2007
Weather Channel
Announces First One Degree Hot List
One Degree, a Web site developed by The Weather Channel Interactive,
recently named the 10 individuals or companies that had the greatest
influence on global climate change in 2006. The list, named the One
Degree Hot List, is the first from The Weather Channel.
The Hot List was determined by a panel of environmentalists, academics,
scientists and editors from The Weather Channel and will be published
annually. The 2006 One Degree Hot List exemplifies the global climate
change movement during this past year, and where the debate is headed.
The following were named to the inaugural list:
•
Former Vice President Al Gore: Gore became the official climate change
spokesperson for millions across the globe, presenting possibly the
most widely distributed—and highest-grossing—global climate
change lecture in history with his hit film, “An Inconvenient
Truth.”
•
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers Fabian Nunez,
Don Perata and Fran Pavley: The bipartisan foursome of California
state lawmakers can take credit for enacting the most sweeping greenhouse-gas-emissions-reductions
law in U.S. history to date.
•
Coopetitive Enterprise Institute: The non-profit public policy organization
that advocates for free enterprise and a limited government played
defense as one of the most influential contrarians to the mainstream
scientific view of global climate change.
•
President George W. Bush: On the subject of climate change, the Bush
administration pursued diplomatic partnerships with countries such
as China and Japan to advance technological research and cooperation.
Also, his opposition to the Kyoto treaty and to mandatory reductions
in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions gave states such as California
and New York reason to act on their own.
•
James Hansen: As director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space
Studies in New York, his clout with his colleagues in the scientific
community and his commitment to engaging policymakers and the press
allows him to assume the role of a trusted dean of all climate scientists,
rather than just an individual researcher.
•
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman: The bipartisan duo of senators
continued to serve as the climate change conscience of the Senate
this year, working tirelessly to educate their colleagues on climate
change science.
•
Laurie David: The activist—wife of “Seinfeld” co-creator
Larry David—is fusing the science of global climate change
with popular culture by serving as a juggernaut of activism and entertainment.
Together with Ariz. Sen. John McCain and environmentalist Robert
F. Kennedy Jr., David founded the nonpartisan Stop Global Warming
Virtual March.
•
Richard Cizik: Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at
the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), is spearheading efforts
to persuade churches that it’s their responsibility as like-minded
evangelical Christians to combat global climate change, and that
it’s in the best political interest of lawmakers to respond
to their concerns.
•
Wal-Mart: Cutting GHG emissions became a priority this year for the
retail giant, as it moved forward with a series of steps to meet
ambitious environmental goals.
•
British Prime Minister Tony Blair: Blair relentlessly pushed climate
change and has put the United Kingdom on a path to exceed its Kyoto
commitments. Blair’s government has taken a wide array of steps
to reduce emissions, including imposing a climate levy on British
industry, exploring emissions cuts in the transportation sector and
increasing its use of renewable energy.
GLOBE Foundation Launching Sustainable Living Expo
To mirror the success of what the GLOBE Conference & Trade Fair has
done for business, the GLOBE Foundation is following up with EPIC, a sustainable
living expo in Vancouver, Canada, March 16-18.
EPIC, which is open to the public, is centered on the motto, “I am EPIC.” EPIC
isn’t about being ultra-environmental; it isn’t about abandoning
your car, eating only food grown in your backyard, or leading a life you wouldn’t
want only because it’s better for the environment. According to the foundation,
it is about doing what you can, when you can. EPIC is aimed at people who want
to make smarter decisions, but don’t want to sacrifice on design, quality
or price. From recycling paper to choosing ethical brands to reusing coffee cups,
it’s the little things that count, and EPIC showcases those businesses
that have made a commitment to making their companies and their products better
for the planet and humanity as a whole. EPIC will feature the latest in fashion,
technology, transportation, food and home style.
EPIC is produced by Sustainable Events Limited (SEL), a subsidiary of the GLOBE
Foundation. The GLOBE Foundation is an international consultancy in the business
of the environment. Its expertise is in project management, event development,
and management and consulting in the fields of environment and energy, urban
development, and corporate responsibility. Vancouver is a fitting locale for
the event, as it is recognized internationally as the world’s leader in
sustainability.
Johnson Controls
Develops Sustainability Navigator
Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, Inc. recently announced the launch
of Sustainability Navigator—the latest version of its Solutions
Navigator™ planning tool—to thousands of green-building
professionals at the annual Greenbuild International Conference and
Expo in Denver, which was held Nov. 15-17.
The Solutions Navigator planning tool helps key stakeholders quickly assess and
prioritize common organizational needs and improvement practices. Navigation
sessions last between two to four hours, and are facilitated by certified Johnson
Controls consultants at a customer’s location or Johnson Controls site.
Other specific versions of Solutions Manager include security, health care technology
and manufacturing.
The Sustainability Navigator is a game-board-inspired planning tool designed
to engage cross-functional teams in a structured, interactive process for quickly
assessing sustainability-related needs and practices. The tool helps address
a wide range of sustainability issues, from the design and construction of a
green building, to improving the efficiency of a portfolio of facilities or developing
an organization-wide sustainability strategic plan.
“ It is very appropriate that this version be released during Greenbuild,
the annual meeting place for the green building industry,” said Clay Nesler,
Johnson Controls Innovation Services vice president. “As a global leader
in sustainability, Johnson Controls knows that developing top-level commitment
and prioritizing goals are the keys to long-term success. The Solutions
Navigator provides an interactive approach to sustainability strategic planning
for an entire organization.
”Study: Biodiesel Will Add $24 Billion to U.S. Economy
America’s biodiesel industry will add $24 billion to the U.S. economy
between 2005 and 2015, according to a study by the National Biodiesel Board.
The figure foresees biodiesel growth reaching 650 million gallons of annual
production by 2015.
The economic analysis, conducted by John M. Urbanchuk of LECG and funded by the
soybean checkoff through the United Soybean Board, also found that biodiesel
production will create a projected 39,102 new jobs in all sectors of the economy.
Additional tax revenues from biodiesel production will more than pay for the
federal tax incentives provided to the industry, Urbanchuk said. It will keep
$13.6 billion in America that would otherwise be spent on foreign oil. This total
impact of biodiesel on the economy includes the temporary impacts of construction,
the permanent impacts of annual production, and the direct value of biodiesel
and co-products (glycerin).
“ Because these plants buy local goods and local services, the second-
and third-round employment-generating impacts are really significant,” Urbanchuk
said. “You’re looking at a fairly substantial employment-generating
impact. Most of these jobs are going to be located in rural communities, and
you can’t overstate the impact of the biofuels’ industry on these
rural economies.”
(Source: GreenBiz.com)
Goldman Sachs Awards
First Green Research Grants
The Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets has awarded its
first research grants, totaling more than $2.3 million, to fund programs
focused on finding market-based solutions to climate change.
The grants have been awarded to:
• Resources for the Future, for support over one year of its Climate and
Technology Policy Program, which seeks to advance economically sensible approaches
to dealing with climate change. Anticipating the adoption and implementation
of federal controls on GHG emissions, the program’s main project brings
together companies from across the spectrum of the U.S. economy to inform a report
to be written by RFF researchers on well-vetted, detailed policy options, important
criteria for policy assessment, and well-articulated concerns from which effective
federal policy might be crafted.
• World Resources Institute, for a two-year project to analyze the viability
of the various technology options that could be deployed both in the United States
and elsewhere to reduce GHG emissions and diversify the world’s energy
sources, including coal gasification, biofuels, renewable power, and carbon capture
and storage, among others. The project will assess the financial and market barriers
to deployment and scale-up of each technology, and the government policies and
economies of scale needed for rapid deployment and delivery of the technologies
to the market. The project will also include two in-depth reports analyzing the
specific opportunities and issues associated with two of the most promising of
the options developed.
• Woods Hole Research Center, for a three-year project to examine how to
value forest ecosystems and analyze economic alternatives to cutting valuable
rainforests. Competing demands on forests for land, soils, water, vegetation
and carbon capture necessitate a method of valuing these ecosystems and their
associated services in determining the true costs and benefits in making decisions
on land usage. This project aims to understand how to value sustainable management
of forest ecosystem resources and services at the local, national and international
levels.
(Source: GreenBiz.com) |
