into the atmosphere. Biomass boilers are considered to be carbon neutral heating technologies, because they only release CO2 that was captured by the plant during its growth years, thus not bringing new CO2 into the global equation.
Here are some pointers on what to check before installing a biomass boiler:
* Local supply of wood – do you have a local sawmill or joinery workshop that can provide a steady supply of wood chips, or even wood pallets.
* Space and location – biomass boilers have larger footprint than a typical boiler and require further space to store the wood. It is essential to calculate the amount of space that would be available for wood storage next to the boiler
* Chimney – biomass boilers require chimneys. And more specifically, chimneys that are lined for wood burning. However, it is a problem that can be solved by adding a lined flue within the chimney.
* Smoke limitations – if your house is located in a ‘Smoke-Free’ zone you may have to look for a specially labeled product which is ‘exempted’ under the Clean Air Act.
* Other considerations – It is wise to check with your local authority’s planning department regarding fitting a flue in the property. This is very important in cases where the property is a listed building, or within a conservation area.
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Tags: Biomass, Boiler, Carbon Accounting, heating, Here, Neutral | 
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Time for Government to Rethink to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Carbon Offsetting businesses of all types are already starting to feel the impact of the crunch. Consumers are tightening their belts while talks on a post 2012 Kyoto Agreement have stalled undermining investment in carbon offset projects. In Europe the 2020 commitment to reduce carbon emissions by at least 20 pct below 1990 levels with 20 pct of energy coming from renewable energy sources looks unrealistic especially when balanced with the need for energy security. On a positive note post the US election a US initiative to reduce carbon emissions is likely. But the credit crunch will make any larger regional or global consensus unlikely.
In a credit crunch how should European Governments maintain momentum to reduce Co2 emissions? Damian Kissane from the Carbon Credit Agency argues that they should take this opportunity to re-think some of their carbon emissions policies and introduce more positive incentives for individuals and businesses. The current policies are either supply focused (cap and trade or renewables targets) or crude direct taxation of demand (personal levies, air passenger and car duties). These are not positive incentives for individuals to reduce carbon emissions or for carbon offsetting – try asking anybody in Northern Europe whether they will give up their annual Summer holiday. Similarly, most domestic energy markets are not open to competition, as a result, cap and trade is ultimately just another tax on the consumer while renewables targets lack the political will and similarly don’t influence consumer demand.
“If we want to genuinely reduce emissions in Europe we need to positively incentivise consumer behaviour and not tax the need for energy”. For example the UK Government’s winter fuel subsidy to older people or the European social security benefits paid to families could be tailored to encourage the beneficiaries to reduce carbon emissions by purchasing alternative or green energy. This could drive an enormous change in consumer demand with little additional cost to Governments. Similarly, reducing the carbon emissions from personal travel should start with town planning and the Co2 emissions from actual car usage rather than taxing the size of a car at the expense of the European car industry.Unfortunately, in the current crisis crunch the temptation by European Governments to introduce more so called “green taxes” to raise revenue could prove irresistible.
Posted in Carbon accounting | Tags: Carbon Accounting, Emissions, Government, Reduce, Rethink, Time | No Comments »
Going Carbon Neutral
Going carbon neutral is really not overly difficult, though many complain that cost is what mainly gets in the way. The truth is that while it might be expensive at first, going carbon neutral can actually be cheaper in the long run and it helps to clean the air. Going carbon neutral basically means that an individual or a business use alternative ways to get around, to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being burned, cutting down on the emissions being created by heating and electricity, turning to alternative renewable energy sources, and offsetting the carbons that the individual or business put into the air. To be truly carbon neutral means that absolutely no carbon emissions are being released into the air by the individual or business.
Going completely carbon neutral can be difficult and people are always looking for an easier way to do this. The fact is that going carbon neutral is not easy for everyone because it requires a change, though a company that has a little more money may have an easier time making the change than less profitable individuals or businesses. As mentioned before, initial costs are often blamed for the disinterest in making the changes in the business or home to eventually become carbon neutral. What many have to think about is the long-term rather than the immediate costs. Switching over to renewable energy will save on energy and heating bills and while this is saving an incredible amount of money in the long run, the business is looking good for taking part in reducing harmful emissions.
Of course, while making the changes in one day would be great, it is not easy to do; however, there are easy things that can be done in order to reduce carbon emissions and start the change to becoming carbon neutral. Five top practical things to do in order to minimize emissions would be:
•Reducing the amount of electricity being used by turning off machinery, lights and computers that are not being used.
•Reduce the amount of hot water being used, which will help save energy that is needed for heating.
•Become more practical in the use of transportation. Encourage employees to use public transportation and car pool.
•Insulate the building so that less energy is required to heat or cool the building.
•Offset emissions that are being put into the air by purchasing carbon credits.
Social Economic Responsibility From Big Corporations
Introduction
Social economic responsibility has evolved. The concept now encompasses initiatives geared at the public and staff members alike. Companies have incorporated social economic responsibility in almost all aspects of their company operations. Suppliers are now expected to have sound employee policies, the production process has been made cost efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable to the public. Marketing campaigns have also not been left behind in terms of social economic responsibility. The essay shall examine the social economic responsibility initiatives taken up by large corporations within the US.
Social economic responsibility depicted in humanitarian efforts
One of the leading corporate citizens in the US is the Proctor and Gamble company. This company has won corporate citizenship awards for five years since 2001. Part of the reason why this company has managed to attract the attention of the public is due to the numerous humanitarian efforts that the company has engaged in. First of all, the company has been vigilant about assisting victims of natural disasters or those in humanitarian crises. For instance, Turkey was hit by an earthquake some years back. The country was overwhelmed with casualties, therefore P&G was quick to help out. They donated numerous relief supplies including drinking water, blankets and rescue facilities. All these went a long way in ensuring that the individuals involved in the incident were given the best support possible. (Business respect, 2004)
Another donation that was closely related to the latter was one made towards Indian children. The company realized that there were numerous children dying of malnutrition in that country, consequently, it donated a substantial amount of resources towards curbing this problem.
Baxter Company is also another keen corporate citizen. The company deducted a large number of their human resources towards helping out patients with life threatening diseases such as cancer, immune disorders and kidney disorders. It did this by trying to re-engineer pharmaceutical products that help those particular patients. On top of that, there are numerous employees who work on biotechnological strategies aimed at helping the latter mentioned groups. The company has also donated its medical devices towards these programs. All this efforts led to the company’s enlistment in the top one hundred corporate citizens list 2007. This medical company was the only company in the top twenty positions. (Haskel, 2008)
Social economic responsibility in product development
Many American corporations are now changing their product development strategies to incorporate their social economic responsibilities. The Proctor and Gamble Company demonstrated one such example. This company introduced a new type of technology that allowed countries located in developing countries to disinfect their water. The company’s spokesperson asserted that these efforts were necessary after realizing that close to two million children were dying from water related diseases. The product was available to families in the third world at a price that those individuals could afford. Similarly, P&G introduced a commodity called Nutri Star. This commodity was rich in micro nutrients and was marketed in developing countries. The initiative was made available in those countries and went a long way in fighting malnutrition. (Business respect, 2004)
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company also demonstrated similar initiatives. These efforts led to its awards as the number one overall corporate social responsibility leader in 2008 by PR News. They deserved this award because of the following; The company dedicated a substantial amount of their resources in creating fluorescent lamps. They distributed one million lamps to the public in order to make their energy consumption more sustainable. On top of that, the company offered about one thousand megawatts of energy to the public. This was made possible by a renewable energy program that the company availed to its consumers. Besides this, the company released a program known as Climate Smart. In this program, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company gave their consumers the option of making their energy expenditure environmentally sustainable. By doing this, the company was able to provide a better product package for the clients who have been looking for ways of reducing their energy use in the atmosphere. (PG&E News Department, 2008)
Social economic responsibility towards the environment
Other companies have demonstrated their social economic responsibilities by taking on eco-friendly initiatives. One such company was General Electric. This company respected their corporate responsibility obligations towards creating a sustainable global environment. It demonstrated this by embarking on a twenty billion dollar project. The project was aimed at creating products that were easily degradable and environmentally friendly.
Similarly, the Coca Cola company also demonstrated good social economic citizenry by creating a project that minimized their waste water. The company dedicated immense resources towards a global water stewardship initiative. This scheme involved coming up with technologies that facilitate better use of Coca Cola’s water resources. This was necessary owing to the fact that the company’s major raw material in the production process is water. Through such an initiative, the company was able to reduce their global water footprint. (Haskel, 2008)
Retail companies have demonstrated their social economic responsibility by using eco-friendly packaging material. For instance, Mc Donald’s- which is one of the biggest fast food retailers in the country- demonstrated this concept through their new packaging material. In the past, the company had been using a large box for their North American fries. However, after sensitizing its employees about corporate citizenship, the company decided to reduce this type of packaging and replaced it with recyclable material. The program was introduced after numerous campaigns surrounding the sustainability of the country’s forests.
Walmart-the country’s retail leader came up with stores that were environmentally friendly in some major towns such as Texas. The company built stores that were environmentally sustainable through the use of eco-material. On top of that, it established solar panels and recyclable materials in the stores. This store was one of the most eco-efficient stores the company has placed under its wings.
Social economic responsibility for suppliers
Many American companies are not just restricting these social economic responsibilities to the confines of their company facilities alone, they are extending these principles towards their business partners too. Suppliers are also expected to follow similar rules and one company that illustrated this approach was Starbucks company. The company used to source its coffee from a number of third world countries such as Guatemala and Kenya. However, there were reports that coffee farmers in Guatemala used under age labor for their products. As soon as this information reached Starbucks, they stopped sourcing material from those producers. The company explained that social economic responsibility among their suppliers is essential to the success of their business.
Social economic responsibility can also be highlighted in a negative manner such as was the case with the Nike manufacturing company. This company realized that large portions of their products were being assembled by under age children. This spoilt the company’s name and also meant that the company recorded huge losses in that regard. (Deloitte, 2008)
Social economic responsibility in employment polices
Companies extend their social economic principles to their employee policies too. For instance, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company employs a total of twenty thousand employees. The company ensures that all their employees understand what is expected of them in their tasks and functions. Frequent training programs tailored towards making their products socially responsible do this. The company also treats it employees with dignity and respect.
Conclusion
Social economic responsibility can be demonstrated towards the public and through the internal practices of a company. Some companies have demonstrated very good intentions of taking up corporate responsibility initiatives. However, others have been slow in the implementation process. It is only those companies that identify social economic opportunities that manage to do well in the industry. This means that companies must back up their plans and intentions with action.
Climate Top Tips – Surface Transport and Aviation
Tips for reducing your CO2 emissions fall into a number of categories, with surface transport (driving) and aviation at the top of most lists.
Surface transport is responsible for about a quarter of our emissions of CO2 and this is forecast to rise in the future. In the past 30 years traffic on our roads has more than doubled. Here is a list of 12 simple and cost-effective you can do to drastically reduce your personal CO2 emissions and your impact on the environment.
1. Do you need to drive your child to school? Sharing the school-run with a roster of parents is a great way to cut congestion, reduce emissions and save on your fuel bill.
2. Don’t drive to the pub for your Sunday roast and make a day of it and cycle or walk instead.
3. Give your car a day off! Can you find a way to make your journey to work on foot, by bike or using public transport, for a few days a week?
4. Small is beautiful. If you have to drive, a small, fuel-efficient car will produce less polluting emissions than a gas-guzzling 4×4 and and will be cheaper to run as well. Be aware though that although diesel cars tend to produce less CO2, they do produce more of other pollutants, which aggravate asthma and other health problems.
5. Change your fuel. Many cars can use biofuels with little or no modification to the engine. Biofuels are produced from crops such as oil seed rape or sugar beet, and burning them produces lower emissions of climate-changing gases. Ask your garage or find a filling station which already sells it.
6. Keep your car tyres properly inflated. It’s estimated that up to 80 per cent of car tyres are under-inflated, which can increase fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, by up to 5 per cent and as well as increasing wear and tear.
7. Why not rent a car on a pay-as-you-drive scheme, rather than buying one?
8. Another idea is to share. You can ask your employer to do something to encourage lower car use, such as provide showers for cyclists to use or run minibuses from local stations.
9. Drive with the windows up. This reduces drag, thus increasing your fuel consumption efficiency and lowering your emissions. Drag can also be lessened by removing heavy items and roof racks from the vehicle when you don’t need to carry them.
10. Switch off the engine if you think you will be stationary for more than two minutes. Idling for this long burns more fuel than it takes to restart the engine.
11. Change your driving style. Changing gear at a more modest engine speed can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent. When you are approaching traffic lights, slow down progressively rather than continuing at the same speed and suddenly braking; harsh acceleration and braking can use up to 30% more fuel and can lead to increased wear and tear on the vehicle. Plus, pulling away too fast uses up to 60 per cent more fuel.
12. Avoid short car journeys. A cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel as a warmer one. Take a walk in the fresh air to the local shops instead. It’s good for you!
Aviation is the fastest-growing contributor to climate change. Passenger numbers could more than double by 2030, and emissions from aviation could account for more than a tenth of worldwide totals by 2020. Cutting down on the amount you and your family fly will make a huge difference to your carbon footprint. Here is a list of 4 simple and cost-effective you can do to drastically reduce your personal CO2 emissions and your impact on the environment.
13. Holiday in your own country. Flights abroad might seem cheap, but when you consider taxes and the cost of getting to the airport they often work out much more expensive than a train trip within these beautiful islands. And that’s not to mention the emissions you’ll save – one long-haul return flight can produce more. Or, if carbon dioxide per passenger than the average motorist in one year you are going to holiday abroad, try and get the train.
14. Hire bicycles instead of a car if you are exploring locally. Not only will this save emissions, you’ll save yourself some money too and and help to burn off any holiday excess.
15. Cut down on business trips. Do you really need to travel to meet with colleagues? Could you use phone or video-conferencing? And if you really do need to travel, go by train rather than car or plane and as well as often being quicker, you’ll be able to get some work done.
16. If you are staying in a hotel on holiday, ask for your towels to be washed every other day instead of every day.
How Carbon Markets Can Make Both Economic and Ecological Sense
Preserving forests might make economic sense for governments and forest dwellers, and it could also help preserve the habitats of endangered mammals such as orangutans and elephants, according to a study released this week.
The study, published in the journal Conservation Letters, is part of a larger effort by conservation organizations to protect tropical forests from the industries that threaten them by using charismatic species to harness public support and generate money for conservation.
The study is also part of a battle over how to manage the world’s forests — a debate likely to be a key part of the negotiations over a successor treaty to the Kyoto climate treaty at a United Nations conference in Copenhagen in December.
“We now need to see policy discussions catch up with the science, because at the moment the potential co-benefits of linking forest protection to biodiversity are not getting the attention they deserve,” said Oscar Venter, a biologist at the University of Queensland in Australia and the lead author of the study, in a statement on Friday.
Mr. Venter and his colleagues used the example of Kalimantan, in Indonesian Borneo, to examine whether clearing the land for more oil palm plantations or paying to conserve the forest would offer greater value.
The researchers found that paying to conserve the forest was more valuable than plantations as long as poorer nations could earn between $10 and $33 for each tonne of CO2 saved. Currently a credit representing a tonne of CO2 sells for about $20 in the European Union, which has the world’s largest greenhouse gas trading system.
In addition, the researchers found that peat forest areas, where stored carbon is most abundant and thus cheapest to manage, contained almost twice the mammal species density as other areas of forest.
Buying carbon credits even “at a relatively low price could carry benefits for both climate change and biodiversity in some very important areas,” said Douglas Sheil, a co-author of the study and previously a scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research.
“Now we need to see if these opportunities exist in other regions,” he said.
Indonesia is the world’s largest emitter of land-based greenhouse gases, releasing almost twice the amount as the second greatest source, Brazil, according to the study. Kalimantan hosts 40 globally threatened mammals including the Bornean orangutan and the Borneo pygmy elephant within areas earmarked for plantations, researchers said.
The idea of paying people in the developing world to preserve their forests (known in climate jargon as a global framework to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, or REDD) represents a paradigm shift.
Instead of making money by harvesting forests for wood products and for crops like palm oil, governments and citizens in the developing world would need to accept a different model based on so-called conservation payments, which could be used for education, health care, and alternative economic development.
But opponents of a payment system insist that verifying emissions reductions would be too hard. They also say such a system could rob deprived areas of the world of the chance for economic development.
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Kyoto Protocol – A-Z of Global Warming
Copyright (c) 2008 Simon Rosser
This article is taken from The A-Z of Global Warming deals with the Kyoto Protocol. A major political force which brought global climate change to the fore was born from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, where an agreement called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was agreed. This followed hot on the heals from the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s ( IPCC ) first report on climate change.
The Kyoto Protocol as it became known entered into force on the 16th February 2005 and became the first important step in relation to climate change as governments and countries around the world committed themselves to a binding agreement to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The road to Kyoto was a bumpy one. After agreeing the UNFCCC, governments realised that action had to be taken to set real reduction targets, and so, in 1997, in Kyoto in Japan the parties to the UNFCCC reached agreement on what later became known as The Kyoto Protocol.
For the protocol to enter into force it had to become ratified by at least 55 parties to the convention, and incorporating a list of 35 industrialised nations. These nations together with the EU, accounted for at least 55% of the total of CO2 emissions in 1990.
A stalling point came however when the USA, having signed up to the protocol under President Clinton, withdrew from the protocol when President Bush was elected in early 2000. Luckily, the protocol was thrown a lifeline by Russia, when President Putin ratified the agreement on November 18th 2004.
The protocol’s main aims required industrialised countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gasses by 5% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The gasses covered are the 6 main greenhouse gasses, namely;
- Carbon dioxide (CO2);
- Methane (CH4);
- Nitrous oxide (N2O);
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs);
- Perfluorocarbons (PFCs); and
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
The agreement attempts to do this by providing for various market based mechanisms to assist countries or individual companies meet their respective emission targets. Emissions caps are put on Annex 1 countries, giving each country an emissions quota, or allowable amount of CO2 emissions. So for example the European Union has been given a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% below 1990 levels. This target can be distributed amongst member states.
In general developed Annex 1 countries have to reduce their CO2 emissions, whilst developing non Annex 1 countries have not had to cap their emissions, but instead will participate in CO2 emission reducing projects.
There are three basic methods open to countries to meet their targets;
Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS)
As explained above, these schemes allow for the trading of CO2 emissions for carbon credits. So, if a country or industry exceeds their assigned amount of CO2 emissions, they would be able to purchase credits from a country or industry that has not. Only a small proportion of global emissions are covered by these schemes, and currently the EU has the largest scheme, the EU ETS.
Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM)
This is a way for Annex 1 countries to earn credits by investing and funding climate friendly projects and technologies in developing countries, thus helping control emissions in these countries.
Joint Implementations Projects (JIP)
Basically these are the same as CDM’s, but with Annex 1 countries investing in climate friendly technology in other Annex 1 countries, rather than other developing countries.
Whilst Kyoto is an incredible achievement it is at present the world’s only agreement attempting to limit greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. There are problems due to the fact that the USA has not ratified the Protocol, and neither had Australia, until literally 3rd December 2007, following government change.
Whist the USA refuses to sign up to the protocol other countries such as India and China, whilst ratifying the Protocol do not have obligations at present to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions on the basis that these countries were not responsible for today’s greenhouse gas levels. However, at the rate these countries are developing, they will soon be the World’s major polluters as they build more and more fossil-fuelled electricity plants to satisfy their energy needs. Indeed it is believed that in June 2007 China overtook the USA as the world’s highest CO2 emitters
It is true to say however that instead of the richest countries reducing their emissions by 5% to 1990 levels, they have in fact increased them by some 10%. It is believed that only four countries, UK, France, Germany and Sweden are on track to meet the targets set.
Recently the UK announced the introduction of a Climate Change Bill making it the first country to set legally binding targets to reduce its CO2 emissions. The Bill will receive royal ascent in the autumn of 2008, and it will set targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050.
What will happen after 2012? Well, UN secretary Ban Ki-moon convened a high level event that took place in New York on 24th September 2007, to promote discussions on ways to move the international community toward negotiations on a new global agreement on climate change. This took place at the UN climate change conference which took place in Bali on 3rd December 2008. The purpose of discussions will be to try and get in place a multilateral framework for action on climate change, already refered to as Kyoto 2, for the period after the Kyoto agreement ends in 2012.
Whist the Kyoto Protocol was a big step in the right direction, it seems that much more needs to be done and far greater cuts made to CO2 emissions to ensure global temperatures do not rise over critical levels.
Thinking of Offsetting your Carbon Emissions?
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has published a standard for companies and other organisations wishing to claim carbon neutrality for their operations, services or products.
PAS 2060 (PAS stands for publicly available specification) was developed by the BSI in consultation with a group of carbon offset providers such as the Carbon Neutral Company and firms including Eurostar and Marks & Spencer. It aims to bring greater consistency, transparency and credibility to carbon neutrality claims.
The new standard’s appearance follows publication of government guidance on carbon neutrality last year. The energy and climate department (DECC) said the lack of an agreed approach meant companies were free to interpret carbon neutrality in ways that could confuse or even mislead. Concern centred on how emissions were measured, whether they have been reduced, and if genuine savings resulted from offsetting residual emissions.
PAS 2060 can cover a wide range of claims, from companies that want to become carbon neutral to event organisers that want to make a conference carbon neutral.
The standard provides guidance on how to quantify, reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions. It also sets out how claims should be declared and validated.
The standard requires organisations to make reductions in emissions for the subject of the claim. Simply offsetting emissions is not sufficient. The reductions must be made in either absolute terms (a cut in total emissions) or in terms of intensity (a cut in the ratio of emissions relative to a measure of output). Cuts in carbon intensity must be greater than economic growth for the region in which the organisation making the claim operates.
The BSI says it decided not to require a minimum reduction in emissions, meaning that an organisation could technically cut by 1% and offset the remaining 99%. However, it will review this decision in two years when it revises the standard.
PAS 2060 requires offsets to come from projects that have achieved genuine emissions reductions that would not have otherwise occurred. Projects that qualify include those under Kyoto-compliant schemes such as the Clean Development Mechanism, or voluntary, non-Kyoto-complaint schemes such as the Gold Standard or the Voluntary Carbon Standard.