Scotland Cuts Wind Subsidy 10% to End Uncertainty

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Scotland Cuts Wind Subsidy 10% to End Uncertainty - Bloomberg
Scotland said it will cut subsidies for onshore wind power by 10 percent to end uncertainty about support for the industry after the U.K. government last week delayed a decision on funding.
The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change last week delayed a final decision on support for low-carbon energy under the Renewables Obligation program after a dispute with the Treasury, which is seeking bigger cuts to land-based wind power.  “This wholly unnecessary uncertainty is jeopardizing future investment,” Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond wrote in a letter to U.K. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey, according to a statement today. “The renewable industry requires and deserves a clear statement of intent.”

Natural Gas: A Bridge to a Low-Carbon Future or Not?

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Natural Gas: A Bridge to a Low-Carbon Future or Not?: Scientific American
There's been a whole lot of energy expended in the debate about the role of natural gas in the nation's and world's energy future. Much of this debate centers around the practice of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking), techniques that have opened vast reserves of shale gas for exploitation but have also sounded alarm bells for many because of concerns about fracking's environmental impacts, especially on drinking water...

Fukushima report casts doubt on other nuclear plants' disaster preparations

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Fukushima report casts doubt on other nuclear plants' disaster preparations | Environment | guardian.co.uk
A government-appointed inquiry into Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis has raised doubts about whether other atomic plants are prepared for massive disasters despite new safety rules, and delivered a damning assessment of the regulators and the station's operator.  The report, the second this month about the disaster, could be seized upon by Japan's increasingly vociferous anti-nuclear movement after the restart of two reactors, and as the government readies a new energy policy due out next month.

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23 Jul 2012 13:29

ERU trading volumes surges after Ukraine, Russia issue

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23 Jul 2012 10:41

Shanghai CO2 scheme to cover half of emissions: report

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters Point Carbon) – The Shanghai government plans next year to launch an emiss…

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23 Jul 2012 18:13

UK government at odds over gas role

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters Point Carbon) - The UK Treasury looks set to be on a collision course with…

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23 Jul 2012 13:40

EU steel output falls 4.6 pct Jan-Jun

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters Point Carbon) - EU steelmakers produced 4.6 percent less crude steel over…

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20 Jul 2012 15:45

EU Commission to publish ETS plan next week

BRUSSELS, July 20 (Reuters) - The European Commission confirmed on Friday that it will announce plan…

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20 Jul 2012 18:36

EUAs rebound from 5-wk low as set-aside fears ebb

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters Point Carbon) – EU carbon prices rose 3.6 percent on Friday to reverse two…

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20 Jul 2012 13:43

IETA warns CO2 software delay could cause “massive breakdown”

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Delays to restoring software that allows instantaneous tran…

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Carbon trading plan watered down

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Carbon trading plan watered down
The government on Monday unveiled a detailed plan for its greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme, apparently seeking a smooth start of the program in light of persistent fears from industries about increased environmental costs.  A prior notice was issued on the enforcement ordinance which contains key details of a national carbon exchange system which will launch in January 2015. It is a follow-up measure after the National Assembly on May 2 passed the legislation for the so-called cap-and-trade scheme with near unanimity.  Under the the passed legislation, the envisioned scheme is projected to cover around 60 percent of the country’s carbon pollution by imposing limits on facilities that produce more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Companies will be granted permits to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide.

Australia has power to lead world to zero carbon prosperity

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Australia has power to lead world to zero carbon prosperity - reneweconomy.com.au : Renew Economy
Australia, along with the rest of the world’s nations, has formally adopted the objective of restraining global average temperatures to no more than two degrees Celsius (2°C) above pre-industrial levels. The 2°C goal is a proxy for avoiding dangerous and irreversible changes to the world’s climate — an outcome that the vast majority of Australians support.  Even a 2°C average temperature rise would worsen climate change impacts that are already being felt across Australia. Yet the world’s breakneck growth in fossil fuel supply and consumption is causing greenhouse gas emissions to rise at such a rate that, as the International Energy Agency warned this year, “the door to a 2°C trajectory is about to close”.

China-EU carbon tax dispute Carbon tax talks between China and European Union stall

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China-EU carbon tax dispute Carbon tax talks between China and European Union stall - eTurboNews.com
Beijing remains firm on its stance of settling the carbon tax dispute with the European Union through a multilateral approach, a Chinese official said.  The official, who requested anonymity, said talks between China and the EU over the tax are making little progress...

China keen to avoid CO2 rollercoaster ride

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China keen to avoid CO2 rollercoaster ride | Reuters

Price control mechanisms and tightly regulated markets are among the measures China is considering for its emissions trading schemes in a bid to avoid the price volatility and scandals that have hit Europe's $148-billion scheme.  As seven cities and provinces in China are preparing to launch the country's first emissions trading schemes to halt the nation's spiraling greenhouse gas emissions, the international carbon market is reeling from a huge over-supply and record low prices.