Tag: carbon

Sailing Ships Are the Carbon-free Alternative For Cargo

NGOs call for inclusion of aviation and shipping in UK carbon budgets

New experimental data to support CCS Safety

Gibraltar not highest carbon emitter

BC emissions may be responsible for half or more of the warming in the Arctic The US Environmental Protection Agency concluded in a report to Congress that targeted strategies to reduce black carbon "can be expected to provide climate benefits within the next several decades," based on black carbon's strong warming potential and its short atmospheric lifetime of days to weeks.EPA concluded that black carbon was likely to be causing more warming than any climate pollutant other than CO2, although there was remaining uncertainty about the effects of black carbon on clouds, which still need to be resolved.The EPA report found that "currently available scientific and technical information provides a strong foundation for making mitigation decisions to achieve lasting benefits for public health, the environment, and climate."It highlights that cutting "BC emissions can halt the effects of BC on temperature, snow and ice, and precipitation almost immediately."Reducing BC will also provide significant public health and environmental benefits that "often exceed the costs of control.""Cutting black carbon is a triple win," said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. "Cutting black carbon reduces climate change, cleans the air, and saves lives.""And we can make ...

UK Government advisors on climate change say There is no longer any reason to exclude international aviation and shipping emissions from carbon budgets according to the Committee on Climate Change. This was the conclusion in the Committee's report "Scope of carbon budgets - Statutory advice on inclusion of international aviation and shipping".Emissions from international aviation and shipping were initially left out of carbon budgets and the 2050 target when the Climate Change Act became Law in 2008, with the decision on inclusion delayed to 2012.In the meantime, the Committee and the Government have acted as though international aviation and shipping emissions are in the 2050 target, based on a certain interpretation of the legislation. The risk is that a new Government would not adopt the same interpretation.In order to mitigate this risk, the Committee recommends that the current approach should be formalised through including international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets and the 2050 target, therefore providing more certainty that it will be continued in future. Moreover, inclusion would provide the most transparent, comprehensive and flexible accounting framework under the Climate Change Act.Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the CCC said: "Including international aviation and shipping emissions in UK carbon ...

Scope of carbon budgets Statutory advice on inclusion of international aviation and shipping There is no longer any reason to exclude international aviation and shipping emissions from carbon budgets according to the Committee on Climate Change. This was the conclusion in the Committee's report "Scope of carbon budgets - Statutory advice on inclusion of international aviation and shipping".Emissions from international aviation and shipping were initially left out of carbon budgets and the 2050 target when the Climate Change Act became Law in 2008, with the decision on inclusion delayed to 2012.In the meantime, the Committee and the Government have acted as though international aviation and shipping emissions are in the 2050 target, based on a certain interpretation of the legislation. The risk is that a new Government would not adopt the same interpretation.In order to mitigate this risk, the Committee recommends that the current approach should be formalised through including international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets and the 2050 target, therefore providing more certainty that it will be continued in future. Moreover, inclusion would provide the most transparent, comprehensive and flexible accounting framework under the Climate Change Act.To implement the new approach the Committee recommends that currently legislated ...

Climate change committee says that continuation of exclusion would be a watering down of carbon goal The government's green credentials will be put to a "key test" on Thursday, as ministers will be urged by their advisers to include greenhouse gas emissions from aviation and shipping in the UK's carbon targets.If airlines and container ships are included, the task of meeting the targets is made much harder. These two large and growing sources of emissions are currently excluded from the goals under a technicality.David Kennedy, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, challenged ministers to include the sectors in order to ensure the UK is meeting international obligations in spirit as well as in the letter of the law. "This will be a key test for the government," Kennedy said. "If we don't include these sectors, that would in effect be a lowering of the UK's carbon targets."The issue is one of acute political sensitivity, because politicians appear reluctant to jeopardise the rise of low-cost airlines offering cheap flights. Within the Conservative party ranks, it is likely to be particularly controversial given the increasingly open climate scepticism of many Tory MPs.Kennedy said he was aware of the potential ...

Committee on Climate Change's report on carbon emission budgets Today the Chamber of Shipping, the UK shipping sector's trade association, has responded warmly to the Committee on Climate Change's report on carbon emission budgets.The Chamber's Director of Safety & Environment, David Balston, said:"The Chamber of Shipping warmly welcomes the outcome of the work that has been done by the Committee on Climate Change with respect to UK shipping emissions. It provides the most accurate figures that we have seen and we unreservedly support its aims and recommendations. We are also very pleased to note their conclusion that any measure aimed at tackling emissions should be global in nature rather than regional, reflecting the truly international nature of shipping."A regional instrument, such as is being discussed within the EU at present would distort trade, be easily evaded and be extremely difficult to administer. The Chamber of Shipping continues to play a leading role in identifying the most appropriate and convincing strategies to reduce carbon emissions from shipping, recently producing detailed analysis on how both an ETS and Compensation Fund might work."The report can be downloaded from the Committee on Climate Change website by clicking here.Source: UK Chamber of Shipping

Climate change video - action needs to be taken in the UK in order to reduce emissions