The global agrifood system has been largely overlooked in the fight against climate change. Yet, greenhouse gas emissions from the agrifood system are so big that they alone could cause the world to miss
Climate Seen Stoking Arctic Indigenous Land Claims NORWAY: April 3, 2008 OSLO - Global warming has opened the European Arctic to firms exploiting timber, oil, gas and metals, and intensified a land rights battle with Sami reindeer herders whose way of life is under threat, an indigenous leader said. Milder temperatures mean that birch and pine forests are edging north in Russia and the Nordic nations, shrinking the chill pastures where reindeer graze on lichen, said Lars-Anders Baer, a herder and president of the Sami Parliament in Sweden.
German Soy Fuel Blend Fails Climate Test - Greenpeace GERMANY: April 3, 2008 HAMBURG - Germany's policy of blending fossil diesel with biodiesel to combat climate change is failing because 20 percent comes from soyoil produced in countries where deforestation takes place, Greenpeace said on Wednesday. The environmental pressure group said it had tested fossil diesel sold at 46 petrol stations across Germany to determine which vegetable oils were used in compulsory biodiesel blending content.
German cars not ready for new biofuel - sources GERMANY: April 3, 2008 BERLIN - More than 2 million cars in Germany cannot run on a new biofuel the government wants to introduce, well over a limit the administration has set as a pre-condition for its use, industry sources said on Wednesday. Around 330,000 cars made by German manufacturers, plus more than 2 million imported cars, are unable to run on the new fuel, industry sources familiar with the data said. The environment ministry declined to comment on the figures.
Climate Solutions Often Harm Indigenous Peoples - UN NORWAY: April 3, 2008 OSLO - Large-scale solutions to help slow global warming often threaten the very indigenous peoples who are among those hardest hit by a changing climate, the UN University said on Wednesday. Biofuel plantations, construction of hydropower dams and measures to protect forests, where trees soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas as they grow, can create conflicts with the ancestral lands of indigenous peoples.
NCDEX, the leading agri-commodity exchange, on Wednesday said it will launch futures contract in carbon credits on April 10. The Centre notified 'carbon credits'as tradable on commodity exchanges in, January this year.
Installing a green roof can dramatically reduce energy use and costs - as well as supporting biodiversity, reducing flooding and combating climate change. Roofs offer an opportunity for more green spaces in the heart of the city That was the message for delegates at an afternoon seminar organised by CIRIA, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association. Firms that have installed green roofs have reported a 25% reduction in energy use in the floor directly under the roofs, and reduced usage at a lower percentage in other floors.
Carbon traders will today find out whether the European Union's emissions trading scheme has succeeded in persuading companies to curb their greenhouse gas output. The European Commission is expected to release data today showing the extent of carbon dioxide emissions in 2007 from businesses covered by its emissions trading scheme. It is widely expected to show that emissions from heavy industry such as steel and cement making have fallen by a small amount, but that emissions from the power sector have risen slightly.
Europe has announced plans to back investment in renewable energy in Africa and other parts of the developing world in an effort to provide reliable electricity in an environmentally sustainable way. The European Commission has launched the Global Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Fund with Euro 80 million to part-fund private projects over the next four years. The fund will target small-scale projects, predominantly in African states. According to EC statistics, around 1.6 billion people have no regular access to reliable energy sources.
Investors in the fledgling market in greenhouse gas emissions have seen their share of volatility and shocks in the past three years. Shares in several carbon trading companies have fallen sharply in the past year, and traders have had to cope with a crash in the carbon price and uncertainty over the future regulation of the market.
Climate change experts from around the world gather in Bangkok this week to discuss the successor to the Kyoto agreement, which comes to an end in 2012. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is hosting the summit, which will try to forge an agreement that is palatable to most nations whilst having a real impact on global carbon levels.
