Tag Archives: green
China Would Gain From Carbon Caps
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d904a41a-c794-11e2-be27-00144feab7de.html#ixzz2Uge8CQYF May 28, 2013 Since the failure to agree binding international carbon emissions targets in Copenhagen three and a half years ago, the best to be said for global climate negotiations is that they have at least kept alive – just – the aspiration to strike a deal. Any prospect of actual success, however, remains shackled by Beijing’s unwillingness to commit to legally binding emissions caps, and the refusal of important rich country polluters, above all the US, to accept limits that are not also binding on China. Pointing the finger at China is in part self-serving – Washington has more than its fair share of isolationists and climate sceptics who do not want the US to curb its emissions in any circumstances. But blaming Beijing is justified, whatever the motives. China now pumps more CO2 into the atmosphere than any other country. A deal without Beijing will fail not only diplomatically, but also in terms of the world’s ability to bring emissions under control. The possibility that China might drop its opposition to binding carbon caps is therefore momentous – if it materialises. That is a big “if”. The country’s economic planning policy is reportedly considering a carbon cap for its 2016-20 five-year plan. But such a policy remains at the drawing board for now. Even if it gains champions within the government, it will encounter strong resistance, in particular from interests in heavy industry. And deciding on self-imposed domestic caps is not the same as signing up to legally binding international commitments. Should Beijing go down the route of capping its carbon emissions, it would benefit the world at large, bringing it a little closer to necessary but elusive collective action on climate change (only a little, as the US will remain a stumbling block). But China will also find that this is in its own interest, for three reasons. First, it dovetails with Beijing’s other policy priorities. One such priority is to tilt the economy away from infrastructure, heavy industry and imported resource dependence. Another is to remedy China’s shocking pollution problem whose negative effects range from people’s health to politicians’ popularity. This has already led to limits on how much coal power stations can burn, to which any new carbon caps could be linked. Second, China’s pivotal role in any global climate deal means that “conceding” emissions caps could make it a powerful voice in negotiations for the next climate summit, in Paris in 2015. Beijing would be in a strong position to shape the new deal regarding, for example, how targets are allocated between countries and how the developing world is compensated. Third, playing a constructive role would alter at a stroke the world’s perception of a prickly rising power unwilling to contribute to a global system of rules. China’s dominance would be accepted less grudgingly if it exercised power with commensurate responsibility. It would gain influence in global standard-setting, whether in carbon reduction or other areas. Therein lies Beijing’s true prize. Continue reading
Carbon Market Challenges & Opportunities
London, 29 May 2013 Short-term intervention in the EU IETA members would overwhelmingly support intervention by the European Commission in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) within 12 months to improve the functioning of the market from its current record lows. Almost all (96%) respondents back structural reform of the EU ETS, with almost half (45%) thinking an ambitious emissions target and cap would be the most effective option. The outlook for price recovery remains weak according to members with low carbon prices expected up to 2020. EUAs are currently trading at around €3.50, only 7% of the value needed globally to shift economies onto a low carbon pathway (€47). 56% of respondents expect EUAs to trade at €5-10 between now and 2020, a 47% fall from last year’s expectations for the same time period, and a 68% fall from those in 2011. • Expectations that EUAs will trade below €10 and CERs below €5 to 2020 • Domestic or regional policies will be more important that international negotiations over the next few years Dirk Forrister, President and CEO, IETA said: “The agreement in Doha to extend the cap and trade schemes will emerge elsewhere before 2020 in Brazil (37%), Japan (36%), and Mexico (36%). Four out of five now feel that domestic or regional policy initiatives are likely to be more important than international negotiations over the next five years. Respondents particularly highlighted that linking domestic or regional carbon markets will help stimulate the growth in a global market. 94% expect that the EU and Australian carbon markets will be linked before 2020, as well as 35% for New Zealand and around a25% believe that both California and South Korea will eventually link with the EU. Dirk Forrister, President and CEO, IETA said: “Carbon Markets are the preferred policy tool for addressing greenhouse gas emissions around the world. As new systems emerge, market actors and policymakers need to work together to design these systems in a harmonized way – and to make them “linking-ready.” That way, it will be easier to create a more globally connected system and a commonly traded carbon commodity, which will allow nations to meet emissions targets and preserve economic growth.” Amongst other key findings: The new Californian carbon market, launched at the start of the year, is expected to increase its share of the global market in terms of value, with California Carbon Allowances expected to continue trading at US$10-20 over the first three years of the programme. Only 62% believe that ICAO will propose an approach to global aviation emissions regulation before 2018, and more than one respondent in ten believes that they never will. Only 1% of respondents expect the outcome of COP21 in 2015 to result in legally binding targets for all major economies that are aligned with limiting climate change to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Despite the collapse of carbon prices, all regulated entities surveyed said that the carbon price is still relevant to their capital investment decisions, with four out of five saying it is an important factor. Jonathan Grant, Director, PwC , who performed analysis on the survey said: “The outlook for a global deal is for a mix of binding targets and voluntary pledges; IETA members expect that the global deal in 2015 will look more like Cancun than Kyoto, but at least it won’t be Copenhagen.” “With a sustained period of low prices expected for EU carbon permits, business looks set to face a patchwork of climate regulation over the coming years which may raise concerns about competitiveness and high administrative costs.” Ends — Continue reading
Miscanthus For Biofuels
Scientists develop ‘green’ pretreatment By: Phyllis Picklesimer , University of Illinois URBANA, Ill. — Two University of Illinois scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and more economical way of pretreating Miscanthus in the biofuel production process. “We pretreat the biomass with switchable butadiene sulfone in the presence of water to break down the plant cell wall, which consists of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, the source of biofuels and value-added products,” says Hao Feng, a University of Illinois professor of food science and human nutrition who also has extensive research experience with biofuels. The new technique is a green alternative to current industry practices because butadiene sulfone can be recovered at potentially high yields since the solvent’s decomposition gases are also the raw materials for its production. This means that butadiene sulfone can be re-used after pretreatment, he says. The commercial availability for both production and recovery of this chemical should allow for a transfer of these operations into a biorefinery, Feng says. “It’s a big advantage in terms of both economy and environmental impact,” he adds. The current chemical pretreatment process uses relatively harsh conditions to break down the tough structure of grass and other biomass. Enzymes are then used to release the sugars that are converted to fuels through a fermentation process, Feng explains. “These chemicals not only produce compounds that are toxic to fermenting microorganisms, they often result in byproducts that have negative environmental impact,” he says. Why is this new solvent so important? “Pretreatment is the most expensive step in the production of biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass,” says J. Atilio de Frias, co-author of the study and a doctoral student in the Feng laboratory. According to de Frias, butadiene sulfone has the unique ability to “switch” in equilibrium to 1,3-butadiene and sulfur dioxide at relatively low temperatures, forming sulfurous acid in the presence of water. Using this relatively inexpensive and recoverable chemical to pretreat biomass in one step under mild conditions is definitely a step in the right direction, he says. “At temperatures ranging from 90 degrees Celsius to 110 degrees Celsius, the sulfurous acid hydrolyzes hemicellulose. Then butadiene sulfone helps to solubilize lignin with most of the cellulose preserved for downstream enzymatic hydrolysis,” he explains. The scientists say their data shows promise for the separation of hemicellulose and lignin and for the preservation of cellulose. They were able to remove up to 58 percent of lignin and 91 percent of hemicellulose and preserved 90 to 99 percent of cellulose. Feng says this is the first time this solvent has been successfully used as a pretreatment in biofuel production. “We look forward to its testing and adoption by biofuel manufacturers that are working with Miscanthus and other biomass crops,” he says. Editor’s note: Picklesimer is a media/communications specialist for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana. Continue reading
