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INFORM Carbon Reduction
COPENHAGEN POLICY SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ROUND TABLE DEBATES
Forty of the world’s leading cli-
mate change scientists have
Energy efficiency remains focus of CRC
united in a call to global lead-
ers, demanding greater action The Government is unlikely to Large branding-conscious com-
on climate change. curb other greenhouse gas emis- panies will also be allowed to split
The statement, instigated by sions as the Carbon Reduction up their operations, providing
WWF and endorsed by climate Commitment (CRC) legislation each part is still over the CRC
luminaries such as Sir John evolves – and will stick to just threshold and all parts of the com-
Houghton, calls for industri- tackling energy efficiency for now. pany are still covered.
alised nations to make a com- Speaking at the Sustainable The example Mackenzie gave
mitment at the UN Climate Business Round Table Debate on was a retail giant that had several
summit in Copenhagen, to cut the CRC, Niall Mackenzie, head different high street chains in its
carbon emissions by at least of carbon markets at the portfolio. It might, he said, wish
40% below 1990 levels by 2020, Department of Energy and to report each chain separately,
in order to prevent tempera- Climate Change (DECC), con- and would be allowed to do so
tures rising a further 2°C. firmed there are no plans to providing its HQ operations were
“It is time for Gordon Brown extend the CRC to other gases. covered by one of these divisions.
and other world leaders to turn But he added that if there is a Once the company had settled
words into action” said Keith good case made to support the on divisions, it would not be able
Allott, Head of Climate Change idea, DECC would always con- No plans to extend CRC: Niall to reshuffle them to nurse figures
at WWF-UK. sider it. “Never say never,” he
Mackenzie speaking at the event
during any phase of the CRC.
said. “But I am struggling to The other prickly issue is
TRANSPORT
understand any rationale as to benchmark them against one renewable energy – with many of
The AA has attacked 20mph why the abatement of other gases another, publishing a league those organisations which have
zones and park-and-ride would be incentivised by inclusion table ranking them on cuts they invested heavily in renewables as
schemes saying simpler meas- in the CRC. But we are always have achieved. part of their carbon reduction
ures would offer a better solu- open to ideas.” Mackenzie said DECC would package disappointed that the
tion to climate change. The event, sponsored by be addressing the problem of how scheme does not recognise this, as
The pro-motoring group Parsons Brinckerhoff and EDF to rank organisations that were it only charts energy used, rather
believes that better evaluation Energy, enabled energy managers already well along the road than its source.
of the CO
2
impact of road from a select group of UK busi- towards carbon neutrality against Mackenzie said DECC was
schemes and smarter use of nesses, like the Co-op and Hilton those who had not done anything aware of the concerns, but that
simple measures could be more Hotels, to get a sneak peak at how to curb their energy use. this was an energy efficiency
effective. AA president, the Government’s finalised CRC As things stand, he acknowl- scheme rather than a way of pro-
Edmund King, believes speed regulations might look. edged there was a “cliff edge” moting renewables, and that those
zones are being rolled out with- Mackenzie told attendees that whereby the past efforts received companies would be rewarded by
out a proper assessment of the Government had taken on recognition in the first year of the other government initiatives for
their environmental impact. board industry concerns about the scheme, but were then all but their support of clean energy.
He said: “If we are smart scheme and was putting the finish- ignored. The revised regulations He did not rule out a conces-
about urban transport we can ing touches to the completed will, in all probability, soften the sion, saying it was possible that
reduce C02 and congestion version of it. transition by giving more recogni- there may be a subsidiary league
without spending millions.” The CRC will track the energy tion to earlier achievements in the table that ranked organisations on
use of large organisations and second year of the scheme too. their use of on-site renewables.
INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian province of
SURVEY
Ontario is to move closer to
going completely coal free by
‘Dangerous’ solutions considered
2014 with the closure of four of
its remaining plants. Boats pumping out clouds and are much more successful than tion management (SRM). CDR
State-owned power company thousands of mirrors in space are they have been, geoengineering techniques are seen as the best for
Ontario Power Generation among geoengineering ideas out- will be the only way to cool the tackling rising CO
2
and have
(OPG) is set to close the plants lined by the Royal Society. planet. It lists geoengineering fewer risks as they work to return
next year. The society’s latest report, technologies that it considers even the Earth to a more normal state.
The closures will mean the Geoengineering the Climate: “potentially useful” to mitigate SRM techniques act by reflect-
province has reduced its coal Science, Governance and climate change by reducing emis- ing the sun’s energy away from
capacity by 40% since 2003. Uncertainty, states Earth’s future sions. But uncertainties about Earth, meaning they lower tem-
OPG will continue to assess rests on these and other “danger- their effectiveness, costs and envi- peratures rapidly, but do not
converting its remaining 11 ous and unproven” geoengineer- ronmental impacts remain. affect CO
2
levels. CDR tech-
units to other fuel sources such ing schemes unless we tackle The report assesses the two niques assessed included CO
2
as biomass. emissions now. main kinds of geoengineering capture from ambient air,
After 2014 the province’s fuel The report says unless efforts techniques, carbon dioxide enhanced weathering, improved
mix will include nuclear, gas and to cut greenhouse gas emissions removal (CDR) and solar radia- land use and tree planting.
renewables.
COUNTRY FACTS KUWAIT HAS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FOOTPRINT, PRODUCING 37 TONNES OF CO
2
A YEAR PER PERSON
6 October 2009 ❘ Sustainable Business
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