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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 28th, 2008 Trade Carbon for Food Security. This Could Be Another Way To Achieve The Goals of Global Decrease in CO2 Emissions. By Busani Bafana for IPS. NAIROBI, Nov 28, 2008 (IPS) - Forget the view of climate change as impending catastrophe for a moment: if negotiators can recognise sustainable agriculture by African smallholders and forests as mitigating factors in climate change, carbon trading could become an important support for Africa’s food security. “More than four billion people in developing countries around the world who live off agriculture are excluded from this trade and Africa should use this trade to invest in food security which is under threat,” COMESA Secretary General, Sindiso Ngwenya told delegates at a meeting earlier this month in Nairobi Kenya. How carbon trading works: Carbon trading places limits on emissions at agreed levels; polluters who exceed their assigned limit must buy credits to do so. This is where African farmers can help — if climate-friendly practices in agriculture or preservation of forests are recognised. Polluters in rich countries could then buy offset carbon credits from farmers in Africa. The global market for carbon emissions is expanding. In 2007, it was estimated to be worth 30 billion dollars — two and a half times the value of average annual aid to Africa. Delegates to the Nairobi meeting called for the international community to revisit the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme which currently allows European companies to buy carbon credits only from industrial sources but not from forestry, agriculture or “agroforestry” projects. The sidelining of Africa was based on the belief by developed countries that Africa has too small an industrial base to qualify for carbon credits from industrial emissions. Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) CEO, Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, urged Africa to speak with one voice in pushing for the inclusion of sustainable agriculture in the carbon trade. “Unless the successor to the Kyoto Protocol values the contribution that sustainable agriculture can make to the global carbon market, Africa is still outside the fence,” said Sibanda. Continued exclusion, African delegates warned, could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
He estimated that potential annual payment from African agriculture could be around $10 billion from the sale of 500,000 metric tonnes of carbon at $20 per metric tonne. “This kind of money can transform economies because it is trade not aid,” said Bettelheim. “Poor farmers must receive increased payments and productivity or there will be no solution to global warming, no post-2012 treaty and no functioning tropical forest ecosystems by the end of the century.” Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 24th, 2008 From: mehling at celm.de Call for Papers: Legal Aspects of the Clean Development Mechanism Carbon & Climate Law Review Dear Climate-L Readers, Carbon & Climate Law Review is welcoming abstracts for a special issue on Legal Aspects of the Clean Development Mechanism, scheduled for publication in March 2009. It will be edited by Elisabeth DeMarco, Karl Upston-Hooper and Michael Mehling. With a substantial project pipeline and more than 200 million CERs issued to date, the CDM has rapidly become a central pillar of the international carbon market. While this success testifies to its appeal for investors and project developers, growing criticism has been directed against a number of perceived shortcomings, from disappointing environmental and development benefits to cumbersome approval procedures and flawed governance structures. Contributions should address regulatory and policy aspects relating to the CDM, including, but not limited to: 1. Substantive Reform: e.g. sectoral approaches, improved sustainability criteria, evolving relationship of policies, programmes and projects; Abstracts should be sent to mehling at lexxion.de by 1 December 2008. Authors will be informed by 15 December 2008 on the outcome of the initial review process. Final manuscripts will be due by 1 February 2009. In order to ensure quick turnaround and policy relevance, articles should be concise, ranging from 2.500-4.500 words in length. Commentaries on recent judicial decisions, new legislation, and other developments can range from 1.500 to 2.500 words. Carbon & Climate Law Review is the first international journal on climate regulation and the carbon market. Published on a quarterly basis under the guidance of a distinguished editorial board, it brings together representatives from the legal discipline and other stakeholders in one specialized journal, allowing them to engage in a dynamic debate on the law of climate change. Past issues have addressed the role of forests in the carbon market, emerging carbon markets in North America, the relation of climate policies and international trade law, and legal aspects of the post-2012 debate. For further details on the journal and an archive of past issues, please visit the website at: www.lexxion.eu/cclr. For further information on the editorial process, submissions on other topics or general questions relating to the journal, kindly contact the editor at mehling at lexxion.de. Please feel free to forward this call for papers to interested colleagues. With sincere regards, Michael Mehling ________________________________ Carbon & Climate Law Review Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 24th, 2008 From: sam_milton at harvard.edu Dear Colleagues, The Energy Technology Innovation Policy (ETIP) research group in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School is soliciting applications for post-doctoral fellowships in the following areas: 1) Carbon capture & storage technology and policy; ETIP strives to determine and then seek to promote adoption of effective policies for accelerating the development and deployment of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies, primarily in China, India, and the United States. Fellowship 1: Carbon Capture & Storage Technology and Policy ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship or Visiting Scholarship with a focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS). The Research Fellow or Visiting Scholar for CCS will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance carbon capture and storage activities mainly in the United States. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: geological mapping for carbon storage areas, regulation and legislation affecting CCS, legal liability and insurance issues, international cooperation, and opportunities and challenges for CCS in China and/or India. The Research Fellow or Visiting Scholar will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings. Applications for the Research Fellow for CCS are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. University faculty members, and employees of government, military, international, humanitarian, and private research institutions may be considered for visiting scholarships. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience examining issues related to carbon capture and storage technologies, and what policies might be designed to incentivize their development. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered. Fellowship 2: Energy Technology and Policy in India ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship with a focus on energy technology and policy in India. The Research Fellow will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance India’s adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive energy technologies. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: identifying opportunities for enhanced efficiencies in Indian thermal power plants, better understanding of available energy resources, institutional development in the Indian energy sector, opportunities for carbon capture and storage in the Indian context, cleaner transportation, or climate policy. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings, which could include interactions with policymakers in both the United States and India. ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship with a focus on energy technology and policy in China. The Research Fellow will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance China’s adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive energy technologies, especially cleaner coal or cleaner vehicle technologies. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: analyzing barriers to development or deployment of cleaner energy technologies, assessing costs of cleaner energy technologies in the Chinese context, identifying RD&D strategies for cleaner energy technologies in China, including for CCS, or other energy or climate policy topics. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings, including interacting with policymakers or other people of influence in the United States and China. Applications for the Research Fellowship for Energy Technology and Policy in China are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience of 3-5 years minimum. Candidates will have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences and will be able to take initiative in interacting with other researchers and policymakers. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered. ETIP is seeking a Research Fellow to contribute to work related to assessing and promoting policy options for reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the U.S. transportation sector. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: modeling economic, environmental and other impacts of policy options, examining regulatory scenarios related to various policy options, exploring the role of consumers in reducing the impact of transportation sector, and examining the role of biofuels. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings. Applications for the Research Fellowship on U.S. Transportation Policy are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience analyzing policy for the U.S. transportation sector; investigating specific transportation-related challenges, and/or developing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on transportation will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered. ETIP is seeking pre-and post-doctoral research fellows to work on domestic or international climate policy. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director. Candidates interested in working on climate policy in China, India, or the United States are particularly encouraged to apply, as well as candidates with a special focus on the intersection between climate policy and energy technology development and deployment. Technology transfer/cooperation for low-carbon technologies is of special interest. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings. Applications for the Research Fellowship on Climate Policy are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience analyzing climate. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on transportation will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered. ETIP is seeking fellows to work on energy technology innovation (ETI) policy. The ETI fellows will be committed mainly to a three-year project with three related but distinct goals: 1) producing a comprehensive set of recommendations for the next U.S. administration for a greatly expanded federal energy innovation budget; 2) preparing annual budget commentaries and recommendations to policy makers on current ERD&D spending priorities ; 3) producing a report comparing energy-technology innovation activities in the public and private sectors in the United States and internationally. Fellows will work toward one or several of the above goals. ETI fellows participate in Congressional briefings, meetings with relevant stakeholders in business, industry, academia, and elsewhere, and interviews with the media. Applications for ETI fellowships are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. The ideal candidate will have professional experience analyzing policy for publicly-funded ERD&D; developing and analyzing federal budgets for ERD&D; or strategic planning for ETI. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on ETI will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered. Application procedures Please visit http://belfercenter.org/fellowships/ for complete application information. For more information about the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, please visit www.energytechnologypolicy.org. We encourage applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries. Although we are mainly interested in the above topics and regions, other applications will be considered. _______________________________________________ Sam Milton, MALD ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 21st, 2008 November 24th, Monday - 6:30pm - 9:00pm: Monday, November 24th *** Is journalism as we know it a dead-end career? Will the rise of “citizen journalism” and the Web mean we’ll soon get our news from journalists with day jobs in some other industry? We’ve assembeled a panel of media-focused experts in a number of disciplines who will survey the scene, offer predictions and field your questions. Justin Peters Win Sheffield Laurel Touby Moderator: Members: $10 | Non-members: $15 RSVP by credit card or PayPal **** New York Press Club Foundation Holiday Party Cafe Martinique Always a contender for the season’s “most convivial,” this year’s Holiday Party will not be an exception. Things being the way they are - what better way to celebrate / circulate / commiserate (pick one - or more) than by spending a convivial evening among friends and colleagues? We promise food and drink ‘aplenty and plenty of good cheer, all for the benefit of the Press Club Foundation and our favorite charities. The Comestibles (Eats!) Three Hours Open Bar Cold Station Includes Hot Station Includes Attendant Carving Please don’t forget to bring an unwrapped toy that the Foundation will deliver to where it is needed most. Members: $60 | Non-members: $75 RSVP via credit card or PayPal (This event sells out quickly!) Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 21st, 2008 Bailout or Bust: How to Save the Big Three From Themselves? Opinion by: Titus Levi, Truthdig, Thursday, November 29, 2008. CEO’s of the big three automakers were on Capital Hill Wednesday requesting a bailout. (Photo: Getty Images) According to Bureau of Labor Statistics’ figures for September 2008, Michigan’s labor force was about 4.9 million, with about 4.5 million holding jobs. That’s a significant decline from September 2007, when the labor force numbered just over 5 million, with 4.6 million employed. The state lost roughly 149,000 jobs in the period and saw unemployment rise from 7.3 percent to 8.7 percent, which is 2.2 points higher than the national average. The rate would have been even higher if people hadn’t dropped out of the labor force altogether. The Big Three trimmed thousands of jobs in the state during that period, which no doubt triggered additional job cuts among automotive subcontractors and suppliers, various retailers, and even homebuilders and home improvement firms. These job losses keep politicians, business leaders and citizens up late at night. As Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm recently quipped: “Forget ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ Here it’s ‘Jobs, baby, jobs.’ “ All told, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler employ somewhere around 500,000 people, many of them outside Michigan. However, these figures underestimate the total employment impact, since at least 3 million Americans rely on the U.S. auto industry for their jobs, with the highest concentration in and around Michigan. The Center for Automotive Research calculates much higher estimates: about 7 million jobs directly and indirectly tied to the industry, with 2.5 million hanging in the balance in the event of a 50 percent contraction in output from the Big Three. This brings us to a simple cost-benefit analysis: $25 billion in loans for the industry that will save millions of jobs and about $150 billion in economic activity in 2009 alone. So it’s a no-brainer, right? Well, not exactly. There is no guarantee that throwing money at Detroit will save these companies and the network of jobs that they sustain. Even if the companies do survive, we can almost certainly anticipate steep job losses anyway. Job losses will be increased if GM and Chrysler’s parent company, Cerberus Capital Management merge. But will cutting jobs now spare jobs in the long run? That question dominates all others in the conversation. Focusing on jobs moves us from an argument about nostalgia for American manufacturing prowess and bailouts of large, and largely incompetent, firms to the more meaningful conversation about livelihoods. Doing so takes us beyond purely economic analysis, since the value of a job exceeds its economic value to individuals, their families and their communities. Livelihood includes paying for basics like food and shelter, but also touches upon important, if hard to measure, assets like one’s sense of identity and the health of neighborhoods and towns. Applying a cold, hard economic calculus would probably throw cold water on the idea of a bailout for Detroit. First, the companies may well be beyond hope. They have been slow to change, they repeat the same mistakes and they turn out products that too often do not compete successfully with imports. Quality, safety, durability and customer satisfaction numbers remain spotty. Moreover, the so-called “bridge” funding that Detroit hopes to receive may be a bridge to nowhere: It will take years to work off the debts that weigh down consumers and governments, which will constrain spending for several quarters if not years. Once we emerge from this hole, Americans may renounce our spendthrift ways and that could leave the entire automobile market much smaller over time. In short, the demand side of the market may not rebound sufficiently to resuscitate Detroit. The supply side looks no better: Over time, Detroit will face tough competition on many fronts. Japanese, German, Korean-and it had to happen-Chinese and Indian automakers will battle American carmakers tooth-and-nail. Simply put, the amount of money that Detroit can earn over the next 10 years may not cover the “loans” they want from the Feds. Taxpayers will likely end up footing the bill. But if Detroit doesn’t get an infusion of cash, then what? The companies could declare bankruptcy, but so far they have stubbornly refused to consider that possibility-with good reason. Market research shows that 80 percent of consumers will not buy cars from insolvent firms. Therefore, GM’s leadership equates bankruptcy with liquidation. However, this view may well be somewhat overwrought. Bankruptcy would likely allow some leaner, meaner and more durable versions of GM and/or Ford to survive. (Chrysler looks like a dead duck; the only reason GM has any interest in the firm is its $11 billion cash stash.) Overcapacity could be pared back more rapidly under the watchful eye of bankruptcy courts and the companies could shed various obligations. This bodes ill for livelihoods and communities and must be carefully managed to lessen the damage to both. However, while going the bankruptcy route may make short-term economic sense, it may be too high a price to pay in terms of the devastation it would inflict on jobs, families and communities. So what to do? No shortage of ideas have floated through the media, the blogosphere (The Huffington Post has been especially active on the subject, including articles by Neil Young, GM family man Ricky van Veen, and Raymond J. Learsy), broadcasters’ letters’ sections, and probably over many a kitchen table conversation, including my own, where friends engaged in a spirited examination of Detroit’s tendency to confuse novelty-releasing “new models” each year-with genuine innovation. First, let’s put together a careful cost-benefit analysis. To begin with, Detroit must open its books to thorough scrutiny, and that includes the tight-lipped Cerberus. As a taxpayer, I’m sick and tired of the leap-before-you-look approach to taking action. I’m equally exasperated with Detroit’s tired claims of “trust us, we’re professionals” in demonstrating genuine recalcitrance to changing its organizational culture. Second, we need to produce a no-holds-barred assessment of the managerial dysfunction at these firms and come to terms with what needs to be done to improve performance and change organizational cultures for the better. Given the track record of these firms, and their reaction to the bad news that immediately had them pulling back on innovation and new product development, I’m not sanguine about the quality or nimbleness of the current leadership. They have to go as part of this process. Third, jettison utterly hopeless brands and initiatives like Hummer while focusing on integrating innovative ideas into GM’s R&D, design and production systems. Fourth, engage in a thoughtful analysis of what individuals, families and communities lose in an environment of sweeping job losses and what can be done to ease the pain. This is especially important in places like Michigan, which will suffer near-Great Depression levels of unemployment and disruption, at least in the short run. Fifth, Detroit could become a public-private partnership built around encouraging innovative and viable ideas in transportation technology. This would allow the automakers to readily leverage the research going on in the U.S. on various fronts and to create systems for developing ideas into commercially viable packages and processes. Even if the Little Two lose some money, they will provide jobs and harness economic benefits that will accrue across the country and even the world. Finally, if GM and Ford do go into bankruptcy, they probably need to be given some federal support in the form of debtor-in-financing, since financial markets will not back Detroit given the conditions of banks and the auto industry. My instincts as an economist tell me to cut the Big Three loose, letting them go into bankruptcy so that “the market” can decide their fate, but my heart tells me that we must do something to assure that communities most dependent on the automotive industry and its jobs do not suffer as post-Katrina New Orleans-or pre-Katrina New Orleans-has. After all, that city suffered through a century of decline before its final humiliation and abandonment. Parts of Michigan have endured long-term decline as well, and this experiment in market adjustment has produced far too many losers to regard as anything like a successful treatment. As a nation and as an economy, we probably can survive the loss of cities like Detroit and Flint, but letting that happen will likely bring on human losses that do not show up in economic statistics. As we decide the automobile industry’s fate, we need to consider something else in this process: What kind of lives will we consign the people of Michigan to living? What kind of people have we become when we plan for, and perhaps execute, the demise of whole cities and even states? How can we prevent genuine harm from coming about and begin the healing process for those who have been and will continue to be displaced by the shrinking of the U.S. automobile industry? How can we, to borrow a sentiment from Albert Camus, strive our utmost to be healers? Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 16th, 2008
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 14th, 2008 From: vorsatzd at ceu.hu Central European University is pleased to announce its Call for Applications for the academic year 2009/2010. Central European University was founded in 1991 with the explicit aim The CEU’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy Financial Aid and Tuition For more information, see: Application Deadlines * January 26, 2009: For applicants to all degree programs wishing/required to take CEU-administered admissions Applying to CEU Diana Urge-Vorsatz, PhD Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 13th, 2008 From: cmariotte at theclimategroup.org The Climate Group is pleased to invite you to its “Breaking the Climate Deadlock: The future of Clean Power Generation” webinar with international technology guru, Sun Microsystems co-founder, and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla this Thursday, November 13th at 4pm GMT. This is the 5th in a series of webinars The Climate Group has been holding on key issues influencing the current post-Kyoto negotiations. These webinars support the “Breaking the Climate Deadlock” initiative with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and build on the Briefing Papers produced by internationally-respected experts earlier this year (see www.breakingtheclimatedeadlock.com for more details). A. Login details: To add this meeting to your calendar program (for example Microsoft Outlook), click this link: B. Background information: Vinod Khosla’s Briefing Paper ‘Scalable Electric Power from Solar Energy’ can be downloaded there: The other Briefing Papers: More information on the Briefing Papers Webinar series (watch previous webinars, find speakers’ information, download presentation materials): General information on the “Breaking the Climate Deadlock” initiative: We look forward to your participation to the webinar. Kind regards, Clément Mariotte |