Leading Businesses Want Low Carbon Economy

A report from business leaders in the UK and India has recommended that the two countries work together to build low carbon economies.

The companies involved include Rolls Royce, HSBC, and Marks & Spencer. They believe - based on their own experiences - that businesses can be sustainable and profitable. If this were extended to entire enonomies it would help to "combat the impacts of rising energy prices, enhance energy security and reduce the risk of human induced global climate change" and it "increases resource efficiency, productivity and competitiveness, and leads to the creation of high quality jobs across a range of sectors".

So there you have it: Hard-nosed CEOs saying that we can cut carbon, be sustainable, and not ruin the economy!

The report was aimed at the UK and Indian governments, and both have reacted very positively, recognising the huge potential for jobs, growth, and environmental protection. The UK Environment Minister Greg Barker saw such a bilateral collaboration as a means to demonstrate to the rest of the world that moving to a low carbon economy was "compatible with continued economic growth". In his opinion, that was the only real issue holding back the success of climate talks.

Well, what are you waiting for, Mr Barker? Time to get things rolling.

More background here.

The Future Of Energy Part 1: Fossil Fuels

We are hooked on fossil fuels.

We currently consume around 4 billion tonnes of coal, and 3000 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, and 86 million barrels of oil per day. The result is around 30 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

Furthermore, demand for all 3 is predicted to increase by around 2% per year until 2030. So, in the absence of a worldwide climate change agreement, carbon emissions are set to increase by about 40% over the next 2 decades.

Of course, all this assumes supply continues to meet demand. And, in the case of oil and gas, this is by no means certain. If demand for oil did outstrip supply, it would be disastrous for the world economy because we are completely dependant on a cheap, plentiful supply.

Then there's the matter of energy security. Countries need to protect themselves from sudden price hikes caused by natural disaster (e.g. Hurrican Katrina), political instability (e.g. in South America, Middle-East or Russia), and profiteering from the likes of OPEC.

Finally, there's the looming problem of climate change. The world is getting warmer (See here) and, whether you believe we're the cause or not, adding these vast quatities of known greenhouse gases to atmosphere can't be helping matters.

So, for all these reasons, we need to urgently increase our efforts to find replacements and get them scaled up in time to meet those challenges.

We also need to stop subsidising oil and coal, and improve energy efficiency.

The ultimate aim is for the demand curve for fossil fuels to first level off then fall steadily to more acceptable levels. The sooner we can do that, the better.

Time To Stop Subsidising Fossil Fuels

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for governments to stop subsidising the price of fossil fuels.

It said in it's report that some $312bn are being spent this way, most of it from developing nations. This doesn't even include the subsidies to the oil companies themselves (estimated at another $100bn).

If we did away with them, the IEA say, the rise in fuel prices would result in global emissions cuts of around 5.8%. The subsidies undermine the competitiveness of renewables, hold back more fuel efficient technologies, and speed up the depletion of scarce resources.

Some of the developing countries involved claim that it makes energy more affordable but, the report says, very few schemes actually benefit the poor. In fact, the subsidies have "traditionally been granted to politically-connected industries with close links to politicians".

Time to stop this practise and use the money elsewhere. Renewables for instance.

More here.

Free Solar Panels - Things To Consider

Whilst looking around on the web for reviews of companies offering free solar panels, I came across this.

It's a consumer guide to micro-generation. It's particularly useful for anyone thinking of having free solar panels installed, including a check-list of things you should be asking. It's written for the UK (by Consumer Focus) but it might be worth a look by those outside the UK as some of the points it raises would apply almost anywhere.

Climate Change: The Geological Society Chips In

As a geology graduate, I've long been aware that there's much to be learnt from the geological record about climate change. The wealth of evidence not only allows geologists to work out what's happened in the past (and why), but, by comparison, it also lets them figure out what could be in store for us in the coming decades.


This report, which is only 7 pages long (plus 6 pages of references and recommended reading), summarises the Geological Society's position on climate change in layman's terms. Well worth reading.

Success At Nagoya

Good news at last! Two weeks of biodiversity talks in Japan have just ended in success. It was touch and go for a while but, after the timely intervention of Japanese government, agreement was finally reached between 190+ countries. 

The agreement covers 20 goals to be achieved by 2020 and include:

• Cut the rate of loss of natural habitats, including forests, by at least half
• Increase terrestrial nature reserves from 13% to 17% of the world’s land area
• Increase marine and coastal nature reserves from 1% to 10% of the world’s seas
• Restore at least 15% of the areas where biodiversity is classed as ‘degraded’
• Safeguard at least 75% of threatened plant species in collections

If they're fully implemented it would be a big step towards us handing over a viable planet to future generations. That's a big "if" though. So far we've not had a good record on these sort of agreements: All the Kyoto signatories are likely to miss their carbon cutting targets come 2012 (some by miles); and the 2010 biodiversity targets have been failed miserably.

So, all we can hope is that the world's governments have finally got the idea. This is no longer simply a 'green issue'. This is way bigger than that.

Will Cutting CO2 Send Us Back To The Dark Ages?

It's a frequent claim of climate sceptics that we will all somehow be plunged into the Dark Ages if we attempt the sort of emission cuts that will be necessary to stop climate change.

There's rarely any attempt at explaining these claims, it's just left there, as if it were a given.

So, I'll attempt to fill in the blanks for you. I think they're trying to imply that we'll all be forced to live a simpler, low tech life to achieve the sort of cuts required. No TVs, cars, planes, mobile phones, PCs etc etc.

If that's what the sceptics are driving at, then, as usual, they are mischief making.

Yes, if we were to ban the use of oil, coal and natural gas tomorrow, or attempted to remove 80% of emissions by the day after, we would be in trouble. But that's not going to happen is it?

What we'll actually have is a lengthy period of transition from the dirty fuels of the past, to the cleaner fuels of the future.

It'll be a period in which:

• The efficiency of the things like solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels, will be massively improved.

• Other, known technologies like tidal and wave power, ground-source and air-source heating, and Concentrated Solar Power will come to prominance.

• Further technologies will emerge thanks to greater investment (Some really interesting ones are already at the experimental stage).

• The huge subsidies handed out to the oil and coal industries by some countries can be switched to renewables.

• Companies worldwide can become more energy efficient and therefore save costs (e.g. The container ship industry, which is set to contribute 3% of all emissions in the future, has identified a number of ways it can save fuel and therefore CO2).

• Collectively, we will need to learn to recycle everything to preserve scarce resources and save energy. Everything from household rubbish to sewage to discarded electronics.  

• Manufacturers will reduce the amount of packaging they put on their products and ensure what's left is recyclable.

• Governments will encourage widespread micro-generation (where homes produce some or all of their own energy using solar power etc.).

• Carbon capture and storage is likely to become widespread, perhaps converting the CO2 into limestone which can be used for building materials and so on (we have a pilot scheme going on here in the UK).

These are just some of the likely highlights. Together they will cut emissions massively whilst continuing to meet our growing energy demands. Anyone who doubts that under-estimates human ingenuity.

But, I suppose you may be asking: Why bother at all? Why go to all that expense?

Well, leaving aside the potentially disastrous consequences of climate change, we'll have to do much of this anyway when oil and natural gas start running out.

Estimates of when demand for oil will exceed supply (known as Peak Lite) vary considerably, but it's inevitable. These resources are not unlimited afterall. So it makes sense to prepare sooner rather than later, in case peak lite is only just around the corner, because that would be economically disastrous.

India And Brazil To Lead World In Protecting Biodiversity

Many countries are looking to 'green' their economies independantly of the Nagoya talks going on at present. They are interested in calculating the economic value of the various 'services' provided by Nature within their borders as the basis for future policy making. The fact that countries as vast as Brazil and India are going down this route, is very good news.

It appears the message that protecting the environment is a necessity rather than a nice-to-have is finally getting through.

Read more here.

Car Sharing: The Search Goes On

Regular visitors to this blog might remember I'm trying to cut down my car miles by car sharing with my wife. However, because our work hours don't match in the afternoon, I have to make my own way home (Just over 4 miles).

Buses are out because it'd take too long (and it's more expensive than driving). So I've been cycling back up to now.

However, I recently had a go a running back. Bad idea. The distance was no problem, it was the rucksack for my office clothes. Nightmare. Completely ruined my centre of gravity and resurrected an old footbal injury. Spent the next week limping about.

Oh well,you live and you learn.

September 2010: 8th Hottest On Record

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for last month was the 8th warmest ever.

The period January to September 2010, the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was tied with 1998 as the warmest on record.

All this despite the cooling effects of La Niña during September.

Three months to go till we find out whether 2010 ends up as the hottest year as many scientists were predicting.

More here.