Green Market Opportunities
CARBON IN THE NEWS
WEEK 17 2012
Africa ready to embrace a low-carbon future
With a record number of 1,200 registered participants, this year’s Africa Carbon Forum (ACF) demonstrated that Africa represents a golden opportunity for a green future. According to The World Bank, the annual forum is the leading knowledge-sharing and carbon trade platform in Africa. The event, which this year was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, brought together project developers, service providers, buyers and sellers of carbon credits, and various other private and public sector stakeholders. All are hoping to tap the potential of carbon finance to promote low carbon development on the continent. Judging by the success of the conference, Kai-Uwe Schmidt, team lead of Carbon Finance Assist at the World Bank, called the ACF one of the key climate events in Africa. Participants attended workshops and lectures highlighting emerging approaches for low carbon development in Africa, topics ranging from Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), new market mechanisms and the possibilities and challenges of the CDM on the continent. To read this article in full click here
London Olympics' green efforts evident
London Olympics' green efforts were showed to UN officials and journalists on Thursday, which was commented as "already evident" by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Though the Olympic Park is still under construction, its green infrastructure was announced as complete by organizers. A key point is the Energy Center is now fully operational, which has a three megawatt biomass boiler and is around 30 percent more efficient than traditional heat and power generation methods. Wind turbines could also be seen on the site, as well as lots of reusable structures, in a tour led by David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability at London Organizing Committee of Olympic Games. He presented the visitors a Pre-Games Sustainability Report, which listed six priorities as: carbon management, zero waste Games, sustainable and accessible transport solutions, economic benefits of sustainability, promote sustainable living, and Olympic park legacy. To read this article in full click here
UN launches interest-free loan scheme to expand CDM carbon trading mechanism
The UNFCCC has launched a pioneering interest-free loan scheme to support Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in some of the world's least developed countries. Under the new scheme, launched at the African Carbon Forum last week in Ethiopia, underdeveloped countries and those with fewer than 10 projects registered under the CDM will be eligible for interest-free loans supported by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Risoe Centre, and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC executive secretary, said that the loans would help expand the carbon trading mechanism, adding that the new financing would be offered at an opportune time given that from next year the EU is expected to limit the number of CERs it buys from industrial gas projects in China. To read this article in full click here
Green MPs pay the price for carbon emissions
Green Party MPs' travels affect not only their consciences but also their wallets. Some politicians pay $1500 a year to offset the carbon emissions of their journeys. All 16 Green MPs have set up carbon accounts and pay to offset their flights, taxi trips and rental car travel out of their personal earnings. Co-leader Metiria Turei said her carbon bill was the largest in the party because of regular flights to her hometown, Dunedin. She paid between $1000 and $1500 a year. This covered international travel, twice-weekly domestic flights between Dunedin and Wellington while Parliament was sitting, and all ground travel except bus trips. Ms Turei said offsetting alone was not enough to reduce emissions, and she tried to minimise her long-haul travel as well. "It's a constant concern for us, but we're required to do a job, and that requires air travel. My carbon debt will never be repaid, and I certainly can't repay it with money. The Parliamentary Service uses expense forms to tell the MPs how many kilometres they've travelled on ground or in the air. The MPs then use carbon measuring schemes to work out their carbon footprints and make arrangements through various schemes to pay them off. To read this article in full click here
Govt to trial carbon-cutting trucks
The government is to invest £9.5 million in trialling carbon-cutting trucks, it has been announced. It is part of an effort to drive down carbon emissions from freight. The government is inviting fleet operators to bid for a slice of the funding as part of a competition which opens today, Tuesday April 24th. The money will come from the Department for Transport and the Technology Strategy Board. The 'Low carbon truck demonstration trial' will deliver fleets of low-emission HGVs as well as supporting infrastructure such as fuelling stations and electric recharging hubs. Operators wishing to take advantage of the funding have until June 20th to bid for up to £750,000 each. The trials will run for two years with data collected used to inform policy-making on low-carbon road freight. Mike Penning, the transport minister, said: "Almost a quarter of carbon from transport in this country comes from heavy goods vehicles, so this is a key area for us to tackle. "These trials will show us how low-carbon technologies perform day-to-day in the real world, providing vital data to build operator confidence in these green trucks and allowing us to make policy choices based on hard evidence." To read this article in full click here
DHL Recognized for Product Excellence at The Global CSR Awards 2012
DHL, the world's leading logistics company, was honored with the Product Excellence award at the 4th Annual Global CSR Awards 2012, Asia's most prestigious recognition awards programme for corporate social responsibility. The award recognizes the company for its efforts in minimizing the environmental impact of shipping goods around the world with its GOGREEN service. Starting in 2006, DHL was the first logistics company to introduce a carbon neutral shipping service - the GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service. Today, the service covers letters, parcels and express deliveries, and recently, freight shipments. This service calculates CO2 emissions produced during the shipping process, which DHL then offsets through investments in external climate protection projects in India, China, Brazil, Nicaragua and Turkey. 'Energy efficiency and climate change are the greatest ecological challenges faced by the transportation industry. As the world's leading express and logistics company, we recognize our responsibility and have been committed to addressing these environmental challenges with innovative eco-friendly shipping options. To read this article in full click here
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