Climate negotiators urged to meet monthly to reach binding deal
Climate negotiators urged to meet monthly to reach binding deal
Developing nations say countries must meet once a month to make enough progress for a binding deal to be reached at Mexico summit
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 April 2010 15.38 BST
- Article history
Developing nations say countries must meet once a month for a binding deal to be reached at Mexico. Photograph: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
Developing countries today called for climate talks to be stepped up in order to each a global deal at a crucial meeting in Mexico in November – even if it means negotiators getting together once a month.
Climate sceptics are on big-oil payroll
Footprints 51 – Climate sceptics are on big-oil payroll
A Greenpeace investigation has identified a little-known, privately owned US oil company as the paymaster of global warming sceptics in the US and Europe.
From The Guardian www.greenpeace.org/international/news/dirty-money-climate-30032010.
Dear Friends
The environmental campaign group accuses Kansas-based Koch Industries, which owns refineries and operates oil pipelines, of funding 35 conservative and libertarian groups, as well as more than 20 congressmen and senators. Between them, Greenpeace says, these groups and individuals have spread misinformation about climate science and led a sustained assault on climate scientists and green alternatives to fossil fuels.
Greenpeace says that Koch Industries donated nearly $48m (£31.8m) to climate opposition groups between 1997-2008. From 2005-2008, it donated $25m to groups opposed to climate change, nearly three times as much as higher-profile funders that time such as oil company ExxonMobil. Koch also spent $5.7m on political campaigns and $37m on direct lobbying to support fossil fuels.
Minister unaware of emissions target axing
NB There seems to be a lack of communication within the NSW state govt. Could be based on the “Yes Minister” series of the “NEED TO KNOW” Neville Gillmore. Minister unaware of emissions target axing ABC March 26, 2010, 9:35 The New South Wales Environment Minister has been caught by surprise by Continue Reading →
Ships told to go slow to cut carbon emissions
Ships told to go slow to cut carbon emissions
Ecologist
25th March, 2010
‘Slow-steaming’ could reduce shipping emissions by 30 per cent, says a report submitted to the UN, but toxic lubricants remain a serious problem
The shipping industry is being told to reduce vessel speeds to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The current oversupply of ships allows for captains to sail slower and reduce emissions by a third, according to a report presented to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) yesterday.
So far, research into lowering the environmental impact of shipping has focused on developing more fuel-efficient vessels, but environmentalists argue that simply going slower could reduce emissions by more than 30 per cent.
The shipping industry accounts for more than three per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its share is expected to rise over the coming decades.
Critics of ‘slow-steaming’ had argued that more ships would be needed to transport the same amount of cargo if speed restrictions were adopted.
But given that an estimated 12 per cent of container ships are currently lying idle, the report says shipping companies would not need to increase fleet sizes in order to go slower.
Golden opportunity
‘In short, this study shows that the current overcapacity in the fleet presents the global shipping industry with a golden opportunity to make substantial reductions in GHG emissions in the short term,’ said John Maggs, Policy Advisor with Seas At Risk.
‘This is particularly important given the urgent need to peak emissions in the next few years if global warming is to be kept well below 2 degrees and catastrophic consequences avoided,’ he added.
Some shipping companies have already adopted slow-steaming to lower operating costs and absorb surplus capacity. Phillip Damas of Drewry Shipping Consultants said that more than half of the container ships on the east/west trade routes now operate with slow-steaming, compared to zero in early 2008.
Unpopular measure
But whilst some importers can tolerate the extra two or three days transit time, forcing companies to slow-steam would be unpopular in the shipping industry, said Damas.
‘Importers of time-sensitive products, like fashion textiles, need speed of delivery,’ he said.
‘If slow-steaming is universally applied by all providers and forced on time-sensitive importers then the practice would actually result in additional costs and the loss of ‘supply chain agility,’ he added.
Lubricant pollution
In another session at the Marine Environment Protection Committee today, Friends of the Earth (FOE) and WWF called on the IMO to address the issue of ship lubricant pollution.
They estimate that 244,000 tonnes of toxic oil based lubricants are released into the sea each year.
‘Lubricant leakage doesn’t attract the attention of oil spillages, but the quantities are likely to be higher,’ said Simon Walmsley of WWF.
‘It’s the equivalent to approximately one and a half times the amount of oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez disaster every year,’ he added.
Useful links
Full IMO report ‘Seas at Risk‘
Air pollution death toll could hit 50,000 a year, say MPs
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Atlantic Rising: How sea level rises are poisoning water in Ghana
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