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India Left Behind?

India recently set forth its National Action Plan on Climate Change (summary and link to whole plan here). It orders the various ministries to submit detailed implementation plans in each of eight mission areas by the end of this year. Although the plan contemplates no specific limits on Indian carbon emissions, and that development objectives have priority over limiting global warming, it pledges that India's per-capita greenhouse gas emissions "will at no point exceed that of developed countries even as we pursue our development objectives." Since India's per-capita GHG emissions are about 2 tonnes CO₂equivalent, while the average of the developing world is about 16 tonnes, that seems like a safe bet.

But what if the United States miraculously follows Al Gore's "Generational Challenge to Repower America", and becomes largely carbon-neutral in energy within ten years? That would give Americans per-capita GHG emissions of about 3 tonnes CO₂e (more than 85% of U.S. GHG emissions come from energy use). Even if other developed countries didn't do the same, the average of their per-capita emissions would be around 6-7 tonnes. Could India beat that at its current rate of increase in coal-based power?

And consider that such a crash program would make the United States the leader in a whole range of renewable-energy and energy-efficiency technologies, from solar and wind to electric vehicles and public transport. Plus redirecting spending from importing oil to domestic research and manufacturing would have a profound effect on the economy. Paychecks for Americans instead of for Canadians and Saudis.

When do you think India's per-capita emissions will exceed America's?

Green energy news roundup

Quite a lot of green energy in the news this past week! First Al Gore stumps for an end to US use of fossil fuels. I appreciate the way he couched his rhetoric to make this shared national source of pride like the Apollo program. What he does not talk about, but I'm sure he's working on behind the scenes, is the specific means to reach this goal. I've been approaching things from a personal angle of what I can do to reduce my individual footprint, but how do we legislate a national effort? I agree with Mr. Gore that a full-on national effort is required - so what do we do to motivate people to get on the bandwagon and recognize this as the next big shared step in reaching our human potential?

Then almost in the same day Texas approves the updating of their energy infrastructure to increase access to wind power. As far as I can tell this doesn't really do anything to increase the production of wind energy in Texas, it just puts in place the power lines necessary to transmit power from proposed wind farms on the pan handle to the rest of the state, but it does seem to indicate that even deep in oil country Texans recognize that wind power is a growth industry and a massive source of income.

Personal speculation re: fuel prices and fuel efficiancy

Here is an excerpt from my personal blog that fits well with the HaraBara mindset:

Since I started a fuel consumption log on June 1 I have driven 699 miles. Let's round up and say that averages to 26 miles per day. I have put 27.788 gallons in the tank to cover those miles, so that's about 25.15 miles to the gallon. I have spent $112.32 on that gas, for an average of $4.042/gal.

I heard an alarmist report on the radio that some group or other had projected that gas will jump to over $7/gal in the next two years. (See this piece on ABC News' site) So at that price, how attractive is a hybrid car.. that is, how quickly would a massive purchase like that pay for itself in gas savings? I don't do a lot of highway driving, it's mostly stop-and-go short trips, so let's say I eek 40 MPG out of a high-end new car. That would save me, at today's gas prices, about $41.68 per month. Say I pay the sticker price of $21,000 for such a car. It would take me 42 years to pay off that tab at $41.68 per month.. of course not counting tax and interest.

Now what about at $7/gal? At that price I'm spending $194.51/month in my current car, and $122.32/month in this theoretical 40 MPG car. A savings of $72.18/month. Only 24 years to pay off the car in gas savings alone. Still not making it.

Let's assume that my theoretical car will last for 10 years. I need $175 savings per month to make it worth my while. Some calculating later I estimate that it will only be worth my while (in only gas money savings) to buy this car and pay it off over ten years (somehow without interest) if gas goes up to $10.34/gal. Somehow even the most dire predictions I can find aren't projecting prices like that in the near future. And yet, I can't help feeling that such prices are not too far off. Never mind the slight reduction in my carbon footprint if I'm burning 10.3 fewer gallons of gas per month in a newer, more efficient and hopefully less-polluting engine. Besides: hybrid cars are just sexy. Like iPods.

So. Resolved: the next spare $21000 I have laying around will go to a high efficiency hybrid car.

IT Greening, But It Doesn't Add Up

"In our experience the sectors that are ahead in eco initiatives are larger organisations that are exposed to customer pressure. As the pressure from customers and government to reduce environmental impact increases, the ripple effect will spread to all suppliers, no matter the size," — Duncan Bennet, Vice President and Managing Director, Sun Microsystems ANZ.

This has been HaraBara's contention from its beginning, and is the basic reason for our existence.

Mr. Bennet's statement is based on a survey of Australian and New Zealand IT managers carried out by Sun Microsystems. I found these results the most interesting:

Measurement of carbon emissions

• 22% have practices in place to enable the measurement of carbon emissions
• 36% have no practices in place but are interested in evaluating them
• 33% have no plans to measure carbon emissions

Greening the IT department

• 38% have dedicated green IT plans in place
• 23% plan to deploy eco responsible technology in the next 12 months
• 21% are evaluating putting green IT plans in place
• 15% have no plans at all

So 38% have green IT plans, but only 22% can measure carbon emissions? What, then, does "green IT plan" mean?

The following findings were unsurprising, since all studies of "going green" show that businesses are focused on the bottom line:

Drivers for uptake of green technology (multiple answers allowed, top 4 below):

• Reduced power consumption - 78%
• Lower costs - 73%
• Lower carbon emissions and environmental impact (eg recycling) - 61%
• Improved systems performance and utilisation - 50%

Indian Youth Climate Network

Indian Youth Unite to Fight Climate Change

The Indian Youth Climate Network aims to be a broad and diverse coalition for youth organizations operating in India to take action and demand stronger and more effective government policy on climate change.

As youth from India, we will make our presence felt. Climate change is the biggest challenge any generation has had to face in the history of the planet. We have a right, along with all species, to a sustainable future and a liveable planet. This right carries on to our children and grandchildren.

Our nation is at the crossroads, while we must demand climate equity at an international level, we cannot go down the pathway of the industrialized nations who have created this climate calamity.

Check them out http://www.iycn.in/.

Costs of Future Carbon Reductions Estimated by IEA

We Can Cut CO₂ Emissions In Half, But It Won't Be Cheap

A new report from the International Energy Agency provides some estimates of the cost of reducing global CO₂ emissions 50% by 2050. Their scenarios depend on implementing new technologies such as carbon capture and storage, and involve cost of tens of trillions of dollars. Information about the report is here. The executive summary is here(pdf).

Maintaining Our Current Course Might Cost Just As Much

The IEA's "business as usual" scenario sees oil demand increasing 70%, requiring increased production equal to five times Saudi Arabia's current output. Obviously this would require huge investment, plus imposing much higher oil prices on future consumers. And under this scenario CO₂ emissions would rise 130%. Who knows how much would have to be spent on climate change mitigation projects?

So we are going to invest many trillions either way. It is a question of what sort of planet we will have in the end.

(Environmental Leader article)

People Like Green Cars Because They Make a Statement

The smart ForTwo and the Prius

Both the Daimler AG smart ForTwo and the Toyota Prius are selling like hotcakes. The ForTwo has been on sale in the U.S. for about five months, has sold about 9,000 units, and has a one-year waiting list. People really like a car that says "I'm green" loud and clear.

The ForTwo (picture from U.S. EPA) gets around 38 miles per gallon, and only carries two people. The Prius carries four, gets around 46 mpg, and costs about $10,000 more. The ForTwo gets the best fuel efficiency of any non-hybrid sold in the U.S. But the Toyota Corolla gets almost as good mileage (about 38 mpg actual experience), carries four, and only costs $4,000 or $5,000 more than the ForTwo. And you can actually get one. But it just looks like any other car.

A People's Car?

People who want to be different will love the ForTwo. Reviews are generally good, though some reviewers have reservations (Consumer Reports blog (not review); New York Times; Wired.) But all agree the car is cute. Maybe it will catch on like the Volkswagen Beetle did. Green, cute, a statement. (And the ForTwo, while about the same width as the VW Bug, is more than four feet shorter. It's more than three feet shorter than the BMW MINI.) This is a small car like the Beetle was a small car, only more so.

Daimler is working on a hybrid electric version of the ForTwo. And in London they have been testing all-electric ones.


Smart USA site

What Is Your Ecological Footprint?

We Are Using More Earths Than There Are?

"Humanity's Ecological Footprint is over 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate. In other words, it now takes more than one year and two months for the Earth to regenerate what we use in a single year. We maintain this overshoot by liquidating the planet's ecological resources."

I recently got to hear Mathis Wackernagel, Executive Director of Global Footprint Network, speak at a swissnex event. Global Footprint Network is in the business of encouraging ecological sanity by getting people to think about their "Ecological Footprint". The Ecological Footprint is a resource management tool that measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes under prevailing technology.

Mathis' message, entertainingly delivered, was:

Keeping track of the compound effect of humanity's consumption of natural resources and generation of waste is one key to achieving sustainability.

As long as our governments and business leaders do not know how much of nature's capacity we use or how resource use compares to existing stocks, overshoot may go undetected - increasing the ecological deficit and reducing nature's capacity to meet society's needs.

Check Your Footprint

You can use the tools on this page to calculate your own Ecological Footprint. How much of the Earth's resources, land, air and water do you require to support your lifestyle? What if everybody lived that way?

Better World Takes On AAA

AAA Loves Cars and Highways--Isn't There an Alternative?

Haven't you heard of the Better World Club? It provides the same types of services as the American Automobile Association, such as roadside assistance, insurance, maps, eco-travel services, discounts on hybrid car rentals, bicycle roadside assistance . . . . Wait a minute! AAA doesn't provide bicycle roadside assistance--it's the Automobile Association.

I admit I haven't actually tried it yet. (I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has.) But it sounds like they have the HaraBara spirit. At HaraBara we believe that if businesses green themselves and look for green suppliers, they will save money and provide added value to green customers. We concentrate on business-to-business connections, but BWC does have a fleet program for businesses.

Just because you help people who have cars doesn't mean you have to resist all non-car forms of transportation.

I'll try to provide more detail in a future post or article in HaraBara's News & Views section.

GM In Retreat

General Motors Faces Facts: People Aren't Buying Enough Guzzlers

Rick Wagoner, chairman and chief executive of GM, admitted today that the era of gas guzzlers is ending. "These higher gasoline prices are changing consumer behavior and rapidly," he said . "We don't think this is a temporary spike or shift. We think it is permanent." That's too bad for GM, and a lot of its employees.

In response to the public's change of taste, GM will close four North American plants that make trucks and SUVs and employ abut 10,000 workers. It will increase production of some of its more fuel-efficient models by adding third shifts at two plants that build the Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6, Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5. And it is talking up the Volt, currently in development with a market roll-out scheduled for 2010 (suggested price $30,000?).

Wagoner also said GM is considering selling its Hummer unit.

The Cost of Stubbornness

General Motors has lost more than $54 billion since 2005, according to AFP, and laid off tens of thousands of employees. Although U.S. car companies have held on as long as possible selling profitable big SUVs and light trucks, now they are being hit from two directions. Japanese and German makers are selling competitive big SUVs and pickups, and Americans are buying fewer of them at the same time.

Fuel Efficient

The Chevy Malibu and Cobalt, the cars GM hopes to sell more of because of their fuel efficiency, get 20 to 25 miles per gallon (EPA combined) and emit 6.7 to 7.6 tonnes of CO₂ annually with typical driving. That's about the same as a Toyota Camry. The Malibu hybrid gets 27 m/g, while the Camry hybrid gets 34, and emits more than a tonne less CO₂ per year.

More in this AFP item and this from CNN.

South Australian Vintners to Make Green Wine

Associations Sign On to State Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan

Australian Food News reports that South Australia's wine makers and grape growers are the first industry group in the Australia to sign an agreement to accurately track and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. South Australia state legislation targets 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. The wine makers and grape growers associations have committed to support that goal.

What Consumers (and Tesco) Want

This action reflects concern that consumers and distributors across the globe are beginning to favor wine makers that are actively reducing their carbon footprint. "The UK is Australia's largest wine export destination. Of the nearly A$1 billion of Australian wines sold in the UK each year, South Australian wines make up a massive 72% of that market," said South Australia Premier Mike Rann. "South Australia exports nearly 400 million liters -- or A$1.6 billion of wine -- annually. Put simply, the wine industry is recognizing today that it cannot afford to ignore the planet or their markets." He went on to say, according to the article: "Sir Terry Leahy, the Chief Executive of Tesco, was recently reported saying that he wanted to devise a system of labeling that would enable shoppers to compare a product's carbon footprint just as easily as they can currently compare its price or nutritional value. I am told that Marks & Spencer has similar plans, as does the US shopping chain Wal-Mart."

Will They Give Up the Bottle?

A recent analysis (pdf here) calculated that transporting a bottle of wine from Australia or France to Chicago caused the emission of about 2 kg of CO₂. A large fraction of this is due to the weight of the glass bottle. Transportation is responsible for most of wine's emissions footprint. And I didn't see any analysis in this report about the energy needed to produce that bottle (glass is energy-intensive). Will vintners down under switch to more energy-efficient boxes?

(A post about wine in Tetra Pak containers, and CO₂ savings.)
(Picture of boxes above is from this post)

F1 to Allow "Hybrids"

Hybrids, But Not For Efficiency

Recent news articles (like this one) have touted the announcement that some Formula One teams are working on hybrid gasoline/electric cars for the 2009 season. Indeed this is true. The rulebook has been modified to allow electric motors to be added to F1 cars. Some have hailed this as "fuel-saving" technology for these extreme vehicles.

Everybody Wants to Be Green

The key is that hybrid technology will not be used to increase fuel efficiency but to boost power temporarily, for example for passing. The additional weight of motors and batteries can be absorbed because F1 cars typically weigh less than the rule minimum, and carry ballast meet the required weight. This change may make F1 more interesting. In effect it gives cars a "turbo" or "nitro" button for bursts of speed, but not higher horsepower for the whole race. This will introduce a new element of race tactics. But it is unlikely to create technological breakthroughs that will benefit the rest of us. The real challenge for hybrid vehicles is to reduce battery weight and cost, and increase battery lifetimes. This is not likely to be an issue in a sport where cars get three miles to the gallon and go through dozens of tires in every race.

Will NASCAR Be Next?

We can only hope. Maybe then hybrids would gain broader appeal and get Detroit's attention.