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July 2003In this issue: Archives of Past Issues
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CRC NEWSAustralia-NZ workshop on non-CO2 emissions Abstracts and expressions of interest are invited for the second joint Australia – New Zealand Workshop on Research Priorities for Abatement of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Agriculture. This initiative of the Australian Greenhouse Office is supported by the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting. Details: http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/crc/ecarbon/nonc02forum_oct03.pdf
A new study demonstrates that the invasion of Australia's tropical grazed grasslands by trees and shrubs followed the introduction of European land-management practices such as livestock grazing and fire suppression. The study, by scientists from Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, uses innovative analysis of carbon isotopes in soil to trace changes in vegetation cover back through time. Study leader Dr Evelyn Krull said that woody thickening had long been observed worldwide, particularly in the grasslands and savannas of Australia, America and Africa. “Until now there has been little information on when woody thickening began or its cause,” Dr Krull said. “This study not only confirmed that soil organic matter provides a record of past vegetation change in tropical rangelands, but also established that increases in tree cover followed changes in land management,” she said. The Chief Executive of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, Dr Chris Mitchell, said Dr Krull's work provided a means by which scientists could probe into the past to improve understanding of processes involved in ecosystem change. Dr Krull presented her work on Tuesday 29 July at the 16th Congress of the International Union for Quarternary Research in Nevada, USA. Details: http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/crc/ecarbon/media_27July03.htm Towards Zero Emissions CRC for Greenhouse Accounting was one of four cooperative research centres involved in the Towards Zero Emissions conference in Brisbane in the last week of July. The other CRCs involved were the CO2CRC, the CRCs for Coal in Sustainable Development and Clean Power from Lignite. CRC for Greenhouse Accounting Chief Executive Dr Chris Mitchell spoke at the conference on Key factors in biological sequestration. Later in the week he presented on The carbon cycle, the greenhouse
effect and vegetation management at a seminar for the Brisbane branch
of the Clean Air Society, and spoke to a group from the Queensland
Department of Natural Resources and Mines.
AUSTRALIAN NEWSResponse to greenhouse In a major speech acknowledging the need for Australia to respond to the consequences of climate change and to the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Minister for the Environment details the Australian response. Details: http://www.ea.gov.au/minister/env/2003/sp16jul03.html Trading scheme to Cabinet Federal Cabinet considered a proposal for a carbon-trading scheme, but deferred a decision because of industry criticism, according to the Australian. Details: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6800779%255E643,00.html CO2 labels for cars New cars in Australia will have to carry labels listing carbon dioxide emissions as well as fuel consumption. Details: http://www.ea.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr01jul03.html Australia-NZ partnership Australia and New Zealand have agreed to strengthen practical cooperation on ways of addressing climate change. Details: http://www.ea.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr07jul03.html
‘Unambiguously bad policy' The Federal Government's policy on renewable energy is inefficient, economically damaging and a poor approach to greenhouse abatement, a study by Allen Consulting Group has concluded. Details: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/02/1056825456263.html Australian wind-power going global Australian wind-power technology is reaching out to a global market, as science, technology and industry come together in a new wind energy consulting company based in Canberra with what is seen to be world's best available wind resource technology. Trading ‘not the answer” Greenhouse gas emission is the most significant issue facing Australia's energy industry today, but emissions trading is not the answer, according to the chief executive of an international power generation company. Details: http://onebusiness.nzoom.com/onebusiness_detail/0,1245,204394-3-166,00.html
Losing the greenhouse battle A Government report shows that greenhouse gas emissions from the NZ energy sector grew by 33 per cent between 1990 and last year, and the rate of growth appears to be increasing. Methane emissions rose by 41 per cent in the same period. Under the Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand is obliged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012. Details: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3512583&thesection=news&thesubsection=dialogue
Forest plantings cut New forest planting volumes in New Zealand are plummeting as the economics of forestry mean small-scale plots are not being replanted as trees are cut. Details: http://www.co2e.com/News/story.asp?StoryID=1199 Farm levy to stay The New Zealand government will not budge on its decision to levy farmers for research into greenhouse gas emissions from animals, Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton told Federated Farmers' annual conference. Details: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2570247a11,00.html NZ-US partnership Senior officials from New Zealand and the United States met in Wellington to consolidate cooperation under the NZ-US Climate Change Partnership Details: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0307/S00471.htm
WORLD NEWSKyoto and emissionsUS research plan The White House's 10-year global warming research plan has five goals, the first one being to identify natural variability in climate change. Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-07-25/s_6910.asp
Swiss ratify protocol Switzerland has become the 111th country to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Details: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030708/cgtu062_1.html China sees unique advantage China sees its status as both a developing nation and a rising industrial power as giving it a unique advantage in being able to lure technical assistance from developed countries which stand to gain emissions-trading credits for helping cut emissions in the developing world. Details: http://www.asahi.com/english/business/K2003072500397.html
A business employers' lobby group warned that the EU directive aimed at meeting the climate change targets of the Kyoto protocol will lead to job losses in Ireland. Details: http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=727359;s=rollingnews.htm Geological sequestration evaluation Drilling has begun on a 3,000-metre well to evaluate underground rock layers in West Virginia as part of a US Department of Energy carbon sequestration research project at the American Electric Power Mountaineer plant there. Details: http://www.pressi.com/int/release/69618.html Voluntary measures not enough Voluntary measures will not be enough to reduce US carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new report the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Details: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2003/2003-07-11-10.asp
US companies ‘discount' global warming Top US electric, automobile and oil companies "are still pursuing business strategies that discount the global warming threat," according to a report commissioned by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies. Summary: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20030710/449_6457.asp
Tomatoes – the new carbon sink A US company claims to be turning a liability into an income-earning asset by piping carbon dioxide through micro-tubes across fields of crops, achieving a 120 per cent increase in marketable tomato production and 28 per cent increase in high-value winter strawberry yield. Details: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030708/cgtu062_1.html Steel firm commits to cut emissions The world's largest steel firm, Arcelor, has committed to cutting 11 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels at 25 of its French sites. Details: http://www.platts.com/features/emissions/relatedepa.shtml#17 Forest clearing increases A satellite image survey conducted by the Brazilian government shows that about 10,000 square miles of Amazon forests in Brazil were cleared in the year to June 2002, a 40 per cent increase on previous levels of clearing. Details: http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=||D1D1366D000000F623E6AE03F1BDF329 PowerSuperconductor efficiency High temperature superconductor devices improving electrical machinery could help the European Union reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 52 million tonnes or 65 per cent of its Kyoto Protocol commitment, according to a new study. Details: http://flat.iop.org/news/599
Petrol price rise Belgium's incoming coalition government has raised petrol and diesel fuel prices, saying it will help meet the Kyoto Protocol requirements on emissions. Details: http://www.expatica.com/belgium.asp?pad=88,89,&item_id=32776 Solar growth slows The solar thermal industry in Europe installed more than one million square metres of collectors last year for the third successive year. But it was a 24 per cent drop from 2001, contrasting with strong growth in every other year since 1993. Details: http://www.edie.net/gf.cfm?L=left_frame.html&R=http://www.edie.net/news/Archive/7265.cfm Wind-power for Britain Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-07-15/s_6554.asp
Beyond KyotoChallenges examined Pew Center has brought together former negotiators and other climate experts from developed and developing countries to prepare a set of six papers examining core challenges in advancing international climate effort beyond the Kyoto commitment period. Drafts of the papers are available for review and comment through to 1 September 2003. Details: http://www.pewclimate.org/forms/contact_intl.cfm British look to science British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the US Congress that the world has to go beyond Kyoto and look to science and technology to solve environmental problems. Details: http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=E082E974-8E87-4245-961E28D74AB79D7E Scenario analysis ZEW's Climate Platform has published a paper identifying policy-relevant post-Kyoto scenarios in a systematic way and quantifying the associated economic implications across major world regions. Details: ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp0309.pdf Melbourne seminar The CRC for Greenhouse Accounting in association with Australasian Emissions Trading Forum will hold a seminar on Setting the Agenda beyond Kyoto – Positioning Australia for the emission-constrained future in Melbourne on 9 September. Details: Seminar Program Climate changeRecord extremes of weather Record extremes in weather and climate events continue to occur around the world and their number and intensity might increase, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Details: http://www.wmo.ch/web/Press/Press695.doc Global warming causing health problems Experts from Harvard Medical School tell Congress that global warming is already here, and that it has implications for public health and insurance. Details: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/newswire/international/2003/06/19/29988.htm ‘Unavoidable reality' Global climate change has become an unavoidable reality, necessitating a more balanced approach meet its complex challenges, including the weather-related disasters that are already occurring in many parts of the world, according to a paper from a senior research fellow from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Details: http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=172&language=1 Cold spots not inconsistent with global warming Cool parts of the world should not be construed as evidence that global warming is not occurring, according to scientists from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and NASA Details: http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20030723/449_6854.asp
Emissions hit tropopause Human related emissions from such things as industry, power plants and cars are largely responsible for an increase in the height of the tropopause - the boundary between the two lowest of the atmosphere, according to research published in the journal Science. Details: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2003/2003-07-25-09.asp#anchor6
Scenarios for UK islands Climate change will force temperatures up, summers will be drier, and winters will be wetter across the Scottish islands over the next 100 years, according to new research. Details: http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2003/2003-07-24-01.asp
Lakes affected Warming has reduced primary production of Lake Tanganyika, and continued global warming might reduce production in deep lakes across the tropics, according to a study in Science. Details: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5632/505 No jacket required
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