Exelon Latest Company to Ditch Chamber of Commerce (Wonk Room)
Exelon CEO John Rowe said his company won’t renew it’s membership because the Chamber’s multi-million-dollar campaign against clean energy legislation is incompatible with power giant’s commitment to climate change leadership.
India to Launch Energy-Efficiency Trading (Financial Times)
India plans to launch a domestic energy-efficiency trading scheme as part of its efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and combat climate change. It also plans mandatory fuel efficiency standards, the environment minister says.
Climate Negotiators, in Thailand, Urged to Speed Up Talks (Reuters)
Delegates gathering today for the start of marathon climate talks in Thailand were told to speed up "painfully slow" negotiations as they struggle to settle on the outline of a tougher international pact.
EU to Propose Emissions Cuts for Planes, Ships (Reuters)
The EU is expected to propose at climate talks this week that aviation and shipping cut their respective carbon dioxide emissions to 10 and 20 percent below 2005 levels over the next decade.
EPA Plans Major Scientific Review of Mountaintop Mining (Coal Tattoo)
The Obama administration has quietly put together plans for a major scientific review of the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining.
Merkel Win May Extend Nuclear Life in Germany (Bloomberg)
Utilities’ stocks shot up after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats won enough votes to form a government in yesterday’s elections. Merkel may abolish a law that required Germany’s 17 nuclear plants to shut by 2021.
Met Office: 4 Degree Temperature Rise Likely In Our Lifetime (Guardian)
Unchecked global warming could bring a severe temperature rise of 4C within many people’s lifetimes, according to a new report for the British government that significantly raises the stakes over climate change.
South Korean Utility Unveils $2.4B Clean Energy Budget (Business Green)
South Korea’s state-run power monopoly announced it will spend $2.4 billion by 2020 on developing clean energy technologies. It aims to generate $12 billion in revenue on its green investment scheme – roughly 700 times its current income from the sector.
Prime Polluter China May Also Lead In Green Technology (NPR)
China currently produces more CO2 than any other country in the world, but it’s also poised to be the next leader in green technology. A look at China’s green initiatives and how they compare to what’s happening in the U.S.
China May Raise Power Prices (Reuters)
China may raise both on-grid and retail power prices as early as October, with electricity prices for end-users hiked by around 0.024 yuan per kilowatt hour.
Arcadian’s Smart Grid: Licensed Spectrum Network to Own or Rent (Greentech)
Arcadian Networks has built a 56,000-square-mile wireless smart grid network for Minnesota utilities using licensed spectrum. It’s looking to do the same for others.
Experts Say Transformation Needed to Meet 2025 Challenges (Green Car Congress)
Meeting the challenges of the near future may mean moving towards a new production and consumption model, new rural-urban dynamics, and a new gender and intergenerational balance, the European Foresight Expert Group says.
Financial Innovation to Help the Poor? (Economist)
There is a rising interest in social finance as the financial industry and its clients spy a way of making money and doing good at the same time.
Americans: We’re Not Selfish For Putting Economy Ahead of Climate (Rasmussen)
Americans continue to send mixed signals about the dangers of climate change the latest Rasmussen poll finds, but 47% reject the idea that they are selfish putting economic concerns ahead of the fight against global warming.
Krugman on the Cassandras of Climate (New York Times)
Responding to climate change with the vigor that the threat deserves would not be devastating for the economy as a whole, but it would shuffle the economic deck, hurting some powerful vested interests even as it created new economic opportunities. These industries of the past have armies of lobbyists; the industries of the future don’t.
