Climate news

  • Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions News Scan - Sept 21th

    PICS News Scan – September 21, 2009
    Prepared by Alison Shaw and James Tansey

    Please click on the link below to access the news scan.

    http://www.pics.uvic.ca/assets/pdf/News%20Scan%20Sept%2021%202009.pdf
  • Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions News Scan - Sept 14th

    PICS News Scan – September 21, 2009

    Prepared by Alison Shaw and James Tansey

    The PICS News Scan is a weekly summary of the major climate-change related science, technology, and policy advances of direct relevance to the Canadian provincial and federal government and more generally to Canadian businesses, government and civil society. The News Scan focuses on leading climate solutions gathered by the fellows and faculty associated with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).

    Please click on the link below to access the .pdf news scan.

    http://www.pics.uvic.ca/assets/pdf/News%20Scan%2014%20Sept%202009.pdf
  • U.S. city chooses Nexterra to build gas-supply system

    Project will turn waste wood into gas to power sewage treatment equipment

    By Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver SunSeptember 11, 2009

    Vancouver-based Nexterra Systems Corp. has been selected by the city of Stamford, Conn., to develop a biomass gasification system for the city's sewage treatment plant that will replace natural gas with clean-burning synthetic gas made from urban wood debris.

    http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/city+chooses+Nexterra+build+supply+system/1982337/story.html
  • City hires U.S. expert to advance green plan

    By Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun | September 2, 2009

    Mayor Gregor Robertson's team at Vancouver City Hall is turning to a 35-year-old environmental whiz kid from Chicago to spearhead its ambitious plan to make the city the world's greenest.

    Sadhu Aufochs Johnston, Chicago's chief environmental officer and deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley, has been appointed Vancouver's new deputy city manager.

    http://www.vancouversun.com/business/City+hires+expert+advance+green+plan/1953254/story.html
  • Real Climate Change Costs Could Triple Early Estimates

    LONDON, UK, August 27, 2009 (ENS) - United Nations climate change negotiations are based on "substantial" underestimates of what it will cost to adapt to global warming, scientists led by a former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned today.

    http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2009/2009-08-27-01.asp
  • In Brazil, Paying Farmers to Let the Trees Stand

    21 August 2009 | QUERENCIA, Brazil — José Marcolini, a farmer here, has a permit from the Brazilian government to raze 12,500 acres of rain forest this year to create highly profitable new soy fields. But he says he is struggling with his conscience. A Brazilian environmental group is offering him a yearly cash payment to leave his forest standing to help combat climate change.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/science/earth/22degrees.html?_r=1
  • Obama climate change bill defies Republicans to pass key committee

    Bill weakened on its way to full House of Representatives, but still regarded as tough on fossil fuel emissions

    New laws to impose the first limits on US greenhouse gas emissions took a significant step forwards late on Thursday, clearing a key House of Representatives committee in the face of strong Republican opposition.

    The Energy and Commerce Committee approved the sweeping climate change bill 33-25 after repeatedly turning back Republican attempts to kill or weaken the measures during four days of debate.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/22/climate-change-bill-representatives
  • Voluntary Carbon Market Doubles in Size

    20 May 2009 | The volume and value of the world's voluntary carbon markets nearly doubled in 2008, according to the latest edition of the annual State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets report, which was released on Wednesday.

    http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/article.news.php?component_id=6773&component_version_id=10173&language_id=12
  • B.C.'s carbon tax rated top climate policy

    MARK HUME, Globe and Mail, April 29, 2009

    VANCOUVER — A think tank at the University of Ottawa has ranked British Columbia's carbon tax the most effective climate policy in Canada.

    But the group, Sustainable Prosperity, noted that even the B.C. government has a way to go before it achieves eight key principles that must be reached if carbon pricing is to be effective in fighting global warming.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090429.wbcelxncarbon0429/BNStory/politics/home
  • Canada's greenhouse emissions soaring: UN report

    By Margaret Munro, Canwest News Service, April 20, 2009

    Canada's greenhouse emissions are back on a "significant" growth trajectory despite bold promises from federal and provincial leaders to get serious about cutting discharges.

    The latest greenhouse-gas inventory from Environment Canada shows that after a slight dip in 2004-2006, Canada's total emissions took off again, thanks largely to Alberta's oilsands, an increase in the number of vehicles on the road, and greater reliance on coal-fired electricity.

    http://www.vancouversun.com/Business/Canada+greenhouse+emissions+soaring+report/1516154/story.html