Emissions Reductions: The Gap Between Policy and Science

Emissions Reductions: The Gap Between Policy and Science

While the scientific evidence for climate change grows, the policy responses have so far had little or no impact on the build-up of emissions. Following the recent developments in Copenhagen, there are few signs that this will change in the near future. With this in mind, this article examines why there is still such a gap between what science says is needed, and what is actually achieved through policy.

GSA’s Robert Peck Offers Vision for Federal Green Building

GSA’s Robert Peck Offers Vision for Federal Green Building

Robert A. Peck, Commissioner of Public Buildings at the U.S. General Services Association (GSA), presented a keynote presentation at Ecobuild America this week entitled GSA: Green Pioneer – Green Proving Ground. Peck presented his vision for the GSA as a leader in green building technology and discussed how the 5.5 billion dollar appropriation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will impact the GSA’s work.

Are You Ready for the EPA, January 2010, GHG Reporting Requirements?

Are You Ready for the EPA, January 2010, GHG Reporting Requirements?

Companies with facilities emitting or products related to GHGs may consider taking the following initial steps to evaluate appropriate measures related to the first time ever requirement that they begin monitoring their emissions of GHGs.

The 2009 Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report

The 2009 Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report provides a critical update to the global public on the latest climate science. The purpose of this report is to synthesize the most policy-relevant climate science published since the close-off of material for the last IPCC report that supplements the IPCC AR4 in time for Copenhagen in December, 2009.

New Study Finds Many Biofuels Come with a Large Carbon Footprint

A new study by the Marine Biological Lab (MBL) of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has reported that biofuels that displace food crops may have a much bigger carbon footprint than previously thought. MBL senior scientist Jerry Melillo and his colleagues at the MBL have reported that carbon emissions from land-use change caused by the displacement of food crops and pastures by a global biofuels program may be twice as much as the emissions from lands directly devoted to biofuels production.

Who Tops Newsweek’s First Annual Green Rankings?

Today, Newsweek launched a ranking of the greenest companies in America in its current issue and Hewlett-Packard took top honors. The Newsweek Green Rankings is the first-ever report based on companies’ actual environmental footprint, policies and practices. The twelve-page report in the September 28 issue, features a green ranking of America’s 500 largest publicly-traded companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees. On Newsweek.com, users can search and sort the data in several ways, analyze the detailed methodology of the study and submit and review comments.

Who are The Top Green IT Outsourcing Vendors?

Each year, Brown-Wilson Group and Black Book Research undertakes an annual survey of outsourcing service providers’ green initiatives from the perspective of their client experience. These research results represent an extensive and representative perception study of outsourcing vendors, validated by 1,338 unique company respondents from service users around the globe earlier this year. Over 7,000 individual nominations were received during the survey. They surveyed outsourcing buyer CIOs, governance, buyers, user managers &
corporate executives uncovered both the progress of suppliers and to determine who are the cream of the crop when it comes to Green IT. Xerox topped the list, followed by Accenture, CSC, Capgemini and IBM Global.

Majority Favors Clean Energy Bill and Wants Senate to Take Action

A majority of likely voters – 71% – favors the American Clean Energy and Security Act recently passed by the House of Representatives, and two-thirds (67%) believe Congress is either doing the right amount (22%) or should be doing more (45%) to address global warming, new Zogby International telephone poll shows. Just 28% believe that Congress is doing too much.

Report Says Cities are Going Green But are Falling Short

A new report released recently assessed exactly how 40 of the country’s largest cities are trying to limit their carbon footprints and take the steps needed to raise these efforts to the next level. The report,  initiated and conducted by Living Cities, a collaboration of 21 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions is […]