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Green Notes - 15 May 09

By Chinthana ⋅ May 15, 2009 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

• Efforts by countries worldwide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy security are in trouble if nothing is done to check the energy gobbled by both information and communication technologies and consumer electronics. The IEA said one solution is for governments to “urgently implement policies to make electronic devices such as televisions, laptops and mobile phones more energy-efficient.” These products are expected to soon demand more electricity than water heaters and refrigerators. The good news is that higher-efficiency Relevant Products/Services technologies are already available that could cut this demand in half, Tanaka noted. “Many mobile devices are already far more efficient in their use of power than other devices which run off a main electricity supply. Because extending the battery life of a mobile device is a selling point, manufacturers place an emphasis on designing products which require very little power.“
• Last-minute negotiating within the Democratic caucus on a climate-change bill continued in earnest through Wednesday, with oil refiners jockeying for more consideration and lawmakers from low-income regions harboring lingering concerns about the effect on their constituents. Key moderate Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) formally threw his support Thursday behind the compromise climate change bill he negotiated with House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “I intend to vote yes and I intend to urge all other committee members to do the same,” Boucher said at a press conference. Their main worry: To fight climate change, the bill is designed to impose costs for emitting carbon dioxide, requiring permits for every ton of greenhouse gas emitted. The relative increase in costs will be higher in states with a lot of coal-fired power plants, since burning coal emits more carbon than burning natural gas to create the same amount of electricity.
• Britain could take a leading role in developing and managing the nascent market for carbon capture and storage projects around the world, after the government’s recent announcement that all new coal plants must be fitted with the green technology. Industry experts believe the UK is in a strong position to run the financial, legal and consulting aspects of the projects for international utility companies. Meanwhile in Australia: The government is putting $2 billion of new funding into the development of industrial-scale carbon capture and storage projects to boost Australian technology, protect jobs and tackle climate change.