Green Numbers round-up 11/27/2009

Photo credit Jeremy Brooks

• EU environment commissioner urges to cut emissions by 30 percent – COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009

  “Europe should set a good example by agreeing to cut emissions by 30 percent from 1990 levels before the start of the climate change conference in Copenhagen, urges Stavros Dimas, the Environment Commissioner of the European Union.”

  tags: europe, eu, copenhagen, climate change conference, stavros dimos, greennumbers

• Global Carbon Emissions Increased 2% Despite Recession

  “Despite an economic crisis dubbed the “great recession,” carbon emissions grew last year by two percent, to a total of 8.7 billions of carbon. Last year, every person in the world produced an average of 1.3 tons of carbon, according to a report by the Global Carbon Project. During 2000 to 2008, the growth rate of atmospheric carbon increased 1.9 parts per million (ppm) a year, up from 1.3 ppm during 1970 to 1979″

  tags: co2, carbon emissions, recession, crisis, global carbon project, greennumbers

• Hong Kong people dump billions fewer plastic bags : Environment

  “Four billion fewer plastic bags a year are being thrown out with the rubbish by Hong Kong people as the city’s environmental consciousness grows, officials said Wednesday. A government study found there had been a 66.5-per-cent drop in the number of plastic bags thrown away in the past four years from 8.7 billion a year to 4.6 billion”

  tags: plastic bags, hong kong, greennumbers

• Rising sea levels: A tale of two cities – Maputo, Rotterdam

  “When people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of small island states that risk being submerged if global warming continues unchecked.

  But it’s not only those on low-lying islands who are in danger. Millions of people live by the sea – and are dependent on it for their livelihoods – and many of the world’s largest cities are on the coast.

  By 2050 the number of people living in delta cities is set to increase by as much as 70%, experts suggest, vastly increasing the number of those at risk.

  To shed light the impact of rising sea levels, we are taking a close look at two very different cities, Rotterdam and Maputo , and their varying responses to the problem. “

  tags: rotterdam, maputo, sea level rise, thermal expansion, glacier melt, greennumbers, ice sheets

• Department of Energy – Secretary Chu Announces $620 Million for Smart Grid Demonstration and Energy Storage Projects

  “At an event in Columbus, Ohio this afternoon, Secretary Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally. “

  tags: doe, department of energy, steven Chu, smart grid, smart meter, greennumbers, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

• The Eight Biggest Myths about Sustainability in Business

  “In our research, and in engagements with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies, we are sometimes surprised at the reluctance to pursue environmental sustainability initiatives, because of misconceptions about their cost or benefits. But we have also seen how some companies have embraced sustainability whole-heartedly, and are profiting from it.

  As a way of helping to get every company on the journey to sustainability, here are some of the most common myths we have heard from otherwise successful companies. As surprising as some of these might sound — like the idea that there is no money to be had from sustainability efforts — these ideas persist in companies large and small and in any industry.”

  tags: sustainability, csr, greennumbers, myth

• Verizon Wireless Fined $468,600 for Environmental Violations

  “USA based Verizon Wireless has agreed to pay a US$468,600 civil penalty to settle self-disclosed violations of federal environmental regulations discovered at 655 facilities in 42 states.”

  tags: verizon, verizon wireless, greennumbers, epa, mobile sustainability, environmental, compliance

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