Surprisingly, a Voluntary Climate Treaty Could Actually Work

Negotiators around the world are deliberating proposals for an international climate change treaty that will contain a glaring loophole: It won’t be binding. That’s less than ideal, but it’s still worthwhile for several important reasons. First, all treaties are essentially voluntary, short of violators being placed under severe sanctions or the threat of war. Second, the more binding the language of the treaty seems, the less likely it is that countries will make any commitment to act. And third, the only previous international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was surprisingly successful.  Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/

Renewable Energy Review: Brazil

Bottlenecks will need to be addressed to accommodate the 22.4 GW of wind capacity expected to be online by 2023, from just 3.5 GW today. Read more at www.renewableenergyworld.com

Speech: Towards an Effective Energy Union

The EU plans to set an agenda for energy issues as the need for imports increases. Energy security is a key issue, according to Energy and Climate Change Miguel Arias Cañete. He stressed the need for integrating renewable energy into the grid and for being a world leader in this field. He also addressed the need to develop the internal energy market and a low-carbon economy. Read more at praguepost.com/eu-news

Solar power plant to generate electricity around the clock

Israeli alternative energy company Brenmiller Energy has solved one of the biggest issues with solar technology — how to generate electricity when the sun sets. The Tel Aviv-based company announced on Monday that it will build a 10-megawatt solar facility in the Negev desert city of Dimona that will generate renewable electricity for around 20 hours per day through an energy storage technology the company has been developing for the past three years. Biomass will be used as a backup during the four hours when the solar power system is not generating electricity. Read more at inhabitat.com

EU launches pilot projects to leverage green energy spending

European Union climate and energy bosses launched two projects on Monday designed to unleash more than a billion euros ($1.1 billion) of spending on measures to save energy and adapt to climate change. The pilot projects will help to prove that a much bigger Commission scheme to turn 21 billion euros of EU and European Investment Bank funds (EIB) into at least 315 billion euros of public and private sector investment can work, the Commission says. Read more at uk.reuters.com

World Bank agrees $8 million aid to India for climate change mitigation

The money will be used to implement special projects to improve adaptive capacity of the rural poor, engaged in farm-based livelihoods, to climate change in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The assistance fund, under Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC), will be for projects that will help community institutions of the rural poor, particularly women farmers, to foster improved resilience in the production system in collaboration with government programs. Read more at economictimes.indiatimes.com 

 

 

Governments Agree the Negotiating Text for the Paris Climate Agreement

Delegates from 194 countries convened in Geneva to continue work following the Lima Climate Change Conference held in Peru last year, which had produced elements for the negotiating text–known as the Lima Call for Climate Action.  Nations concluded the Geneva Climate Change Talks by successfully preparing the negotiating text for the 2015 agreement. The agreement is set to be reached in Paris at the end of 2015 and will come into effect in 2020.  Read more >>>
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World’s Largest Offshore Wind Energy Area

Nearly two years ago, Deepwater Wind won two leases in a federal auction for rights to develop wind power off the coastlines of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in a 165,000 square acre (257 square-mile, 665 sq. km) area of water. The company paid nearly $3.9 million, one area in the “north section” and the other in the “south section.” The plan at the time was to build 100 turbines that would produce 1,000 MW of power. Read more >>>
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Investing in Energy Efficiency Pays Off

In a 2012 study, Deutsche Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation found that retrofitting buildings for energy conservation in the United States could save $1 trillion over a decade, reduce American greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent, and spur employment across the country. Read more>>>
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Obama's National Security Strategy Lists Climate Change Among 'Top Strategic Risks' To U.S

The strategy lists climate change as one of eight "top strategic risks" to U.S. interests, along with a catastrophic attack on the U.S., threats or attacks against citizens abroad, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Read more >>>
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