Sustainable Energy News: 04/25/12

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Study Finds Heath Care Sustainability Has Tangible Financial and Job Growth Benefits

Study Finds Heath Care Sustainability Has Tangible Financial and Job Growth Benefits - MarketWatch

WASHINGTON, DC, Apr 25, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Embracing sustainability has tangible financial rewards and creates jobs, according to a new report by the Health Care Research Collaborative. The report, "Creating a Culture of Sustainability: Leadership, Coordination and Performance Measurement Systems in Healthcare," was conducted by the Health Care Research Collaborative, a collaboration of Health Care Without Harm and the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, and sponsored by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. Report author Tonya Boone, PhD, found three elements that are key to a successful program: 1) there must be an executive champion or advocate, 2) sustainability values must be reflected in the organization's mission, vision or values and 3) performance measurement systems must be used to monitor and track sustainability activities.

EU needs to embrace natgas to halt coal

EU needs to embrace natgas to halt coal | Reuters

(Reuters) - EU policy-makers must focus on natural gas as the near-term solution to halting the rise of carbon-intensive coal and curbing emissions, Norwegian oil and gas producer Statoil (STL.OL) said on Wednesday.

The Price Isn’t Right: Saving Europe’s Flagship Climate Change Initiative

The Price Isn’t Right: Saving Europe’s Flagship Climate Change Initiative | German Marshall Fund Blog

BRUSSELS—The European Union’s flagship climate change project, the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), is in a slow-motion crisis that threatens the EU’s ambitions for a green economy. The original purpose of the EU ETS was not just to reduce emissions from factories and power stations — which it has done very successfully — but also to send a signal to the market that carbon emissions would come at a price, preferably of about €30 per tonne of carbon. The magic of the market would then encourage companies to slash their emissions and to invest in innovative, low-carbon technologies like solar power without the heavy hand of government direction.

U.K. Pledges $97 Million for Carbon Capture in Emerging Markets

U.K. Pledges $97 Million for Carbon Capture in Emerging Markets - Bloomberg

The U.K. allocated as much as 60 million pounds ($97 million) to encourage the development of carbon capture and storage technology in emerging markets. The funds will boost projects and develop new partnerships, U.K. Energy Minister Greg Barker said today in a statement. The money was drawn from International Climate Finance funding that’s already been announced, the e-mailed statement said.

3 things businesses need to know about extreme weather

3 things businesses need to know about extreme weather | GreenBiz.com

NOAA called it Meteorological March Madness. Other commentators likened it to science fiction. More than 15,000 daily heat records were broken around the U.S. last month, making 2012 the warmest March since records began in 1895. Not only was the summer-like spring fact not fiction, but such trends may soon become the new normal as climate change takes greater hold. A long-awaited report from the UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with input from 220 authors, serves as a stark reminder that the world must brace for more extreme weather and climate events.

Leading gas companies already meet EPA's 'fracking' air pollution standards

Leading gas companies already meet EPA's 'fracking' air pollution standards | GreenBiz.com

One of the biggest sources of dangerous air pollution from natural gas "fracking" is the whoosh of pollution that rushes from the well, like popping the top on a soda can, in the first few days after fracking is completed and the well is about to start production. What comes out are hundreds of tons of chemicals ranging from cancer-causing benzene, smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and climate-changing methane.

Wells Fargo to invest $30bn in green economy

Environmental Finance | News | Wells Fargo to invest $30bn in green economy

US bank Wells Fargo is deepening its commitment to clean investment, pledging $30 billion in loans and investments for renewable energy and other clean initiatives through 2020.

UK chooses managers for £80m waste funding

Environmental Finance | News | UK chooses managers for £80m waste funding

The UK has selected two managers to oversee £80 million ($129 million) of investment into small-scale waste infrastructure, ahead of the official launch of its Green Investment Bank (GIB).
Kent-headquartered Foresight Group will manage £50 million and London-based Greensphere Capital £30 million, although each investment they make will require match-funding from outside investors, bringing the total finance mobilised up to £160 million.

Cap and Trade Curbed Acid Rain: 7 Reasons Why It Can Do The Same For Climate Change

Cap and Trade Curbed Acid Rain: 7 Reasons Why It Can Do The Same For Climate Change - Forbes

A candidate for president emphasizes the environment on the campaign trail. He promises to update the Clean Air Act to address a grave and growing pollution threat. He wins. Three weeks after taking office, he addresses a joint session of Congress. “The time for study alone has passed, and the time for action is now,” he declares.

Lawmakers To Wrangle Over How To Spend California's Cap-and-Trade Billions

Lawmakers To Wrangle Over How To Spend California's Cap-and-Trade Billions - Forbes

Barring last-minute lawsuits or administrative delays, California’s cap-and-trade program launches on January 1, 2013. The state’s carbon market will be the world’s second largest, after the European Emissions Trading System, and is tasked with supplying 20% of the emissions reductions mandated under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or AB 32.

EUAs down 1.5 pct amid caution on energy prices, set-aside

EUAs down 1.5 pct amid caution on energy prices, set-aside - News - Point Carbon

European carbon prices dipped almost 1.5 percent on Wednesday as traders appeared to retreat to the sidelines ahead of a possible clarification next week of EU efforts to withhold supply from the 2013-2020 phase of the ETS.