Climate policy updates: highlights from Carbonara the EU ETS blog

One of the blogs that i read on a regular basis is Carbonara. Here are a few highlights.

1. Hundereds of businesses participate in a major energy audit.

The UK’s Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is running a 100 day carbon-cleanup campaign, and 400 companies are participating. One company, Fulcrum Consulting, is keeping a diary of the experience for the BBC.

2. The UK take more stringent action than expected for phase two of the EU ETS

The UK Government has opted to propose a cut of target carbon emissions of 8 million tonnes pa, at the upper end of the range they were said to be considering. The Government also decided to auction 7% of CO2 permits, unlike the German Government’s decision not to auction any permits. The FT calls these targets “unexpectedly tough”. Here are the reports by the FT and the BBC.

3. EU Release ETS Data

The EC today released officially the 2005 CO2 emissions data and compliance status of the organizations covered by the Emissions Trading Scheme, available from here.

4. UK Homes to Require Energy Ratings

According to a report in today’s FT, the British Government is to require all house sales from June 2007 to include an energy-rating:The “energy performance certificate”, which each house seller will have to pay for, will give average costs for heating, hot water and lighting, as well as overall ratings for energy efficiency and carbon emissions.These average costs will be based on standard assumptions about occupancy, heating patterns and geographical location, according to details of the certificate announced yesterday. The legislation in the UK will come into effect two years before European requirements in 2009.

5. Lighting efficiency could save 10%!

Ever read about the work of Robert Socolow from stanford and his wedges? They all look impossibly big and challenging. Here is a simple one.

The global energy bill could be cut by nearly 10% by simply adopting energy efficient lighting systems.10% may not sound vast, but lighting accounts for nearly a fifth of the world’s consumption, and a cut of this size would eclipse the savings made so far by switching to solar and wind power.The International Energy Agency yesterday released a report on energy efficient lighting, Light’s Labour’s Lost.

6. Domestic Energy Usage on the Rise.

The Energy Saving Trust has just released a report, The Rise of the Machines (4.83MB PDF), showing that between 1972 and 2002, electricity consumed by household domestic appliances doubled, and is anticipated to rise by a further 12% by 2010.Electricity used by consumer electronics, currently totalling 16% of domestic electricity consumption, is predicted to double by 2010.

7. Real, Dangerous and Severe now there is a suprise.

A panel of climate experts convened by BBC News has concluded that climate change is a genuine threat.After their discussions each member answered 20 questions, with a fairly cynical consensus over the inspiration for the conference, a book entitled The Revenge of Gaia.They did also agree that ‘Climate change is real, dangerous and significant in our own lifetimes’.

8. Carbon Market News

Issue 4 (June 2006) of Tendances Carbone is available for download. This is the monthly newsletter of Powernext Carbon and the Climate Change Task Force of Caisse des Dépôts. The newsletter includes information on recent carbon emissions and energy prices, along with weather and economic activity indexes. (Link is to the English edition.)

9. Japan forge ahead with carbon capture and storage.

Japan may bury carbon emissions underground, according to this news report.

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