EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard has ended meetings with her various US counterparts dejected by uncertainty as to whether Washington will be able to pass badly-needed climate legislation in time for a summit Mexico. "It's very, very nervous times. People don't know, will it fly or will it not fly," she told reporters in the American capital on on Thursday (18 March), a day after she had met with climate special envoy Todd Stern, climate and energy 'tsar' Carol Browner, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson and a clutch of senators and congressmen. "The feeling that I got yesterday was that, well, not too many want to bet on the timing and what could be the outcome," she said.
EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard has ended meetings with her various US counterparts dejected by uncertainty as to whether Washington will be able to pass badly-needed climate legislation in time for a summit Mexico.
"It's very, very nervous times. People don't know, will it fly or will it not fly," she told reporters in the American capital on on Thursday (18 March), a day after she had met with climate special envoy Todd Stern, climate and energy 'tsar' Carol Browner, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson and a clutch of senators and congressmen.
"The feeling that I got yesterday was that, well, not too many want to bet on the timing and what could be the outcome," she said.
The European Parliament has reopened the debate on a revision of the EU's industrial air pollution directive, tabling a new proposal that seeks to compromise with member states by dropping controversial plans to introduce a 'European safety net' of minimum emission limits.German MEP Holger Krahmer (ALDE), who is guiding legislation to recast the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive through Parliament, presented his new proposals to colleagues in the environment committee on Wednesday (17 March).The proposal aims to closer align the Parliament's views with those of member states in order to reach agreement on the legislation, which will require some 52,000 industrial installations to obtain permits from national authorities to release pollutants into the air, soil or water.
German MEP Holger Krahmer (ALDE), who is guiding legislation to recast the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive through Parliament, presented his new proposals to colleagues in the environment committee on Wednesday (17 March).
The proposal aims to closer align the Parliament's views with those of member states in order to reach agreement on the legislation, which will require some 52,000 industrial installations to obtain permits from national authorities to release pollutants into the air, soil or water.
Greenhouse gas emissions from oil will reach record levels in future, according to a new study presented by the EBB. It urged the European Commission to take this into account in the implementation of its fuel quality and renewable energy directives so as not to give fossil fuels an advantage over other fuels. The research, carried out by environmental consultancy ERA, argued that more intensive use of existing oil fields is hiking emissions from conventional oil. In addition, the depletion of oil wells is reducing production of conventional oil, which must then be replaced by unconventional oil, the emissions from which are up to 2.5 times greater as a result of more energy-intensive extraction techniques.
Greenhouse gas emissions from oil will reach record levels in future, according to a new study presented by the EBB.
It urged the European Commission to take this into account in the implementation of its fuel quality and renewable energy directives so as not to give fossil fuels an advantage over other fuels.
The research, carried out by environmental consultancy ERA, argued that more intensive use of existing oil fields is hiking emissions from conventional oil. In addition, the depletion of oil wells is reducing production of conventional oil, which must then be replaced by unconventional oil, the emissions from which are up to 2.5 times greater as a result of more energy-intensive extraction techniques.
Total is investing £2.5bn to develop entirely the Laggan and Tormore gas fields in the deep North Sea, more than 80 miles West of Shetland. The fields had been ruled too expensive for commercial exploitation, because they are widely dispersed and lie in a highly hostile environment where the sea is 600 metres deep and, in winter, can produce 20 meter-high waves. But recent tax changes aimed at boosting investment in the UK's dwindling North Sea oil and gas sector, and a recessionary drop in industry contracting costs, have changed the economics of the programme, the French oil giant said.
Total is investing £2.5bn to develop entirely the Laggan and Tormore gas fields in the deep North Sea, more than 80 miles West of Shetland.
The fields had been ruled too expensive for commercial exploitation, because they are widely dispersed and lie in a highly hostile environment where the sea is 600 metres deep and, in winter, can produce 20 meter-high waves.
But recent tax changes aimed at boosting investment in the UK's dwindling North Sea oil and gas sector, and a recessionary drop in industry contracting costs, have changed the economics of the programme, the French oil giant said.
yeah, it's all about lower tax rates, and has nothing to do with the fact that oil companies are expect oil to remain above $60 for the long term when, just a few years ago, they invested on the basis of $18 oil... Wind power
''Our aim is to rapidly decrease our CO2 emissions through many low-carbon and zero-carbon projects and renovation of our coal plants, which will bring increased efficiency and greening of our electricity production,'' said ČEZ spokesperson Eva Nováková....Yet green NGOs think that ČEZ is behind the times and is trying to catch up by pursuing "megalomaniac"projects that run contrary to one of the key principles behind renewable energy: decentralised production. Sedlák from Hnutí DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic) points to a 30MW photovoltaic plant in southern Bohemia as one such example. As well as investing in new projects, ČEZ is trying to improve the efficiency of existing installations. For instance, the Temelín power plant should produce 30% more electricity following a renovation and the Prunéřov coal plant should increase its efficiency from 33% to 39%. However, Sedlák claims that if ČEZ were to respect Czech law and EU legislation on pollution prevention and control, the efficiency of Prunéřov could reach 42% or 45%. ''Using the best available technologies, ČEZ could save half a million tonnes of coal per year,'' he claims.
''Our aim is to rapidly decrease our CO2 emissions through many low-carbon and zero-carbon projects and renovation of our coal plants, which will bring increased efficiency and greening of our electricity production,'' said ČEZ spokesperson Eva Nováková.
...Yet green NGOs think that ČEZ is behind the times and is trying to catch up by pursuing "megalomaniac"projects that run contrary to one of the key principles behind renewable energy: decentralised production.
Sedlák from Hnutí DUHA (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic) points to a 30MW photovoltaic plant in southern Bohemia as one such example.
As well as investing in new projects, ČEZ is trying to improve the efficiency of existing installations. For instance, the Temelín power plant should produce 30% more electricity following a renovation and the Prunéřov coal plant should increase its efficiency from 33% to 39%.
However, Sedlák claims that if ČEZ were to respect Czech law and EU legislation on pollution prevention and control, the efficiency of Prunéřov could reach 42% or 45%. ''Using the best available technologies, ČEZ could save half a million tonnes of coal per year,'' he claims.
renovation of our coal plants,
Sure, emissions a bit lower than before, but they will now be guaranteed to last for another 40 years! Wind power
Bulgaria's parliament voted on Thursday (18 March) to tighten a law that effectively banned cultivation of genetically-modified (GM) crops for scientific and commercial reasons in response to public fears.The ruling centre-right GERB party decided to drop a planned moratorium on GMO production because the new law would keep the European Union member GMO-free, deputies said. "There will be no field on the country's territory where GMOs can be cultivated," said Kostadin Yazov of GERB's parliamentary group. Non-government organisations, farmers and citizens have rallied for over two months against the government's initial plans to replace a ban with a licensing regime, which they feared would flood the Balkan country with GMO crops.
The ruling centre-right GERB party decided to drop a planned moratorium on GMO production because the new law would keep the European Union member GMO-free, deputies said.
"There will be no field on the country's territory where GMOs can be cultivated," said Kostadin Yazov of GERB's parliamentary group.
Non-government organisations, farmers and citizens have rallied for over two months against the government's initial plans to replace a ban with a licensing regime, which they feared would flood the Balkan country with GMO crops.
Governments attending the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have rejected an EU-backed proposal to ban trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna to give the species time to reproduce.Japan, Canada and several Arab League countries yesterday (18 March) rejected a proposal to effectively suspend international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna until stocks are no longer threatened with extinction. They argued that the decline of bluefin tuna stocks would be best tackled by regional fisheries management organisations such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). They also argued that banning trade "would not stop the fishing of the species" anyway.
Japan, Canada and several Arab League countries yesterday (18 March) rejected a proposal to effectively suspend international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna until stocks are no longer threatened with extinction.
They argued that the decline of bluefin tuna stocks would be best tackled by regional fisheries management organisations such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). They also argued that banning trade "would not stop the fishing of the species" anyway.
As the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting in Doha discusses a possible ban, Kouchner told Japanese media that it should not be introduced until the publication of a report on bluefin tuna stocks due to be issued by a Cites panel in May next year. "I hope that an irreversible decision will not be made until the danger of extinction is scientifically proved", he said.
As the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting in Doha discusses a possible ban, Kouchner told Japanese media that it should not be introduced until the publication of a report on bluefin tuna stocks due to be issued by a Cites panel in May next year.
"I hope that an irreversible decision will not be made until the danger of extinction is scientifically proved", he said.
