Imports, exports and emissions
February 25, 2009
Posted in Green News
China may have overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest carbon emitter, but a significant amount of its emissions are a result of producing goods for consumers in western countries.
China’s carbon dioxide emissions increased by 45 percent from 2002 to 2005, but half was due to the production of exports, 60 percent of which went to western countries, according to a new report, “Journey to world top emitter”, to be published in Geophysical Research Letters.
Electronic products, metals, chemicals, and machinery were the export products contributing largely to the increase.
Only 7 percent of the emissions increase was triggered by household consumption in China, researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo (CICERO), Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Leeds found.
Rich countries are contributing to the emission increases in developing nations, but this is not accounted for in international negotiations, CICERO says in a statement.
International climate agreements do not account for how emissions cross national borders because of imports and exports. In the Kyoto Protocol, every country is responsible for emissions on its own territory, it adds.
“It is important to take at least some responsibility for problems that we cause indirectly in other countries,” says Glen Peters, a researcher at CICERO.
“We do not need to completely redesign Kyoto, but we could include incremental changes that address carbon leakage [the process where a country reduces emissions on its own territory but increases imports] and competitiveness concerns.
“Climate policy could be designed in similar ways to existing tax policy. For example, we could design carbon taxes in a similar way to value-added taxation which covers imported products. In that way the consumer would pay for the emissions caused by his or her consumption,” says Peters.
Source: CICERO
Stern’s warning: Act now or consequences could be disastrous
February 23, 2009
Posted in Green News
What do you do if bad weather leaves you stranded in a Cape Town hotel? You discuss climate change, obviously. Well that seems to be what Sir Nicholas Stern, the former World Bank economist and author of the British government’s oft-cited Stern Review – on the economics of climate change – and a select group of environment ministers, climate negotiators and experts from 16 countries did this weekend while they waited for their flight to Antarctica to get the go-ahead.
According to AP, Stern told the party that if the world doesn’t deal with climate change decisively we could be looking at an “extended world war”.
He said that if global average temperature rise is to be contained to 2 degrees Celsius this century country’s needed to act responsibly and … to quote the AP report …
… achieve “zero-carbon” electricity production and zero-carbon road transport by 2050 – by replacing coal power plants with wind, solar or other energy sources that emit no carbon dioxide, and fossil fuel-burning vehicles with cars running on electric or other “clean” energy.
But if emissions reductions are not made soon and deep, the severe climate shifts and sea-level rises projected by scientists would be “disastrous.”
It would “transform where people can live,” Stern said. “People would move on a massive scale. Hundreds of millions, probably billions of people would have to move if you talk about 4-, 5-, 6-degree increases”. And that would mean extended global conflict, “because there’s no way the world can handle that kind of population move in the time period in which it would take place.”
Stern and the group were reportedly scheduled to fly to Antarctica to learn what melting polar ice might do to the world’s sea-levels. Read full report here
[Via Huffington Post]
Green revolution needed to feed the world, says UN
February 19, 2009
Posted in Food
Changing the ways in which food is produced, handled and disposed of across the globe – from farm to store and from fridge to landfill – can both feed the world’s rising population and help the environment, a new United Nations Environment Programme study has found.
More than half of the food produced today is either lost, wasted or discarded as a result of inefficiency in the human-managed food chain, says the report entitled “The Environmental Food crises: Environment’s role in averting future food crises”. The report was released this week at a UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum meeting in Nairobi.
“There is evidence within the report that the world could feed the entire projected population growth alone by becoming more efficient while also ensuring the survival of wild animals, birds and fish on this planet,” says Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary-general and UNEP executive director.
The UNEP report lists some sobering stats about food:
- Food losses and waste in the United States are estimated to be as high as 50 percent. Up to a quarter of all fresh fruits and vegetables in the US is lost between the field and the table.
- In Australia food waste makes up about half of landfill.
- Almost a third of all food purchased in the United Kingdom every year is not eaten.
- In Africa, the total amount of fish lost through discards, post-harvest loss and spoilage may be around 30 percent of landings.
- In developing countries, food losses in the field between planting and harvesting could be as high as 40 percent of the potential harvest because of pests and pathogens.
- A third of the world’s cereals are being used as animal feed and this will rise to 50 per cent by 2050.
- An estimated 30 million tonnes of fish are discarded at sea annually.
The report shows that many of the factors blamed for the current food crisis – drought, biofuels, high oil prices, low grain stocks and especially speculation in food stocks may worsen substantially in the coming decades.
Add to that climate change and the fact that the world’s population is expected to grow to over 9-billion people by 2050, from about 6.7-billion at present, and trouble lies ahead.
“We need a Green revolution in a Green Economy but one with a capital G”, says Steiner.
“We need to deal with not only the way the world produces food but the way it is distributed, sold and consumed, and we need a revolution that can boost yields by working with rather than against nature.”
Simply ratcheting up the fertiliser and pesticide-led production methods of the 20th century is not the answer, says Steiner.
“It will increasingly undermine the critical natural inputs and nature-based services for agriculture such as healthy and productive soils, the water and nutrient recycling of forests, and pollinators such as bees and bats.”
The report says that increased use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, increased water use and cutting down of forests will result in massive decline in biodiversity. Already, nearly 80 percent of all endangered species are threatened because of agricultural expansion, and Europe has lost more than 50 percent of its farmland birds during the past 25 years of intensification of European farmlands.
Organic agriculture is highlighted as holding promise. A 2008 UN study of small-scale African farms found that organic practices outperformed traditional methods and chemical-intensive conventional farming and also found strong environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought, says the report.
Organic agriculture is predicted to continue to grow, despite the economic crisis, says UNEP. Sales of certified organic produce could reach close to $70 billion in 2012, up from $23 billion in 2002.
Some of the findings in the report are:
- Food prices may increase by 30-50 percent within decades.
- Continuing to feed cereals to growing numbers of livestock will aggravate poverty and environmental degradation.
- The removal of agricultural subsidies and the promotion of second generation biofuels based on wastes rather than on primary crops could reduce pressure on fertile lands and critical ecosystems such as forests.
- The amount of fish currently discarded at sea could sustain a 50 percent increase in fish farming and aquaculture production, which is needed to maintain per capita fish consumption at current levels by 2050 without increasing pressure on an already stressed marine environment.
- Up to 25 percent of the world’s food production may become lost due to ‘environmental breakdowns’ by 2050 unless action is taken.
- Water scarcity may reduce crop yields by up to 12 percent and climate change may accelerate insects, diseases and weeds, reducing yields by another 2-6 percent worldwide.
- Continuing land degradation, particularly in Africa, may reduce yields by another 1-8 percent.
- Croplands may be swallowed up by urban sprawl, biofuels, cotton and land degradation by 8-20 percent by 2050.
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, population growth is projected to increase from the current 770-million to over 1.7-billion in less than 40 years, and climate change, land degradation, water scarcity and conflicts mean that unless a major economic, agricultural and investment boom takes place, the situation may become very serious indeed.
“The Environmental Food Crises” report offers seven major recommendations:
- To decrease the risk of highly volatile food prices, price regulation should be created to buffer the tight markets of food commodities and the subsequent risks of speculation in markets.
- Encourage the removal of subsidies for first-generation (food crop-based) biofuels and promote environmentally sustainable higher-generation biofuels (based on waste) that do not compete for cropland and water resources, but also do not compete with animal feed.
- Reallocate cereals and food fish used in animal feed and develop alternatives to use in animal feed by developing alternative feeds based on new technology, waste and discards.
- Support farmers in developing diversifed and resilient eco-agriculture systems.
- Increase trade and market access by improving infrastructure, reducing trade barriers, enhancing government subsidies and safety nets, and reducing armed conflict and corruption
- Limit global warming
- Raise awareness of the pressures of increasing population growth and consumption patterns on ecosystems
Source: UNEP
Image: by JBloom, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Africa not so remote thanks to solar power
February 18, 2009
Posted in Renewable energy
Ericsson and Orange Guinea Conakry are deploying more than 100 base stations fully powered by solar energy. This will allow remote parts of rural Africa without an established power grid to have access to mobile communications.
Alassane Diene, CEO of Orange Guinea Conakry, says: “We are reducing our energy bill. These base stations are also easier to install and require less maintenance than the traditional site. They also offer greater reliability and therefore considerably improved quality of service.”
Jan Embro, President of Ericsson for sub-Saharan Africa, says: “It is extremely exciting to be able to run sites on alternative energy sources. Limiting dependency on fossil fuels brings many advantages, but the greatest is the ability to offer sustainable connectivity to low-income users in remote areas across Africa.”
This rollout program supports the sustainability initiatives of both Ericsson and Orange, focusing on reducing the carbon footprint while making communication more affordable and accessible.
Orange Group says it intends to have more than 1,000 wholly solar-powered base stations in its African operations by the end of 2009.
Photograph: Ericsson
Africa e-waste pilot project shows promise
February 18, 2009
Posted in Business
The first results of a pilot project to tackle the problem of electronic waste (e-waste) in Africa were released this week.
This initiative was carried out in South Africa, Morocco and Kenya and has produced information on how African governments, organisations and society are dealing with the rising problem of e-waste management, as well as test solutions on the way forward.
The project – a joint initiative of IT company HP, the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) – aims to assess and improve the management of e-waste in Africa so as to generate jobs in the informal recycling sector.
The main focus of the pilot project, an e-waste recycling facility in the Cape Town suburb of Maitland, processed about 60 tonnes of electronic equipment, generated an income of around $14,000 (R140,000) from February to November 2008 and created direct employment for 19 people, the project partners said in a press release.
The facility concentrates on low-tech and labour-intensive material dismantling and recovery. Its aim is to refurbish, repair and reuse IT equipment, with environmentally responsible dismantling and recycling only as a last resort. Some non-toxic e-waste is turned into art (see pictures here).
“Our research has … demonstrated some of the incredible entrepreneurial skills we can tap into in the informal sector in Africa,” said project manager and Empa researcher Mathias Schluep.
“By providing tools and training we have removed potential environmental and health problems that can be caused by handling e-waste incorrectly. What’s more, we have created a channel to full employment for creative minds in the informal sector.”
Cisse Kane from the DSF said: “Information technology represents a real opportunity to boost the African economy, but the question of what we do with old equipment once it no longer works is an important one. This project has helped us move some way to closing the loop by providing a model for safe and efficient treatment and disposal of e-waste.”
Assessment studies were carried out in Morocco and Kenya. These “provided a clear picture of the e-waste management landscape in those countries, particularly on the legislation in place, local awareness and behaviour, infrastructural needs and total amount of waste generated”, said the statement.
Kenya, for example, is producing 3,000 tonnes of e-waste per year, with an increase of 200 percent per year, but there is a clear lack of legislative framework and practical e-waste management systems, the study found.
The information and experience gathered in this project, which also included contributions from local organisations and NGOs, will support the launch of the second phase of the project, which aims at engaging corporate and government partners to extend e-waste management programmes to other countries and tackle the problem of e-waste in the entire continent.
“HP has a responsibility that starts with the design of a product and goes right through to its disposal and we take that responsibility very seriously,” commented Klaus Hieronymi, director, environmental business management, HP EMEA. “We see these projects in Africa as both providing employment opportunities for local communities and as a step towards a sustainable solution for tackling electronic waste in Africa.”
Space-age cars may soon hit the road
February 17, 2009
Posted in Transport
California start-up Aptera’s unusual, three-wheeled electric and hybrid-electric cars will be humming along California’s roads from October this year if all goes according to plan. The company apparently has 4,000 customer orders already for its head-turning two-seaters.
We’re unlikely to see one in this part of the world any time soon, but they look so futuristic it will be interesting to see how they fare when they become available to the public. The car has been aerodynamically designed to be fuel efficient and is said to do about 42km to the litre. The all electric version will drive for about 160km on one charge, say reports. They are expected to sell for between $20,000 and $45,000.
So what do you get for your money ? Well, among the attributes listed on Aptera’s website are the following: the cab is climate controlled, with a bit of help from a solar-cell covered roof; there’s a “cavernous” rear cargo compartment, and the passenger seat can be folded back so you can even fit your surfboard in the car; the seats are covered in fabric made from recycled plastic bottles; oh, and there are two “carefully placed” cupholders.
Read more at Wired Autopia, Road and Track
Wind turbines power Antarctic base
February 17, 2009
Posted in featured, Renewable energy
Princess Elisabeth research base © International Polar Foundation
The first Antarctic base to operate entirely on renewable energies officially opened on Sunday. Instead of diesel generators, Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth research station in East Antarctica, has 6kW wind turbines designed to work in extreme environments.
Most Antarctic research stations rely on diesel generators because no wind turbines were thought to be robust enough to endure the most severe weather conditions on Earth, says Proven Energy, the Scottish small wind turbine manufacturer that supplied the turbines for the base.
“They will be operating in average winds of 53 mph [85 kph] and winter gusts of over 200mph [320 kph], while still providing 230V electricity for the stations heating, computers, lights and scientific instruments,” says Proven Energy. “The electricity generated is expected to be the highest output of any small wind power system in the world.”
In addition to the turbines, both solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) will be used on the building itself. The water supply for the station will use solar thermal panels to melt the snow thereby limiting the use of electrical energy to pump water.
The research station combines eco-friendly construction materials, clean and efficient energy use, optimisation of the station’s energy consumption and the best waste management techniques with the aim of reducing its ecological footprint on the pristine Antarctic environment, says the International Polar Foundation, which was commissioned by the Belgian government to design and build it.
The station provides state-of-the-art facilities for 16 scientists to do climate change research.
[Via: Engineering News]
Budget: Coal still gets more support than clean
February 16, 2009
Posted in Business, Renewable energy
Environmental organisation WWF South Africa has welcomed the taxes targeting “unsustainable spending” in this year’s Budget, but says that the government needs to help to reduce the cost of sustainable alternatives by providing renewable energy with the same finance support it gives to fossil fuel.
The group describes as “very positive moves” the carbon tax on new vehicles, which means that people who buy the most fuel-efficienct vehicles will pay less tax; the increase in the fuel levy; the levy on inefficient incandescent light-bulbs; the tax breaks for investments in energy efficiency; and the clarity on tax exemption for carbon credits, which encourages the generation of carbon credit and greenhouse gas savings, but not speculation in carbon credit.
But the government has agreed to guarantee R176-billion worth of debt for the national power utility, Eskom, in order to reduce the cost of finance for its R343-billion investment, most of which will go towards financing massive new coal power stations.
Peet du Plooy, WWF’s Trade and Investment Advisor in South Africa, says: “It would not be reasonable in a country that pursues climate leadership, to exclude the renewable energy sector from the same much-needed finance support that government is extending, via Eskom, to investment in fossil fuel infrastructure.”
“WWF does not support the planning basis for the present Eskom expansion, or the selection of conventional coal technology as a result of such planning. However, if this public investment were accepted as a ship that’s already sailed, there is still a case to be made that the same provisions should also be available to guarantee the finance of clean, renewable energy,” says Du Plooy.
Motor vehicle manufacturing, airlines and mining, “some of the most environmentally risky industries”, have also received support worth billions of rands in this year’s Budget, the WWF points out in a statement.
Photo by Arnold Paul, licensed under Creative Commons Atr
The organisation also says that the R6.4 billion that will be made available for public transport, roads and rail infrastructure would be made more sustainable if the money were “channelled more towards public transport and rail infrastructure rather than roads”.
Du Plooy also said that: “A tax on emissions-intensive industries like private cars or fossil-fuelled electricity, should be balanced with incentives for job-intensive, low-emissions alternatives like public transport and renewable energy.”
Source: WWF
Photo by Arnold Paul licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5
Energy: Feed-in tariffs and electric VWs
February 13, 2009
Posted in Renewable energy
- The National Energy Regulator (Nersa) is due to introduce the renewable energy feed-in tariffs for South Africa by the end of this month. These will determine how much local producers of renewable energy will be paid per kilowatt hour for their electricity and help them to decide whether it is worth investing in the industry. But at a meeting last week many prospective investors reportedly told Nersa that its tariffs proposals, which were released for comment last year, were too low to attract investment and that having Eskom, the national electricity utility, as the proposed sole purchasing agency of renewable electricity was problematic. Nersa said it was on track to meet its deadline. Read the full report on Business Day.
- Volkswagen is joining forces with Toshiba to develop electric cars. Volkswagen says the two companies plan to develop battery systems for the next generation of electric vehicles. [Reuters via Planet Ark]
Climate change: snow, fish, flights and food crops
February 13, 2009
Posted in Green News
A garden in London in early February
If you’re wondering how there can possibly be “gobal warming” when you see images on the news of snow storms in Britain and we’ve hardly seen the sun in Jo’burg for what seems like weeks, well, it’s probably La Niña’s fault, say the experts. But read this article on Scientific American for an explantation of what global warming means.
FISH ON THE MOVE
Warming seas at the tropics will cause fish stocks to move towards the poles in the next 50 years, a study of more than 1,000 fish species projects. The fish are likely to swim an average of about 200km either north or south to escape warmer water, the study says. Countries in the tropics are likely to suffer the most from reduced catches, William Cheung, the lead author of the study, from the University of British Columbia and the University of East Anglia, was reported as saying. But, he said, it would be more a “reshuffling” of the fish catches in the world’s oceans, the total fish catches would be little changed. Species at high risk of extinction would be those that thrive in cold waters that would have no where to go. [Reuters via Planet Ark]
AIRLINES JOIN CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS
Four airlines – Air France/KLM, Cathay Pacific, BA and Virgin Atlantic – have called for airline pollution to be included in the broader climate change treaty that is being negotiated to replace the Kyoto Protocol, Reuters reports. This is the first time airlines have moved to join the debate and it is a bid to try and steer the debate on an emissions deal rather than having one imposed on them, the report says. The aviation industry contributes about 2 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. [Reuters via Planet Ark]
HUNGER HOTSPOTS IN AFRICA
A study on the impact of climate change on crop yield and undernutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa has identified regional hotspots where early intervention may avert future hunger and improve food security. The study indicates that while some regions may be able to withstand the most severe impacts of climate change – and South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, may experience increased crop yields – most sub-Saharan countries will continue to experience a decline in per capita food availability. It is critically important that adaptation strategies be developed and implemented soon, particularly in the area of improved crop selection, extending crop area and increasing yield through improved water and fertiliser management, the study says. It suggests that countries such as Congo, Gabon, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique and Sudan may suffer from lower crop yields. But the most important conclusion from this study, says Dr Steffen Fritz of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, is that “although overall crop yields may not decline, due to the projected increase in population and stagnating purchasing power, hunger will remain or even worsen if no drastic adaptation measures are taken”. The research was published in the recent Special Issue of Global and Planetary Change. [Via :: Polity]
