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Wal-Mart is moving forward with plans to green its supply chain by working with suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with products sold at Wal-Mart. This will put additional pressure on other retailers to take similar actions.
On California’s coast in Davenport, an idea being discussed is to revive the cement plant and use carbon dioxide exhaust to make a new variety of greener cement in an adjacent process. Cement products, because of carbon dioxide emissions associated with production, are an important source of CO2 reductions, but knowing just how much CO2 is sequestered in the process requires detailed life cycle analysis. A life cycle analysis of this project would be valuable information.
Money from the recovery and reinvestment act will go toward a solar financing program CaliforniaFIRST. Like many of the local programs have been pursued, the financing program will leverage future property tax revenues. The program will lend out $200 million, which could be up to 100 MW of of renewble energy. Though an interest rate around 7 or 8% may still too high to be effective.
In a move that sets up a clash with California’s low carbon fuel standard, the EPA yesterday finalized rules for the renewable fuel standard. While both programs incorporate land use change in their life cycle analyses, the controversy stems from different carbon intensity values for particular biofuels in the LCFS and RFS.
A new life cycle analysis published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology suggests that even substituting part of the coal at coal fired power plants with biomass could have significant low-cost emissions reductions.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission determined today that companies “must consider the effects of global warming and efforts to curb climate change when disclosing business risks to investors.” Companies must also disclose risks posed by climate change to the investors.
New CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) guidelines, adopted at the end of 2009, require that Environmental Impact Statements now include information on climate change impacts, which involves calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. A brief summary of the changes notes that Federal regulations will soon follow suit.
Solargen is building the world’s largest solar array in the rural Panoche Valley south of Hollister. The 420 MW project does not come without controversy as many local residents of the area oppose the project, with concerns including impacts to several rare and endangered species. A review of Solargen’s website found no information about any life cycle analysis for the project, so its unclear what the greenhouse gas reduction potential for the project is.
Five nations forged a non-binding resolution in Copenhagen early today. A draft of the proposal is here. After much anticipation, many environmental groups and organizations see the accord as largely a disappointment. Outcomes included progress on the REDD agreement, and $100 billion commitment from industrialized nations. While the former is seen as one of the few successful outcomes of Copenhagen, rumors that the latter fund will be managed by the World Bank has raised the suspicions of developing countries. Furthermore, after 17 years of international climate negotiations, it may be the the UNFCCC process is over. Obama’s speech was pragmatic, but in trying to bring India, Brazil, and China to the table on a reduction plan, he has sidelined the rest of the world.
Seattle-based AltAir Fuels today announced it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with 14 major airlines from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Germany, led by the Air Transport Association (ATA), to negotiate the purchase of up to 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina and produced by AltAir Fuels. This will remove more than 10 billion pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere in the next 10 years.
