3p Contributor: Climate Check
Recent Articles
ClimatePULSE: Top 10 Renewable Friendly States – “Freeing the Grid”
This week in ClimatePULSE we take a look at the top 10 green states. But more specifically, those states that have recently taken the lead in accommodating small-scale renewable energy projects. So, what U.S. states are taking that extra step to help individuals and small businesses that want to “go green”? This article will tackle that question with uninhibited enthusiasm and a touch of objectivity. And although this is by no means a general assessment of the environmental policies and practices of each U.S. state, it should help us better understand this year’s “Freeing the Grid” report and particularly which states have the best net metering and interconnection policies – those that allow customers to easily sell power back to the grid.
ClimatePULSE: Saving the World, Two Problems at a Time
Recycling highly-concentrated streams of CO2 from large-scale emitters sounds like a fantastic way to slow down climate change. So does finding a new, abundant source of fuel that doesn’t require drilling. Why not tackle both of these issues at the same time? It’s certainly intriguing, but more importantly, it’s possible. This week ClimatePULSE will take a look at such a technology and discuss the possible impacts it can have both nationally and globally.
ClimatePULSE: Top 5 Clean Technologies
This week in ClimatePULSE we take a look at some of the most promising clean technology solutions. And now that the enthusiasm regarding corn-ethanol has (rightfully) faded, what better time to do so? While this list is far from exhaustive, it should provide some insight into (hopefully) safe bets within the clean tech sector. We have chosen to profile 5 companies considered to have high potential. So, let’s get started…
ClimatePULSE: The Government Can Still Help the Carbon Market
In wake of yesterday’s disapproval of the financial rescue package, ClimatePULSE will take a look at the status of the carbon market and how it is affected by the financial services sector. Although carbon and stock trading do not occur side-by-side, they certainly interact and influence one another through various connections. In many ways, the carbon market relies heavily on the financial status of both the country and individual companies. A sliding financial market may affect the allocation of money and credit and slow the development of the national carbon market. Recent and future milestones in the carbon industry, however, are more than capable of powering the carbon market to a very successful future.
ClimatePULSE: GHG Inventories. What’s the catch?
GHG inventories, are they really worthwhile? Some may argue that it’s wiser to skip straight to energy efficiency and clean technology solutions that have already proven effective. And let’s face it, what CEOs want to spend a small fortune having some green-collar consultant tell them just how bad the situation really is. But the truth is, those inventories, and even that green-collar stock boy might just be worth the time and money. Why is that you might ask? Let’s look a little deeper at the purpose of GHG inventories and how they act as an important first step towards both environmental and economic savings for a company.
ClimatePULSE: Take a Life-Cycle Perspective
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of their purchases. “Green” products line the shelves in just about every type of store for customers to purchase and carry home in their re-usable shopping bag. While the shift to more environmentally conscious shopping is great, it is important for consumers to consider the steps required to manufacture and dispose of products as well – this is called a life cycle assessment.
ClimatePULSE: Corporations, Prepare for the Best
Most reasonable scenarios of the future suggest that expected increases in population and economic growth will outweigh the low-hanging fruit of decreases in per-capita energy use and reductions in the carbon-intensity of the energy provided. As a result, only dramatic technological and behavioral change is predicted to break the linkage between rising global population and economic aspirations, and increasing carbon emissions and climate change. This blog post examines how some corporations can benefit from this change and how to best prepare for climate change as a business opportunity rather than a regulatory or environmental obstacle.
ClimatePULSE: Fertilizing Climate Change One Farm at a Time
Fertilizer use and climate change. Unfortunately, choice words you rarely hear used in the same sentence. With so much focus given to emissions from transportation and industry, lesser known, but equally important factors like fertilizer use are often overlooked. To place things in perspective, the overuse of fertilizers releases an estimated 2 billion tonnes of nitrous oxide (a GHG estimated to be 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere annually. What is also alarming is that agricultural activities in general contribute to 17 to 32 per cent of global GHG emissions. And with the majority of these agricultural activities requiring fertilizers in one form or another, it’s clear their use must be examined closely.
ClimatePULSE: Exporting China’s Emissions
A recent report from Carnegie Mellon University added numbers to our suspicions that a large portion of China’s emissions are from producing goods for export. 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 33% of China’s emissions, are the result of activities related to the production of export goods. With roughly 18% of Chinese exports going to the US, the US is indirectly responsible for about 6% of China’s emissions, or over 300 million metric tons of CO2.
ClimatePULSE: “Mommy, what does “carbon footprint” mean?”
To hear my friends and colleagues discuss the matter over cocktails, you’d be sure that every major company in the world knew what their carbon footprint was and that they were actively managing it through increased implementation of energy efficiency and clean technology programs. That’s why when I came across a recent Harris Interactive poll commissioned by Dow Corning I was shocked by a few of the main findings. Especially surprising was that 68% of the companies surveyed did not know the meaning of the term “carbon footprint”. With well over half of the world’s major corporations still unaware of what a carbon footprint is, those of us in the greenhouse gas management industry, like ClimateCHECK, have a lot of explaining to do. We also have an enormous potential market ahead as 100% of these companies will, sooner or later, need to deal directly with climate change. But for now things are just getting started, and while moving quickly, there are definitely all the signs of a young market out there. For instance, there are diverse motivators and diverse standards as to what makes a credible corporate response.
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