Airline Industry: EasyJet plans to offset carbon on all flights

European budget airline easyJet says it will become the first major carrier to operate net-zero carbon flights, offsetting carbon emissions from the fuel used on every flight.

Read more at: 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/easyjet-net-zero-carbon-1.5255977

The Environment: China Has Met Its 2020 Carbon Target Three Years Early

China met its 2020 carbon intensity target — the amount of carbon dioxide it produces per unit of economic growth — three years ahead of schedule, according to the country’s top climate official, Xie Zhenhua. In 2017, China cut its carbon intensity by 46 percent from 2005 levels, a drop of 5.1 percent from the previous year, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xie announced the milestone at the country’s Green Carbon Summit on Monday.

As part of the Paris Agreement in 2015, China, the world’s largest emitter of CO2, had pledged to reduce its 2005 carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent by 2020. It has a goal of reducing carbon emissions by unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent by 2030, and to halt increasing its emissions after that point.

China has struggled to meet another Paris pledge, however, to establish a national cap and trade system by 2017 for greenhouse gas emissions. Last December, the country launched emissions trading for the power sector, covering 1,700 companies and 3 billion tons of CO2 emissions, but a broader, multi-sector system has been delayed by technical problems and unreliable data, Reuters reported.

Read more:China Has Met Its 2020 Carbon Target Three Years Early - Yale E360

Brazil to slash carbon emissions by 37% by 2025: Rousseff

In her UNGA address on Sunday, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff pledged to slash Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions by 37 per cent.

“The contribution of Brazil will be a reduction of 37% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Our ambition is to reach a reduction of 43% by 2030. The base year in both cases is 2005,” said Rousseff.

Outlining her vision for a global climate change agreement on Sunday, Rousseff stressed on the importance of a “common response”.

“Our obligations should be ambitious and consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. The Paris Conference is a unique opportunity for us to shape a common response to the global challenge of climate change,” the President said.

Brazil’s “energy mix is among the cleanest in the world” she claimed while adding that Latin America’s biggest economy has “reduced deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by 82%”.

“Brazil is one of the few developing countries to commit to an absolute goal for emissions reduction. In spite of having one the world’s largest populations and GDPs our goals are just as ambitious, if not more so, than those set by developed countries,” Rousseff noted.

Read more: Brazil to slash carbon emissions by 37% by 2025: Rousseff | The BRICS Post

Canada - Carbon Emissions: Harper’s a climate hypocrite – we all are - by Margaret Wente

Leona Aglukkaq has the world’s most thankless job. Every day, Stephen Harper’s Environment Minister has to say with a straight face that the government cares deeply about climate change, takes it very seriously and is going to do something about it any day now. This charade has been going on for years. It should be obvious to the smallest child by now that the government isn’t going to do a thing about climate change unless it absolutely has to.

In fact, the biggest news from this week’s climate gabfest in Lima – one observer called it “the green blob’s annual ritual” – is that the dream of a grand global deal is officially dead. Even the negotiators have finally admitted that it can’t be achieved. Instead, they’re aiming for something much more modest – a deal in which every country will make its own emissions pledges, suited to its own circumstances. Sure, that’ll work. And if they don’t comply, maybe they’ll get 20 lashes with a wet noodle.

Read more: Harper’s a climate hypocrite – we all are - The Globe and Mail

Pollution: China drives world carbon emissions to record high - by Alister Doyle

World carbon dioxide emissions will hit a record high this year, driven by China’s growth and keeping the world far off track from the deep cuts needed to limit climate change, a study said on Sunday.

More than half of proven fossil fuel reserves may have to stay in the ground if governments are serious about a promise made in 2010 to limit a rise in average temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the Global Carbon Project report by leading research institutes said.

Emissions by China alone, which overtook the United States as the number one carbon emitter in 2006 amid fast industrial growth, have soared to eclipse those of the United States and the European Union combined, it said.

The report puts 2014 world carbon emissions 65 per cent above levels in 1990, despite repeated promises of curbs and a shift to renewable energies such as wind and solar power as part of policies to avert more floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels. 

Read more: China drives world carbon emissions to record high - The Globe and Mail

Carbon Emissions: The Reason why Limiting Carbon Emissions Makes Conservatives so Angry - by Paul Krugman

Why,in the face of devastating consequences that are already upon us, is it so hard to take action to curb man-made global warming?.

The venerable economist considers the usual suspects, and pretty much discounts them. Instituting emission controls will cause minimal economic harm. Even the anti-science U.S. Chamber of Commerce, try as they might, only found modest costs to carbon reductions. Is it the power of vested interests? he wonders.

I’ve been looking into that issue and have come to the somewhat surprising conclusion that it’s not mainly about the vested interests.

They do, of course, exist and play an important role; funding from fossil-fuel interests has played a crucial role in sustaining the illusion that climate science is less settled than it is. But the monetary stakes aren’t nearly as big as you might think.

Read more: Paul Krugman on the Surprising Reason Limiting Carbon Emissions Makes Conservatives so Angry | Alternet

China ready to impound EU planes if the EU punishes Chinese airlines for not complying with scheme to curb carbon emissions

China will take swift counter-measures that could include impounding European aircraft if the EU punishes Chinese airlines for not complying with its scheme to curb carbon emissions, the China Air Transport Association said on Tuesday. 

The warning came as the UN's aviation body expressed concern about the growing threat of bilateral reprisals. 

Chinese airlines, which have been told by Beijing not to comply with the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, refused to meet a March 31 deadline for submitting carbon emissions data.

A new stand-off looms after EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said the carriers would have until the end of this week to submit their data or face enforcement action. 

Note EU-Digest: China  says it stands ready to impound EU planes landing in PRC in retaliation for the EU enforcing carbon tax emissions. In the same breath China also want to reduce the EU-China meetings on human rights violations to one session a year.

The European parliament should take note of this unacceptable Chinese behavior and not accept these threats..

Read more: China ready to impound EU planes - International | IOL Business | IOL.co.za

Alternative Energy: U.S. and China clash in trade dispute over alternative energy technologies - by Stephen Vagus

The U.S. and China have been locked in a trade dispute over clean energy projects for some time. The U.S. government recently launched an investigation into wind turbine towers that are being exported from China. The investigation is meant to find any purposeful deficiencies present in the turbines and whether they are being sold at unfair discounts, a fact that the Chinese government has taken issue with. China claims that the investigation is worsening the trade dispute and could put a halt to any progress toward reducing carbon emissions and cooperation toward sustainability.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce notes that the dispute and the investigations that are becoming increasingly common from the U.S. could damage the interest of American companies looking to do business in the country. Government officials assert that they will continue to adhere to the commitments that they made at the recent G20 summit in Cannes, France, and hopes that the U.S. will show respect for these commitments by allowing the country to operate within its own laws and regulations.

China has been earnest in its pursuit of alternative energy thus far, hoping to significantly reduce its carbon emissions by 2020. Though the country is largely self-reliant, cooperation is key to attaining this goal. If relations between the two countries do not improve, it could put the sustainability goals of both nations in jeopardy.

For more: U.S. and China clash in trade dispute over alternative energy technologies

Carbon Emissions: Poland single-handedly blocks climate talks, again

Poland vetoed the EU's “Energy Road map 2050” at a meeting of environment ministers in Brussels last Friday. This is the second time in eight months that the country has blocked an otherwise unanimously supported commitment to rise carbon emissions cuts in the EU after 2020.

“It has been a tough day, and tough negotiations. Once again, one delegation has blocked the conclusions,” said Martin Lidegaard, Danish minister for climate, energy and building, following the meeting.

The energy road map in question envisions reducing total EU emissions by 80 to 95 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. That’s a minimum of four times the current 20 percent reduction target for 2020. The EU Council's approval of the road map is needed to set legally binding emissions targets after 2020.

For more: Poland single-handedly blocks climate talks, again - Warsaw Business Journal - Online Portal - wbj.pl

China threat over EU airline emissions trading

China is threatening legal action against the European Union for the emissions trading scheme (ETS) it is planning to introduce to airlines next year.

"I believe we have to take legal action," said Wei Zhenzhong, head of the China Air Transport Association.

Under the scheme, international airlines will have to pay for their carbon emissions in flights to Europe.

For more: BBC News - China threat over EU airline emissions trading

EU energy proposals lack "courage and conviction" says UK Rochdale Lib Dem. MEP

European Commission proposals on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been damned by a Rochdale Euro-MP.

The Commission published its "Climate Roadmap to 2050" on Tuesday (8 March 2011) which details how to slash greenhouse gas emissions across the EU by the middle of the century.

Lib Dem environment spokesman Chris Davies MEP has blasted the new proposals for allowing countries like China to steal a march in developing future green technology. Mr Davies said: "The Commission has today demonstrated all the courage and conviction of a rabbit caught in headlights and about to be run over. “With China investing half its GDP in low carbon technologies and developments, by refusing to insist that we raise our ambitions and make firm commitments to improve energy efficiency the Commission is condemning the European Union to failure.

"By opting for complacency and delay we could hardly have been let down more if the Commissioners were acting on behalf of the Chinese Government .

Rochdale News | News Headlines | EU energy proposals lack "courage and conviction" says Rochdale MEP - Rochdale Online

The Coming Battles Over Green Trade - by Mac Margolis

If you thought getting rich and poor countries to sit down at the same table to negotiate a new climate treaty was hell, just wait till the green trade wars begin. European and U.S. lawmakers are weighing bills to impose taxes on trade partners who fail to reduce their carbon footprint. These border tax adjustments are meant to eliminate the unfair trade advantage gained when states skimp on cutting greenhouse gases--and then sell to nations with costlier controls. The different standards can lead to "carbon leakage," when developing countries with lax standards lure companies away from stricter economies. The only solution, say advocates, is a tax.

Others say the taxes are a green stick, wielded to force developing nations into a global climate compact. Either way, in practice they would be a logistical, legal, and diplomatic nightmare. How much more carbon is emitted when a tennis shoe is made in Shanghai rather than San Francisco? And when parts come from a supply chain spread throughout half the world, who foots the bill? Never mind that the U.N. Climate Convention expressly prohibits "arbitrary or unjustified mitigation measures that could affect international trade."

For more: The Coming Battles Over Green Trade - Wealth of Nations Blog - Newsweek.com

The environment: Why the EU needs a border tax on carbon emissions.

The practical policy implications of this analysis are clear; the world would benefit from the imposition of a (small) carbon import tariff by the EU (the only significant country with a cap-and-trade system in operation). The justification for the tariff would, however, be completely different from the one usually advanced by politicians (and industry). It would not be to “level the playing field” for EU industry but to protect the global environment. This is a crucial difference since this implies that the tariff would be compatible with WTO rules, whose Article XX allows for exemptions if the aim is to protect a global natural resource.

The Commission has estimated that a carbon price of around the €40-50 per tonne would be required to reach the EU’s 2020 commitments. This would imply, at current exchange rates, about $50-70 per tonne. This might be too high for the US, where $30-$40 per tonne has been estimated to be the politically feasible limit. At $40 (€30) per tonne, a border carbon tax on Chinese exports (to the EU) would be a bit more than two times $40 per $1,000 of exports, or approximately 9% on average. Rates would be much higher for energy-intensive products and lower for most others.

As China upgrades the sophistication of its exports, the average rate might come down, but under current conditions the average carbon tax could thus be very significant, much higher than the most-favoured-nation tariffs currently applied by the EU, and certainly an order of magnitude larger than the modest tariff reductions that were contemplated under the Doha round.

Note EU-Digest: French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday, in Cholet, Western France that a carbon tariff on European Union borders was necessary to balance international trade for French and EU enterprises. We completely concur, "Vous avez tout afait raison monsieur le Président".

It is unfair to impose carbon tax on EU enterprises, while letting other countries like China neglect their environmental responsibilities and get a competitive advantage.

For the complete report click on the link : Why the EU needs a border tax on carbon | vox - Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists

The Independent: Dutch first in Europe to adopt green tax for cars -

For the complete report from The Independent click on this link

The Dutch government is to become the first country in Europe to introduce a green tax to replace annual road tax on cars. Drivers will have to pay per kilometer driven in a bid to end chronic traffic jams and cut carbon emissions. The system, which will use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to monitor cars, could be used as a test case for other countries weighing options for easing crowded roads. Singapore has a similar scheme for charging according to the amount of travel.