Sustainability goes mainstream

Sustainability goes mainstream | Intelligent Utility

I attended the Sustainable Opportunities Summit yesterday in Denver, hosted by a local organization, CORE, and its member companies, and the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder.   (CORE once stood for Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy, but now it's embedded in the slogan, "CORE stands for sustainable business.") The topics and speakers and sponsors were too numerous to trot out here, but visit their website to see what it's all about.

Never Mind Oil, Think Atlantic Wind

Never Mind Oil, Group Says: Think Atlantic Wind - NYTimes.com

The Atlantic coast has more energy to give via wind than it does from oil or gas, according to a study sponsored by Oceana, an environmental group.  The group contends that using wind turbines to make electricity instead of drilling rigs to produce hydrocarbons would not only cut the chance of accidents like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the gulf but would also reduce the use of coal on land, the group said.

U.K. Considers Environment Tax to Replace Carbon ‘Burden’

U.K. Considers Environment Tax to Replace Carbon ‘Burden’ - Businessweek

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said today that he may introduce an environmental tax to replace a carbon-reduction program that’s become a “burden” on business.

Proposals for the new tax will be made in the fall should the government not be able to simplify the so-called Carbon Reduction Commitment to reduce its administrative expenses, Osborne told lawmakers in Parliament.

Poll Finds Smaller Majority of Americans Champion Renewables

Slimmer Majority of Americans Champions Renewables, Poll Finds - NYTimes.com

The partisan battle over the cause of the increase in gasoline prices has escalated as the average price of a gallon has crept closer to $4, with Republicans accusing President Obama for investing too much in alternative sources of energy at the expense of conventional fuels and Democrats blaming geopolitics and instability around the Persian Gulf.  Now comes a survey from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press suggesting that more Americans may be moving toward the Republican way of thinking on conventional energy.

Imagining Carbon Emissions in Underground Exile

Imagining Carbon Emissions in Underground Exile - NYTimes.com

In a perfect world, greenhouse gas emissions would be on the decline in the near future, with fossil fuels replaced by clean sources of energy like wind and solar. But current emissions are so daunting that the chances of the planet cleaning up its act in a timely manner are slim.  “It’s such a big number that it’s sort of hard to grasp what it means,” said Ruben Juanes, a geoscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “With emissions as enormous as they are right now, even if we try to deploy alternate energy technologies as quickly as possible, there’s still going to be a huge source of emissions from fossil fuels that we’d better address.”

Ecotricity Takes Down Non-Renewable Energy with a Goofy and Destructive Video

Ecotricity Takes Down Non-Renewable Energy with a Goofy and Destructive Video : TreeHugger

UK based renewable energy developer Ecotricity has used a lot of tactics to drive the world to switch to clean energy. They've partnered with Coke, built awesome urban wind turbines and developed vegan biogas. Its most recent campaign is called "Dump the Big 6," and it comes with a pretty amusing video.

Investment firm questions renewables commitment

Environmental Finance | News | Boutique questions renewables commitment

Senior management at GC Andersen Partners are mulling whether the boutique investment firm should stick to its commitment to dedicate about one third of its resources to the clean technology and alternative energy sector, according to one partner.  In 2006, partners at the New York-based firm made the decision to the sector, said partner Thomas Blum.   “As the years have passed, the opportunities have been less robust than we originally thought" in 2006 when the firm made its decision, he told attendees of the Wall Street Green Summit in New York on Monday "My partners are wondering if we should maintain the level of resources we are committing to clean tech. I tell them yes, we do need to maintain this.”

Companies miss out on tax incentives for sustainability

Environmental Finance | News | Companies miss out on tax incentives for sustainability – E&Y

Companies might fail to minimise the cost of sustainability initiatives if their tax departments are not involved in the efforts, says Ernst & Young.  Only 16% of companies that either have, or are developing, an environmental sustainability strategy said their tax or finance departments are actively involved in it, according to a survey by the consultancy firm.

Solar panel companies hit

Solar panel companies hit after tariff announcement

Shares of Chinese solar panel makers, such as Trina Solar, Yingli Green Energy and Suntech Power, jumped Tuesday while their U.S.-based counterparts, Sunpower and First Solar, fell after the U.S. Commerce Department announced preliminary tariffs on imported Chinese solar panels that are more modest than anticipated.

10 New Energy Finance ’Pioneers’ for 2012

Bloomberg New Energy Finance Picks 10 ’Pioneers’ for 2012 - Bloomberg

Bloomberg New Energy Finance recognized 10 companies for developing innovative solar, biofuel, power-storage and electricity-management systems.  The research company announced its New Energy Pioneers at its fifth annual conference today in New York.  The recipients were selected for both the potential value of their products and services and the companies’ ability to bring them to market, according to a statement. Some are focused on financing rather than energy, such as Clean Power Finance Inc., which operates an online marketplace for investors to fund consumers’ rooftop solar projects, said Nathaniel Bullard, an analyst at New Energy Finance.

Obama’s Energy Blitz

Energy and Environment - Green Blog - NYTimes.com

After taking heat over gasoline prices, President Obama plans to visit a photovoltaic plant in Nevada and oil fields in New Mexico to underline his “all of the above” energy policy. [USA Today].  From automobile and truck traffic to clanking machinery, manmade noise may have negative effects on plants — in part because it causes birds and other animals to change their behavior, according to a new study. [Science Codex]

EU Carbon Plan Could Pay Off for Airlines

Carbon Plan Could Pay Off for Airlines - NYTimes.com

LONDON — Emirates, an airline based in wealthy Dubai, has been among the outspoken opponents of a system making airlines account for their pollution on all flights using E.U. airports.  Yet Emirates could make a modest profit of €1.5 million, or $2 million, from a small surplus of permits, each representing a ton of carbon dioxide, that airlines can trade as part of the system.

Latest Carbon Headline News

News - Point Carbon - Providing critical insights into energy and environmental markets

Point Carbon's OTC price assessments

		Close	+/-
EUA	Dec 2012	7.34	-0.39
sCER	Dec 2012	3.69	-0.13

Markets

21 Mar 2012 12:18

Carbon stabilises after finding support above 7 euros

European carbon held above 7 euros on Wednesday, as buyers stepped in to stop Tuesday’s sell-off fro…

Policy

21 Mar 2012 09:11

NZ mulls more changes to CO2 market: govt source

New Zealand's government is planning to hold this year public consultations to make a second round o…

Policy

20 Mar 2012 17:23

EU divide forces Denmark to delay set-aside debate

Denmark has delayed the first meeting of the three EU institutions on an energy efficiency bill that…

CDM/JI/AAU

20 Mar 2012 14:10

Offset seller myclimate inks $2.5m cookstove CDM deal

Swiss-based carbon offset seller myclimate has signed a $2.5 million deal to buy U.N.-backed carbon…

CDM/JI/AAU

20 Mar 2012 17:11

U.N. irks developers with plans to hold fewer JI meetings

The U.N. panel in charge of Joint Implementation (JI) projects could this week decide to reduce the…

Markets

20 Mar 2012 13:29

SocGen ups year-end carbon price outlook by 10 pct

Societe Generale has lifted its year-end price forecast for European Union carbon permits by 10 perc…

Policy

19 Mar 2012 17:27

UPDATE -India to urge airlines to boycott EU carbon scheme

India will urge its airlines to boycott the European Union's carbon charge scheme, raising the prosp…

Latest news

• 21 Mar 12 12:18  Carbon stabilises after finding support above 7 euros 
• 21 Mar 12 09:11  NZ mulls more changes to CO2 market: govt source 
• 20 Mar 12 17:23  EU divide forces Denmark to delay set-aside debate 
• 20 Mar 12 17:11  U.N. irks developers with plans to hold fewer JI meetings 
• 20 Mar 12 15:00  China eyes carbon capture technology expansion 
• 20 Mar 12 14:10  Offset seller myclimate inks $2.5m cookstove CDM deal 
• 20 Mar 12 13:29  SocGen ups year-end carbon price outlook by 10 pct 
• 20 Mar 12 10:54  EUAs dive 8 percent on set-aside fears 
• 20 Mar 12 09:38  UK's Petrofac, National Grid plan carbon capture plant 
• 19 Mar 12 21:24  Canada lets province keep own stricter carbon rules 
• 19 Mar 12 19:26  Brazil tops regional low-carbon investment index 
• 19 Mar 12 17:50  EUAs stable as coal-fired power profit margins widen 
• 19 Mar 12 17:40  Tauron sees CO2 output rise 2.2 pct in 2011 
• 19 Mar 12 17:27  India to urge airlines to boycott EU carbon scheme 
• 19 Mar 12 16:51  New Mexico regulators kill mandatory carbon caps 
• 19 Mar 12 16:11  Upcoming EU meeting crucial for set-aside: Barcap 
• 19 Mar 12 12:39  EEX to launch ERU futures contract, widen CER offering 
• 16 Mar 12 19:17  CDM host nations seek power to de-register projects 
• 16 Mar 12 19:03  Banks invest $600 mln in Central America renewables 
• 16 Mar 12 18:16  EUAs fall 3 pct, spreads narrow to 2-mth low 
• 16 Mar 12 18:08  Denmark’s CO2 spend stalled despite yawning Kyoto gap 
• 16 Mar 12 17:10  Japan bank inks carbon pacts in Mongolia, Mexico 
• 16 Mar 12 16:21  Weekly CER issuance to hit 4.1 mln next week 
• 16 Mar 12 16:02  RGGI auction clears at $1.93/t 
• 16 Mar 12 09:34  Europe's chief scientist warns against climate delays 

All news

EU defies carbon trade war threats

EU defies carbon trade war threats - CNN.com

(Financial Times) -- The threat of a trade war will not make the European Union back down on climate legislation, Connie Hedegaard, the bloc's climate chief, said on Tuesday following pressure from foreign governments who want the EU to drop plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions.