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May 2003In this issue: Archives of Past Issues
| Subscribe CRC NEWSAnnual Science Meeting More than 100 members and partners travelled from all mainland states of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory to take part in the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting’s Annual Science Meeting held at South Durras on the south coast of NSW. The 58 presentations at the week-long meeting covered subjects as diverse as the impact of woody thickening of rangelands, modelling soil carbon stocks under various forest management practices, the fundamental importance of declining pan evaporation, the 20-year spatial and temporal dynamics of the Australian carbon cycle, carbon storage outcomes for the harvesting and conversion of trees, and accounting for harvested wood products in Australia. Professor Charles W Rice, Professor of Agronomy at Kansas State University and Director of the US-based Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS), gave a presentation on US work in this area. Professor Rice’s visit to Australia for talks on collaboration between the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting and CASMGS and his attendance at the Science Meeting was under the auspices of the Australia-US Climate Action Partnership. The Science Meeting also included presentations by 12 PhD students on their work with the CRC, a student poster display and competition, and discussion of the CRC’s newly approved program on accounting and mitigation of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in Australian farming systems. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, the University of Melbourne and the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research join the CRC as new research partners in the non-CO2 program. Details:
CRCs contributing to global issues CRCs contributing to global issues was the topic of a presentation to the CRC Association annual conference by CRC for Greenhouse Accounting Chief Executive Dr Chris Mitchell on Wednesday 28 May. Dr Mitchell used examples from the CRCs for Greenhouse Accounting, Clean Power from Lignite, Coal in Sustainable Development, and Australian Petroleum (which is in transition to become the new CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies or CO2CRC) to illustrate the international collaborations of Australian CRCs and the way in which they contribute to Australia by addressing global issues. The three-day CRC Association annual conference was held in Canberra. Details
Tree Carbon Calculator The CRC for Greenhouse Accounting has launched a web-based Tree Carbon Calculator to enable students and others interested to estimate the extent to which particular trees help in the battle against global warming. The calculator uses allometric equations to estimate tree carbon based on whether the tree is a hardwood or softwood species and the circumference of the tree measured at 1.3 metres above ground level. Check the calculator and how it works at http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au
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AUSTRALIAN NEWSFunds for greenhouse gas abatement Australian Federal Ministers have invited registrations from those seeking funds from round three of the government’s $400 million Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program to reduce Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions by supporting practical and effective activities that will deliver substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions or substantial carbon sink enhancement. Examples of projects previously supported include capturing and burning waste methane gas from NSW and Queensland coal mines to generate electricity and abate over 11 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, and installing energy efficient electricity and heat generation units at more than 10 industrial plants Australia-wide to further reduce emissions of more than 3.25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. Details: http://www.ea.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr29may03.html
Halt to Queensland land clearing Queensland has placed a temporary hold on new land clearing applications while the federal and state governments consult with farmers and other interested parties to finalise a plan for long-term reductions in land clearing in the state. Proposals now being discussed include protection of “of concern” vegetation, the phasing down of broadacre clearing of remnant vegetation to zero (with some exemptions) by 2006, and an adjustment package of $150 million in financial incentives to assist with transition, improving management of the more valuable remnant vegetation, and development of best-practice farm management plans. Details:
Fuel cells plan for Antarctica The Federal Government is to provide up to $0.5million to investigate the use of hydrogen in fuel cells as an energy source for Australian Antarctic operations, to reduce reliance on diesel. Details: http://www.ea.gov.au/minister/env/2003/mr20may03.html
A carbon-constrained future The Chairman of the Australian Stock Exchange, Maurice Newman, stresses the need for Australia to settle its national greenhouse policies and for Australian companies to effectively manage their businesses in anticipation of a carbon constrained future. Details: http://www.aetf.net.au/ContentStore/pdf/ReviewAprMay2003.pdf Also in the AETF Review: analysis of the recent report from the Government-Business Climate Dialogue, and a review of the report of the advisory group established by the Premiers of NSW, Victoria and South Australia to examine costs and benefits to the Australian economy from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Details: http://www.aetf.net.au/ContentStore/pdf/ReviewAprMay2003.pdf
Greener offices urged Property developers will have to take more responsibility to reduce greenhouse gases in Australia as office buildings become the fastest growing contributor of such emissions, Victorian Building Commissioner Tony Arnel has told the property industry. Details: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/06/1051987700674.html
Greener fleets Australia's biggest buyers of cars are turning green by increasingly choosing fleets of smaller vehicles powered by alternative fuel. Details: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/25/1050777404377.html
Bioenergy plant Construction has begun on a biomass cogeneration plant in Queensland that will produce renewable energy by burning more than 5,000 tons of shells generated by the macadamia nut industry. Details: http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1156
WORLD NEWSKyoto and emissionsTime to look past Kyoto The Kyoto Protocol has absorbed the world's attention for much too long, causing the world to lose clear focus on the long-term problem of climate change and what should be done to solve it, the chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, said in New Zealand.
PROBASE report Through the Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development Program of the European Union, PROBASE carried out a research project on developing operational procedures for Joint Implementation (Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol) and the Clean Development Mechanism (Article 12) baseline determination and accounting of greenhouse gas emission reductions. Annexures to the final report, as well as the report itself, are now available. Details: http://www.northsea.nl/jiq/probase/
Emissions increase forecast The United Nations released new figures indicating that industrialised countries' emissions of greenhouse gases will increase by 10 percent by 2010. Details: http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/2003/05/09/current.asp#33654
Tough justice for small nations Strategic considerations may play a role in the decision of whether to impose sanctions on Parties who are not in compliance with their commitments to the Kyoto Protocol, according to a recent Working Paper. Text of working paper: http://www.cicero.uio.no/publications/detail.asp?2186
Carbon benchmark for transport The Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands has published International CO2 policy benchmark for the road transport sector: Results of a pilot study. Eleven European countries participated in or contributed to the project. Abstract and text of report: http://www.ecn.nl/library/reports/2003e/c03001.html
$30 Million fails to cut emissions Between 1998 and 2001, the Canadian federal government spent $30 million trying to convince Canadians to care about climate change, but greenhouse gas emissions rose from 690 million tonnes in 1998 to 730 million tonnes in 2000, dropping only slightly to 720 million tones in 2001. Details: http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=4F57B889-E652-46CE-8E5A-15ADD31F7970
Soot blamed for global warming A team of NASA and Colombia University scientists has concluded that soot particles in the atmosphere contribute more to climate change than was previously assumed. Details: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0305/14soot/
Greenhouse-dominated world predicted Unless research activities and policies are stepped up to cut greenhouse gases and better promote the deployment of renewable energies, fossil fuels will still make up almost 90 per cent of total energy supply in 2030, oil production will increase by 65 per cent, and coal extraction will double, according to a study by an EU consortium of research teams. Details: http://www.eubusiness.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=110109&d=101&h=240&f=56&dateformat=%25o%20%25B%20%25Y
Global warming threatens food supply Global warming could lead to a 10 percent drop in the production of maize in developing countries over the next 50 years, according to a report published by two key international research centres in the journal Global Environmental Change. Details: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/20030512/wl_oneworld/118151052755453
NZ greenhouse agreement The first negotiated greenhouse agreement between the New Zealand Government and a major industrial company has been signed off, allowing commitment to an upgrade for an oil refinery previously threatened with closure.
US options examined The Pew Center on Global Climate Change released two reports examining design options for a US greenhouse gas emissions reduction program, one reviewing lessons of emissions trading and the other evaluating multiple options for program design. Details: http://www.pewclimate.org/
Faster, thirstier cars The average fuel economy of the US cars and trucks hit a 22-year low of 20.4 miles per gallon during the 2002 model year. The decrease in fuel economy was accompanied by a 93 per cent increase in average power and 29 per cent increase in acceleration over the same period. Details: http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1088
EU slips behind Ten of the 15 European Union nations are falling behind in efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet targets set by the Kyoto Protocol Details: European Environment Agency draft inventory report: http://reports.eea.eu.int/technical_report_2003_95
India serious about greenhouse India's Minister of State for Power, Jayawanti Mehta, said that India is serious about tackling the problem of climate change, with measures such as promotion of energy efficient technologies, harnessing of hydro and wind energy and energy conservation already initiated. Details: http://www.irna.com/en/head/030506082322.ehe.shtml
Alternative fuel technologiesWind power aims for 12 per cent Europe's wind power industry said it could take a 12 per cent share of the world's electricity market by 2020 if policies that recognise its environmental benefits are introduced. Details: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20964/story.htm
Pig power A Canadian consortium has announced a plan to turn pig manure into electricity, fertilizer and water while earning greenhouse gas credits. Details: http://www.producer.com/articles/20030522/news/20030522news21.html
Fuel-cell buses DaimlerChrysler has delivered the first zero-emission Mercedes-Benz Citaro bus powered with a fuel-cell engine to public transport authorities in Madrid, Spain, as part of the European Fuel Cell Bus Project which will see 30 fuel-cell buses delivered to 10 European cities for a two-year trial. Details: http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-05-19.asp#anchor2
Service station for the hydrogen-powered A filling station for hydrogen-powered vehicles, said to be the first in the world, has opened in Iceland. Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-04-25/s_4075.asp
Alternative delivery fleets The world's largest package delivery company, United Parcel Service, has announced that it expects to deploy the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles in a commercial delivery fleet this year, just as one of its competitors, FedEx Express, announced plans for 20 hybrid diesel-electric trucks in its US fleet. Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-05-20/s_4510.asp and http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/business/article/0,1426,MCA_440_1974002,00.html
Wind power for Galapagos An international group plans to install wind turbines on environmentally
sensitive San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago, displacing
more than 50 per cent of the diesel-powered generation of electricity
now serving the island.
Quota for fuel-cell cars California has dropped regulations, dating back to 1990, which require manufacturers to make a specific number of electric cars, replacing them with a quota of fuel-cell vehicles over the next decade. Details: http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1058
‘Pool resources’ call The world's top economies should pool resources to develop hydrogen energy technology, limiting dependence on fossil fuels, according to the US Secretary of Energy. Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-04-29/s_4150.asp
Wind turbine business growing A year after its purchase of Enron Corp.'s wind turbine business, General Electric Co expects the operation to generate more than US$1 billion in revenue during 2003 and expand about 20 percent annually. Details: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-05-16/s_4482.asp
TradingSwedish emissions in EU trading One-third of Swedish emissions of CO2 will be included in the EU emissions trading scheme, says a government report to be published soon, according to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Details: http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=2237
EU link to the world The European Union aims to link its greenhouse gas emissions trading system to the rest of the world so EU firms can buy pollution permits from other countries, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said. Details: http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/05/27/eu.greenhouse.reut/
Carbon credits agreement Standard Bank London (SBK), the South-African-owned investment bank, and EcoSecurities, the leading carbon trading adviser, have sealed an exclusive cooperation agreement to provide carbon credits services to their governmental and corporate clients. Details: http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1352327-6078-0,00.html
Alaska to study sequestration The US state of Alaska has decided to study whether it can make money from selling carbon credits through carbon sequestration projects. Details: http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~26794~1398714,00.html
900 companies trade The first year of the voluntary UK emissions trading scheme saw around 900 companies exchange rights to emit over seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to government figures. Details: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20785/story.htm Japanese to develop CDM projects abroad Japanese Obayashi Corporation aims to develop CDM projects abroad. Through one project in Thailand the company expects to gain 550,000 tCO2e worth of credits, earning 140 million yen in the market. Details: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EE09Dh01.html
Rival schemes In Canada, the federal government and the province of Alberta are working on rival schemes for trading in greenhouse emissions. The Alberta scheme is further advanced but is incompatible with the federal scheme, because it does not meet the requirements of the Kyoto accord. Details: http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=canada_home&articleID=1315366
Regional CO2 strategy New York Governor George Pataki has asked his fellow governors from Maine to Maryland to partner on a regional-market-based emissions trading system to require power generators to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Details: http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2003/2003-04-29-09.asp#anchor4
Buyers pool Natsource LLC has announced the initiation of the final design phase of its US$200 million Greenhouse Gas-Credit Aggregation Pool to enable members to comply with greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements by purchasing low-cost compliance instruments from a diverse portfolio of project-based emissions reductions. Details: http://www.natsource.com/feature.asp
Credit swapping negotiations strained Japan and Russia are at odds over a possible agreement related to swapping credits earned for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Details: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030505a4.htm
PUBLICATIONSStrategies for Global Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. The newest issue of this journal includes the articles CO2 emission trends in the cement industry: An international comparison and Emission inventory on company level: lessons from Russia. Details: http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1381-2386/current US Global Change Research Information Office Bush Administration’s actions on global climate change. In February 2002, the President committed the United States to a national goal to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the American economy by 18 per cent over the next 10 years. Included in the President's announcement were directives to his cabinet to implement a broad range of domestic and international actions. These actions are underway and are outlined in this fact sheet. Details: http://www.gcrio.org/OnLnDoc/pdf/bush_climate_change.pdf Evolution of Commitments Evolution of Commitments under the UNFCC: Involving newly Industrialized Economies and Development Countries. The report provides the history and background information on the evolution of commitments under the UNFCCC and in particular the Kyoto Protocol, where the involvement of newly industrialised economies and developing countries in further commitments under the UNFCCC is of particular concern. Details: http://www.umweltdaten.de/klimaschutz/Climate_Change_01-03_UBA.pdf Position paper The European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration has published a position paper on emissions trading, warning of the artificial barrier to the development of some of the largest cogeneration potentials in Europe which the EU emissions trading scheme could create. Details: http://www.cogen.org/Downloadables/Publications/Position_Paper_Emissions_Trading_2.pdf
CONFERENCESClimate policy after 2012 Conference to be arranged in Ghent, Belgium, on 17 and 18 November 2003 by the Ghent University. For further information, send an e-mail to johan.albrecht@rug.ac.be. Call for Abstracts The Emissions Marketing Association invites abstracts for its 7th Annual Fall Meeting & International Conference to be held in Miami, Florida, 21 to 23 September 2003. Policies and instructions on the EMA website. Details: http://www.emissions.org Challenges for the power sector This conference is arranged by the World Wildlife Fund, and will
take place at the Details: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/policy_and_events/epo/index.cfm Business and emissions trading A workshop to take place on 12 to14 November 2003 in Wittenberg, Germany, organised by the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg. Details: http://www.wiwi.uni-halle.de/lui/bwl/umwelt/index.php?folder_default_netfolderID=11006 Trading Symposium The Center for Business Intelligence's (CBI) Greenhouse Gas Trading Symposium, in Alexandria, US on 19 and 20 June 2003, aims to examine regulatory proposals and acquire knowledge to better anticipate the future of GHG emissions reporting, discover international GHG trading opportunities and learn the essentials of building a GHG trading program. Details: http://www.cbinet.com/events/PB367/index.html Biomass The second World Conference and Technology Exhibition on Biomass for Energy, Industry and Climate Protection will be held in Rome, Italy, from 10 to 14 May 2004. Details: http://www.conference-biomass.com/conference_Welcome.htm National Environment Conference The Environmental Engineering Society is holding a National Environment Conference 2003 in Brisbane, Australia, from18 June 2003 to 20 June 2003. Details: http://www.eesq.com.au/nec Climate change The National Centers of Competence in Research invites young scientists to join leading climate researchers in Switzerland for keynote lectures, workshops and poster sessions on the occasion of the second NCCR Climate Summer School 2003, Climate Change: Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems. Details: http://www.nccr-climate.unibe.ch/events/SummerScool/03/information.html Search the Global Change Events Calendar More conferences and events world-wide: http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/gcec/
ON A LIGHTER NOTE"Hey... is it possible to damage the sun? I mean, we can wreck just about anything we want to here on earth. But can we screw up the sun if we wanted to? I don't know. Can we?" From Generation X by Douglas Coupland Climate change cartoons from Tiempo: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/tiempo/floor01/humour/humour.htm
© 2003 CRC for Greenhouse Accounting Please notify the Communication Manager, Bruce Wright, if you have public information suitable for this mailing list (or wish to subscribe/unsubscribe). The CRC and its partners cannot accept responsibility for the views contained in public information received and posted on this list. The CRC attempts to reference the origin of the information provided in these news updates as accurately as possible to encourage Internet users to explore primary sources.
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