CRC for Greenhouse Accounting News

Research on emissions
from cotton crops

The CRC for Greenhouse Accounting, the Australian Cotton CRC, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, the Australian Greenhouse Office, the University of Melbourne and the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research from Garmisch in Germany have combined to undertake ground-breaking international research on greenhouse gas emissions from cotton crops.

The research is being undertaken at the Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI) at Myall Vale near Narrabri in New South Wales.

A fully automated system for real-time gas sampling and analysis developed by Drs Ralf Kiese and Klaus Butterbach from the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research has been used over recent months to continuously monitor nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane emissions from irrigated soils in the cotton growing region of NSW. Dr Kiese earlier spent 3 weeks at Narrabri commissioning the equipment in September 2003, at the onset of the cotton growing season. He will return in February 2004 for dismantling and transfer of the equipment back to Germany.

The equipment comprises 8 automated chambers which operate on a 2 hour cycle. Gas samples are automatically drawn into a portable in-line gas chromatograph and carbon dioxide analyser every 3 minutes on a 24 hour basis.

Dr Peter Grace, now of the Queensland University of Technology, was instrumental in developing the project in cooperation with CRC for Greenhouse Accounting.

About 20 per cent of Australia’s annual emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide come from the agricultural sector. Cattle and sheep contribute over two-thirds of these emissions, with emissions from crop production about half of the rest. The main contributor from crops is nitrous oxide, which has a global warming potential over 300 times that of the most common greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide is released after the application of nitrogen fertilisers or the decomposition of legume crop residues. These emissions are more apparent when the soil becomes waterlogged.

It is widely recognised that the one of most direct means of mitigating climate change is through a reduction in nitrous oxide from agricultural sources. Improving nitrogen and water use efficiency in crop production will reduce nitrous oxide emissions and lead to more sustainable and profitable farming.

There is little known on greenhouse gas emissions, especially nitrous oxide, from Australian soils.

The project team includes Drs Deli Chen and Richard Eckard from the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting and Drs Ian Rochester and Nilantha Hulugalle and Mr Greg Roberts of the Australian Cotton CRC.

These are the first detailed studies of greenhouse gas emissions from cotton soils anywhere in the world.

Stakeholder workshop

Key industry stakeholders joined the Board of the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting at a workshop in late December to identify the gaps in our knowledge which could slow the implementation of effective actions to reduce greenhouse emissions over the next decade.

The workshop also focused on the institutional arrangements needed to ensure the results of greenhouse research are accessible and used in efforts to reduce emissions.

Senior representatives from agriculture, forestry, electricity generation, paper and packaging industries joined policy makers, leaders of non-government organisations, business services providers, and related research organisations in the one-day workshop with the CRC Board.

Some of the knowledge gaps identified in the workshop included:

• the high level of uncertainty over the levels of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils and savanna burning;
• the extent to which climate change will alter greenhouse gas emissions from the land;
• reference scenarios allowing easy comparison of the impacts of more plantation forests versus other uses; and
• the carbon sequestration rates of different species of trees in different places and different climates.

The stakeholders identified important roles for the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting as being:

• informing the development of greenhouse abatement policy nationally and internationally;
• developing simple but accurate rules and tools for use in greenhouse accounting and in facilitating trading;
• informing and working with the community, particularly through integrating greenhouse emissions minimisation strategies in existing guides to best land-management practices; and
• contributing to international research.

Helping farmers

A new appointment to the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting boosts our capacity to help farmers incorporate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into their agricultural management practices.

Ms Traci Griffin, who has extensive experience in liaison between policy and the farming community, joins the CRC to lead a new project on partnerships, education and communication in agriculture.

Ms Griffin will be based at Rutherglen, where a CRC for Greenhouse Accounting team is researching the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in grains cultivation. A mobile gas chromatograph unit has been located at the Rutherglen research site to capture and analyse gas samples 24 hours a day, seven days a week, comparing emissions from a range of different cultivation practices.

The first task for Ms Griffin will be to meet with the Industry Liaison Panel, formed from representatives from the Grains, Cotton and Dairy Industries, the Fertilizer Industry Federation of Australia, and National Landcare, as well as representatives of state and federal policy stakeholders. This Liaison Panel was formed to ensure that the expectations of each industry are met.

From Monday 23 February Ms Griffin may be contacted at the

Rutherglen Research Institute
RMB 1145 Chiltern Valley Road
Rutherglen Victoria 3685
AUSTRALIA

Telephone: 02 6030 4500
(61) 2 6030 4500 (international)
Facsimile: 02 6030 4600
(61) 2 6030 4600 (international)

Email: Traci.Griffin@dpi.vic.gov.au

Developing the next
generation of researchers

Dr Robyn Harris has joined the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting to help in the development of a new generation of greenhouse research scientists.

As Education Officer Dr Harris will mentor the CRC’s postgraduate students, ensuring their training needs are fulfilled, assisting with industry placements, and administering the postgraduate support program.

Dr Harris, whose PhD is in microbial biochemistry, will work closely with Education and Training Manager Dr Janette Lindesay.

Twenty-seven PhD students and two Masters students currently receive support from the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting.

Australian news

More hot days predicted

Climate change projections from CSIRO suggest that the average number of days over 35°C in Canberra will increase from 4 days a year now to between 6 and 10 by the year 2030. According to the projections, the average number of days over 35°C in Melbourne will increase from 8 to between 9 and 12, in Adelaide from 10 to between 11 and 16, and in Perth from 15 to between 16 and 22. In Hobart, Sydney and Brisbane, the averages may double from 1, 2 and 3 days respectively now to 2, 4 and 6 days respectively by 2030.
Details: http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=mediaRelease&id=Prfewerfrost
AAP through the Australian: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8387396%255E30417,00.html

AGO stops work on trading

The Australian Greenhouse Office has stopped all work on emissions trading schemes.
Details - the Age: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/11/1073769452480.html 
the Australian: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8371226%255E1702,00.html
ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1023960.htm
Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/12/1073877754475.html and http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/12/1073877760167.html
Canberra Times: http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=national&category=general%20news&story_id=278603&y=2004&m=1
Minister's reaction: http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/Hilltpl.cfm?CurrentId=3415

Renewable energy scheme

An independent review finds that Australia's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme is meeting its objectives.
Minister's media statement: http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/Hilltpl.cfm?CurrentId=3435
Review report: http://www.mretreview.gov.au/report/index.html 
The review warned that the fledgling renewable energy sector will stall in just four years unless long-term targets are adopted for the amount of electricity coming from so-called clean sources such as wind and solar - Syndey Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/16/1073878033650.html

Promise on clearing

In election campaign mode, the Queensland government says that if re-elected it will end broad-scale tree clearing regardless of whether the federal government supports the move.
Premier's media statement: http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/cgi-bin/display-statement.pl?id=16179&db=media

Signs of global warming intensifying
(The Age, 17 January 2004)

"While the world dithers over whether to line up behind Kyoto, signs of global warming are intensifying. Methane and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise; Arctic ice is thinning and glaciers are melting; and weather is becoming more extreme. Will the jury come back in time?" The Age reviews the evidence of climate change, the politics of the debate, and the impact of the few who still deny.

Labor on Kyoto 

In his speech opening the ALP national conference, Opposition Leader Mark Latham said the Australia he believed in was "Big in size, big in spirit, big in character. . . Big enough to protect the environment and ratify the Kyoto Protocol."
Details - transcript of speech: http://www.alp.org.au/media/0104/20006772.html (scroll to heading "A big country") 

World news

Kyoto and emissions

Plan for 20 per cent cut in emissions
(Various, including BBC and the Guardian, 19 and 20 January 2004, through Daily Grist, and Point Carbon)

A new British plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010 has raised the ire of industry.
Details: http://www.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,12188,1126660,00.html and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3409653.stm
See also: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-20/s_12207.asp
Financial Times: http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=040120000872&query=kyoto&vsc_appId=totalSearch&state=Form
Summary (by legal firm Baker and McKenzie) of the UK's Draft National Allocation Plan: http://www.bakernet.com/newsletters/Article.asp?ArticleID=2593&EditionID=274&URL=%2Fnewsletters%2Fnewsletter%2Easp&NLID=34
Straight to the source - Media release by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2004/euets-0104.htm
Full paper issued for consultation: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/eu-etsnap/index.htm
International Herald Tribune: http://www.iht.com/articles/125667.html
Point Carbon: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3109&categoryID=147
and http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3119&categoryID=147
See also: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3118&categoryID=147 

Publication of the UK plan followed release of European Commission guidelines for National Allocation Plans.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3063&categoryID=146

US urged to act

As the world's biggest polluter, the United States must take the threat of global warming more seriously, says Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, Sir David King.
Details - UN Wire report: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040109/449_11902.asp
Full text of article published in Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/303/5655/176
Summary of Science article: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/303/5655/176

The US approach to combating climate change — which eschews mandatory regulations in favor of voluntary initiatives — has had little success in recruiting companies to participate in its programs.
Details - UN Wire: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040102/449_11683.asp
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46212-2003Dec31.html
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3381425.stm

Indonesia ready to ratify
(Jakarta Post through World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 14 January 2004) 

Indonesia has announced its readiness to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
Details: http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&DocId=3617

Supporters not waiting for the rogue elephants

"Kyoto-supporting countries, including Japan, Canada, and those of the European Union, are not going to stand around and wait for the rogue elephants Russia and the United States to join the pack." - Grist Magazine summarises who is doing what in response to Kyoto.
Details: http://www.gristmagazine.com/powers/powers121903.asp?source=daily  

Geological sequestration
(Associated Press through Environmental News Network, 29 January 2004)

The US Energy Department is undertaking preliminary planning for what could be one of the world's largest test sites for geological sequestration of carbon dioxide.
Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-29/s_12584.asp 

Draft on post-2012 regime

In a draft report on a post-2012 worldwide climate regime, Japan has stressed that "it is not equitable that future generations should suffer from unacceptable climate change caused by the current generation." It said that, in order to promote participation of developing countries after 2012, "developed countries need to make demonstrable progress in achieving their commitments, as well as to demonstrate that measures to abate climate change, such as energy efficiency improvement, can stimulate the economy."
Full report: http://www.env.go.jp/en/topic/cc/031126.pdf 

Bangladesh 'worst hit'
(New Nation, 18 January 2003)

Being the country worst hit by climate change and not being a significant source of greenhouse gases, Bangladesh should continue to highlight in international arenas the vulnerabilities of the least developed countries, according to Environment and Forest Minister Shajahan Siraj.
Details: http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_7008.shtml  

Greenhouse gas register
(UN Wire, 23 January 2004)

Ten multinational companies have agreed to participate in a Global Greenhouse Gas Register, an initiative officially launched by the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Details: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040123/449_12395.asp and
http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3125&categoryID=147

Netherlands report

The draft National Inventory Report 2004 on the Netherlands GHG Emissions is now available for public review.
Details: http://www.broeikasgassen.nl/frameset.asp?strurl=%2Fcontent%2Freports_sub.asp%3Fnoid%3D128%26lang%3Dnl%26skin%3D3

Energy

Nuclear fusion
(Environmental News Network, 13 January 2004) 

France is keen to host the world's first lage-scale nuclear fusion plant. 
Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-13/s_11978.asp
Japan would consider sharing - Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-29/s_12585.asp

'The future of wind power'
(AP through Daily Grist and the Arizona Republic)

"This is the future of wind power," said Ralph Cavanagh, energy program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It doesn't displace agricultural uses, it complements them." When all of its 90 turbines are operating by year's end, the High Winds Energy Center near Sacramento will have the capacity to generate 162 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 75,000 homes, according FPL Energy, which owns and operates High Winds and 30 other wind facilities in 10 US states.
Details: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0105windfarm-ON.html  

Saying it will do no more than meet its Kyoto obligations, Germany moves to safeguard the role of coal "as an alternative source to replace nuclear energy."
Details - Point Carbon: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3116&categoryID=147 
Reuters: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ECK040125.htm

Solar power station
(Reuters through MSNBC & Point Carbon, 20 January 2004)

Shell Solar and German firm GEOSOL plan to open the world's largest solar power station, with an output capacity of 5 megawatts, in July.
Details: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4006977/ and http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3115&categoryID=147  

Energy independence

An alliance of labor, environmental, civil rights, business, and political leaders in the United States has laid out a vision for a "New Apollo Project" to create 3.3 million new jobs and achieve energy independence in 10 years.
Details - Environmental News Network: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-20/s_12200.asp and
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3957186&p1=0

Grey power
(Environmental News Network, 23 December 2003)

An enterprising power plant chief in Germany believes he has found an alternative source of energy with a bright future in an aging nation: incinerating used incontinence pads. "The content of nappies provide a great source of energy. The demand for used incontinence materials will grow in the future," he said.
Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11525.asp

Climate and climate change

2003 second warmest year

The US National Climatic Data Centre has concluded that 2003 tied with 2002 as the second warmest on record in its analysis, which covers the period from 1880. During the past century, global surface temperatures have increased at a rate near 0.6°C/century, but this trend has increased to a rate approaching 2°C/century during the past 25 to 30 years, according to NCDC.
Details: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2003/ann/global.html
Report in The State: http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/7723049.htm

Increased climate variability

Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology suggest that increasing mean temperatures alone cannot explain the European summer of 2003, in which heat is said to have killed 20,000 people. The scientists' analysis indicates that a pronounced increase in year-to-year climate variability in response to greenhouse-gas forcing could explain last year's European summer temperatures, and would strongly affect the incidence of heatwaves and droughts in the future. It would represent a serious challenge to adaptive response strategies designed to cope with climate change. They conclude that heatwaves such as that experienced in Europe last year could become as frequent as one summer in two.
Science update summary: http://www.nature.com/nsu/040105/040105-16.html
Abstract: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature02300_fs.html&dynoptions=doi1074663834
Article: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature02300_fs.html
UN Wire's report: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040112/449_11945.asp
Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2004/01/19/a_sacrifice_of_species/
The Age's report: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/12/1073877754319.html
The Guardian's report: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/12/1073877754319.html 
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_3389000/3389621.stm
Reuters: http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/01/12/europe.climate.reut/
Swissinfo: http://www.nzz.ch/2004/01/12/english/page-synd4622115.html 

Threat of mass extinctions

Global warming could force one-fourth of the globe's plant and animal species to the brink of extinction by 2050, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
Details - Summary from Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/links/040108/040108-1.html
Full report from Nature: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v427/n6970/full/nature02121_fs.html
UN Wire report: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040108/449_11849.asp
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63153-2004Jan7?language=printer
Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4831449-103690,00.html
World Wildlife Fund through ENN: http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=||D1D1366D000000F9F778B0064AE075CF
AP through ENN: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-08/s_11842.asp
Pravda: http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/98/387/11770_warming.html
Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1073517012305

Island states threatened
(NZ Herald, 11 January 2004)

The Association of Small Island States is lobbying the bigger states about the dangers greenhouse emissions pose to the small island states' continued existence. But nobody seems to be listening.
Details: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?reportID=57030&storyID=3542820

Atlantic salmon die in heat
(World Wildlife Fund)

Atlantic salmon are already threatened by global warming, with hundreds dying from heat in Scottish rivers last year.
Details: http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=10661

Role of soot in warming

New research from NASA scientists suggests emissions of black soot alters the way sunlight reflects off snow. According to their computer simulation, black soot may be responsible for 25 percent of observed global warming over the past century.
Details - Goddard Center report: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/1223blacksoot.html
AP report through ENN: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11529.asp

Research into societal impacts
(Contra Costa Times, 20 January 2004)

An Institute for Research in Climate Change and its Societal Impacts has been formed at the University of California to tackle potential societal problems stemming from climate change, including areas such as health care and water resources.
Details: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/7755351.htm

India projected to be hotter and wetter
(Science and Development Network, 8 January 2004)

India is likely to become much hotter and could also become considerably wetter due to global warming, according to initial projections by climate researchers.
Details: http://www.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scidev.net%2FNews%2Findex.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3DreadNews%26itemid%3D1185%26language%3D1 

Midwinter spring
(Guardian, 9 January 2004)

Midwinter spring is the new season - in an attempt to keep track of the dramatic changes being caused by global warming, the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Woodland Trust urged as many people as possible to watch for the first signs of spring in the UK. 
Details: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1119072,00.html 
and http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1111157,00.html

Study of link to war proposed
(Environmental News Network, 14 January 2004)

The United Nations wants to study links between the environment and human conflict to see how future wars might be sparked by factors like global warming.
Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-01-14/s_12024.asp 

Billions of balloons

Filling the stratosphere with billions of silver balloons to reflect the sun's rays, or spraying the oceans with iron to make them suck up the gases causing global warming - just some of the ideas from a conference organised by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Details - Edie: http://www.edie.net/gf.cfm?L=left_frame.html&R=http://www.edie.net/news/Archive/7912.cfm
Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2004/01/20/scientists_use_creativity_to_fight_global_warming/
Guardian: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1120491,00.html

'Blue-sky thinking'

"The idea of learning to manage or 'redesign' the global climate is, in part, a response to the extreme scepticism over the issue in the USA, where many, especially in the Bush administration contest the accepted wisdom on climate change, and say that the effects of increased industrial growth on the planet are unknowable. . . . Any modification of the lifestyles of global privilege can, it seems, no longer be contemplated, since economic rights have been elevated even over the right to survive."
An editorial in the Statesman despairs at current responses to climate change: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=3&id=61927&usrsess=1  

Trading

Talks on linking mechanism
(Point Carbon, 7 January 2004)

The European institutions are hoping to agree on a directive linking the EU emissions trading scheme to the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms by May this year.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3044&categoryID=147

EU Trades
(Point Carbon, 19 January 2004)

In the first two weeks of the new year, Point Carbon registered five completed trades in the EU emissions trading market, adding up to a total of 51,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide traded in the period.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3106&categoryID=147
The largest officially announced single trade in the EU market, 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, came in late December.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3038&categoryID=147

Record day
(Point Carbon, 14 January 2004)

The Chicago Climate Exchange, the US-based voluntary emissions trading market launched in mid-December, has seen a record day of trading with 21,000 tonnes of 2004 vintage emissions traded at $0.95/t on a single day. The largest single trade was 10,000 tonnes.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3080&categoryID=147

NZ dispute over sinks rights

To devolve sink credits to forest owners would be handing over much of the value created under the Kyoto Protocol to foreign owners of New Zealand forests, according to a statement from the Environmental Defence Society supporting the NZ government in a dispute with a newly formed Kyoto Forest Owners Association.
National Business Review on Kyoto Forest Owners' Association criticism: http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=7890&cid=4&cname=Business+Today
Point Carbon on Environmental Defence Society response: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3040&categoryID=147
Dominion Post report: http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2770030a13,00.html
Kyoto Forest Owners media statement: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0312/S00304.htm

Mexico shapes up for CDM
(Point Carbon, 21 January 2004)

Mexico, anticipating being able to sell 81 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents as carbon credits during the first commitment period, is about to get the necessary institutions in place to establish itself as an attractive CDM host country.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3117&categoryID=147

Conferences

Climate policy and the bottom line

GHG Registries, Climate Policy and the Bottom Line, a two-day conference hosted by the California Climate Action Registry, International Emissions Trading Association and BP, will discuss key questions and latest developments related to climate change policy and business strategy.
Details: http://www.climateregistry.org/EVENTS/Conference/

Carbon market insights

Carbon Market Insights 2004, a Point Carbon conference, wil be held in Amsterdam on 20 and 21 april 2004.
Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2770

Biomass and bioenergy

The New Zealand Ministry for the Environment is organising an EA Bioenergy Task 38 (Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems) conference in Rotorua, New Zealand, on 22 and 23 March 2004. The conference focuses on the role of carbon sequestration and bioenergy projects in national and international greenhouse-gas markets.
Details: http://www.joanneum.ac.at/iea-bioenergy-task38/

Carbon capture

The third annual conference on Carbon Capture and Sequestration being convened by the US National Energy Technology Laboratory will be held from May 3 to 6 near Washington DC.
Details: http://www.carbonsq.com/ 

More conferences

For details of more conferences (or to publicise your conference) see the CRC for Greenhouse Accountings Global Change Events Calendar at http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/gcec/