"Steve Spence" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Carbon trading of course is just a scam to allow you to buy polluting rights > from others while pretending everyone has a right to pollute just a little. > > Carbon trading is not a good thing! > > Steve, surely it is better than pretending that everyone has a right to pollute a lot (current situation). While it would be better if we would all play nice, at least carbon trading puts an economic price on this particular form of pollution, which will (if the price is high enough - it can be raised over time) eventually encourage those that pollute for profit to take measures to reduce their pollution. It also has the potential to spread the wealth a bit to less developed areas (through Kyoto Protocol CDM and JI mechanisms), without the usual incentive to increase their own pollution production levels (one of the usual costs attached to aid from World Bank, IMF, etc).
Over the years, many environmentalists and sustainable energy advocates have moaned about the fact that pollution is an externality. Here at last is an attempt to actually internalize a pollution cost into the production cost (assuming it is implemented correctly, which is not a sure thing). I'd like to see how the experiment plays out on a large scale. While I was not involved, I understand that some of the pilot studies (e.g. GERT, PERT) were thought to have some desirable results. At a minimum, carbon trading brings attention to this area of pollution, and leads to measurement and management. If it is done well, and is seen to work, perhaps it can be applied to other areas later. Darryl McMahon > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "MH" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2004 8:58 AM > Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Fwd: Kyoto clears last hurdle / Scientists against > Bush/ U.S. can end oil use > > > Russia to ratify Kyoto treaty > > Putin joins fight against climate change, leaving Bush > isolated and US cut out of carbon trading market > > Paul Brown, environment correspondent > Oct 1, 2004 > The Guardian > http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1317289,00.html > > Politicians, industry leaders and environment groups across the > world welcomed the news last night that Russia had rejuvenated > international efforts to combat climate change by ratifying the > Kyoto protocol. > > President Vladimir Putin's decision isolates the US, and brings > Russia closer economic and political ties with the European Union. > > The treaty, which commits 30 industrialised countries into legally > binding greenhouse gas reduction targets, will kick-start a > multibillion- pound carbon trading market, the transfer of clean > technologies to developing countries and promote joint ventures > with countries in the former Soviet bloc. It is also a blow to > President George Bush who repudiated the treaty on taking office > and has repeatedly tried to persuade Mr Putin to do the same. > > Russia's move means that US business will be cut out of the new > carbon trading markets which have already been set up in London. > Countries and companies in the scheme have targets to cut their > carbon dioxide emissions. If they exceed their targets they will be > able to sell the extra carbon "saved" to other countries or companies > which have failed to do so. The market is expected to be worth tens > of billions of pounds a year. > > Carbon trading and incentives to install renewables and other clean > technologies in the treaty gives European companies a financial > advantage in joint trading agreements with former Eastern bloc and > developing countries. > > Because of the collapse of Russia's economy in the early 1990s, > London traders estimated yesterday that Mr Putin's government has > $10bn (about £5.5bn) of carbon credits to sell on the international > markets to countries which cannot meet their own targets. > > A flurry of international excitement about Kyoto began yesterday after > the Russian cabinet announced that it had prepared the papers to > ratify the treaty and was forwarding them to the Russian parliament, > or Duma, for ratification. Since Mr Putin's United Russia party > controls two-thirds of the Duma, and he directed the cabinet to act, > ratification is seen as a virtual certainty. > > The Kyoto protocol, negotiated in 1997, ties those countries of the > industrialised world which have signed up to it into carbon dioxide > reductions of around 5% on 1990 levels. > > Scientists say that cuts of 60% are needed across the world to avoid > runaway climate change, mass extinctions and catastrophic sea > level rise. > > However, the treaty was only seen as a first step, and when the first > cuts are implemented by 2010 the process is expected to continue, > setting tougher targets for 2020. > > Making a major speech on climate change two weeks ago, Tony > Blair emphasised the need to begin thinking beyond 2010 to bring > China and India into the process of reducing greenhouse gases. He > has already said he will make climate change his priority for his > presidency of the G8 next year. > > The executive secretary of the UN Climate Change Convention, Joke > Waller-Hunter, said: "President Putin has given an inspiring signal > to the international community. By giving industry, local authorities > and consumers incentives to take action on climate change, Russia > and the 29 other industrialised countries that have joined the > protocol will set themselves on a path to greater economic > efficiency." > > Margaret Beckett, the environment secretary, described it as "a > crucial step forward". As far as the US was concerned it "opened up > a different vista. The US has long since assumed that Kyoto was > dead but it is not. There will be voices in US industry saying 'we are > missing out here'. It is early to say where this will lead but this will > make a considerable difference." > > The protocol is a legally binding addition to the 1992 climate change > convention. The EU as a whole is committed to an 8% reduction on > greenhouse gas emissions on 1990 levels by 2010 and is > struggling to reach the target. Some countries will have to buy in > carbon from countries such as Russia which have credits to spare. > > The UK, which has a 12.5% reduction target, is on course to exceed > this by about 3% but is unlikely to sell any spare carbon, saving up > any extra credits for the next negotiating period to 2020. > > > > EMS UPDATE - Sept 30, 2004 > > > > > > KYOTO CLEARS LAST HURDLE > > > > The Russian cabinet approved the ratification of the Kyoto global warming > > treaty today. Russia's ratification means the Kyoto Protocol will enter > > into force as an internationally binding treaty in 2005. > > > > The treaty must still win the approval of Russia's lower parliament house, > > but that is considered a virtual certainty. > > > > News stories & press releases: http://www.ems.org > > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > > > SCIENTISTS BEGIN TOUR TO OPPOSE BUSH > > > > Scientists and Engineers for Change, a group that includes 10 Nobel > > laureates, has begun a tour to battleground states to highlight the misuse > > of science by the Bush administration. > > > > "I am not a Democrat and I have never played a significant role in > > politics," said Dr. Douglas Osheroff, a Nobel-winning professor of physics > > at Stanford who is a part of the group. "We must begin to address climate > > change now. To do so, we must have an administration that listens to the > > scientific community, not one that manipulates and minimizes scientific > > input." > > > > Tour stops are scheduled for Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New > > Mexico, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin. > > > > Press release, news: http://www.ems.org > > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > > > > STUDY: U.S. CAN END OIL USE > > > > A Pentagon-cofunded blueprint for making the United States oil-free, > > released September 20 by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), finds that by > > 2015 the United States can save more oil than it gets from the Persian > > Gulf -- and can eliminate its oil use altogether by 2050. The plan > achieves > > a net cost savings for the United States and does not require taxation or > > regulation. > > > > The plan, "Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and > > Security," would eliminate half of U.S. oil use through improved > efficiency, > > and the other half through the use of biofuels and natural gas. > > > > "Because saving and substituting oil costs less than buying it, our study > > finds a net savings of $70 billion a year," said RMI CEO Amory Lovins. > > > > More: http://www.ems.org > > -- Darryl McMahon http://www.econogics.com/ It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
