[Top News] from [REUTERS]
[Environment News]
[Green Business | COP15]
Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
OSLO
Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:29am EDT
Like Sept.11, volcano plane ban may hold climate clue
｛2001年の9月11日のテロ事件と同様に、火山噴火による飛行禁止も気候変動対策の手がかりに。｝
(Reuters) - Plane-free skies over Europe during Iceland's volcanic eruption may yield rare clues about how flights stoke climate change, adding to evidence from a closure of U.S. airspace after September 11, 2001, experts say.
The climate effects of jet fuel burned at high altitude are poorly understood, partly because scientists cannot often compare plane-free skies with days when many regions are criss-crossed by white vapor trails.
Scientists will pore over European temperature records, satellite images and other data from days when flights were grounded by ash -- trying to isolate any effect of a lack of planes from the sun-dimming effect of Iceland's volcanic cloud.
"The presence of volcanic ash makes this event much more challenging to analyze," said David Travis, of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who found that an absence of vapor trails influenced U.S. temperatures after the September 11 attacks.
One possibility was to study areas of Europe where ash was minimal and flights were canceled mainly as a precaution. "But this becomes very challenging to measure," he told Reuters.
Progress in figuring out the impact of planes might make it easier to include aviation in any U.N. climate deal -- international flights are exempt from emissions curbs under the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol for combating climate change until 2012.
CARBON
That might in turn push up ticket prices if flights include a penalty for emissions. Flights in Europe emitted 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2007, the European Environment Agency said, more than the total emissions of Belgium.
Many studies estimate that aviation, the fastest growing transport sector, accounts for 2-3 percent of global warming from human activities that could bring more heat waves, species extinctions, mudslides and rising sea levels.
No one wants disasters that close airspace but scientists will seize on European data from days of clear skies, said Gunnar Myhre of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
"There will be initiatives," he said, adding that it was hard to separate ash from industrial pollution.
Travis's 2002 study found that an absence of condensation trails during the September 11-14 closure of U.S. airspace to commercial flights after the suicide hijacker attacks led to bigger swings in daily temperatures.
That was evidence that jets affect temperatures, but did not say if contrails were boosting climate change or not.
The U.N. panel of climate experts reckons that aviation is damaging the climate and that non-carbon factors -- such as nitrogen oxides, soot or contrails -- may have an effect 2 to 4 times as great as carbon dioxide alone.
The current European Union emissions trading scheme only covers carbon dioxide, and wants more studies. "All the impacts of aviation should be addressed to the extent possible," European Commission spokeswoman Maria Kokkonen said.
High clouds -- such as contrails or cirrus clouds -- tend to trap heat, preventing it escaping from the thin atmosphere. By contrast, lower clouds usually dampen climate change since their white tops are better at reflecting sunlight.
(Additional reporting by Pete Harrison in Brussels; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
[Green Business]
LONDON
Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:56pm EDT
EU carbon closes lower, traders take profit
(Reuters) - European carbon emissions futures' recent rise paused on Wednesday, closing lower, as participants to started cash in on profits made in a recent price rally, traders said.
EU Allowances for December delivery closed down 6 cents or 0.41 percent at 14.65 a tonne, with ($22.56) 12,536 lots traded.
The Dec-10 contract opened strongly on Wednesday at 14.81 euros a tonne before traders took profit.
EUAs have fallen only on three trading days since March 30, pushing the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) slightly into overbought territory, around 77.0.
Open interest on the Dec-10 contract has risen 3.1 million tonnes to 164,377 million tonnes.
Traders are taking short-term positions and taking profit on relatively modest gains in price, IDEAcarbon analysts said in a note.
EUAs' upward movement should continue in the coming days, with investors still eyeing a 15 euro target.
"We believe the power hedging season will last well into May, and should help the market into the mid to upper 15 euros before utility demand begins to ebb," IDEAcarbon said.
A German auction of 300,000 EUA futures settled at 14.59 euros a tonne on Wednesday.
German Calendar 2011 baseload power on the EEX was up 1.19 euros or 2.4 percent at 50.70 euros per megawatt hour.
Oil slipped below $83 a barrel after U.S. government data showed an unexpected increase in crude inventories and fuel stocks.
Certified emissions reductions closed 7 cents or 0.54 percent higher at 13.12 euros a tonne, setting the EUA-CER spread at 1.53 euros.
[Green Business]
BEIJING
Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:40pm EDT
Factbox: A glimpse of Chinese green cars
(Reuters) - Chinese carmakers, unscathed by a savage global industry downturn, are revving up their efforts to put cleaner, low-emission vehicles on the roads, counting on the green drive to help them catch up with overseas rivals.
From top Chinese auto group SAIC Motor Corp to rising star Geely Automotive Holding, indigenous players will show a plethora of green shoots at the Beijing autoshow this week.
Here is a list of hybrid, electric and fuel cell models showcased by Chinese automakers.
SAIC Motor Corp
- Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid, Roewe 750 hybrid, E1 electric
concept car
FAW Group
- EV elctric concept car, Besturn 70, Besturn 50 hybrid cars
Changan Automobile Group
- Benben electric car, S469 hybrid minivan, Zhixiang,
Yuexiang hybrid car
Chery Automobile
- S18 electric car, electric version of QQ compact car,
hybrid version of Riich G5 sedan, M11 hybrid car
BYD Co
- E6 electric car, F3DM and F6DM plug-in hybrids
Brilliance Auto
- A0 electric concept car, Junjie hybrid wagon, Jinbei
electric van
Geely Automobile Holdings
- EK-1, EK-2 electric cars, EC7 plug-in hybrid
Lifan Group
- Lifan 320, Lifan 620 electric cars
[Green Business]
Martin Roberts
MADRID
Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:50am EDT
Spain renewables industry fears subsidy cuts
(Reuters) - Spain's renewable energy industry joined forces on Thursday to ask the government to clarify whether it plans to retroactively cut subsidies, as market-moving media reports have suggested.
Shares in renewable energy generators Iberdrola Renovables and Acciona moved sharply lower on Wednesday after website elconfidencial, citing sources close to the government, said the government could reduce existing subsidies which finance most of the renewables plants in Spain.
New energy sector regulation is due in 2010.
"The posible retroactive application...would jeopardize a sector in which Spain is a world leader and is being touted as a driver to overcome the economic crisis," a statement from Foro de Renovables said.
Foro de Renovables is an alliance formed on Thursday from several renewable industry bodies.
An Industry Ministry spokesman on Wednesday declined to comment on market speculation subsidy cuts would be backdated.
"Subsidies will be cut. It's early days, nothing has been decided or drawn up, although the Ministry has to study all options," he said.
In a research note, Citi said it expected a cut in renewable premiums, mainly for solar power, but not on-shore wind and reiterated its positive view on wind developers.
"Although a retroactive application would not make sense, in our view, given the significant legal/regulatory uncertainty this would cause," Citi said.
In a bid to cut its heavy dependence on expensive imported fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, which are high above Kyoto levels, Spain has generously subsidized renewable energy in recent years.
Spain is now the world's fourth-largest producer of wind power and the second of solar. Renewables provided 12.3 percent of all energy in Spain last year, and the government expects this to meet a European Union target of 20 percent by 2020.
Also on Thursday, renewable energy firm Renovalia said it would join a raft of green companies mooting stock market floatations in Spain with an initial public offering set for May 12.
Other Spanish renewables companies seeking listings include Abengoa Solar, a unit of energy firm Abengoa; solar energy firm T-Solar and private equity Dinamia's Eolia.
Renewable firms traded down in line with the Madrid bourse In mid-afternoon deals.
Iberdrola was off 1.81 percent at 2.98 euros, Acciona declined 2.65 percent to 78.88 euros.
Wind turbine maker Gamesa was meanwhile down 5.6 percent at 9.68 euros, outpacing a 2.14-percent drop by Madrid's leading share index. Abengoa sagged 3.96 percent to 19.49 euros.
(Additional reporting by Clara Vilar)
[Environment News]
[Green Business | COP15]
Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
OSLO
Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:29am EDT
Like Sept.11, volcano plane ban may hold climate clue
｛2001年の9月11日のテロ事件と同様に、火山噴火による飛行禁止も気候変動対策の手がかりに。｝
(Reuters) - Plane-free skies over Europe during Iceland's volcanic eruption may yield rare clues about how flights stoke climate change, adding to evidence from a closure of U.S. airspace after September 11, 2001, experts say.
The climate effects of jet fuel burned at high altitude are poorly understood, partly because scientists cannot often compare plane-free skies with days when many regions are criss-crossed by white vapor trails.
Scientists will pore over European temperature records, satellite images and other data from days when flights were grounded by ash -- trying to isolate any effect of a lack of planes from the sun-dimming effect of Iceland's volcanic cloud.
"The presence of volcanic ash makes this event much more challenging to analyze," said David Travis, of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who found that an absence of vapor trails influenced U.S. temperatures after the September 11 attacks.
One possibility was to study areas of Europe where ash was minimal and flights were canceled mainly as a precaution. "But this becomes very challenging to measure," he told Reuters.
Progress in figuring out the impact of planes might make it easier to include aviation in any U.N. climate deal -- international flights are exempt from emissions curbs under the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol for combating climate change until 2012.
CARBON
That might in turn push up ticket prices if flights include a penalty for emissions. Flights in Europe emitted 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2007, the European Environment Agency said, more than the total emissions of Belgium.
Many studies estimate that aviation, the fastest growing transport sector, accounts for 2-3 percent of global warming from human activities that could bring more heat waves, species extinctions, mudslides and rising sea levels.
No one wants disasters that close airspace but scientists will seize on European data from days of clear skies, said Gunnar Myhre of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
"There will be initiatives," he said, adding that it was hard to separate ash from industrial pollution.
Travis's 2002 study found that an absence of condensation trails during the September 11-14 closure of U.S. airspace to commercial flights after the suicide hijacker attacks led to bigger swings in daily temperatures.
That was evidence that jets affect temperatures, but did not say if contrails were boosting climate change or not.
The U.N. panel of climate experts reckons that aviation is damaging the climate and that non-carbon factors -- such as nitrogen oxides, soot or contrails -- may have an effect 2 to 4 times as great as carbon dioxide alone.
The current European Union emissions trading scheme only covers carbon dioxide, and wants more studies. "All the impacts of aviation should be addressed to the extent possible," European Commission spokeswoman Maria Kokkonen said.
High clouds -- such as contrails or cirrus clouds -- tend to trap heat, preventing it escaping from the thin atmosphere. By contrast, lower clouds usually dampen climate change since their white tops are better at reflecting sunlight.
(Additional reporting by Pete Harrison in Brussels; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
[Green Business]
LONDON
Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:56pm EDT
EU carbon closes lower, traders take profit
(Reuters) - European carbon emissions futures' recent rise paused on Wednesday, closing lower, as participants to started cash in on profits made in a recent price rally, traders said.
EU Allowances for December delivery closed down 6 cents or 0.41 percent at 14.65 a tonne, with ($22.56) 12,536 lots traded.
The Dec-10 contract opened strongly on Wednesday at 14.81 euros a tonne before traders took profit.
EUAs have fallen only on three trading days since March 30, pushing the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) slightly into overbought territory, around 77.0.
Open interest on the Dec-10 contract has risen 3.1 million tonnes to 164,377 million tonnes.
Traders are taking short-term positions and taking profit on relatively modest gains in price, IDEAcarbon analysts said in a note.
EUAs' upward movement should continue in the coming days, with investors still eyeing a 15 euro target.
"We believe the power hedging season will last well into May, and should help the market into the mid to upper 15 euros before utility demand begins to ebb," IDEAcarbon said.
A German auction of 300,000 EUA futures settled at 14.59 euros a tonne on Wednesday.
German Calendar 2011 baseload power on the EEX was up 1.19 euros or 2.4 percent at 50.70 euros per megawatt hour.
Oil slipped below $83 a barrel after U.S. government data showed an unexpected increase in crude inventories and fuel stocks.
Certified emissions reductions closed 7 cents or 0.54 percent higher at 13.12 euros a tonne, setting the EUA-CER spread at 1.53 euros.
[Green Business]
BEIJING
Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:40pm EDT
Factbox: A glimpse of Chinese green cars
(Reuters) - Chinese carmakers, unscathed by a savage global industry downturn, are revving up their efforts to put cleaner, low-emission vehicles on the roads, counting on the green drive to help them catch up with overseas rivals.
From top Chinese auto group SAIC Motor Corp to rising star Geely Automotive Holding, indigenous players will show a plethora of green shoots at the Beijing autoshow this week.
Here is a list of hybrid, electric and fuel cell models showcased by Chinese automakers.
SAIC Motor Corp
- Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid, Roewe 750 hybrid, E1 electric
concept car
FAW Group
- EV elctric concept car, Besturn 70, Besturn 50 hybrid cars
Changan Automobile Group
- Benben electric car, S469 hybrid minivan, Zhixiang,
Yuexiang hybrid car
Chery Automobile
- S18 electric car, electric version of QQ compact car,
hybrid version of Riich G5 sedan, M11 hybrid car
BYD Co
- E6 electric car, F3DM and F6DM plug-in hybrids
Brilliance Auto
- A0 electric concept car, Junjie hybrid wagon, Jinbei
electric van
Geely Automobile Holdings
- EK-1, EK-2 electric cars, EC7 plug-in hybrid
Lifan Group
- Lifan 320, Lifan 620 electric cars
[Green Business]
Martin Roberts
MADRID
Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:50am EDT
Spain renewables industry fears subsidy cuts
(Reuters) - Spain's renewable energy industry joined forces on Thursday to ask the government to clarify whether it plans to retroactively cut subsidies, as market-moving media reports have suggested.
Shares in renewable energy generators Iberdrola Renovables and Acciona moved sharply lower on Wednesday after website elconfidencial, citing sources close to the government, said the government could reduce existing subsidies which finance most of the renewables plants in Spain.
New energy sector regulation is due in 2010.
"The posible retroactive application...would jeopardize a sector in which Spain is a world leader and is being touted as a driver to overcome the economic crisis," a statement from Foro de Renovables said.
Foro de Renovables is an alliance formed on Thursday from several renewable industry bodies.
An Industry Ministry spokesman on Wednesday declined to comment on market speculation subsidy cuts would be backdated.
"Subsidies will be cut. It's early days, nothing has been decided or drawn up, although the Ministry has to study all options," he said.
In a research note, Citi said it expected a cut in renewable premiums, mainly for solar power, but not on-shore wind and reiterated its positive view on wind developers.
"Although a retroactive application would not make sense, in our view, given the significant legal/regulatory uncertainty this would cause," Citi said.
In a bid to cut its heavy dependence on expensive imported fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, which are high above Kyoto levels, Spain has generously subsidized renewable energy in recent years.
Spain is now the world's fourth-largest producer of wind power and the second of solar. Renewables provided 12.3 percent of all energy in Spain last year, and the government expects this to meet a European Union target of 20 percent by 2020.
Also on Thursday, renewable energy firm Renovalia said it would join a raft of green companies mooting stock market floatations in Spain with an initial public offering set for May 12.
Other Spanish renewables companies seeking listings include Abengoa Solar, a unit of energy firm Abengoa; solar energy firm T-Solar and private equity Dinamia's Eolia.
Renewable firms traded down in line with the Madrid bourse In mid-afternoon deals.
Iberdrola was off 1.81 percent at 2.98 euros, Acciona declined 2.65 percent to 78.88 euros.
Wind turbine maker Gamesa was meanwhile down 5.6 percent at 9.68 euros, outpacing a 2.14-percent drop by Madrid's leading share index. Abengoa sagged 3.96 percent to 19.49 euros.
(Additional reporting by Clara Vilar)
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