Climate Update from WBCSD

An update via WBCSD

UN, experts debate climate masterplan
AFP, 30 April 2007 - The world's leading climate change experts gathered in Bangkok on Monday to thrash out a masterplan on limiting the worst impacts of global warming, but amid deep divisions over how to go about it.

Colombia: social energy - Keeping the lights on
Ethical Corporation, 30 April 2007 - Marginalised communities across Latin America often lack basic services such as running water, waste management and electricity. A bold experiment in Colombia shows how innovation can turn this around.

No silver bullet to combat climate change: IEA chief
AFP, 27 April 2007 - International Energy Agency chief Claude Mandil warned Friday that there was no "silver bullet" that could allow the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to combat climate change.

Beware the carbon offsetting cowboys
Financial Times, 26 April 2007 - People - from prime ministers to popstars - and businesses are paying to cancel out their impact on global warming. But as the green movement grows, an FT investigation shows a system with widespread failings.

Germany wants to become world leader in energy efficiency
AFP, 26 April 2007 - Germany on Thursday unveiled proposals to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent within 13 years and become the most energy-efficient country in the world.

Senate bill would ban coal plants without carbon capture
Greenwire, 26 April 2007 - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced legislation today that would ban construction of new coal-fired power plants that do not also have the technology to capture and sequester heat-trapping carbon dioxide.

At last! A Climate Change Plan for Canada?
GLOBE-Net, 26 April 2007 - The federal government has released its much anticipated framework for regulating air pollutants and greenhouse gases from industrial emitters, setting a stricter course than previously anticipated.

Denmark tells Europe, Asia to speed up clean technologies
AFP, 24 April 2007 - Denmark, a world leader in environmental policy, on Tuesday urged European and Asian countries to accelerate the development, deployment and transfer of clean technologies to reduce climate change.

China to surpass U.S. emissions this year -- report
Greenwire, 24 April 2007 - China's rapid economic growth will propel the country ahead of the United States as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases this year, far earlier than previously predicted, according to the International Energy Agency.

Calling global warming a human-made problem, Ford creates new enviro executive position
Greenwire, 24 April 2007 - Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said yesterday that he is convinced global warming is real, human-made and caused in part by auto emissions.

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Greenland Ice Melt

This one minute video shows how the melting of Greenland's ice cap has increased. If all of this ice melts, as widely prediceted, sea levels will rise 6-7meters and force hundereds of millions of people to move, hence mass migration and security situations made worse due to environmental refugees.








We may still have a chance to avoid this, but actions over the next 10-20 years and longer will be crucial. Commitment to warming will be made on this timescale but depending on ice dynamics the entire melting process could take hundereds, or evena thousand years, recent research suggests that things could be more rapid...whatever the case given the fact that many of the worlds major cities, several countries and a huge ammount of biodiversity is extremely sensitive to sea level we may be advise to reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gasses.

Remember greenhouse gasses typically stay in the atmosphere for a long time and stabilising concentrations at any level requires roughly a 90% cut in emission...the delay largely defines what level we stabilise at.

Futher Reading:
Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change
Arctic Climate Impact Assesment

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Two new World Business Council on Sustainable Development reports

New report calls for decisive, concerted, sustained actions to combat climate change.

Montreux, Switzerland, 21 March 2007 – Policy Directions to 2050: A business contribution to the dialogues on cooperative action, launched today, asserts that the only way to combat climate change is through decisive, concerted and sustained actions between governments, businesses and consumers.

Establishing Policy Frameworks: Energy and Climate

Geneva, 13 March 2007 - Governments must give business “an idea of where you are going long-term”, WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson told government ministers gathered in Nairobi for the Conference of the Parties (COP12) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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Please help to save the rainforests & peatlands (2 minute e-action)

Dear friends,

On 6th and 7th of May, ministers from Europe and elsewhere will be meeting in Kyoto for the 40th AGM of the Asian Development Bank. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) have a long record of financing rainforest destruction for palm oil plantations in Indonesia. They are thinking of massively expanding their funding for palm oil and other destructive monocultures through their 'renewable energy budget'. Palm oil and other biofuels grown at the expense of rainforests and other ecosystems, local communities and food production are not renewable energy. ADB are already a major contributor to global warming by financing new fossil fuel power stations and exploration across Asia, and by financing deforestation. Global warming is a threat to all rainforests. Please write to ministers now to demand that ADB must fund neither biofuel expansion nor fossil fuels. Many thanks.

Here you will find a email action where you can sent your protest:

http://www.regenwald.org/international/englisch/index.php

Yours sincerely,

Reinhard Behrend
Rettet den Regenwald e. V.
Friedhofsweg 28
22337 Hamburg

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NASA Chief Scientist James E. Hansen Testifies to House of Representatives

Dangerous Human-Made Interference with Climate

Testimony of
James E. Hansen
4273 Durham Road, Kintnersville, PA

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
United States House of Representatives

Download

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Spinal Tap Reunites for Live Earth To Fight Global Warming

Spinal Tap Reunites for Live Earth To Fight Global Warming

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Free Two Day Climate Conference promoting International Day of Action (LSE, London)

During my time without a functioning internet connection I did manage to confirm all the speakers for an upcoming conference session.

In around two weeks Campaign against Climate Change and London School of Economics and Political Sciences are putting on a joint climate conference in order to promote this years international day of climate action.

More details on this free two day event, here.

My contribution is a workshop on campaign strategy and communication. The speakers will be Chris Rose (Campaign Strategy), Solitarie Townsend (Managing Director, Futerra) and Simon Retallack (Head of Sustainability, IPPR).

I`d turn up just for that workshop! But this is only part of one of the four sessions and two plenaries.

Saturday

09.00 - 10.00 Registration.
10.00 - 10.30 Introduction/Welcome
10.30 - 12.00 Seminar Session 1
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch Break
13.00 - 14.30 Plenary 1
14.30 - 14.45 Coffee Break
14.45 - 16.15 Seminar Session 2 (Includes: campaign strategy and marketing)
16.15 - 16.30 Coffee Break
16.30 - 18.00 Build up for the Global Demonstrations December 2007

18.00 - 21.00 Drinks/Social at the 'Square Pig' Pub
21.00 - late Party at the 'Square Pig' Pub with "Seize the Day" & other sounds...

Sunday

10.00 - 12.00 Plenary 2 (International)
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch
13.00 - 14.30 Seminar Session 3
14.30 - 14.45 Coffee Break
14.45 - 16.15 Seminar session 4
16.15 - 17.00 Coffee and Farewell

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I`m back on the web.

Hello people.

I just changed ISP's, the process wasn't quite seemless!

Sorry for the gap, regular updates resume shortly.

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Micro-Wind good for urban areas?

Micro-Wind in urban areas? As many of you will know, small wind power is a contentious topic, poorly sited small wind turbines can be almost useless and siting them well is far from easy in an urban environment. Turbulent flow is the enemy of traditional turbines. How about a non-traditional turbine?



Background on the turbines designer, Bill Becker.

It's all part of a vision that started with Becker's exposure to philosopher/visionary/engineer R. Buckminster Fuller during Becker's college years at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Fuller opened up a new world vision for Becker, who grew up in the Rogers Park neighborhood, and then moved to Wilmette at the age of 11 when his father, a real estate appraiser, found his talents in high demand by the insurance industry. Becker said he "fell in love" with Fuller's ideas, such as: "Democracy does not function without enabling technology for the individual."

He became a Fuller disciple, working with him intermittently between 1966 and 1982, and then went out into the world hoping to create Fuller's vision of "future ecological villages."

He set out to enable individuals through technology, and spent stints designing Airstream trailers in Toledo, Ohio; low-cost manufactured housing near Elkhart, Ind. and Chevrolet's ill-fated Corvair in a GM facility in Warren, Mich. Becker claims what really did the Corvair in was not Ralph Nader's book Unsafe at Any Speed, but rather the car's potential fuel-economy capacity that disturbed the oil companies, who put pressure on GM executives.

"Politics never change, even if you scream and yell. The whole system is easily controlled, but the puppetry (people pulling the strings) can't control new technologies. New technology is like a thin wedge in the door to open up a new way for people to be liberated."


"So Becker presses on in his mission to push the envelope of new technology for the cause of liberation. He believes that wind power is "the best bet to lead the renewable energy charge andhellip; because wind technology is at the highest level of all renewables for pounds of materials invested per energy return."

Today, scattered among the technical charts in his portfolio, is a bevy of projects, completed and proposed. There's a building permit for a wind turbine and photovoltaic system that went on a small Round Lake business, photos of his wind turbine towering over a Midwest renewable energy fair, an architect's renderings for an Evanston residence with urban turbines horizontally tucked along the peak of its A-frame. Each turbine costs about $10,000 to install and generates about 4,000 kWh per year, which is enough to provide 50 percent of the power needs of an energy efficient home, Becker said."

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IPCC WG2 Report In Full : Website Leak or Mind Melt?

Yesterday whilst looking for more information about the IPCC WG2 Report I found the whole report online.

Now, i know that the IPCC website is a navigational nightmare. It's not inconcievale that the report is still there, and is ment to be...but, i sure as hell can't find it today!

The only reason that I know that i`m not imagining this is that I have a copy of Chapter 13 on Latin America. I`m writing about Latin America at the moment so this was my priority...I didn't download the rest. Damn.

This chapter is facinating and a great source of information, information on Latin America and climate change is hardly overly abundant (with a few exceptions such as effects on the Amazon).

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Is a federal renewable energy mandate on the way?

There has been a lot of talk in the US recently about the fact that it is a great American tradition for states to act and the Federal government to follow suit based on the most successful schemes. Now some of you may be thinking, nonsense thats just a way of excusing non-existent leadership.

It seems that these positions aren't mutually exclusive, there is a lot to be gained by using states as a test bed, but real leadership has been lacking. Things are however changing, with the testbed of state level action becoming more of a hotbed of revolutionary action. Renewable energy standards are currently in place in 21 of America's states (Map + Details per State). 10 other states are considering the standards...this test is surely about complete. Pressure is building for the 20 by 20 initiative which aims to have a 20 percent renewable energy mandate by 2020. Such a measure would surely place the US as a world leader in renewable energy technology.

Real carbon benefits are being seen...

"The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) projects that 21 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted renewable electricity standards are on track to reduce their global warming emissions by 108 MMT of carbon dioxide by 2020."

However, the really big advances would be made with federal action as there are still 30 states not covered and some only have modest targets, therefore...

"The federal standard would increase renewable energy output nearly four times over current state standards."

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Jeffrey Sachs gives this years Reith Lecture to the Royal Society (Broadcast on Radio 4 and BBC 2)

Columbia University economist Jeff Sachs gives the first in this years Reith lecture series, entitled "Bursting at the seams" Sachs is truly an insperation. A great lecture and I don't think that he strays far from my views on anything throughout this first lecture of the series. With talks like this one we are left to wonder, couldn't somone like Jeff ever be president of the US? He certainly represents America well.


Todays lecture and futher episodes will be available here both as streaming audio and as mp3 files.

Sachs speaks of the true challenges that we face today, challenges that are not 'us Vs them' but 'us together for a common challenge' these are the challenges that are currently so poorly delt with.

Species loss, destruction of fisheries, fighting climate change, providing health care and basic facilities for the poorest billion people on the planet. Sachs is a radical, he believes that we can, and that we must deal with the roots of problems not the manifestations of these problems.

Technology has advanced hugely, the economy is stronger than ever, we can achieve huge changes with relatively little effort, we need to evolve the international institutions in order to enable a more reasoned and less reactive mode of international relations.

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Step it Up 2007: National Day of Climate Action April 14th

Step it up 2007 looks set to be a great event, 1333 actions across the US when I last checked!

I post this video as it references the global climate campaign as part of the inspiration for them getting going as a national umbrella organisation, dispersed actions on one day.

I find this amazing, and I hope that everyone reading this from around the world will take part in this years global day of action and benefit from that solidarity an inspiration again! On the sidebar I have created some images that can be used to promote the global climate campaign website, there is also a promotional pdf. More photos and information is available on the Global Climate Campaign website.

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INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CONFERENCE Saturday May 12th and Sunday may 13th

Just recieved this from CaCC, looks like an interesting one! I`ve been helping with one of the sessions actually, which should be great...just trying to get that last confirmation!

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Campaign against Climate Change
INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CONFERENCE

Saturday May 12th and Sunday May 13th , 2007
At the London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2

Organised by the Campaign against Climate Change with the London School of Economics and Political Science

The biggest climate change talk-in, learn-in and plan-for-action of the year !

Following the great success of our Conference last year - now with an international flavour !

Speakers include Colin Challen MP (Lab); Norman Baker MP (Lib Dem); Jean Lambert MEP (Green); Ashok Sinha, Director ‘Stop Climate Chaos’; Mark Lynas; George Marshall, Co-direcor COIN; Hans-Josef Fell, German Green MP ; Agnes de Rooij, Greenpeace International; Benedict Southworth, Director World Development Movement; Oras Tykynnen, Finnish Green MP; Mayer Hillman, Policy Studies Institute; Matthias Seiche, FOE Germany; Sible Schone, Hier Kampagne Netherlands, Panu Laturi, European Greens Campaigns Director; Amit Srivistava, India Resource Centre; Andrew Simms, New Economics Foundation; Joss Garman, Plane Stupid; David Wasdell, Meridian Project; Dr Stuart Parkinson, Director, Scientists for Global Responsibility; Mark Bossanyi, Climate Action Bulgaria Coalition; Ichin Cheng, Taiwan Climate Campaign; Sharon Looremeta, Practical Action Kenya; Dr David Fleming; Mayte Blasco NOE2, Switzerland; Jason Torrance, Transport 2000; Mike Fairchild, Stop Stansted Expansion; Judith Kill, FERN; Dr Cath Long, Rainforest Foundation; Paige Mitchell, Slower Speeds; Marion Birch, MEDAC; John Lanchbery, RSPB; Larry Lohman, Corner House; Kevin Smith, Carbon Trade Watch; Almuth Ernsting, Biofuel Watch; Claire Fauset, Paul Morozzo, ‘Climate Camp’; Phil Thornhill, Coordinator CCC; Dave Hampton, Carbon Coach; Global Commons Institute; Muzammal Hussain, London Islamic Network for the Environment; Christian Ecology Link; Vivie Cato, ‘Big Green Jewish Website’; Mark Williamson,‘What You Can Do’; Dr Susan Roaf; Mark Brown, Rising Tide; Paul Mobbs; Chris Rose,‘campaignstrategy.org’; Jonathan Neale; Guy Taylor, Globalise Resistance; Futerra; Planet Positive; Gerry Wolff, TREC; Airport Watch; FOE, and more....

2 Major plenaries: ‘The Need for Action’ on Saturday & ‘Climate Campaigning around the World’ on Sunday.

Seminars & workshops on: Climate Science ‘How bad, how fast?’; Climate Change and Developemnt; Is Climate Change now the World’s Greatest Human Rights issue? Green Taxes vs Carbon Rationing; CC & Aviation; CC & Transport; Solutions; Raising Awareness in Eastern Europe; CC & workers rights; Personal action; Contraction & Convergence; CC& Health; CC & Faith; Can we avoid dangerous CC & maintain growth ?; Carbon Trading; CC & Biodiversity; Bio-fuels; Future of Coal; Climate Disinformation; Nuclear: another energy is possible;CC & Deforestation; CC & the GLA; Peak Oil; Carbon Trading; How to get a strong Climate Bill; How to get the US involved in the Kyoto Process; The Climate Camp; and more....

including 'Climate Change Teach-in for Children' with Kyla Davis

Provisional Timetable

Saturday

09.00 - 10.00 Registration.
10.00 - 10.30 Introduction/Welcome
10.30 - 12.00 Seminar Session 1
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch Break
13.00 - 14.30 Plenary 1
14.30 - 14.45 Coffee Break
14.45 - 16.15 Seminar Session 2
16.15 - 16.30 Coffee Break
16.30 - 18.00 Build up for the Global Demonstrations December 2007

18.00 - 21.00 Drinks/Social at the 'Square Pig' Pub
21.00 - late Party/Music at the 'Square Pig' Pub

Sunday

10.00 - 12.00 Plenary 2 (International)
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch
13.00 - 14.30 Seminar Session 3
14.30 - 14.45 Coffee Break
14.45 - 16.15 Seminar session 4
16.15 - 17.00 Coffee and Farewell



Check www.campaigncc.org for updates ………

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EXPOSE EXXON DAY

Campaign against Climate Change continue there work of letting the fossil fools such as ExxonMobil know that we are watching them. There public position has changed but there behind the scence lobbying work and comissioning of disinformation continues.

Flickr Slideshow

Exxon Mobil (Public, NYSE:XOM) are the prototypical evil capitalist business, showing absoloutely no moderating tendancy. Whilst high official in other big oil companies are atleast working with govornment to promote a cap and trade system Exxon continues to see a future in fossil foolery! There complete lack of investment in wind, solar, or other renewables marks them out as an awful investment for the future. Strategy for dealing with climate change: stick head in sand!

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Oil Enforcement Agency

Remember that the US has an 'addiction to oil' ?

Well, other addictive substances such as drugs have an enforcement agency; The Drug Enforcement Agency.

Are you thinking what i`m thinking? Yeah, we could do with an Oil Enforcement Agency!

A genius idea by a group out of California. Click here for there introductory video.

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Website of the Week: BBC guide to climate change regional impacts.

The BBC has produced a very nice guide to the impacts of climate change around the globe.

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Climate Change Action Promotion and Readers

Just a bit of self promotion. If you like the blog then you might be interested in subscribing, digging, or otherwise promoting.


Web 1.0
Climate Change Action is linked to from 167 Blogs (including Trehugger) according to Technorati.

Web 2.0
Climate Change Action has 50 Bloglines Subscribers. (Compared to 30 for the Pew Centre)
Climate Change Action has been tagged with Del.Ico.Us 42 Times. (Compared US EPA 54)
Climate Change Action has 102 subscribers who receive regular email updates. (sub via sidebar)
Climate Change Action has an unknown number of RSS feed subscribers.
The Climate Change Action feed is displayed in the sidebar of 3 climate change blogs including
this one, this one, and one i cant remember. (Thanks!)

An idea of what I am doing and where this blog is going...

The main things that I am trying to maintain are:
1.) A balance of geographical coverage, there is far more information about US and European climate action but i`m making a conscious effort to go beyond this.
2.) Trying to keep a broad outlook on climate action, from grass roots activism to politics, business and special interest groups.
3.) Sharing video and audio as well as reports; i think most people would rather watch an interesting talk rather than read the corresponding report.
4.) I am also always interested in new angles (e.g health, security, urban quality of life) and discussing how these relate to building a climate movement.

Recently i have become more interested in:
5.) How we project a positive vision of a low carbon future. 'Marketing' climate mitigation and changing behaviours (not just attitudes) is something that I will be increasingly looking at.

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Business Action on Climate Change (Short Video)

Climate Change is a huge problem, this has been recognised by business and many companies are now making significant GHG reductions on a for proffit basis.

Part 1 of 2. (includes Johnson and Johnson, Walmart, Dupont and GE)



Part 2 of 2. (includes PG&E, John Holdren AAAS, and a look at broader groups)



John Holdren, Harvard University.

"To go as far and as fast as we need to go we need the futher push that policy gives."

Further information:
Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Stratagies That Address Climate Change (Pew Centre)
Business Leadership (The Climate Group)
Business Pressure for Carbon Cap (Global Roundtable on Climate Change)

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Freedom to report, freedom of expression? NPower and Didcot coal fired power station.

I can't quite believe this report...

Another great example of coal power, corporate power and serious erosion of basic human rights in the UK.



NPower, you are a disgrace.

More importantly, to NPower customers, if you would like to change then please consider ecotricity. I have just change, I had an NPower 'Juice' account, there green energy scheme but after this I really had to change. Basically you just have to enter your address, add give them your power bill number and fill in a direct debit form...that simple. Takes a minute and makes a point, perticularly if you send a quick email to explain why you have cancelled your account.

I personally used the following email address as it is probably better than customer services for getting attention csr.feedback@rwenpower.com (CSR is corporate social responsibility).

Finally, if you wan't to send a copy of your letter to someone else with influence then you might try RWE NPower CEO Andy Duff, by email: andy.duff@rwenpower.com and by mail:

Any Duff
RWE Npower
Trigonos Building
Windmill Hill Business Park
Whitehill Way
Swindon
Wilts SN5 6PB

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IPCC release Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

The Intergovornmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) draws together cutting edge science from around the world in order to provide governments with an authoritative and broad base of information on which to base there policy decisions. The IPCC is policy relavent, not policy prescriptive. (Who set up the IPCC, how are govornments involved, what are it's aims?)

The IPCC report is a synthesis of current science, not a new piece of primary research. The work of the IPCC is split three ways: Working Group 1 (WG1) looks at the basic science, Working Group 2 (WG2) look at Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Working Group 3 (WG3) looks at ways to mitigate (reduce) climate change. (Who are the scientists in WG2?)

Today WG2 release the 23 page Summary for Policy Makers (SPM), the report in full of there work will be released later in the year. (Webcast of Event+ Q&A)

In fact, although the main launch of the report occurred today (April 6th 2007) in Brussels there where launches in 16 regions around the world; representing the global nature of the issues and the international diversity of the scientists involved (from over 100 nations) more details on theses other launches here.

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Help with a response to the UK Climate Change Bill Consultation

I am currently filling in my response to the Draft Climate Change Bill 2007 (UK).

I would be interested in collaborating with anyone else who is already doing this or who would be willing to offer advice if to time constrained to take on this themselves. The bill is fairly complex and another head working on this would be great.

If you are interested in helping with responding to this my email is calvin dot jones at gmail dot com

The main gaping holes that I have found so far are:

1. An inadequate target + language that may inhibit this being updated.
2. Excluding aviation and shipping; this is probably this single greatest mistake.
3. Having 5 year budgetary periods that are not legally binding rather than legally binding annual targets.
4. Excluding non-co2 GHG's.
5. Including the possibility of purchasing credits from abroad.

If you are interested in helping with responding to this my email is calvin dot jones at gmail dot com

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2006 was a record year for tropical cyclones

Fascinating, i knew the N.Atlantic hurricane season was quite but not that the rest of the world had been busy with tropical storms...

Many Climate Change deniers point out the fact that 2006 ended-up being a very quiet year for Atlantic hurricanes. While that is true and was probably due to some local conditions, the fact is that globally 2006 was a record year for hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. The Pacific ocean generated an unheard of number of strong storms last year. And in the last few months, there has been many category 4 and 5 storms. Somehow the western media doesn’t cover such events at all, even though some countries like Madagascar have been devastated.

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Supreme Court rules against the Bush administration in the landmark global warming case of Massachusetts v. EPA.

Great news via Grist...

Word just came down that the Supreme Court has ruled against the Bush administration in the landmark global warming case of Massachusetts v. EPA. The ruling was 5-4, with conservatives dissenting and the crucial vote of Anthony Kennedy going with the non-conservatives.

The court addressed three questions:

Do states and environmental groups have standing to sue EPA?
Verdict: Yes.

(To show legal standing, states had to show they would be harmed by the excess global warming that would occur without EPA regulations. This was the real sticking point, and it was at the center of the conservative justices' dissent.)

Does the EPA have the right to regulate CO2 emissions as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act?

Verdict: Yes.

Can the EPA choose not to regulate CO2 emissions at its own discretion?

Verdict: The court told EPA to ... reconsider its claim that it has that discretion. Said majority opinion writer Justice John Paul Stevens: "EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change." The court also offered EPA a laundry list of reasons why it should so regulate. In effect, the court put enormous pressure on EPA to regulate.

This is a huge, huge deal. The proximate effect is that California's pioneering efforts against climate change are safe from federal interference.

More broadly, the Supreme Court has put the weight of the judicial branch of the federal government behind the effort to fight global warming. There is no longer a shred of doubt, if there was any left, that federal action is inevitable.

Bush's isolation on this issue is now total. No one stands with him -- not Congress, not the business community, not the religious community, not the public at large, not the courts. Only James Inhofe. That's a grim assessment indeed.

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Insperational post of the week

Pump ‘Em Up an insperational campaign to reduce fuel usage by keeping tyres fully inflated. If Americans did this then they would save oil equavalent to more than available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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Buildings and Climate Change: Status, Challenges and Opportunities (UNEP)

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) have just released a report outlining the potential for climate change mitigation through efficient (or 'green') building design.

The report "Building and Climate Change: Status, Challenges and Opportunities" is the latest in a long line of interesting reports on this subject.

A quick look at the Global and US emissions by end use sector explains this. Just over a quarter of US emissions (27%) are attributable to building energy demand. Globally the proportion of emissions consumed by buildings is 15%, this exclude energy used in the construction process.

Further Reading:

1. The UK government has a target for 60% reduction of GHG's by 2050, a project by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) called The 40% House describes how this can be done.
2. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) has taken a look at Urban environments in it's latest report. This report deals with climate change as a central theme but also deals with a plethora of urban challenges. My idea that 'It's also low carbon' could be a useful philosophy for a campaign is reinforced by the many synergies identified between climate mitigation and smart urban policy.
3. In 2005 the Sustinable Development Comission took a look at what we are going to do with all our old building in the UK. Can they be upgraded cost effectively or will they have to go?
   

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