What Next – Climate Watch
The inconvenient truth of carbon offsets
Tue, Apr 10 2012 11:24
| Carbon trading
| Permalink
by Kevin Anderson
Deputy Director
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
University of Manchester, UK
Nature, vol. 484, no. 7 (link to pdf)
5 April 2012
Planet Under Pressure was a major conference on the environment held in London last week. As a climate-change scientist, I was invited to organize a session at it and to present my group's research. I declined the offer, and here is why.
Deputy Director
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
University of Manchester, UK
Nature, vol. 484, no. 7 (link to pdf)
5 April 2012
Planet Under Pressure was a major conference on the environment held in London last week. As a climate-change scientist, I was invited to organize a session at it and to present my group's research. I declined the offer, and here is why.
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Say no to soil carbon markets@COP 17 sign-on letter to African Ministers
Sun, Nov 20 2011 10:08
| Durban, Carbon trading, UNFCCC, Agriculture
| Permalink
There's increasing heat around the issue of soil sequestration in agriculture linked to off-set carbon trading markets (see also this post). Below a link to a sing-on letter directed to African Ministers that lays out the arguments against carbon trading in soil sequestration.
EU carbon permit prices could crash to 3 euros next year, says UBS
Fri, Nov 18 2011 12:00
| Carbon trading
| Permalink
Swiss investment bank UBS concludes that the carbon markets are failing – both in terms of investments as well as having any meaningful contribution to climate and environment. Quotes below from report market analysts Point Carbon. “By 2025, the ETS will have cost consumers 210 billion euros. Had this amount been used in a targeted approach to replace EU’s dirtiest plants, emissions
The unfrackable case against carbon credits from coal fired-power plants
Sat, Nov 12 2011 01:28
| False solutions, Energy, Mitigation, Carbon trading
| Permalink
Off-set carbon credits from coal-fired power plants -- doesn't that sound like nuts to begin with? Well, obviously not to everyone, as such offset credits are currently allowed within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under UNFCCC. However, recent studies have delivered some serious blows to the methodologies used. Check out this report in Payal Parekh's blog that refers to an SEI study showing inflated credits by 71%, and the CDM Methodology Panel concluding 51-62% overestimation of greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants in the CDM pipeline.
Soil carbon and carbon trading -- controversy heating up!
Tue, Nov 1 2011 12:50
| Development, Durban, False solutions, Mitigation, Climate Finance, Carbon trading, Agriculture
| Permalink
One of the major controversies in Durban will be the issue of soil sequestration in relation to carbon markets. The World Bank is heavily promoting the idea of linking agricultural soil sequestration to off-set carbon markets under the banner of 'climate smart agriculture'. It sees the Durban negotiations as an opportunity to open up for such a development by getting agriculture back in the texts.
An increasing number of organizations are however mobilizing against this, on the grounds of environmental integrity and climate justice. They argue that off-sets effectively opens up for increased emissions, as permanence (what happens with the carbon stored in the soils over time?), additionally (how can one know the carbon would't have been stored in the soils in any case due to e.g .government action or civil society and community efforts?), and inherent difficulties in measuring soil carbon makes the whole set-up extremely risky.
In addition, the economics is shaky, with farmers projected to only earn one or a few dollars a year, while private interests in the north gets cheap carbon credits to avoid and delay own actions to cut emissions.
At the spotlight is the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, run by the Swedish NGO Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)/Kooperation utan gränser.
An increasing number of organizations are however mobilizing against this, on the grounds of environmental integrity and climate justice. They argue that off-sets effectively opens up for increased emissions, as permanence (what happens with the carbon stored in the soils over time?), additionally (how can one know the carbon would't have been stored in the soils in any case due to e.g .government action or civil society and community efforts?), and inherent difficulties in measuring soil carbon makes the whole set-up extremely risky.
In addition, the economics is shaky, with farmers projected to only earn one or a few dollars a year, while private interests in the north gets cheap carbon credits to avoid and delay own actions to cut emissions.
At the spotlight is the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, run by the Swedish NGO Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)/Kooperation utan gränser.
Cancún outcomes
Sun, Feb 20 2011 03:36
| Technology, Climate justice, Adaptation, Mitigation, Cancun, Climate Finance, Carbon trading, UNFCCC
| Permalink
Here is a summary of the key outcomes of COP 16 in Cancún. Positive outcomes are in green, negative outcomes are in red, and neutral/ambivalent outcomes are in grey. So, according to this mind map one could summarize the Cancun meeting as around 85% bad and 15% good. However, some of the bad outcomes are very significant, particularly the move towards a paradigm shift of pledge & review rather than the clear, legally binding principles of the Kyoto Protocol.
Click on the map for a hi-resolution version for viewing online or printing (comes out best in A3-format).
Click on the map for a hi-resolution version for viewing online or printing (comes out best in A3-format).
World Bank: "Carbon offsets sales have not worked"
Mon, Nov 8 2010 09:48
| Carbon trading
| Permalink
Carbon offset sales have not worked - World Bank
A new World Bank study conducted by the Independent Evaluation Group find offset sales are not working and suggests five solutions
BUSINESS DAY
A new World Bank study conducted by the Independent Evaluation Group find offset sales are not working and suggests five solutions
BUSINESS DAY
Caught! EU business lobby funding climate legislation blockers in US Senate
Mon, Oct 25 2010 03:24
| USA, EU, Carbon trading
| Permalink
Caught! EU business lobby funding climate legislation blockers in US Senate
Monday, 25 October 2010 10:12
Today CAN Europe [1] released a new report [2] based on an analysis of publicly available campaign finance records, definitively proving that polluting European companies are funding climate legislation blockers in US politics. Their overseas support is all the more galling because the same companies argue that additional emissions reductions in Europe cannot be pursued until the United States takes action.
“It’s disturbing that these European polluters fund anti-climate crusaders in the US while simultaneously fighting against strong climate legislation in Europe,” said Tomas Wyns, CAN Europe Senior Policy Officer. “This newly released data proves the anecdotal rumours about European companies that have been circulating for some time.” The report was created using information that became available throughout the month of October, based on data released by the US Federal Elections Commission and accessible via the Open Secrets database [3]. CAN Europe uncovered what appears to be a clear pattern of European polluters influencing United States climate and energy policies through targeted donations to candidates who oppose action on climate change.
Monday, 25 October 2010 10:12
Today CAN Europe [1] released a new report [2] based on an analysis of publicly available campaign finance records, definitively proving that polluting European companies are funding climate legislation blockers in US politics. Their overseas support is all the more galling because the same companies argue that additional emissions reductions in Europe cannot be pursued until the United States takes action.
“It’s disturbing that these European polluters fund anti-climate crusaders in the US while simultaneously fighting against strong climate legislation in Europe,” said Tomas Wyns, CAN Europe Senior Policy Officer. “This newly released data proves the anecdotal rumours about European companies that have been circulating for some time.” The report was created using information that became available throughout the month of October, based on data released by the US Federal Elections Commission and accessible via the Open Secrets database [3]. CAN Europe uncovered what appears to be a clear pattern of European polluters influencing United States climate and energy policies through targeted donations to candidates who oppose action on climate change.
Carbon trading business pespective on markets in Tianjn negotiations
Wed, Oct 6 2010 11:30
| Carbon trading, UNFCCC
| Permalink
Tianjin talks see progress on markets06 October, 2010Developing country opposition to the expansion of market mechanisms after 2012 is softening, according to delegates at the latest round of climate talks in Tianjin, China, although big-picture complexities around the negotiations could hold up progress on the issue.Meanwhile, talks on developing a market for carbon stored in forests have been going
Nature, Forests and Indigenous Peoples Are Not For Sale
Wed, Sep 29 2010 01:37
| REDD, Carbon trading
| Permalink
A Statement by Evo Morales, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia on REDD/REDD+"Nature, Forests and Indigenous Peoples Are Not For Sale"