UK import emissions are the highest in Europe , figures show.
UK import emissions are the highest in Europe, figures show
Study finds 253m tonnes of CO2 are released annually in the manufacture of products bound for UK shores – mostly in the developing countries
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 8 March 2010 20.00 GMT
- Article history
The majority of the UK’s import emissions are released in rapidly industrialising parts of the developing world such as China. Photograph: Stringer Shanghai/Reuters
Britain’s demand for imported goods is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions abroad than any other European country, according to a new study published today.
The report shows that 253m tonnes of carbon dioxide are released overseas each year in the manufacture of products bound for UK shores, the equivalent of 4.3 tonnes per person. The average Briton’s carbon footprint is 9.7 tonnes, not including emissions from goods.
Only the US and Japan have higher emissions linked to their imports, at 699m tonnes and 284m tonnes of carbon dioxide per year respectively, the study found.
Rudd’s on the nose
Rudd’s on the nose
Despite yesterday’s Newspoll showing that Kevin Rudd had yet to meet his “whacking day”, with all the recent talk about Kevin Rudd’s mea culpa and donning of the hair-shirt, there seems to be a definite shift against the Prime Minister in an election year.
Has the tide turned against Rudd?
Alcoa deal locks in jobs- and emissions
Alcoa deal locks in jobs – and emissions ROYCE MILLAR, BEN SCHNEIDERS AND ADAM MORTON March 2, 2010 THE biggest consumer of Victoria’s brown-coal-fired electricity is to continue operating for decades after the surprise announcement of a long-term power deal for Alcoa’s controversial aluminium smelters. Unions were celebrating and environmentalists reeling last night with the Continue Reading →
Cars pollute even when engines are switched off
Cars pollute even when engines are switched off
ANTONY LAWES
February 28, 2010
LEAVING the car at home and catching a train to work may not be as good for the environment as you think.
Vehicles sitting in the sun for days at a time can spew out damaging hydrocarbons – one of the main ingredients in smog, a federal government study has found.
Hydrocarbons are in the vapour that escapes from petrol tanks on a warm day. Most newer cars have canisters that trap them before they are released but if cars are left sitting for longer than 24 hours the canisters can fill up and stop working until the vehicle is driven, the Second National In-Service Emissions Study found.
Evidence of first step towards reductions
Evidence of first step towards reductions
BEN CUBBY
February 27, 2010
AUSTRALIA’S greenhouse gas emissions may be reaching a plateau, even though demand for electricity is rising inexorably, new data suggests.
A slight trend towards burning gas instead of coal in power stations means that carbon emissions are beginning to be ”decoupled” from power generation and economic growth, a report by energy consultants pitt&sherry found.
It is a crucial first step if national emissions are going to be reduced by between 5 and 25 per cent by the year 2020.
The news came as the federal government released its first report measuring the individual emissions of the nation’s biggest companies.
UN to commission independent scientifc inquiry into IPCC
UN to commission independent scientific inquiry into IPCC
UN climate body to appoint scientists to review climate change panel as UK climate change secretary writes to Rajendra Pachauri to express concern over ‘damaging mistakes’
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 26 February 2010 12.21 GMT
- Article history
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in January that earlier predictions of glacial melting through climate change were wrong. Photograph: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
The UN is to commission an independent group of top scientists to review its climate change panel, which has been under fire since it admitted a mistake over melting Himalayan glaciers.
The experts will look at the way the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) operates and will recommend where they think changes are needed. The panel will be part of a broader review of the IPCC, full details of which will be announced by the UN next week.