Econ: Green building premium only 2%

Report finds that green buildings are now financially competitive.

The report, 'Green Buildings and the Bottom Line', in the US publication 'Building Design and Construction (BD+C)' found that the US green building standard, LEED, is an established, respected development tool in Canada and the United States, and the cost premium for LEED certification is actually quite low, and can be paid back in a few years by lower energy costs and other savings.

The report cites studies finding an average cost premium of just 1.84% for LEED Certified buildings, from a low of 0.66% to a high of 6.5% for LEED Platinum. “Many projects achieve sustainable design within their initial budget, or with very small supplemental funding.”

Experienced builders using integrated design and off-the-shelf solutions - such as low-e glazing, “cool” or vegetated roofs, energy-conserving lighting, dual-flush toilets, low-demand landscaping, and grey water irrigation - could readily bring in even the most sophisticated projects at a cost owners and developers can be happy with.

With the business case becoming clearer, developers, property investors, building owners, real estate investment trusts, and pension funds are also turning their investment eyes towards sustainable building projects.

The report examines bottom-line issues of green building across a wide range of building types and sectors – industrial, commercial, educational, health-related and residential. It concludes with 10 constructive recommendations—an “Action Plan”—for consideration by stakeholders in the green building movement.

Report: Link

Publisher: Link

Media: Link

Market: Sanyo to double solar cell production in 2 years

Sanyo will spend 19 billion yen (US$161 million) over the next two years to more than double its solar cell production capacity, in order to better compete with larger Japanese rivals such as Sharp and German Q-Cells.

Link

Action: two large offshore wind turbine projects planned to service London

Planning approval has been granted for two offshore wind farms in the Thames Estuary, one of which, when complete, will be the world's biggest.

London 350 turbine project Link

The larger London Array project covers 90 sq miles (232 sq km) between Margate in Kent and Clacton, Essex. The £1.5bn London Array scheme will have 341 turbines rising from the sea about 12 miles (20km) off the Kent and Essex coasts, as well as five offshore substations and four meteorological masts. The consortium behind it is made up of Shell WindEnergy Ltd, E.ON UK Renewables and Core Ltd.

Thanet 100 turbine project Link

The second wind farm, called the Thanet scheme, will cover 13.5 sq miles (35 sq km) off the north Kent coast. The £450m Thanet project will be located seven miles (11km) out from North Foreland, Kent, and will have 100 turbines. Developed by Warwick Energy, it could be supplying electricity to about 240,000 homes by 2008.

Media 1: Link
Media 2: Link

Action: big corporates going carbon neutral

Fortune 500 companies are installing renewable energy generation on-site as well as purchasing green power directly or through renewable energy certificates.

Link

Action: WBCSD Green Buildings programme

Buildings use about one-third of the world’s energy. Leading companies in the building, equipment and energy industries launched Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) with the WBCSD in March 2006. The project brings together companies worldwide, which are determined to remove barriers to energy-efficient concepts in new and existing buildings.

WBCSD web page Link

WBCSD Report Link

The WBCSD has started a blog about its Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project: Link

Econ: Green buildings make economic sense

Financial Advantages of Green Buildings

"Green Buildings and the Bottom Line" a 64-page White Paper that assesses the financial costs and benefits of environmentally sustainable buildings, has been published by Building Design+Construction

Link

Policy: UK zero carbon homes by 2010

At present, more than a quarter of carbon emissions come from households, adding greatly to global warming.

"Within 10 years, every new home will be a zero-carbon home and we will be the first country ever to make this commitment," said Chancellor Gordon Brown during his pre-Budget speech.

Link

"Zero carbon means in practice striking a balance between consumption and production of carbon -- using design technology to make sure you need less energy and renewables and microgeneration to generate what you do need,"

Link

Science: Offsetting with trees only works in tropics

Research by ecologist Govindasamy Bala of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has found that planting more trees in high latitudes could be counterproductive from a climate perspective.

This raises concern about many so-called carbon offsetting projects which rely on tree planting. The scientists warn that many schemes designed to offset emissions of carbon by planting trees may not be appropriate. Dr Bala said: "When you plant trees to slow down global warming, you have to be careful where you do it. I think our study shows clearly the climate benefits are maximised if you plant them in the tropics."

Link

Policy: EU Parliament proposes Renewable Energy and CO2 reduction targets

The European Parliament welcomed a European Commission green paper on a strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy.

The European parliament has resolved in a non-binding conclusion that by 2050 the overwhelming proportion of EU energy needs should be met by carbon-free sources. Strategies should focus on:

• energy saving,
• efficiency and
• renewable energies

The European Parliament said the overall goal for renewables should be 25 per cent of primary energy consumption by 2020, and that a binding EU CO2 reduction target for 2020 of 30% and an indicative goal for 2050 of 60-80% should be agreed upon in 2007.

Science: new prediction of sea level rise between 50cm to 1.4m by 2100

Stefan Rahmstorf, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany, has published new research in Science that applies a different method to the scenarios outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the 2001 TAR, that found that in 2100 sea levels would be 0.5-1.4m above 1990 levels. This projection is much greater than the 9-88cm forecast made by the IPCC itself in the TAR.

The next assessment report from the IPCC, due in Feb 2007 will include data based on more robust modelling, thereby reducing uncertainties surrounding models on sea level rises.

The complex mechanisms at work include: thermal expansion of water through heat absorption; water entering the oceans from glaciers; and ice sheets increased ice flows after the removal of buttressing ice shelves. The main uncertainty is the response of large ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to rising temperatures, which is difficult to predict.

Link

Science: Methane gas hydrates in ice - study

Hydrates are a frozen mixture of water and gas, primarily methane. They form under the frigid temperatures and high pressures found in ocean sediments and under the permafrost on land.
In the ocean, hydrates exist in a "zone of stability" under the seafloor in locations where water depths exceed 500m.

However new research by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) found anomalous occurrences of high concentrations of gas hydrate at relatively shallow depths, 60-100m below the seafloor.

Vast reserves of the ices are thought to exist. One calculation suggests some 10,000 billion tonnes of carbon is stored in the form of gas hydrate around the world. That is twice the volume stored in all known reserves of fossil fuels - oil, coal and natural gas.

The amount of carbon that could be available to climate change and to altering the atmosphere and its chemistry - this could be a very significant contribution to CC.

BP will begin an exploratory programme to drill hydrates under the Alaskan permafrost in the New Year.

Link

Science: 2006 is hottest UK year on 347 year record

The Central England Temperature Record (CET) is the oldest continuous dataset for temperature anywhere in the world. Its principal finding this year is that the average temperature for 2006 was almost certainly the highest ever seen in 347 years of CET measurements.

Link

Enforcement: UK enforces ETS obligations

The UK Environment Agency has fined 4 companies for failing to meet ETS obligations.

4 companies out of 535 in England and Wales failed to surrender sufficient carbon dioxide allowances by the due date to cover their emissions. This is the cornerstone of the scheme. As such they are liable to automatic civil penalties."

The companies are Alphasteel, Scandstick, Daniel Platt, and Mars (UK) (trading as Masterfoods). They have been issued with a combined total of €1,127,840 (£758,810.73) in civil penalties.

Link

Science: Arctic sea ice melting at -8% per decade

The latest data presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting suggests Arctic ice is no longer showing a robust recovery from the summer melt.

Scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found that the ice system could be being weakened to such a degree by global warming that it soon accelerates its own decline.

As the ice retreats, the ocean transports more heat to the Arctic and the open water absorbs more sunlight, further accelerating the rate of warming and leading to the loss of more ice," explained Dr Marika Holland.

"This is a positive feedback loop with dramatic implications for the entire Arctic region."
Eventually, she said, the system would be "kicked over the edge", probably not even by a dramatic event but by one year slighter warmer than normal. Very rapid retreat would then follow.

Including 2006, the September rate of sea ice decline is now approximately -8.59% per decade, or 60,421 sq km (23,328 sq miles) per year less arctic ice.

Link

Media: Global emissions now 25% higher than 1990 level

Gregg Marland, senior staff scientist at the US Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), which supplies emissions data to governments, researchers and NGOs worldwide.
Half of all human emissions have occurred since 1980.

The CDIAC estimates that global carbon emissions rose to 7.9 billion tonnes in 2005. That's 28%above 1990 levels. About 200 million tonnes of emissions occurred in 2005 alone.

Link

Impacts: Livestock grazing produces GHGs, induces deforestation and causes land degradation

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases (ie methane), as measured in CO2 equivalent, than transportation.

Methane is roughly 23 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than CO2. 37% of all human-induced methane emissions are produced by livestock.

Nitrous Oxide is even worse, at 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. The livestock sector generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, mostly from manure.

30% of the earth’s entire land surface is used directly for livestock, with another one third of all arable land used to produce feed for those livestock.

Demand for livestock production also induces forest clearance. 70% of Amazonian deforestation has been to create areas for grazing.

Link

Market: EU eco-industry growth at 7%pa with 2004 turnover of 227 Billion Euros

Environmental industries booming with stricter environmental laws

Eco-industry is in dynamic expansion, with a growth in turnover of around 7% (in constant euros) between 1999 and 2004 for the EU-15 area. The total turnover of eco-industries in the EU-25 was €227 billion in 2004, equivalent to 2.2 per cent of the EU’s GDP.

The largest national eco-industry markets are France and Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands. The authors estimate that the EU’s environment industries represent around 3.4 million jobs.

The most important sectors in terms of revenue are by far water supply, wastewater treatment and solid waste management. The last two represent approximately one third of all pollution management turnover.

More recent markets such as renewable energy and eco-construction are growing fast. They are essentially based on investment needs generated by new environmental policy and legislation.

The study identifies 5 main factors that will be crucial for the growth of the European eco-industry in the future:

• Setting more ambitious environmental requirements and targets, as well as broadening the scope of existing legislation.
• Establishing harmonised standards for environmental goods and services, which will allow the quality of outputs delivered by eco-industry to be promoted and awareness of potential purchasers to be developed. For example, integrating environmental performance requirements in building standards can strongly develop markets for eco-construction.
• Supporting price transparency and the internalization of environmental costs in market prices. In addition, the establishment of market incentives such as tax credits, or trading schemes, could significantly contribute to increasing the demand for environmental goods and services.
• Increasing consumers’ awareness of the nature and availability of services provided by the eco-industry.
• Facilitating access to financial supports such as grants and loans to ensure the implementation of eco-industry projects.

Overall, this study shows that eco-industry provides a large number of possibilities for economic growth. It also provides new insights into the driving forces of the European eco-industry that could be very helpful in supporting its continued growth in the near future.

For more information: European Commission DG Environment Report « Eco-industry, its size, employment, perspectives and barriers to growth in an enlarged EU» , https://exchange.lse.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enveco/industry_employment/ecoindustry2006.pdf(2006-p. 347).

Econ: EEA releases report on ecosystem accounting framework

Land and Ecosystem Accounting (LEAC) is a systemic way of describing how the social, economic and environmental resources on which human wellbeing depends can be linked within a single framework.

“Land and Ecosystem Accounting provides the overview that we need to better protect and maintain our natural capital; both now and into the future”, said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA, co-chair of the International workshop on ecosystem and natural capital accounting together with Mr Ivo Havinga, Chief Economic Statistics Branch, UN Statistical Division.

An EEA report “Land accounts for Europe 1990-2000 - Towards integrated land and ecosystem accounting” summarises the approach.

“The accounting framework will eventually allow us to connect the natural system to the economic system”, said Mr Ronan Uhel, Head of the EEA Spatial Analysis group. “These accounts are tools that help us understand how well the environment would be able to withstand change and still provide us with the services and resources we need in the future”.

Link

Tech: Wind powered desalination

Wind powered desalination plant development deal

GE Global Research is partnering with Texas Tech University (TTU) to integrate renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines, with membrane desalination processes. If successful, the project could help develop affordable water desalination systems to increase the quantity and quality of clean water in arid areas around the world.

Link

Media: UK Finance Minister outlines zero carbon homes proposal

UK plans to make all new homes carbon neutral

Photo: BedZed - Beddington Zero Emissions Development, an early demonstration project.

Finance Minister Gordon Brown announced that the UK plans to make all new homes carbon neutral within ten years, in his speech delivering the British government’s preliminary budget for 2007-08.

Link: UK pre-budget report
Link: Mr Brown’s speech.

Science: CC will reduce Phytoplankton productivity

Warmer temperatures at the ocean surface will reduce phytoplankton productivity, the basis of the marine ecosystem, and an important natural global carbon sink.

Link

Legal: US Supreme Court hears CC case

The US Supreme Court is considering its first global warming case.

The case, known as Massachusetts v. EPA, was brought by a dozen states and 13 environmental organizations against the Environmental Protection Agency.

The plaintiffs argue that the greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and factories should be regulated by the US government.

The EPA, along with 10 states, four motor vehicle trade associations and two coalitions of utility companies and other industries, maintain the agency lacks the authority to limit emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

At issue is whether the US government has the power to cap these emissions. Industry groups argue that it doesn't, and that carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas that does not fit the US Clean Air Act's definition of a pollutant.

Media: Link

Policy: UK Climate Change Bill details

UK Climate Change Bill Details released

Plans for the UK Government’s Climate Change Bill include four key elements:

• a long-term commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050, which will be put into statute;
• the establishment of a new independent body – the Carbon Committee – to work with Government to reduce emissions over time and across the economy;
• the creation of new powers to put in place emissions reduction measures; and
• improvements to monitoring and reporting arrangements, including how the Government reports to Parliament.

Link

Science: WRI Summary of recent climate science discoveries

WRI Report: Climate Science 2005 Major New Discoveries

Link

Policy: Ecosystem services valuation report

Report: "Business and Ecosystems: Issue Brief I - Ecosystem Challenges and Business Implications", WBCSD, WRI, Earthwatch, IUCN, 2006.

Report: Link

The report outlines the challenges and risks facing business from the following ecosystem crises:

• water scarcity,
• habitat change,
• biodiversity loss
• invasive species,
• overexploitation of oceans,
• nutrient overloading,
• climate change.

Risks fall into four categories: operational, regulatory, reputational, and access to capital.

The report stresses the importance of developing an "ecosystem marketplace" to deliver payment for ecosystem services - eg a levy on fresh water supply to fund upstream catchment conservation, in payment for the service of clean water.

The the report was sponsored by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Earthwatch Institute, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

WRI page: Link

Finance: CO2 offset funds increase in popularity

Voluntary carbon market "set to explode"

The global market for voluntary carbon offsets could grow by as much as forty-fold between 2005 and 2010 to reach 400m tonnes per year, according to an assessment by climate consulting firm ICF.

Against a backdrop of escalating political attention to climate change, some organisations are looking to enhance their green reputation. Others are motivated primarily by a desire to gain experience in anticipation of future extension of official cap-and-trade schemes. Some see the issue as a matter of principle. There is also growing interest in offsets as a hedge against possible criticism for inaction over global warming.

Companies are increasingly looking to offset emissions up and down the supply chain, including those of consumers.

A lack of agreed generic standards continues to be the sector’s main weakness, ICF says.

Emerging standards for offset project development and verification such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard are a positive sign, it concludes.

ICF: press release

Science: Nature article on Atlantic Ocean Circulation

Climate Change may have a Rapid Effect on Ocean Circulations

A US study published in Nature provides further evidence that climate change may have a direct and rapid impact on ocean salinity, which in turn, may affect deep ocean circulation and climate. The researchers reconstructed a 45,000 to 60,000 year-old record of ocean temperature and salinity from the chemical traces in fossil shells of tiny planktonic animals recovered from deep sea sediment cores and compared their results to the record of abrupt climate change recorded in ice cores from Greenland. The results show that sudden shifts in temperature over Greenland and tropical rainfall patterns during the last ice age were linked to rapid changes in the salinity of the North Atlantic Ocean. In particular, the ice records show that cycles of sudden warming, when temperatures in Greenland rose by five to ten degrees Celsius over a few decades, matched rapid changes in surface-water salinity in the north Atlantic subtropical gyre. This deep-ocean circulation cell is very sensitive to changes in the density of north Atlantic surface waters and could slow down if the upper water masses become less salty or too warm. Consequently, a warmer climate and higher rainfall in the North Atlantic could potentially alter this deep-circulation cell, which in turn could result in a much colder climate in Europe.

Source: Matthew W. Schmidt, Maryline J. Vautravers and Howard J. Spero (2006) « Rapid subtropical North Atlantic salinity oscillations across Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles », Nature 443: 561-564.

Image source, NASA: Link

Funding: Green building funds in the US

WBCSD Report growth in green building funds in the US.

WBCSD Media: Link

Science: Old growth forests may take up more CO2 than previously thought

Old-growth forests 'are key carbon sinks'

Classified as forests at least 100 years old, old-growth forests are widespread in tropical and subtropical developing countries. Until now, they were not thought to absorb and store significant amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

In a study published in Science this week, however, scientists show that a 400-year-old forest in southern China is soaking up carbon from the atmosphere considerably faster than expected.

Developing countries with abundant old-growth forest cover could ask rich countries for compensation through the global carbon trade. This could help reduce deforestation in the developing world.

WBCSD Media: Link

Building: New ASHRAE GreenGuide for sustainable building

New sustainable building design, construction and operation guideline document published by US industry association ASHRAE.

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has published a new "GreenGuide" for the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings.

The guide aims to help teach designers how to participate effectively on teams charged with designing and constructing green buildings.

The ASHRAE GreenGuide provides guidance to designers of Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning & Refrigeration (‘HVAC&R’) systems about how to participate effectively in green building design teams.

The ASHRAE ‘GreenGuide’: Link
Media: Link

Science: Ice shelf research shows historical collapses

Antarctic drilling project finds the Ross Ice Shelf has collapsed numerous times in the past

A team forming part of the international Antarctica Geological Drilling project (Andrill), led by Dr Tim Naish, a palaeoclimatologist at New Zealand's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences and one of the chief scientists for the Andrill project, has found that by drilling into the seafloor off Antarctica, that the world's largest ice shelf has disintegrated and reappeared many times in the past.

The aim, said Dr Naish, is to consider what might happen as a result of global warming at levels predicted by the IPCC.

On the Antarctic Peninsula, where temperatures have risen 2.5C in the past 50 years, there have been spectacular ice shelf collapses, including the Larsen B shelf in 2002.

The collapse of an ice shelf can lead to further loss of ice from the Antarctic continent itself. Dr Naish explained: "One of the things we've learnt from the collapse of the ice shelves around the Antarctic Peninsula is that once the ice shelf goes, the glaciers feeding it speed up and you start to lose ice mass off the continent much faster because the ice shelves essentially buttress the glaciers that are feeding them." … "If they collapsed in the past without the present level of CO2 and the Earth was two to three degrees warmer, what's going to happen with the doubling of CO2 and potentially much higher temperatures?"

Link

Power: Stern says China is acting

China is on course to overtake the United States by 2009 as the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, largely because coal-fired stations provide over 80 percent of China's electricity supply.

However, Nicholas Stern said he believed Beijing had embraced the idea of using price incentives to encourage the move to a low-carbon economy.

Link

Transport: Virgin shaves fuel use during airport taxiing

Virgin Atlantic airline trials longer towing period to reduce aircraft fuel burn while taxiing on runways at Heathrow Airport.

Link

Agriculture: new crop strains required

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) says yields of existing varieties will fall as rainfall patterns become less predictable and more variable and temperatures rise.

Photosynthesis slows down as temperatures rise, which also slows the plants' growth and capacity to reproduce. Rice yields are declining by 10% for every degree Celsius increase in night-time temperature.

Traditional areas suitable for certain crops will shift, as indicated by the BBC graphic, below. However not all regions are capable of shifting crop production into the newly appropriate climatic zones, because of existing urbanisation or geographic features, like mountains or the sea.

Media: Link

Transport: Shipping firm to use para-sails

High fuel prices drive eco-efficiency saving innovation in the shipping industry.

The "SkySail", a 160 square-metre (191 square-yard) kite tethered to a mast, has successfully undergone years of trial runs and Bremen shipowner Beluga Shipping believes it will help its vessels cut fuel use by 15 to 20 percent.

"When energy prices double in such a short time, you've got to innovate. We won't be able to switch the engines off. But we're confident we can reduce fuel usage -- and cut emissions."

"From the European Union point of view, you will have restrictions with CO2 emissions and they'll fine you," said Frank. "You've got to find ways to avoid that. As restrictions are coming, every shipper must rethink their strategy."

By using the SkySails-System, a ship‘s fuel costs can be reduced by 10- 35% on annual average, depending on wind conditions. Under optimal wind conditions, fuel consumption can temporarily be reduced by up to 50%. Even on a small, 87 metre cargo ship, savings of up to 280,000 euros can be made annually.

Skysails: Link

Media: Link

Tech: Clean coal theories

Two options are being considered by Spanish Power Company Endesa for zero carbon emissions coal fired power stations.

• CO2 can be stripped out after coal is burned by separating the exhaust gases. Burning the coal in oxygen produces exhaust gas with a high concentration of CO2, making it easier to separate.
  
• If the coal is first turned into gas, the CO2 can be removed before it is burnt.
  

Media on Endesa plans: Link

Policy: GLA sustainable design and construction guidelines

“Sustainable Design and Construction: The London Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance”, Greater London Authority, May 2006

As part of Mayor Ken Livingstone’s environmental agenda, this guideline document sets out what can be done within the current London policy framework to design and construct new developments in ways that are consistent with sustainable development.

The Guideline document: Link
The intro page to the guideline doc on the GLA site: Link
The section of the 'London Plan' Policy Document that the Guidance Document supplements: Link

Transport: Tesla electric Roadster

California car maker Tesla releases high-end production model fully electric sports car.

Tesla: Link
Wikipedia: Link

Media: Chinese coal seam methane carbon credit deal

Banks Buy Over 200 Million Euro Chinese Carbon Credits

The banks and specialist investors the European Carbon Fund have bought 18 million tonnes of carbon credits, worth over 200 million euros, arising from a two coal seam methane recovery for power generation projects associated with coal mines in China. The project was developed by carbon specialists Camco.

"The projects will improve the safety in the mines and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere," deal arrangers IXIS Environnement & Infrastructures said in a statement.
The idea is to buy credits cheap in bulk from countries like China and then sell them, for example, to European companies which face emissions targets under the EU's carbon market.

Link