Get in step on global warming, CEO urges

"We no longer have the luxury of standing on the sideline,"

Feb. 12, 2008

The oil and gas industry must embrace the reality of global warming and ensure it has a voice in setting policy or risk being marginalized while alienating the public, the CEO of ConocoPhillips told energy executives in Houston on Tuesday.

James Mulva, a keynote speaker at the annual Cambridge Energy Research Associates conference, said failure to engage would pave the way for policies that erode energy security and jeopardize economic and environmental health.

"We no longer have the luxury of standing on the sideline," Mulva said.

Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, followed Mulva at the podium and said he was glad to hear that "captains of industry" were on board with the need to address climate change. "I got the impression that what I have to say is redundant," he said. "It is within our means to mitigate greenhouse gases, and I'm delighted that the energy industry has actually said so and believes in it."

Last year, the international panel said new research showed warming was "unequivocal" and that human activity was primarily responsible for the biggest factor in temperature change, greenhouse gases.

The IPCC and Al Gore won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness. More >>>

[The oil companies will perhaps discover the underlying paradigm and realize that they have to make the transition and become energy companies in order to survive. They need to make the switch and invest in alternative forms of energy production and supply. Editor]

'Industries need energy efficiency to meet climate change'

NEW DELHI: Industries need to focus on water, energy and resource efficiency while undertaking capacity building to meet challenges of climate change, a senior UNIDO official has said.

"Adaptation to climate change should be an integral component of all development projects. However, no organisation has yet undertaken a full assessment of climate change adaptation technologies and policies, with specific focus on the industrial sector," UNIDO Managing Director (Programme Development and Technical Cooperation Division) Dmitri Piskounov said here.

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation is an UN agency to promote and accelerate industrial growth in developing countries.

Piskounov was speaking at a session on Climate Change at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2008 organised by The Energy Resource Institute (TERI). More >>>

EU 'should ban inefficient cars'

Markets need to be pointed in the right direction, Sir Mark says

The EU should ban the sale of cars that do under 35 miles to the gallon, the ex-chairman of oil giant Shell says.

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart told BBC News the motor industry would adapt to cope with stricter environmental rules.

The UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders opposes the idea, saying drivers of the most polluting cars pay extra through road tax and petrol duty.

But Sir Mark said this simply let rich people avoid taking responsibility for tackling climate change.

Expanding on the views he expressed in a BBC News website Green Room opinion column, Sir Mark said: "Nobody needs a car that does 10-15mpg.

"We need very tough regulation saying that you can't drive or build something less than a certain standard. You would be allowed to drive an Aston Martin - but only if it did 50-60mpg." [The Cayman Islands should also explore this initiative. Editor] More >>>

Businesses warned: address climate change or jeopardise your bottom line

Environmental issues are still a low priority for many small firms

CORPORATE PROFITS will plummet unless businesses take urgent steps to deal with the threats from climate change - that's the message from a new report by consultants Accenture.

While almost half of the 500 business leaders surveyed by Accenture believe climate change is now a major issue, few are doing enough to prepare for a future where being green is a necessary part of running a business rather than a political preference.

Mark Spelman, global head of strategy and one of the report's authors, said the rising costs of energy and carbon would soon mean that green business would be about far more than having a corporate social responsibility director.
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By 2020, those businesses that have not factored these costs into their budgets would find that they either cannot compete with rivals' prices or would face great upheaval from abruptly slashing costs. Either way, they would be in danger of going to the wall. More >>>

Feds Help Hawaii Move to 70% Renewables by 2030

The United States Federal Government to Help Hawaii Move to 70% Renewables by 2030 HONOLULU, Hawaii, January 28, 2008 (ENS) - Rich in sun and wind, Hawaii is on track to become one of the world's first economies based on clean energy resources under a long-term agreement signed today by representatives of the state and federal governments. The agreement sets a goal of using renewable resources such as wind, sun, ocean, geothermal, and bioenergy to supply 70 percent or more of Hawaii's energy needs by 2030.

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Alexander Karsner, U.S. Department of Energy, DOE, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative The goal is to reduce the state's dependence on imported oil and help bring energy price stability to Hawaii consumers.

Hawaii gas prices are the highest in the nation. AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say the national average is $2.98 a gallon. In Hawaii, it's $3.50 a gallon, up 56 cents from a year ago.

Another goal of the initiative is to curb climate change. In 2007, Hawaii became the second state in the nation, after California, to establish a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. More >>>

Abu Dhabi Takes The Lead in Renewables

Future Energy Summit: Abu Dhabi Pledges $15 Billion for Renewables

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, January 22, 2008 (ENS) - At the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit here Monday, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi announced an initial investment of US$15 billion in projects targeting solar, wind and hydrogen power; carbon reduction and management; sustainable development; education; manufacturing; and research and development.

Crown Prince General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told more than 4,000 participants at the summit that the investment will be channelled through the Masdar Initiative, a company that aims to explore, develop and commercialize future energy sources.

Crown Prince General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announces US$15 billion investment in clean energy. (Photo courtesy UAE Interact)

"We hope that our Masdar projects will inspire others to seek alternative sources of energy," said Sheikh Mohammed.

Masdar will leverage the Abu Dhabi government's initial US$15 billion investment with joint ventures and other investment partners to create a portfolio many times larger, comprised of projects in Abu Dhabi, the MENA region and globally.

The crown prince also announced today the establishment of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, awarding $US2.2 million annually to honour individuals and organizations for their excellence in the innovation, development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions.

More>>>

Abu Dhabi plots hydrogen future

The government of Abu Dhabi has announced a $15bn (£7.5bn) initiative to develop clean energy technologies.

The Gulf state describes the five-year initiative as "the most ambitious sustainability project ever launched by a government". Components will include the world's largest hydrogen power plant.
The government has also announced plans for a "sustainable city", housing about 50,000 people, that will produce no greenhouse gases and contain no cars. The $15bn fund, which the state hopes will lead to international joint ventures involving much more money, is being channelled through the Masdar Initiative, a company established to develop and commercialise clean energy technologies. "As global demand for energy continues to expand, and as climate change becomes a real and growing concern, the time has come to look to the future," said Masdar CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber. More >>>