As we were writing in our previous post, the future of the post-Kyoto agreement is seriously endangered. Yesterday, during an Asia-Pacific summit in Singapore, the US president Barack Obama and country leaders from China, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia agreed to delay a climate agreement to 2010 or even later. This means that there will not be the Copenhagen Protocol with reduction targets set for all countries with huge emissions. So maybe it is better to make hawajskie party

According to Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen, the failure of COP15 is sealed. He foresees that there will be a political agreement to continue climate change efforts only, but concrete figures may come on the UN summit next year. Some pessimists say that countries will not be able to set a deal before 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

The European Union see the US as the main cause of the problem. The climate bid is still not signed by the US Congress. This situation has a strong impact on other big emitters, such as China, India or Brazil, and determines their access to global climate change battle on the US decision. The EU also will not rise its greenhouse gases reduction target from 20% to 30% because of lack of support in global efforts from other countries. The other subject of the Copenhagen talks – finance aid to developing countries – may also be lost due to discord within the EU regarding costs distribution between European countries.

Only Ivo de Boer, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, seems to be still focused on the final result, saying that “Copenhagen can and must deliver clarity on emission reductions and the finance to kickstart action.”  We will see soon whether the world really “can”.

Regards,

Gustaw

According to Carol Browner, climate and energy coordinator in White House, President of the United States Barack Obama will most probably not sign the climate change law before the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen in December this year. It is because the law is unlikely to be voted within the US Senate before the climate change summit.

At the end of September senators from Democratic party John Kerry and Barbara Boxer presented a draft law which is a respond to the draft law published by House of Representatives in June this year. Currently the draft law needs 60 votes of senators to be approved.

The new draft law proposes more ambitious reduction target for GHG emissions – which now accounts for 20% by 2020 below the 2005 levels. In addition, by 2050 the emissions should be lower by 83%. The second target is in accordance with the one presented earlier by House of Representatives. However the mid-term goal is slightly higher as in Henry Waxman and Edward Markley project it accounted to 17%. Prelimnary Barack Obama suggested a target of 14%.

Even if the law will be approved by Senate it would need a coherent and common text agreed both by Senate and House of Representative within a special commission.

Looking at the legislative procedure there are low chances that Barack Obama will sign the law before the COP15 in Copenhagen.

Regards,
Anthony

According to data published by UNFCCC during the informal meeting in Bonn on 10-14th of August the current reduction targets related to greenhouse gases emissions disclosed so far by several industrialized countries by 2020 are amounting to 15-21% below the 1990 levels. This data come from national GHG emission reduction plans presented amongst others by Russia, Japan, Canada and EU Member States, but are not including United States.

The submitted goals are definitely well below the recommendation of e.g. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC) which suggested the need of reduction by rich countries from 25% do 40% below the 1990’s levels till 2020 to prevent the negative aspects of climate changes like floods or droughts.

The UNFCCC data show that total emissions from 39 industrialized countries, that were officially or preliminary published are oscillating between 9,86 billions tones CO2e and 11,71 billions tones CO2e in 2020. In 1990 the level of emissions from this countries was 12,53 billions tones CO2e.

This results were distributed among the participants of informal UNFCCC meeting in Bonn in August.

Regards,
Anthony

According to results presented by Australian Department of Climate Change emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) rose by 1,1% in 2008 compared to year 2007. However this increase is not influencing on the target from Kyoto Protocol (it is 8% increase in GHG emissions, yes increase, in period 2008-2012 comparing with 1990 levels). Australia is on good road to meet it although in case that the government will implement climate measure that will help to mitigate this rise in coming years.

Personally I’m not afraid about little rise in GHG emissions in Australia in 2008 (however they are 7% above the levels from 1990, and they have ‘track-record’ of average 1,5% increase in three consecutive years). This statement ‘is backed’, in my opinion, by intensive activities and declarations of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to implement an emission trading scheme in his country starting from 2011. Preliminary plans informed about 2010, but Australian government would like to wait amongst others for outcomes of December’s Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen. Kevin Rudd said even that if developed countries show some ambitious commitments there he would opt for more rigorous targets in emission scheme (even 25% in 2020 below 2000 levels, now the draft project includes 5 to 15% target).

I hope that the increases in GHG emissions are an ‘accident’ and the future will come with some spectacular reductions in Australia regarding this aspect.

It is important as Australia ratified the Kyoto Protocol very late (in December 2007, during Conference of the Parties in Bali) and they need to show their efforts in fight against global warming.

Regards,
Anthony

At the end of May 2009 Volvo group presented an unique tool (maybe somebody heard about it but I wasn’t familiar with it) called ‘CO2 pedometer’ which helps to monitor the carbon emissions from commute (travels home – work).

A Test group in Volvo company in Göteborg in Sweden used this measure which is a mobile-based software to check what are the CO2 emissions from particular commute of each employee. Thanks to this tool the test group, changing their habits (changing car for bike or public transport etc.), was able to reduce daily CO2 emissions by more then 30%. What do you think about it?

I think many holding with huge amount of people should recognize this tool as an important case as it could be for example a nice Corporate Social Responsibility communication or even an cost saving measure.

I often hear about some other propositions regarding traveling like: eco-driving, picking up your friends when their are leaving close to you and working within the same company (avoiding two cars or more, so-called car-pool), public transport (traffic jams in big cities are more and more annoying), hybrid cars etc.. However sometimes it is good that each person sees how he could individually mitigate CO2 emissions and protect the climate.

I think Volvo initiative is worth following.

Regards,
Anthony

(the picture in this article is used from the official Volvo press release)