Mexico, the world’s 15th biggest greenhouse gas emitter – and ravaged by its worst drought in 80 years – is close to passing legislation to create a domestic greenhouse gas emissions trading system able to cap and cut carbon emissions. After easy passage in the upper house of congress in December with an overwhelming majority, the General Law on Climate Change will now be debated by its 500-member Chamber of Deputies, according to Point Carbon. Mexico is bordering California, whose own carbon market is set to begin later in 2012. It is expected that the bill will enable international transactions with carbon markets with which Mexico has established bilateral agreements, such as the United States Its climate bill would centralize all matters related to addressing ... Continue reading →
In a move that almost seems calculated to enrage the Right with its Fox and Rush-driven rage against the Volt, Chevy has announced it will voluntarily buy “8 million tonnes” worth of carbon offsets for $40 million to help it meet “voluntary emission reduction goals” within five years. Even the spelling in the announcement is sissified. These are not even American tons! (Actually – I quoted European “tonnes” because the news came from the Norwegian-based Point Carbon, that covers carbon trading news from the European Commission’s European Trading Scheme (ETS), its cap & trade program.) So, the money will just go to fatten Al Gore / big gummint wallets, right? No, actually, the money generated by the sale of the carbon credits will go directly ... Continue reading →
Carbon Capture Takes Center Stage In 2012by Susan Kraemer, February 2nd, 2012For two reasons, 2012 will be a milestone for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, marking the beginning of its practical utilization.In December, the next step of the ongoing international climate change talks will be hosted by Qatar, which, with Saudi Arabia, has long pushed to have CCS included among approved technologies for carbon reduction under the European Union cap and trade scheme. (CCS can be used to make electricity cleaner, not only from coal, but also from heavy petroleum residues.) At last year’s talks, they finally succeeded, with more details to be hammered out in December.image via ShutterstockAnd secondly: the very first U.S. power purchase contract was just signed for coal power with ... Continue reading →
In a move that almost seems calculated to enrage the Right with its Fox and Rush-driven rage against the Volt, Chevy has announced it will voluntarily buy “8 million tonnes” worth of carbon offsets for $40 million to help it meet “voluntary emission reduction goals” within five years. Even the spelling in the announcement is sissified. These are not even American tons! (Actually – I quoted European “tonnes” because the news came from the Norwegian-based Point Carbon, that covers carbon trading news from the European Commission’s European Trading Scheme (ETS), its cap & trade program.) So, the money will just go to fatten Al Gore / big gummint wallets, right? No, actually, the money generated by the sale of the carbon credits will go directly ... Continue reading →
Frank Wouters of Masdar Power at Abu Dhabi’s World Future Energy Summit. With its first large scale solar farm expected to be operational by August, Masdar is now about to construct its second utility-scale solar project in the UAE, the 100 MW Nour 1. The first, Shams 1, used concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) technology, that drives a steam turbine with a solar-heated liquid. The second, Nour 1, is to use solar PV panels, that convert sunlight into electricity directly with photo-voltaics (PV). But the companies that have bid to help build its second large-scale solar power plant must source half of their panels from Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s own clean-energy company.China’s Suntech, the leading solar PV manufacturer globally, is among the half a dozen bidders for ... Continue reading →
Are We On Track To Stop Climate Change?by Susan Kraemer, January 24th, 2012Not every problem can be solved by throwing more money at it, but climate change is one of them. Simply investing enough money in clean energy – fast enough – will in fact stave off the worst of climate change, because reducing carbon dioxide emissions is really as simple as building enough wind farms and solar farms and other non-polluting sources for our energy.If we had rallied earlier and invested more in making the switch to the low carbon economy, we could have headed it off for less. But, even at this late stage, we can still make the difference between an uninhabitable planet for our descendants, and one that is merely much ... Continue reading →
2 Comments » This Jungle Treehouse Apes Trees This amazing open-air bedroom could only be in the tropics. Full length windows slide all the way back to make sleeping completely open to the air. The contemporary treehouse in Nigeria is audacious in its embrace of completely open air architecture throughout, with a roof that hovers above the structure itself. So, what does hold the roof up? The amusing idea of the house is that the roof canopy is supported by the “tree trunks” like the top of a tree — and is entirely unsupported by walls. In fact, some the interior spaces do have glass clerestory windows, but their generous proportions, and the fact that they continue around the entire house, gives the impression that ... Continue reading →
