Economics

Cap-and-trade key to U.S. energy reform: Exelon CEO.

U.S. energy reform has stalled now that the Democrats have lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and Republicans drift to a more negative position, a top industry executive said on Saturday. Reuters 07 Mar

State farmers losing money from climate change uncertainty.

While Congress is fighting attempts by the U.S. EPA to regulate greenhouse emissions and lawmakers' inability to pass comprehensive energy legislation to address climate change, farmers are losing money because of that uncertainty. Grand Island Independent 06 Mar

Small gains 'could slash emissions.'

Claims that even small greenhouse gas targets will hurt big industry have been undermined by a government report that found basic efficiency improvements could cut national emissions while saving businesses more than $700 million. Melbourne Age 07 Mar

EU considers general carbon tax.

The European Commission is planning an EU-wide minimum tax on carbon as part of the EU's green energy agenda - but the UK opposes such a move. BBC 06 Mar

Energy

Business vs. clean energy: Ohioans pulled two ways.

In pointed language, the authors urged Brown to back a bill that would prevent the U.S. Environmental Agency from regulating the greenhouse gasses thought to cause climate change, warning in near-apocalyptic terms that "the future of Ohio may depend on this vote." Columbus Dispatch 07 Mar

Calls for early start to renewables scheme.

The opposition will push the government to bring forward changes in its renewable energy target by six months to drive investment in clean energy. The government has now split the target between small- and large-scale renewable energy projects. Sydney Morning Herald 06 Mar

Ritter renewable hike sails through Senate; clean air bill next on agenda.

Gov. Bill Ritter may be a lame-duck chief executive laid up by a recent bike crash, but his clean-energy agenda keeps rolling along like Lance Armstrong in the Alps. Colorado Independent 06 Mar

German nuclear talks messy, operators may still gain.

Germany's nuclear power industry is no closer to knowing how long its plants may operate than five months ago when Chancellor Angela Merkel's new government assumed power and promised to extend their lives. Reuters 06 Mar

Other News

Editorials

Go slow on push to cut 'footprint.'

Even if you concede the contention that climate change is being caused by humans ---- and that debate will continue ---- we could eliminate our carbon output entirely yet have a minimal effect on the world's climate. San Diego North County Times 07 Mar

Hyperbole erodes credibility.

After the Copenhagen shambles, IPCC head Rajendra Pachauri's alleged conflicts of interest and the fabricated propaganda of the University of East Anglia emails, proponents of climate change action need to rebuild credibility. Sydney Australian 07 Mar

Rein in EPA permanently.

Perhaps the prospect that his lukewarm support for West Virginia's coal industry has placed his chance for re-election in jeopardy prompted U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., to change his stance - slightly - on the Environmental Protection Agency. Wheeling News-Register 06 Mar

Raising the gas tax might be the only way to wean americans off oil.

Surprisingly, climate proposals in Washington, such as the House-passed Waxman-Markey bill, wouldn't do all that much to slash American oil consumption in the near future. Washington Post 05 Mar

Cars homes projects to lower carbon emissions by 355,000 tonnes.

Three separate sustainable energy projects set to be implemented by the Government, assisted by the Inter-American Development Bank, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 350,000 tonnes, in addition to saving the Bahamas Electricity Corporation $1.36 million per annum in fuel imports. Nassau Tribune 05 Mar

Lift the moratorium on nuclear plants.

We support removing Minnesota's moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants. We believe nuclear power, which is good on greenhouse gases but which carries other risks, has to be part of the discussion of the nation's energy future. St. Paul Pioneer Press 04 Mar

Congress, not EPA, should regulate carbon emissions.

Many in Congress are beginning to push back hard against the Environmental Protection Agency's assertion that greenhouse gases are a public health danger. Congress should simply overturn the finding. Detroit News 04 Mar

A nuclear future.

We support President Obama's offer of government-loan guarantees amounting to $8.3 billion for a new twin-reactor nuclear power plant in Georgia, the country's first new atomic power project in nearly 30 years. Cape Cod Times 04 Mar

Opinion

The trouble with trusting complex science.

There is one question that no one who denies manmade climate change wants to answer: What would it take to persuade you? In most cases the answer seems to be nothing. London Guardian 09 Mar

Too long the villain, nuclear industry needs to put some energy into PR.

There are genuine concerns about the safety of nuclear power but, even allowing for the Chernobyl disaster, it has killed fewer people and led to fewer illnesses than other substantial baseload power generation systems. Melbourne Age 09 Mar

Wanted: An eco prophet.

People are drifting into a lethal slumber on climate change; more of the same won't wake them up. We need to be taught to believe by a true believer in a world where belief is the fatal, missing ingredient. London Guardian 08 Mar

Are you now or have you ever been a climate scientist?

The accusation of criminality "is a very intimidating thing and that is the point.” Crikey 08 Mar

Climate change as an act of faith?

There's no question that 2009 was an interesting year for the science and politics of climate change. Two recent reports provided new syntheses of the issue – two of the most recent summaries of an ongoing and growing flood of research demonstrating the reality of global warming. Discovery Channel 08 Mar

Politics and policy.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu discusses the administration's energy game plan in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal 08 Mar

The view from Big Oil.

Peter Voser, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, talks about the kind of energy legislation he'd like to see. Wall Street Journal 08 Mar

Will fuel crunch put brakes on economy?

Everyone knows that Chancellor Alistair Darling has an enormous problem on his hands. Of course, as he feverishly hunts for ways to pay back Britain's staggering £178 billion debt he will be looking for lots of folk to clobber. Edinburgh Evening News 08 Mar

The wrong kind of green.

As we confront the biggest ecological crisis in human history, many of the green organizations meant to be leading the fight are busy shoveling up hard cash from the world's worst polluters--and burying science-based environmentalism in return. Here is the real Climategate, waiting to be exposed. Nation 09 Mar

Cool it on efforts against new rules, EPA chief asks.

The head of the EPA on Monday pushed back against lawmakers' attempts to halt the EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases from power plants, refiners and other industrial facilities. Houston Chronicle 09 Mar

California greenhouse gas law could cost some jobs.

The Legislature's nonpartisan analyst says CA's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law could cost jobs in the near term, while its long-term impact is uncertain. Sacramento Bee 09 Mar

For Senators on the fence on climate, everything's in play.

The fate of comprehensive energy and climate legislation rests in the hands of about 30 senators, including coal and Rust Belt Democrats, Westerners and moderate Republicans. ClimateWire 09 Mar

Climate forest deal in sight: Indonesia.

Wealthy and developing nations should be able to seal an agreement this year on deforestation, unlocking a key part of the next treaty on global warming, Indonesian negotiators said Monday. Agence France-Presse 09 Mar

Global warming doubts could hamper climate legislation.

A recent poll suggests that high-profile controversies regarding climate science are weakening public confidence in the validity of global warming. And that could endanger congressional efforts to pass climate legislation. Christian Science Monitor 09 Mar

S.Africa, India, Indonesia seek top UN climate job.

South Africa, India and Indonesia are vying to win the United Nation's top climate change job, a key post to build trust between poor and rich in 2010 after the U.N.'s Copenhagen summit which set few binding targets. The choice is up to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Reuters 09 Mar

IMF suggests how to raise climate change funds.

The head of the International Monetary Fund on Monday proposed a plan for the world's governments to pool together to raise money needed to adapt to climate change, a rare step for an organization that normally does not develop environmental policies. Associated Press 09 Mar

EPA piecing together regulatory framework for greenhouse gas rules.

U.S. EPA has submitted the first piece of its suite of greenhouse gas rules to the White House for review – a signal that the agency is on schedule to finalize its first regulations to curb the heat-trapping emissions. Greenwire 09 Mar

E-mail leaks that clouded climate issue.

Sceptics have had much to celebrate in recent weeks, with “climategate” allowing them to challenge scientific findings as well as growing evidence they are swaying public opinion. London Financial Times 09 Mar

EU climate chief delivers treaty blow.

The world will almost certainly fail to draw up a new treaty on climate change this year, the minister in charge of last year’s Copenhagen summit has admitted, delivering a heavy blow to the barely flickering hopes for a swift global ­settlement. London Financial Times 09 Mar

Germany's Merkel urges China, India to commit to climate target.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday called on China and India to commit themselves to binding climate targets. However, she expressed doubts a global climate agreement could be found this year. Dow Jones Newswires 09 Mar

Asia seen as growth driver for voluntary CO2 market.

Fear of Western-imposed carbon tariffs on goods and services from Asia is likely to drive growth in offsetting emissions by large firms in the region, a voluntary carbon market executive said. Reuters 09 Mar

EPA defends greenhouse gas caps.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson defended controversial new rules Monday that would slash greenhouse gases across the economy - taking on critics from both sides of the aisle who want to delay the regulations. Politico 09 Mar

Women hit by climate change to lobby Capitol Hill.

Women hit hard by the effects of climate change -- drought, floods, sea level rise and crop failure -- gathered on Monday to plan a Capitol Hill push for U.S. legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Reuters 09 Mar

African Americans will pay higher energy bills to reduce global warming.

African American voters want Congress to enact legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even if it means higher energy bills, a just-released survey by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has found. USA Today 09 Mar

EPA chief slams attempted delays on climate.

The Environmental Protection Agency chief fought back on Monday against Senate attempts to challenge the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, saying delaying action would be bad for the economy. Reuters 09 Mar

California watchdog sees climate policy job losses.

California's aggressive climate change policy is likely to lead to modest job losses in the near term due to higher energy costs and other factors, the state's independent budget watchdog said. Reuters 09 Mar

Utah Senate rejects carbon trading support.

The Utah Senate on Monday refused to support a voluntary greenhouse gas reduction market that one senator said could help municipalities and service districts make money by reducing pollution. Salt Lake Tribune 09 Mar

Government climate bill may favor businesses.

A climate bill being prepared by the Japanese government may include an option for an emissions trading mechanism favored by businesses that critics say could undermine measures to curb global warming, sources said. Kyodo News 09 Mar

EU climate funding threatened.

The European Union's development chief may be forced to name and shame France, Germany and Italy for not living up to their aid commitments, contributing to a roughly $17 billion funding gap this year. Reuters 08 Mar

Group vows to fight greenhouse gas burial.

OZinOH/flickr

Randolph County is home to a landfill, an ethanol plant, a sudden increase in hog farms and two potential wind farms. But if the state tries to deploy carbon dioxide sequestration in Randolph County to combat global warming, it will be met with strong resistance. Muncie Star Press 08 Mar

EU to issue climate warning, target CO2 loopholes.

Loopholes in the United Nations climate treaties could actually amount to an increase in global climate-warming emissions and the chance to rein in temperatures may be slipping away, a draft European Union report showed. Reuters 08 Mar

Business attacks on legal environment countdown.

Businesses have accused the government of failing to prepare properly for complex new environmental regulations set to come into effect on April 1, by leaving many details of the regulations still unclear. London Financial Times 08 Mar

Sen. Kerry lobbies for climate compromise; actual bill to come.

The three senators writing compromise climate legislation are lobbying business groups in hopes of winning their support for the effort. One obstacle: the absence of an actual bill. Washington Hill 08 Mar

Democrats to turn spotlight on energy efficiency programs this week.

Democrats will turn the focus to energy efficiency standards and incentive programs this week with hearings in the Senate and House energy panels. Greenwire 08 Mar

From health care to climate.

Health care legislation has finally started moving forward in Congress. The US Senate can now devote some attention to its unfinished work on climate change. Environment Report 08 Mar

Wilson signs on to prevent EPA regulation.

Rep. Charlie Wilson has signed on to two bills introduced in the House of Representatives seeking to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from unilaterally regulating greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act. Salem News 08 Mar