Reduced emissions with increased productivity

In the search for every-day global warming solutions, Eli of Rabett Run suggests that cheap is good. Think low-tech solutions for everyday tasks.

Consider where the costs and problems associated with reducing carbon emissions comes from, from having to transform a dispersed, costless source of energy such as wind or solar or geothermal, into a form which can be centrally distributed to cover all needs. For that we need efficient and elegant. On the other hand there are applications where cheap by itself would do the job, such as an inefficient small windmill or a solar array you could hang out the window which would generate enough electricity to recharge all your Ipod, Iphone, Inks (a very old device made by Apple for taking memos), etc. and run the standby power for your TV. Eli remembers some awkward windmills that used to pump well water on farms. Same sort of thing. The ultimate example is drying clothes on a clothesline.

Dave Sag of Carbon Planet has turned this into a fetish.

HowTo: Make a simple hand-cranked device recharger

And Get Energy Smart Now looks at carbon-friendly approaches to Lighting up the Developing World.

PowerMundo seeks to create a global business network, marketing products that might represent an upfront capital investment for sustainability but long-term efficiency and cost-effectiveness by either drastically cutting polluting energy use or a total reliance on renewable power. Their products include solar powered lighting, efficient wood stoves, and renewable energy radios.

D-Light design focuses quite specifically on the lighting arena and has received serious start-up money. Their target is quite explicitly the 1 in 4 people on earth who do not have reliable access to electricity and who rely on kerosene for lighting at night. The concept is to set up micro-loans, enabling people to buy their solar energy, battery, light combinations (ranging in price from $12 to $30) that will then be paid back due to no longer having to pay for that kerosene. D-Light is focusing on India and has, in fact, lit up an entire (even if small) village with renewable systems

With the world saved for another day, sometime in the future, I'm off to bed.

Global Warning Climate Change Energy

AGW Denial: Obama makes fun of wilful ignorance

Oh yea... tell it like it is.

Obama Insists Inflating Tires Better Than Oil Drilling

0-100 kmh in 3.9 seconds.... electric Tesla Roadster

It's no surprise the world's first green sports car is red...



... at 0-100 kms in 3.9 seconds.



SMH

HOLLYWOOD stars anxious to prove their green credentials are paying more than $100,000 for a sexy electric sports car now rolling out in the US.

The sleek Tesla Roadster, pictured, is modelled on the Lotus Elise, and goes from 0-100 kmh in 3.9 seconds.

With a top speed of 200 kmh, the two-seater has a range of 370 kilometres between recharges of its lithium ion batteries.

Actors George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jenny McCarthy, boxer George Foreman and singer Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas are among those on the year-long waiting list.

Australian-born Michael "Flea" Balzary, bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, said on his blog he decided to go electric after watching the documentary Who Killed The Electric Car?

A dozen Teslas are already on Californian roads.

The company founded by PayPal billionaire Elon Musk, plans to produce 10,000 Tesla sedans next year at a plant in New Mexico.

Going green doesn't have to mean giving up speed, performance and luxury. Who would have thought? No hairshirts for those on the waiting list.

Meanwhile, closer to home, for those seeking something a bit more accessible.

In Australia, Ross Blade is converting Hyundai Getz hatchbacks into his electric Blade Runner in Victoria.

They sell for $40,000, have a range of 120 kilometres per recharge with a top speed of 120 kmh. Melbourne City Council and the Victorian Government have bought one each.

"Orders are piling up and we expect to convert 200 cars this financial year," Mr Blade said.

Big US car makers are developing electric versions of existing models. Hyundai will release an LPG/electric hybrid Elantra next year while Mitsubishi will sell an all-electric car in 2010.

The NRMA has demanded the Federal Government help speed up development of electric cars.

So this petrol engine Hyundai Getz 1.6 SX is offered for $14,990 at the mid year sale.

I would have thought it had a low emissions profile, but the Prius Fuel Saver Calculator can tell you. Plugging the Hyundai Gets 1.6 in, selecting the 4 speed automatic petrol engine option, at 15,000 kms per year and $1.55 per litre of petrol the Hyundai will cost $1,651 per year in petrol.

Interestingly, a $39,000 1.5 litre hybrid electric engine Prius will cost you $1,023 per year in petrol to run (and cause 1590 kg / year carbon emissions from a fuel economy of 4.4 L / 100km verses the Hyundai Getz' 2550 kg / year at 7.1 L / 100km)

And Ross Blade's Bladerunner would cost $150 per year for off-peak green power, to approximately $250 for peak green power. Or $0 if it's solar.

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change

Al Gore rails America for a Clean Energy "Moon Shot"

Watthead have the good oil.

By Alisha Fowler and Jesse Jenkins

Today, Al Gore became a major ally in the ongoing effort to build consensus around an investment-centered approach to solving our energy crisis and inspiring our nation to tackle the energy challenge as the defining task of our era.

Gore issued a truly ambitious challenge for America "to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years." The organization he leads, the Alliance for Climate Protection, estimates the cost of making such a "moon shot call" a reality at 1.5 to 3 trillion dollars of public and private investment over 30 years. He issued this call to "all Americans - in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and every citizen."

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change

Whereis tells me where to go. Frankly, I love it

It's just the kind of out-there relationship you can have with a brand now-a-days. Especially one offering to plan my car journey, then offset the fuel emissions.

Whereis® (Sensis) are working with Greenfleet (who do good work restoring the Murray) on a project called GreenRoad to plant trees to offset the combined ghg emissions of their membership.

They're in the unique position to easily carbon neutralise your extra-habitual trips, you don't have to. So join up, now.

You'll love it when Whereis clears the air with you.

Global Warning Climate Change Greenfleet GreenRoad

ACCI input into The Garnaut Report

In two days the guiding document that kicks off the Australian Government's policy review process gets tabled. The Garnaut report on climate change will input into a white paper, and then a green paper, and I'll be blogging more about these.

I came across the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) SUBMISSION TO THE GARNAUT CLIMATE CHANGE REVIEW [25pg PDF] the other day. The ACCI open strongly in favour of an Emissions Trading System in their executive summary.

ACCI supports an ETS that is efficient, maximises participation across all industry sectors and, will include major world emitters, when possible. Furthermore, a domestic ETS must minimise compliance costs and provide measures to ensure the international competitiveness of trade exposed energy intensive businesses. This should also recognise some SME’s will face energy and transport cost increases with variable, and in some cases limited, opportunities to pass such costs onto final consumers. ACCI has previously endorsed a series of policy priorities, which form the high-level policy position of our response to climate change. This includes objectives relating to environmental outcomes, economic efficiency, Australia’s
welfare (underpinned by job security and maintaining competitiveness) and assuming a fair share of the burden.

These issues were further expanded into more detailed
policy guidelines which include:

• Australia’s largest contribution to climate change will be through indirect measures such as technology development, rather than though direct reductions in emissions;
• Australia can reduce its own direct emissions, however, it’s contribution to global climate change will be marginal;
• all technologies and fuel sources must be available for abatement and not regulated out of consideration – including nuclear;
• the broadest range of sectors must be included in an ETS;
• all six Kyoto greenhouse gases must be included in an ETS; and
• Australia’s high per capita emissions profile does not reflect our contribution to the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Back to the exec summ..

ACCI agreed with the Government that the arrangements
applying post-2012 must include commitments from large
emitters including India, China and the USA.
Any ETS should be national rather than based on multiple state schemes, this includes complimentary measures such as the Renewable Energy Target and taxation liabilities such as stamp duties.

This submission provides some detailed responses to design aspects of a proposed ETS (see section 2). In providing this response we do howerver maintain concerns about the wider impact of an ETS on the Australian Economy. In large part this concern relate to the potential economic and compliance costs that will be faced by business,
especially smaller enterprises which are less able to pass
through costs. These costs will be exacerbated where an ETS operates with very restrictive emissions targets and competitor
nations remain outside these arrangements. ACCI considers that Australia’s fuel mix can only change over a long period and irrespective of the operation of an ETS unrealistic expectations of a shift from fossil fuels to renewables or the adoption of lower emissions technologies need to be tempered.

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change

Wind power blowing nuclear away

Desmogblog is onto a Wordwatch Institute report that says new wind power installations are outpacing new nuclear plant constructions by 10 to 1.

Much of it in China.

"The biggest surprise is China, which was barely in the wind business three years ago but which in 2007 trailed only the United States and Spain in wind installations and was fifth in total installed capacity. An estimated 3,449 mega­watts of wind turbines were added in 2007, bringing China's provisional total to 6,050 megawatts and already exceeding the govern­ment's target for 2010."

Technorati Tags: global warming, wind power, nuclear energy

Petrol's up. So is Glover

In arguing against a cut in the fuel excise, Richard Glover tells us to get used to higher prices, and that it is a good thing. He's right of course, on both counts. Oil just hit a new high.

HOORAY for high petrol prices. No one wants to say the unpleasant truth, so I'll say it again. Hooray for high petrol prices. They are changing our behaviour faster than decades worth of hand-wringing over the environment. Public transport is booming; and there's fresh funding for alternative fuels.

The market is doing what the market does best: sending a crystal-clear message in the form of a price rise. Supply and demand are out of kilter and the price will keep rising until they're back in lockstep. No emotion, no rhetoric, just reality.

All around the world, the message is being received and is being acted on with remarkable speed.

In the US, car-pooling in some areas is up by 88 per cent. In Britain there are waiting lists for energy-efficient cars, such as the Prius. In Sydney, the past year has seen a million extra passengers on the bus system.

If a Bob Geldof save-the-world concert had achieved one-millionth of the impact, we'd be thrilled and amazed. The hip-pocket nerve is, as always, easier to pluck than the conscience.

The solutions to global warming will be hatched in the market.

Dave Sag's new book, departing soon

“The Train is Leaving: Implications for Business of the new Carbon Constrained Economy”. Should be out in a couple of months. Dave's teasing us with a PowerPoint. I don't want to shoot the messenger, but Al Gore has a lot to answer for.

Dave Sag has been busy Down-Under, giving presentations to the customers of an enormous IT customer's integration partner (as well as delivering that PowerPoint at The Australian Carbon Trading Expo 2008). I know, because I heard the telemarketers going through their spiels, recruiting their bums off. Blown away when I heard one of the speakers was Dave Sag of Carbon Planet. Dave's doin' well. Said he'd buy me a drink next time he was in Sydney, once.

Technorati Tags: global warming, climate change

Earth Hour boomerangs back to Sydney

NSW Premier Morris Iemma, normally botox-expressioned, is suddenly sounding like a global warming alarmist by taking it to the sceptics of symbolism, and the denier of dangerous AGW.

The NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, accused critics of Earth Hour of peddling "utter rubbish" at the launch of the event at Circular Quay this morning.

"The critics and sceptics need to get on board," Mr Iemma told an audience of business supporters of Earth Hour this morning.

"It's utter rubbish to say that symbolism can't lead to change. Yes it's about symbolism but it's a very powerful one - it's about saving the planet."

...

Some of the world's largest cities would take part in the energy-reducing initiative this year and its adoption worldwide was a vital step in creating "real practical change", Mr Iemma said today.

While cynics may think Earth Hour symbolises a stick — to beat them with — it really is a boomerang.

"What started a year ago in Sydney has become a global movement as more and more cities around the globe join the battle against climate change, and it is a battle in which every one of us can make a difference," Mr Iemma said.

"[When] 2.1 million Sydneysiders just on a year ago switched off the lights, the critics and the sceptics said that it was largely a symbolic gesture.

"I don't agree with that. What the critics and the sceptics fail to understand is that symbolism can be very powerful when it comes to change.

"That's what Earth Hour is about: real practical change."

WWF-Australia, which is organising Earth Hour with the support of Fairfax Media, publisher of the Herald, said that three-quarters of the top 100 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange had agreed to take part.

The WWF said that all of the state's major property companies will join in, as well as 70 per cent of the state's one-, two- and three-hat restaurants, the top five banks and 85 per cent of the state's main hotels. The 50 largest local councils in NSW will also take part.

On the Facebook social networking website, 657,658 people have signed up for more than 150 separate Earth Hour events, while, on the Earth Hour website more than 80,000 people had signalled their willingness to take part, with the figures expected to spike as March 29 draws nearer.

...

Cities taking part in this year's Earth Hour include Atlanta, San Francisco and Chicago in the United States, Denmark's four largest cities, London, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Bangkok and Christchurch.

Most Australian capital cities are participating, as well as Newcastle in NSW.

Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Rudd: Mother of All Summits to futureproof Australia

He loves his summits, dun 'e? Global warming has to be at the top, one would have thought. Watch this space.

clipped from news.smh.com.au Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says a summit involving 1,000 Australians will be held to tackle 10 major problems that are facing Australia. The summit will be held at Parliament House in late April and is called Australia 2020. "The summit will bring together some of the best and brightest brains from across the country to tackle the long-term challenges confronting Australia's future," Mr Rudd said.

10 Green New Year Resolutions

Cut down on water use How much? Sydney Water will do everything you need for just $22. How hard? One phone call. Links WaterFix Sign up for GreenPower How much? Between $4 and $8.50 extra a week for the average family. How hard? A couple of phone calls. Links GreenPower scheme Green Electricity Watch How much? A 23W Megaman CFL bulb that replaces a standard 125W light costs $19.25 from Todae (www.todae.com.au). It is claimed to last 10 times longer than a conventional bulb. How hard? Get the stepladder out and do the whole house in a couple of hours. Links Phasing out of incandescents How much? Saves money. How hard? Stand up. Put one leg in front of the other. Repeat. Easy. Links National Physical Activity Guidelines 10,000 Steps Think before you buy How much? You could potentially save a lot. How hard? Just don't do it! Links Affluenza Eat locally Install solar hot water Learn to compost Plant some food Get active

Californian dreaming of massive plankton CO2 sequestering

Global warming is going to be fought and solved in myriads of ways, and enterprise is going to be one one the the major players. Here is one possible way to fight global warming developed by a Californian eco-restoration firm, Planktos — by restoring marine plankton levels to 1980 levels.

clipped from www.positivenews.org.uk A Californian firm has found a way of re-oxygenating the world’s oceans, which it firmly believes will help combat global warming. Using the latest technology, leading eco-restoration firm, Planktos, is planning to replenish the sea’s floating plankton forests, which absorb half the Earth’s carbon dioxide and generate half the Earth’s oxygen. Simply restoring the marine plankton that has been lost since 1980 could sink and sequester billions of tons of carbon dioxide each year. It can also regenerate billions of tons of lost ocean nourishment for collapsing fisheries, birds and whales.

Bush pushes for international inaction on global warming

President Bush is organising a September conference and inviting the world's major polluters to develop strategies to hold onto business as usual for as long as possible.

I'll eat my Grand PooBah hat, Freemasons Apron, and publish the secret handshake on my blog, if they actually agree to reduce emissions.

In theory they should — they claim to want to contribute.

"The United States is committed to collaborating with other major economies to agree on a detailed contribution for a new global framework by the end of 2008, which would contribute to a global agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by 2009," Bush said in his invitation.

But here's the rub.

"In addition, we expect to place special emphasis on how major economies can, in close cooperation with the private sector, accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies, a critical component of an effective global approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

It's about investing more into yet-to-be-developed 'clean coal' technology, or more tax-subsidised, long-term nuclear projects. Not about reducing emissions in the here-and-now at all. In other words, business-as-usual, for the polluters. Viewed against their record profits, it's galling.

clipped from www.smh.com.au US President George Bush has invited the world's major polluters, including Australia, to a September 27-28 conference to set long-term goals on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups have called the plan, which Bush proposed in a speech on May 31, a diversion from other global efforts to combat global warming, while Washington says it complements UN-driven talks on the issue. Bush has asked Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and South Korea in separate letters to send representatives to Washington for the meeting, officials said today. Like Australia, the United States - the world's number one emitter of greenhouse gases - has refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which mandates cuts in the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. It expires in 2012. Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Solar cost-prohibitive? Buckyballs to that

clipped from www.engadget.com Researchers develop "paint-on" solar cells The quest to builder a better, cheaper solar cell continues on, as researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a new type of solar cell that can be printed or painted onto flexible plastic sheets. Unlike traditional silicon cells, the print-on cells are composed of carbon nanotubes and buckyballs, which results in substantially cheaper manufacturing costs and greater efficiency, since apparently carbon nanotubes are terrific conductors. The scientists seem pretty pumped about the potential for their tech, with lead researcher Somenath Mitra quite confidently proclaiming that we'll all soon be printing " sheets of these solar cells with inexpensive home-based inkjet printers." Yeah, we're sure there won't be any shenanigans going on in that ink cartridge market. Global Warning Climate Change Energy

India to develop climate change mitigation policy

Global warming is a quantifiable problem — at it's most reduced it is directly related to the amount of previously sequestered GHGs entering the atmosphere minus the amount of carbon that is being sunk — and to tackle it you need a quantifiable solution. That is, you need carbon emissions reductions targets.

While it is theoretically a strong argument that it is India's turn to grow their economy so they should not have to tax their cheap fossil fuel energy, it is a short-term view. India is also one of the first-in-line, down-the-line, to pick up the real global warming tab which, in their case, is a not-so-mighty Ganges.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk India has taken the first steps towards developing a national plan on tackling the effects of climate change. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting of top government officials and environmental experts which agreed to draft a national policy by October. India and China are among the world's largest polluters and are coming under international pressure to agree to mandatory emission cuts. A recent report by environmental experts said India would be among the countries worst affected by climate change. In his opening remarks at the meeting of India's National Council for Climate Change, Mr Singh acknowledged the scale of the problem. The council will work on a strategy to offset the impact of melting Himalayan glaciers which feed many of the country's rivers and are a major source of water and power. A tree planting programme will also be launched to replenish 15m acres of degraded forests. But no mention was made of cutting carbon emissions. Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Global warming: Beat the heat, eat less meat

Hmmm. Hard one for me to give up entirely, but there are a host of good health reasons to reduce meat intake.

On the other hand, all species are in this global warming boat together. Maybe cattle need to rise above their usual bovine selves, stop farting around and show some initiative for once by sourcing locally grown food — just like I do — and stop passing their food miles on in my thick, juicy, tender, steaks. Or I'll stop eating them.

clipped from www.terradaily.com A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of beef causes more greenhouse-gas and other pollution than driving for three hours while leaving all the lights on back home, according to a Japanese study. That one kilo (2.2 pounds) of beef also requires energy equivalent to lighting a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days. The energy is needed to produce and transport the animals' feed. Global Warning Climate Change Energy

A personal emissions reduction lifestyle guide

I enjoy seeing global warming related material on Clipmarks and other social networking sites. It's validation that there are a bunch of people out there that are conscious and care. Anyway, here's Lubaska's clip:

clipped from www.global-cool.com Use and lose less energy by doing any or many of these easy things. Turn your heating down An average family can save 400kg of CO2 a year and a lot of money Take a stand against standby An average family can save 150kg of CO2 a year Unplug that charger An average family can save 7kg of CO2 a year Don't boil over An average family can save 45 kg of CO2 a year Try not to fly An average family can save 700kg of CO2 a year and a suitcase full of cash Turn out the bright lights An average family can save 100kg of CO2 a year and a lot of money Use better energy An average family can save 1.7 tonnes of CO2 a year Take a low-power shower An average family can save 290kg of CO2 a year and a lot of money Buy better bulbs An average family can save 200kg of CO2 a year Stuff the freezer Don't drive Wrap up your home Lower your laundry Buy local food An average family can save 4 tonnes of CO2 a year Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Shanghai building wetlands

Thought I would give Mash a whirl...

I like it, except for that blinking ad. Annoying — highlights how nothing is for free, but I would be happy with a redesign of the ad. Anyone who needs to get their college degree that fast can't value an education.

Global Warning Climate Change Energy

Help spread the word

This guy is good: wonderingmind42.

Watch him present a risk analysis that conclusively makes the case for taking action on global warming.

I haven't seen anyone logically refute him, yet. But I'll take submissions. If you can't then do like the man says and help spread the word.

clipped from break.com