Scottish Power announces “major” CCS breakthrough

Scottish Power announced on Wednesday 25 November it had made a “major” breakthrough in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) prototype unit at its Longannet power station. Scientists and engineers have been able to demonstrate a 30% reduction in the energy requirement in the improved capture process compared to a reference plant.
Scottish Power

Tesco becomes UK's first retailer to display carbon footprint on milk

Methane from cows accounts for biggest proportion of greenhouse gases, as supermarket aims to 'footprint' 500 products by the end of the year.

David North tesco's Director said "Milk is not only one of the biggest sellers in store; it's also prominent on breakfast tables day in day out across the country. So we think carbon labels on milk can play a great part in raising awareness and helping customers navigate the new carbon currency." More

Firms to face 17 per cent hike in energy bills by 2020

Low-carbon transition plan will hit businesses harder than domestic customers, making the case for energy efficiency clearer still. Business Green

Walmart Unveils Sustainability Index

Wal-Mart is introducing its Sustainability Index, an emerging tool intended to elicit information from the company's tens of thousands of suppliers about their environmental performance. GreenBiz.com

Nasa satellites reveal extent of Arctic sea ice loss

A new study has revealed that the Arctic Ocean's permanent blanket of ice around the North Pole has thinned by more than 40% since 2004. Scientists said the rapid loss was "remarkable" and said it could force experts to reassess how quickly the Arctic ice in the summer may disappear completely. Guardian

Coral condemned to extinction by CO2 levels, warns Attenborough

David Attenborough joined scientists yesterday to warn that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is already above the level which condemns coral reefs to extinction in the future, with catastrophic effects for the oceans and the people who depend upon them.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is around 387ppm today. Environmentalists say that the world could be heading for 550ppm or even 650ppm.

"When we get up to and above 450ppm, that really means we're into the realms of catastrophic destruction of coral reefs and we'll be moving into a planetary-wide global extinction," said Rogers.

"The only way to get to 350ppm or below is not only to have major cuts in CO2 emissions but also to draw CO2 out of the atmosphere through measures such as geo-engineering."
Guardian

Scottish Climate Change Bill to target 42% emissions cut following international deal

Scottish climate change minister Stewart Stevenson lodged an amendment on Tuesday 23 June to the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Bill that will set the interim target for greenhouse gas emissions at 42%. The amendment reinforces the Bill's commitment to reduce emissions by 42% subject to international agreement that is already part of the Bill. Scottish Government

Scottish Government proposes five Rocs per MWh for marine

On Friday 19 September, the Scottish Government issued a statutory consultation in support of proposals to band the Renewables Obligation Scotland. It proposes to introduce the same changes as proposed in the Berr Renewable Obligation consultation but discontinue its current Marine Supply Obligation and replace it with an equivalent of five Rocs per MWh for wave generation and three for tidal generation. Berr has proposed these two technologies receive two Rocs per MWh.

Report questions environmental benefits of electric vehicles

The amount of energy used by coal-fired power stations to create electricity to recharge electric vehicles makes them half as efficient as diesel cars, according to research from Transport Watch, as reported in the Telegraph on Saturday 18 April. It questioned the Government’s support for the vehicles and said emissions could actually rise. Telegraph

Scottish Government strengthens Climate Change Bill

Scottish climate change minister Stewart Stevenson said on Tuesday 5 May that targets in the Scottish Climate Change Bill to reduce greenhouse gases would now include a new interim target to cut emissions by 34% by 2020. But ministers intend to introduce an amendment to the Bill to ensure this rises to at least 42% as soon as the EU agrees to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020.
Scottish Government

Scottish CO2 emissions rising, report to claim

A report from the Stockholm Environment Institute this week will show Scotland's carbon emissions actually increased by 11% to 85mn tonnes between 1995 and 2004, the Herald said on Sunday 5 April. This contrasts with Scottish Government claims that territorial emissions have fallen by 13% to 57mn tonnes over the same period. Herald

Scottish Government's Climate Change Delivery Plan

A massive increase in clean, green energy and full take up of electric and alternative fuel vehicles is needed to drastically cut emissions by 2050 and transform Scotland into a low carbon economy. More>>

The End of Cheap Oil

Excellent and comprehensive study and report demonstrating why the days of cheap oil are over. This will have huge knock on effects on industry and commerce.
http://peakoil.solarcentury.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/oil-report-final.pdf
View Report

Drax chief says “safety net” needed in case CCS does not work

Drax chief executive Dorothy Thompson said the UK required “a safety net if CCS turns out not to be a panacea, and we need one that works now.” Writing in the Guardian on Tuesday 12 May she said: “If we, as a nation, are serious about abating carbon from coal and ensuring security of supply, then we need to do two things.” These were to cut emissions through strategies such as co-firing and raise generating capacity “in this decade, as well as in decades to come.”
The Guardian

Will CCS be proven by 2025?

Energy companies are to lobby the Government for a get-out clause from the deadline to fully fit CCS to new coal plants by 2025 because they are worried it might not work in time. The Guardian said on Tuesday 12 May that they would ask DECC to draw up provisions that would allow them to keep the plants open until 2030, or for an additional number of operating hours.
The Guardian

Two thirds of firms unaware of upcoming carbon regulation

Two thirds of Britain's bosses are unaware that the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) will soon compel them to account for their companies' carbon emissions, according to a survey released today by the charity Business in the Community.

The survey of 266 UK business leaders also found that 40 per cent of bosses at larger firms felt they still needed help and advice on complying with the new rules, which come into full effect from next year.
Business Green

Human CO2 Emissions Increase Ocean Adicity by 30%

Scientists say ocean acidity has increased 30% since the Industrial Revolution
"Ocean acidification will be one of the biggest environmental concerns of this century, with major and far-reaching impacts," said Nature and Marine Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies.
BBC News

Scottish Government to make announcement on CCS this week

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said on Monday 27 April that he would be making an announcement on CCS later this week, adding Scotland had the potential to lead the way in capturing and safely storing carbon emissions.
Scottish Government

Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Framework

Scottish climate change minister Stewart Stevenson launched on Monday 27 April the second stage of a consultation looking at how Scotland should plan for the “unavoidable consequences” of climate change. He said Scotland needed to take innovative action to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Scottish Government

Unambiguous evidence, Arctic warming is accelerating

Scientists say they now have unambiguous evidence that the warming in the Arctic is accelerating.

If this process continues, it will extend the melting season for Arctic ice, delaying the onset of winter freezing and weakening further the whole system. "You start affecting the temperature gradient between the Arctic and equator which affects atmospheric patterns and precipitation patterns. Exactly how this is going to play out, we really don't know yet. Our research is in its infancy."
BBC News

Environment Agency report warns of biomass emissions

Biomass power could become one of the worst emitters of greenhouse gases, the Environment Agency has warned according to the BBC on Monday 13 April. It said planting energy crops could produce more CO2 by 2030 than burning fossil fuels and called on the Government to force biomass companies to report all greenhouse gas emissions.
BBC

9 out of 10 Scientists Say World will not reach targets

Guardian poll reveals almost nine out of 10 climate experts do not believe current political efforts will keep warming below 2C.
Almost nine out of 10 climate scientists do not believe political efforts to restrict global warming to 2C will succeed, a Guardian poll reveals today. An average rise of 4-5C by the end of this century is more likely, they say, given soaring carbon emissions and political constraints.

Such a change would disrupt food and water supplies, exterminate thousands of species of plants and animals and trigger massive sea level rises that would swamp the homes of hundreds of millions of people.

David Adam, environment correspondent The Guardian, Tuesday 14 April 2009

WWF hailes Green IT as solution to climate change

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) believes that IT could be the key to slashing harmful CO2 emissions and stemming climate change.

Two reports independently authored by the WWF and various academic experts, and funded with the help of HP and Microsoft, claim that relatively simple IT measures implemented on a global scale could help to cut emissions by at least half of the current US total for annual emissions by 2050.

The first report, entitled Virtual Meetings and Climate Innovation in the 21st Century (PDF), concludes that employee travel accounts for at least 50 per cent of non-manufacturing firms' total carbon footprint, which could be dramatically reduced through virtual meetings.

Read more >>>

Scotland lifts planning requirements for micro-generation

Householders will be able to install their own energy generating equipment, including solar panels, without planning permission following a Scottish Government consultation on planning reforms aimed at increasing renewable energy generation and cutting emissions. Scot Gov Website

Think Again: Climate Change

"Act now, we’re told, if we want to save the planet from a climate catastrophe. Trouble is, it might be too late. The science is settled, and the damage has already begun. The only question now is whether we will stop playing political games and embrace the few imperfect options we have left." Bill McKibben of Foreign Policy