In Hot Water

A new study appeared in the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology that has documented significant methane emissions from a temperate hydropower reservoir in Switzerland.  The field and modeling study found that the 90-year-old Wohlen See reservoir in central Switzerland is a very significant source of methane, almost entirely due to bubbling sediments. The total methane emission from Lake Wohlen was on average > 150 mg methane m²/day, the highest ever documented for a midlatitude reservoir.
 

The earth is unhappy, but it's humans, not the sun, that's making it too hot to live on.

Back in college, a group of us worked with local high school students to see what methods were most effective in encouraging behavior change and climate change comprehension. One of the exercises we did early on was to dispel any climate myths through a mental model exercise.

"Draw a picture of what you think causes climate change," we'd asked.

Hydro developers and auditors in hot water. (Photo: Gregg McNeill, http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbmcinephoto/)

The Clean Development Mechanism's Executive Board (EB), which approves and rejects projects applying for emissions reductions credits, just ended their latest board meeting in Germany with a decision that has stunned carbon market investors – and given some hope to dam-fighters and CDM reform activists.

While there has been a lot of attention on whether Washington will pass climate legislation soon, the state of California did back in 2006. Assembly Bill 32 (A.B. 32) requires greenhouse gas emissions to return to 1990 levels by 2020 in the state. This target is much weaker than what climate science  calls for, but it is a start and the bill does have some good provisions in it.  For example, the bill focuses on policy measures to achieve the  majority of the reductions, such as clean energy, clean transportation and efficiency standards.  Market-based cap and trade is only responsible for 20% of reductions.

The average Nike shoe emits about 40 pounds of CO2 (http://www.greenbiz.com)

A few years ago, the latest green(wash) rage among the rich and famous was offsetting carbon emissions from air travel and energy use. Lately, this trend may be slowly reversing itself.

Companies are beginning to see the problems inherent in offsets and are instead turning to improving energy efficiency. The latest companies to abandon the over-hyped offset are Yahoo! and Nike.

Investigative reporter Mark Schapiro's most recent article, "Conning the Climate" provides an inside look into how Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects are validated and verified, as well as the many problems that arise.

Tolstoy believed that it was the existence of the rich that was the real cause of Russian poverty.

I just attended an excellent report-back from the Copenhagen climate talks fiasco. The speakers included Payal Parekh, climate director from my own organization, International Rivers, and representatives from other great Bay Area enviro organizations, 350.org, Rainforest Action Network and EcoEquity.

(Florencio Quintero)Yet again a project by AES, one of the world's largest power companies, didn't manage to make it past the validation stage in the CDM approval process. International Rivers is very pleased, as this project, the Changuinola Dam in Panama, is particularly damaging.  The project is located in the buffer zone for the La Amistad UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has resulted in the forcible displacement of 1,000 Ngobe people. If this project would have been registered, it would have legitimized a project rife with social and environmental abuses. The fact that this project is being built without receiving any income from the CDM shows that it is clearly not additional  (see the extensive comments submitted to the CDM from International Rivers and  others).

Update:

• The number of projects that entered the CDM pipeline fell 42% from the third quarter (See Fig. 1).
• The percent of hydropower projects entering the CDM pipeline relative to all CDM projects continues to be on a downward trend since 2007 (see Fig. 2).
• According to a new Point Carbon survey (sub req'd), one third of registered CDM projects never go on to receive CERs, or certified emissions reductions credits. Most notable are landfill gas and other waste projects. Arne Eik, analyst at Point Carbon, attribute the lack of issuance to: "problems with project finance prompted by the economic downturn, uncertainty about post-2012, and the difficulties some projects had in demonstrating they can cut emissions." 
• The percent of projects rejected out of the total number of projects requesting registration was 7.4% in 2007, 3.8% in 2008, and 1.4% in 2009 (this does not include withdrawn projects).
• 48% of all hydro projects in the CDM pipeline have requested registration since 2004, while 40% of all hydro projects have actually been registered. Figs. 3 and 4 show the fate of projects requesting registration and being registered by year. This graph shows the dramatic increase over the last year of projects that the Executive Board has requested be reviewed.
• Hydro projects continue to be the most prevalent type of project in the CDM pipeline (27% fo all projects). 70% of hydro projects are located in China. Figs. 5 and 6 are based on the UNFCCC CDM pipeline database, last updated on December 20, 2009.

Demands for Climate Justice (Ben Powless)

The disappointing conclusion of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen reinforced how little rich countries, which have caused climate change, are willing to do to ameliorate its impacts and limit warming. Essentially the United States cut a deal with a handful of nations and then shoved this deal down the rest of the world's throat. Even during President Obama's press conference, he admitted that it wasn't legally binding and that it wasn't enough to limit warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (we should note that over 100 countries are calling to limit warming to under 1.5 degrees).