Carbon Trading Complexity Putting Strains on Market Reputation
A series of criminal investigations and auditor suspensions in carbon trading markets threaten to give the process of trading pollution credits the same bad reputation as “collateral debt obligations” and other arcane financial instruments that helped trigger the Great Recession. The problems also highlight a lack of personnel qualified to do the complex work of [...]
Do We Need a “Holy Grail” Technology to Combat Climate Change?
Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) took a look at their earlier predictions on global warming, and guess what? They significantly underestimated the rate of increase in global emissions, particularly between 2000 and 2008. This was mainly due to the unforeseen (and rapid) increase in coal-burning by developing countries like China. But even [...]
ClimatePULSE: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
How does climate change affect life 3000 feet below sea level? Take a look through the Ocean Research and Conservation Association’s “Eye-in-the-Sea ” and see for yourself. The casual viewer will not likely notice anything out of the ordinary but for the scientists and researchers who continually monitor the real-time data, the Eye-in-the-sea can literally [...]
The US Climate Action Partnership’s “Blueprint for Legislative Action,” does it go far enough?
Finally. Change. Along with the new President comes a bright and contemporary perspective on how to tackle climate change. So what can we expect from the fresh-faced Obama and his team of scientifically renowned advisors? Hopefully decisive action, and a lot of it. This week in ClimatePULSE we take a look at the recently published [...]
ClimatePULSE: Around the World in 100 minutes – Japan’s GHG Satellite
What’s the atmospheric density of carbon dioxide 200 miles off the East coast of Greenland? At this point we can’t accurately say, but that may soon change. The Greenhouse Gas Observing Satellite (GOSAT), expected to be launched one week from today by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is planned to orbit the Earth for approximately [...]
ClimatePULSE: The Top 3 Climate Change Headlines to Watch for in 2009
As 2008 comes to a close and we take a look at the year in review, we reflect on the year that has passed and begin to think about the future. There have been many climate change-related headlines over the past year, from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative holding its first two auctions, to global [...]
ClimatePULSE: The Poznan Conference – Boom or Bust?
This week in ClimatePULSE we take a look at the recently concluded UN Climate Change conference in Poznan, Poland. Although the conference brought together some 200 countries to discuss how to tackle global climate change, it was largely shadowed by a global economic crisis and a leadership vacuum in the U.S. The conference was apparently [...]
ClimatePULSE: Top 5 Ways to Host a Green Event
This week in ClimatePULSE we take a look at some of the best techniques for hosting an environmentally friendly conference or event. Given the current hysteria surrounding corporate sustainability projects, the simple task of promoting your organization’s green goodwill through hosting enviro-friendly events is often overlooked. So just how do you easily conform to environmentally sound behavior? It’s quite simple. Without overlooking the importance of ditching bottled water, there are 5 simple steps your company can take to portray a green image at your next big conference or meeting. Check below for the top solutions.
ClimatePULSE: Vote, Cap, and Trade
The big news of the day is, of course, the U.S. presidential election. This week ClimatePULSE will take a look at a topic where the parties found some common ground during the campaign – a cap-and-trade system. While each party has made its own adjustments, both Obama and McCain seem poised to implement a cap-and-trade [...]
ClimatePULSE: A haunting perspective on the climate of change
This week of Halloween, I thought we’d settle on a creepy, nay terrifying, topic – the topic of how far we actually are from preventing runaway climate change. In a Time Magazine article I read this morning, it was noted that even some of the most well-educated and prestigious young minds in America don’t really [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Combating Climate Change: Help Wanted
Climate change is one of the most profound challenges of modern times. So why is it that there is such a serious shortage of greenhouse gas experts, climate-change strategists, and professionals in the field? After all, climate change will certainly affect all of our lifestyles and the way we do business. And while it’s undoubtedly [...]
ClimatePULSE: Green Beijing?
This week we’ll take a quick look at one of the summer’s biggest events – the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Now less than two weeks away, the Olympics will bring approximately 10,500 athletes from over 200 nations to Beijing to compete in over 300 events (which take place at over 30 different venues). While the [...]
ClimatePULSE: How to Avoid Catastrophe by Preparing for Greenhouse Gas Legislation
It is important that every company consider various forms of GHG regulations, specifically the impact on the business and which forms they will be most sensitive to. This week we’ll take a look at three different and equally likely forms of GHG legislation to help your company better understand its possible exposure and risk mitigation [...]
ClimatePULSE: Who owns these greenhouse gas emissions?
Protocols for corporate greenhouse gas accounting that are based on the ISO 14064 standards, such as the WBCSD/WRI GHG Protocol, use the term “scope” to distinguish between different greenhouse gas emissions sources. There are three categories; Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3. For most registry’s or reporting agencies Scopes 1 and 2 are considered [...]
ClimatePULSE: Using Software to Manage Climate Change
For years environmental management for businesses has been focused on the task of ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. Traditional business and financial analysis was not a critical component of their decision-making as much as simply ensuring that the organization was maintaining compliance status. Paper-based systems, Excel spreadsheets, and Access databases often satisfied the needs of [...]
Carbon Markets Clear the Air
As the public debate continues on whether greenhouse gases contribute to global warming or whether we are going through a natural cycle, enormous political pressure and investment dollars are streaming into the solutions aspect of the debate. Discussions in North America on environmental policy and economic benefits are steaming ahead at all levels of government [...]
The Joy of Carbon Offsets
Last week ClimatePULSE addressed the question, “Are offsets immoral?”. We considered offsets from the “philosophical” point of view and from the regulation side, where we noted the potential of offsets help us reduce emissions now while buying the time needed to transform our energy infrastructure. This week let’s consider the question, “Are offsets inspirational?” Here [...]
Are Carbon Offsets Immoral?
In my previous role as Executive Director of LiveNeutral I regularly received emails from friends and colleagues sharing the website or videos developed by the “CheatNeutral” (http://cheatneutral.com/). They asked if I though it somehow damaged or diminished the objective of LiveNeutral which in part promotes the use of carbon offsets as a tool to help [...]
The Voluntary Carbon Standard: Are They Blowing Hot Air?
The voluntary carbon market has grown at an astonishing rate over the past few years. Since 2006 we have witnessed an enormous surge in the carbon offset market. Many companies and institutions have even become familiar with not only how carbon offset programs work, but how these programs can net them a hefty gain both [...]
GHG Education Stretches Beyond Traditional Universities
As the need for climate change solutions continues to grow, so does the need for properly educated greenhouse gas management and measurement professionals. With the help of various media outlets most people understand and accept the most basic aspects of climate change – global temperatures are rising, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are extremely high and [...]
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Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.
Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.
NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.
Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.
SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.
Have your event listed here.
Webinar: Feb 17Greening Stonyfield Farm: As a consultant with Stonyfield Farm for the past 12 years, Switzer Fellow Tim Greiner will discuss efforts to broaden and deepen sustainability within the company. He will discuss the company's efforts to track its environmental impacts, barriers the company had to overcome.Webinar: Feb 29Product Scorecards for Sustainability: Product scorecards that detail and evaluate environmental and sustainability aspects of products are increasingly adopted by leading companies. This webinar covers the best practices in this area and a case study by Seventh Generation.NY: Mar 19-20Wall Street Green: The longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. The Wall Street Green Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow.Bay Area: Mar 22-23GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!SF: Mar 26-28Cleantech Forum San Francisco: The 2012 Cleantech Forum San Francisco will mark the 10th anniversary of Cleantech Forums, the annual gathering of the global clean technology innovation community. Our theme this year is “The Power of Global Partnerships,” an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in the future of clean technology. For a $300 Discount use code "VIPofTriplePundit " More Info.SF: April 10-12 Navigating the American Carbon World: The must-attend event for professionals in the carbon landscape. Over the past decade, NACW has consistently provided informative content, thoughtful discussions and outstanding opportunities for collaboration.Have your event listed here.
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