In January 2012, for the first time, the EPA released greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the GHG Reporting Program. The data set shows 2010 U.S. GHG emissions from large industrial facilities and from suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases. The data confirm that among large, direct GHG emitters, the sector with the largest emissions is power plants, followed by petroleum refineries. The data can be dowloaded from the USEPA’s web site using the following links . . .

In a last-minute deal reached on December 11, 2011 at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Durban, South Africa, governments decided to adopt a universal legal agreement on climate change as soon as possible, but not later than
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A major new mapping study analyzing climate change vulnerability down to 25 square kilometers worldwide reveals that some of the world’s fastest growing populations are increasingly at risk from the impacts of climate-related natural hazards and sea level rise. The Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) released by risk analysis and mapping firm Maplecroft analyzes the
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Support for corporate responsibility proposals rose in the 2011 proxy season according to a recent report, Shareholders Press Boards on Social and Environmental Risks, issued by Ernst & Young.[1] For the second year in a row, resolutions focusing specifically on social and environmental issues comprised the largest portion of all shareholder proposals that came to
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According to a new report, Climate Change Scenarios – Implications for Strategic Asset Allocation, uncertainty about global climate change policies and their associated adjustment costs could cost investors trillions of dollars over the next 20 years and be responsible for as much as 10 percent of investment portfolio risk. The report analyzes the impact of
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The Ontario Power Authority is introducing a new Feed-In Tariff for commercial aggregators, called the CFIT (commercial feed-in-tariff) Program. The program is intended for micro-fit generation projects where the proponent has multiple projects, is not eligible for the microFIT program or needs to give its lender step in rights. The proposed price is 71.3 cents/kWh)
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A new Climate Change Vulnerability Index has been released by the risk analysis firm Maplecroft. The index uses 42 separate social, economic, and environmental indicators to calculate the vulnerability of 170 countries to the impacts of climate change over the next 30 years. Sixteen countries, including some of the fast-growing economies in Asia, were identified
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Maplecroft launched rebalanced rankings for the Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs), which rate the top 350 U.S. companies based on their climate innovation and carbon management programs. GE, Ford, Alcoa, Air Products, J&J, Praxair, Lexmark, Intel, UTC and AMD top the list. [More...]

The aviation industry has long proclaimed that it has a relatively insignificant impact on global climate change, accounting for less than 3 percent of CO2 emissions. The industry also asserts that because of the high cost of fuel, there is tremendous incentive to reduce fuel usage through more efficient engine technology. In fact, some analysts argue that the industry’s engines have become up to 70 percent more fuel efficient since the 1960s. This article examines the validity of the aviation industry’s climate change claims. [...]

The U.S. Clean Air Act, which was enacted by U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1970, will mark its 40th anniversary in December. This article reviews the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s assessment of the benefits of the Clean Air Act.