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A best practice guide has been issued by the HEA Sustainability Forum on the carbon footprinting of highway electrical products.

According to the forum, the guide sets out a framework for calculating product carbon footprinting in a transparent, auditable and cost effective manner and allows similar products to be compared on a reasonable basis.

The HEA said the guide is also designed to enable manufacturers and suppliers to identify where and how they may be able to reduce their products’ carbon footprint.

The guide uses the key principles of PAS 2050 and the calculations of both embedded and in-use carbon footprints are incorporated. In addition a “Carbon Arc” logo is available for HEA members to show they are meeting the requirements of the guide.

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California’s revised plan to build the nation’s first high-speed rail system identifies an alternative source of funding if federal and private-sector contributions fail to materialize — fees generated from California’s new cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there are legal and logistical questions about whether those fees, which could range from $660 million to $3 billion in the first year of the cap-and-trade program, could be used to build a high-speed rail line.

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British energy network operator National Grid and London-listed oil and gas services firm Petrofac plan to build a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Britain with U.S. partner Summit Power, the companies said on Tuesday

The consortium will apply for funding from the British government, which is due to relaunch a 1 billion pound ($1.6 billion) tender for CCS projects after a first round of funding failed on cost overruns.

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The new coal-fired power plant, named Caledonia Clean Energy Project, will be based at the Scottish port of Grangemouth, west of Edinburgh, and will capture carbon emissions on more than 90 percent of its production capacity.

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Investors and NGOs add to flurry of letters to the Treasury with plea for Chancellor to relax borrowing restrictions on Green Investment Bank.

An influential group of green investors and NGOs have today added to the flurry of letters to Chancellor George Osborne, urging him to step up efforts to unlock investment in clean tech projects.

The group, which includes Ben Caldecott, head of policy at Climate Change Capital and Sean Kidney, executive chairman of the Climate Bonds Initiative, as well as the heads of WWF, Greenpeace, and the Green Alliance, calls on Osborne to “engage with the macro-economic case for a greener and more sustainable economy”.

source: BusinessGreen

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Just 2% of the British public believes that David Cameron has been successful in his pledge to lead the “greenest government ever”, a new YouGov poll reveals.

Respondents were asked to rate the government’s green credentials, including how well it has lived up to the promise that the prime minister made just three days after he took office.

In a visit to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Cameron told Chris Huhne and civil servants that “there is a fourth minister in this department who cares passionately about this agenda and that is me, the prime minister, right. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” But cuts to renewable energy subsidies, anti-environment rhetoric by the chancellor, George Osborne, and a letter from 101 Tory MPs attacking onshore wind power have raised fears among environmentalists and business leaders about the coalition’s commitment to the green agenda.

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The direction of a legal battle over the European Union’s regulation of airlines’ greenhouse-gas emissions (GHGs), which has great implications for the maritime industry, maybe
revealed as soon as next month. The European Court of Justice is expected to deliver its initial findings in a case brought by US airlines against the UK Government and European Commission over the inclusion of international airlines in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) as soon as late September.

The international maritime industry has a lot at stake in this case. Brussels
is also formulating a proposal to regulate GHGs from all shipping in the EU in
much the same way. The chances of it successfully doing so will be heavily
influenced by the outcome of the aviation case in Europe’s highest court.

An initial ruling from the ECJ could come in September or October, although
there are expectations the full course of legal action could carry over into
next year, which takes beyond the date the regulation comes into force.

From January 1, Brussels will bring airlines into the EU ETS and require the
surrender of emissions permits for every tonne of CO2 emitted during operation
on all internal and international flights to and from EU airports. Airlines,
their trade associations and government transport officials in the US, China,
India, Russia and the Asia-Pacific have railed against the move. Their key
argument is that applying EU law to foreign airlines violates international law
governing aviation, and violates the very sovereignty of other nations

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The Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF) led the funding push, managed by Turquoise International, which invested £300,000, and was completed by existing investors and business angel groups including Minerva (Warwick), London Business Angels and Finance East.

“It would not have been possible to close this funding round in this difficult financial climate if BACTEST did not offer a unique investment opportunity that is large, global and homogeneous,” said chief executive professor Annie Brooking.

The funding will be used by the company to bring to market its products that monitor and manage bacterial activity in waste water.

LCIF project co-ordinator Laura Chellis said: “BACTEST’s technology offers great potential for allowing water companies to precisely control the aeration of waste water and reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions.

“The LCIF investment has been specifically targeted to allow BACTEST to bring to market a range of products addressing these needs.”

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GOGREEN Service From Barclays and DHL Launched

Companies transporting goods in the Asia Pacific region should find it easier to become more environmentally responsible, following the launch of a new joint service by Barclays Capital and DHL Express. The so-called GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service calculates the carbon emissions incurred in individual shipments.  The shipping company can
then offset some or all of these carbon emissions in recognised carbon management programmes.  These schemes range from hydro power plants in India to wind farms in China.
Each company also receives annually audited independent verification of the amount of carbon offset achieved. This ensures that the scheme s transparent and credible. Under the GOGEEN Carbon Neutral service, it is also possible to offset emissions resulting from air transportation.

The initiative is part of wider environmental policies within both Barclays Capital and DHL Express.  In 2007, Barclays set itself the goal of becoming carbon neutral.  It achieved this status in 2009 and to date has purchased and cancelled a million carbon
credits.  By the end of this year, the banking giant hopes to have reduced the amount of carbon emissions relating to each employee worldwide by 6%.

Similarly, DHL Express, as one of the world’s largest transportation firms, actively seeks out ways of minimising its carbon footprint. It has set itself the target of improving carbon efficiency by 30% in the next decade. The GOGREEN project will contribute towards this reduction.

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Energy Minister Charles Hendry’s has confirmed that the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has approved two biomass power plants that will produce enough electricity to power approximately 1 million homes. The facilities in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire will have a capacity of 299 megawatts each.

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360investgroup – The voluntary carbon market continues to grow. 2010 saw a record volume of 131 million tonnes traded with a market value of $424 million

360investgroup comments – “Existing clients of 360investgroup will nodoubt be aware that this was forecasted last year by the 360investgroup“