Environmental Markets & Commodity Reports

EC to outline “structural” ETS reform options by July: Hedegaard

Oslo, 16 May 2012

Reuters Point Carbon: The EU’s climate chief on Tuesday said an upcoming EC proposal to delay sales of allowances is just the “first step” in repairing the bloc’s CO2 market and her department will before the summer outline additional options to reform the structure of the scheme. Connie Hedegaard told reporters in Brussels the EC would, in a review of the scheme, outline several ways for member states to boost carbon permit prices that are trading near record lows after a slump in European manufacturing has left the market oversupplied.

Read more: EC to outline “structural” ETS reform options by July: Hedegaard

Climate Change Is Observable In Arctic Sea

London, May 2012

The ongoing rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice is often interpreted as the canary in the mine for anthropogenic climate change. In a new study, scientists have now systematically examined the validity of this claim. They find that neither natural fluctuations nor self-acceleration can explain the observed Arctic sea-ice retreat. Instead, the recent evolution of Arctic sea ice shows a strong, physically plausible correlation with the increasing greenhouse gas concentration. For Antarctic sea ice, no such link is found – for a good reason.

Read more: Climate Change Is Observable In Arctic Sea

Stalling growth In bio-ethanol demand

London, 4 May 2012

After a decade of expansion, bio-ethanol usage fell in 2011. This comes despite a rise in crude oil prices that should make renewable alternatives competitive: So why the fall? The reasons are both economic and rational according to Czarnikow.

Read more: Stalling growth In bio-ethanol demand

Global warming policies might be bad for your health

London, 2 May 2012

Policies to reduce global warming may be doing more harm than good to public health in both developing and industrialised countries. This is the conclusion of a new report by the Global Warming Policy Foundation. In his report leading expert on human health and climate change Dr. Indur Goklany shows that:

• Global warming does not currently rank among the top public health threats
• The contribution of much-publicized 'Extreme Weather Events' to global mortality is negligible and declining.
• Poverty is a much larger public health threat than global warming
• Present climate policies are already adding to death and disease
• Focused adaptation to climate change and/or economic development would provide greater health benefits at lower costs than climate mitigation policies.

Read more: Global warming policies might be bad for your health

Global biofuel production needs to double: IEA

Toronto, 26 April 2012

According to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, today’s release in London of the International Energy Agency’s Tracking Clean Energy Progress report has confirmed that government institutions are not doing enough to further the development of clean energy alternatives.

Read more: Global biofuel production needs to double: IEA

CCS report shows further progress needed

London, 26 April 2012

This week, at the 2012 CEM meeting in London, the IEA and Global CCS Institute presented a report tracking progress made against the 2011 recommendations and focusing on key questions such as how Energy Ministers can continue to drive progress to enable CCS to fully contribute to climate change mitigation.

Read more: CCS report shows further progress needed

FIA-EPTA rejects claims about HFT

Paris, 24 April 2012

FIA European Principal Traders Association (FIA-EPTA) strongly refutes the claims made about the impact of high-frequency trading in a report published by a lobby group today as European policymakers review the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID).

Read more: FIA-EPTA rejects claims about HFT

EPA publishes U.S. Greenhouse Gas inventory

Washington, 16 April 2012

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the 17th annual U.S. greenhouse gas inventory. The final report shows overall emissions in 2010 increased by 3.2 percent from the previous year. The trend is attributed to an increase in energy consumption across all economic sectors, due to increasing energy demand associated with an expanding economy, and increased demand for electricity for air conditioning due to warmer summer weather during 2010.

Read more: EPA publishes U.S. Greenhouse Gas inventory

UK greenhouse gas emissions fall 7% in 2011

London, 30 March 2012

The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 7 percent year-on-year in 2011, mainly because of an increase in low-carbon nuclear generation as plants that suffered outages in 2010 came back online, government estimates published Thursday showed.

Read more: UK greenhouse gas emissions fall 7% in 2011

WMO confirms 2011 as 11th warmest on record

Geneva, March 2012

The World Meteorological Organization’s Annual Statement on the Status of the Global Climate said that 2011 was the 11th warmest since records began in 1850. It confirmed preliminary findings that 2011 was the warmest year on record with a La Niña, which has a cooling influence. Globally-averaged temperatures in 2011 were estimated to be 0.40° Centigrade above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14°C - Commodities Now.

Read more: WMO confirms 2011 as 11th warmest on record