Calif. to raise $1B from cap and trade

Cap and Trade | KQED's Climate Watch

There might be more money in the first year of California’s cap-and-trade program than expected. Governor Brown’s 2012-2013 budget includes $1 billion in revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade program, ramping up this year as part of California’s 2006 climate legislation, known as AB 32. That might seem surprising since 90% of initial permits to emit greenhouse gases will be given away to industry.

Plastic Trees Could Cut Carbon Dioxide

How Plastic Trees Could Help Pull Carbon Dioxide Out of the Air | KQED's Climate Watch

A cheap plastic that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere? “Yes,” says a team of chemists at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, led by Nobel Prize winner George Olah. Science Now reports on their work with an inexpensive polymer called polyethylenimine or PEI.

$1 Billion For California From Cap and Trade

California Expects $1 Billion From Carbon Trading | KQED's Climate Watch

There might be more money in the first year of California’s cap-and-trade program than expected. Governor Brown’s 2012-2013 budget includes $1 billion in revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade program, ramping up this year as part of California’s 2006 climate legislation, known as AB 32.

New Zealand carbon price bounces

New Zealand spot carbon price pushes off lows | Reuters

Save it for someone who cares. I heard from you speaking clearly to your friends who you had no reason to put on your act for exactly how you feel about me. Right from your heart and soul. It couldn't have been any clearer. I'm going to drive him crazy, Ali is the one who makes me wet, I met my soulmate this morning, get rid of him . . . and more. I don't want to know what you were doing at 3:48 this morning or with who. I don't want to know anything about you. Enjoy your worldwide Facebook sexting and Skype sex shows. Invite them all from around the world to your bed like you did Ali or go to theirs like you did Chacho. You made it crystal clear. You moved on. I won't allow you or me to deceive me any longer. Game over.

Will businesses build on Durban Summit success?

UN chief calls on businesses to build on Durban Summit success - 19 Jan 2012 - News from BusinessGreen

The UN's climate chief today called on the private sector to step up their efforts to support the "unprecedented, ambitious climate strategy" agreed by international negotiators at the Durban Summit last month.

Hydrofracking - Can You Stand In The Way Of Progress?

The Human Story of Hydrofracking

“To me, the smoke coming out of those stacks is the most beautiful sight in the world. It means there is progress being made somewhere. Somewhere, some place, someone is making progress. If there is no smoke coming out, we look at it as trouble.” Joe Bulich, third generation farmer in New York’s Hudson Valley, recounted the words his father Frank Bulich said in response to a question from a National Geographic reporter regarding the cement plants that could be seen on the river.

Thou Shalt Not Frack!

Where Would Jesus Frack?

A Christian minister’s zeal in Pennsylvania to save Mother Earth from the indignities of hydraulic fracturing has caused her to go a bit too far. Claiming that Jesus would oppose all fracking, the Rev. Leah Schade told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “God put human beings into the Garden to till it and keep it, not drill and poison it.”

Is Stacking Double-Dipping?

Ecosystem Marketplace - Survey Finds High Expectations for Stacking and Bundling

19 January 2012 | Some call it “stacking”, and others call it “bundling”. Still others call it “layering”. Whatever the term, it refers to a restoration or protection project selling credits in multiple environmental markets that are generated from a single piece of land. For example, a mitigation banker might market both wetland credits and habitat credits arising from the same acre. Advocates of stacking say it generates much-needed revenue for restoration, but others have argued that marketing the same project in more than one ecosystem service market is ‘double-dipping’.

Top 2011 REDD News

Ecosystem Marketplace - 2011: The Year in Forest Carbon

It was a red banner year in forest carbon, with our research showing a new record high in 2010 and climate talks in Durban yielding agreement on the need to support REDD. Here is a look at some of our top forest carbon stories – and a chance for you to vote on your favorite forest carbon stories from all sources.

What's in store the REDD market in 2012?

Ecosystem Marketplace - This Week in Forest Carbon: Ushering in a New Year

17 January 2012 | As 2012 ushers in a new chapter for the forest carbon market, the Forest Carbon news brief is taking a look back at last year’s top stories – ranked by you, our loyal readers, who shared your take on 2011 and what you think 2012 has in store for forest carbon. Last year, the ascendant REDD+ commanded the attention of project developers, buyers, and policy makers – and our readers. Ecosystem Marketplace’s State of the Forest Carbon Markets 2011 found that REDD+ supplied 67% of the volume of tonnes contracted in the primary market in 2010, revealing the expanding role of forest carbon credits in the voluntary market.

Should the Bank of England monitor carbon risk?

Environmental Finance | News | Bank of England should monitor carbon risk

The Bank of England should investigate how exposure to high-carbon industries puts the UK’s financial stability and long-term growth at risk, says a coalition of investors, academics and environmental groups. In a letter to Mervyn King, chairman of the Financial Policy Committee – created last year to protect the UK’s financial system from systemic risks – the group warns that the country’s “collective financial exposure to high carbon, extractive and environmentally unsustainable investments could become a major problem as we transition to a low-carbon economy”.

Biodiesel IPO misses price target

Environmental Finance | News | Renewable Energy Group IPO misses target

Renewable Energy Group, the largest producer of biodiesel in the US, has raised $72 million in its initial public offering (IPO), only about two thirds of its target. The 7.2 million shares were priced at $10.00 each, below the $13-15 bankers for the company, based in Ames, Iowa, initially proposed. It will start trading on the Nasdaq Global Market today.