Climate Change Bulletin October 14th 2011

This is our 17th edition and this month we will take a look at just what is nature worth to the British Economy and we have another look at the pitfalls of commuting in the Nissan Electric Leaf on London’s streets.

• Sir Richard Branson says go green or face recession

• Just what is “Nature” worth

• Sainsbury’s Sustainability Plan

• And Britains Farmers delighted with the Supermarket giant

• Wondersoil and Climate Change

• India Thinks Big on Windpower

• SPECIAL FEATURE: the last in our series on the electric Nissan Leaf and the commuter. This month just some of the problems of going electric in London.

Sir Richard Branson calls for greener tax regime

Billionaire warns of “mother of all recessions” unless investment in renewable energy increases

Sir Richard Branson has called on world leaders to drive a green economic recovery, warning that without measures to drive greater investment in renewable energy the global economy is heading for "the mother of all recessions".

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTARvUmeAvfQ0hULALV4fxucGGlxUh0Myh7sRQ-D0_6ioBYiGso_bydAhXhAccording to reports, Branson told the third annual Six Senses Slow Life Symposium at Soneva Fushi in the Maldives that politicians should undertake urgent reform of the tax system as a means of incentivising investment in clean technologies.

"If we don't have alternative fuels we are going to have the mother of all recessions," he said. "The way to kick-start the revolution is to have no tax on all clean energy while slowly increasing tax on dirty energy.

Branson has emerged as a leading campaigner for green businesses, setting up the Carbon War Room NGO to support new low carbon policies and technologies, warning against the threat presented by "peak oil", and consistently calling for more ambitious green measures.

However, he has also faced criticism from some green groups for his role as the boss of one of the world's largest airlines and his plans to launch carbon-intensive space tourism flights.

Branson defended his company's record, detailing how "we have been diverting our profit from airlines into developing fuel for aircraft that won't damage the environment".

He also called on campaigners not to succumb to negativity when faced by environmental challenges, and instead recognise the low carbon transition as the "biggest entrepreneurial opportunity of our lifetime".

The Maldives' Six Senses Slow Life Symposium is intended to highlight the island state's plans to become one of the world's first zero carbon economies, providing a test bed for cutting-edge clean technologies.

Further reading

• DriveGain hails success of fuel-saving iPhone app

Source: Businessgreen

How nature is worth 50 billion pounds to the UK economy

Hundreds of leading scientists have taken part in an independent report in efforts to put “a value” on the environment, not just in a commercial sense but with the aim of showing its wider worth - to protect it.

Their conclusion is that the UK economy is 20 billion pounds sterling richer each year as a result of the natural world, with an additional 30 billion (bn) pounds of value embedded in nature - if it is protected, according to the UK National Ecosystem Assessment report.

The study is intended to make planning processes more environmentally friendly.

The scientists found that inland wetlands, which work as natural water purifiers, are worth 1.5bn pounds a year to the country’s business. Pollinators, such as bees and insects, contribute 430 million pounds annually to agriculture, and rivers, coasts, and other wetlands have a value of 1.3bn pounds a year for their transport and amenity value. And the health benefit of living close to a green space is 300 pounds per person each year, the report found.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia, eastern England played a leading role in assessing the worth of the natural world. The report strengthens the arguments for protecting and enhancing the environment and will be used by the government to direct policy in future.

Ian Bateman, professor of environmental sciences, one of the report’s leading authors, said: “Ultimately the value of the environment is infinite. So, why would we want to put economic values on environmental goods and services?

“It’s very simple - it’s to ensure their incorporation on equal footing with the market-priced goods which currently dominate decision-making. Without such representation we will get a persistence of the situation where we have these services being used as if they were free and had no value.”

The National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) has used new approaches to estimate the value of the natural world by taking account of the economic, health and social benefits given by nature.

Although in the past, people may have thought that caring for the environment meant extra financial burdens, Professor Bateman and his colleagues say that there are real economic reasons for looking after the natural world. Their report also shows that the benefits we get to our health, well-being and from the enjoyment of nature have not always been fully appreciated or valued.

The assessment provides values for a range of ecosystem services to help us fully understand the value of the natural environment and how the benefits to individuals and society as a whole can be better protected and preserved for future generations.

The UK NEA shows that the tendency to focus only on the market value of resources that are used and sold - such as timber, crops and fisheries - has led to the decline of some ecosystems and habitats through pollution, over-exploitation, and land conversion.

The report warns that continued population growth and climate change are likely to put additional pressure on ecosystems, and that actions taken now will have consequences far into the future.

It stresses the need for a more collaborative approach to enhancing the environment, with everyone playing their part to capture more of nature’s benefits in a sustainable way.

Bob Watson, professor of environmental sciences, is the chief scientist for the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the co-chair of the UK NEA. “Roughly 30 per cent of all ecosystem services are still declining or degrading. We are going in the right direction but there's still a long way to go,” he said. One of the big challenges is to balance production of food and resources with sustaining the other services nature provides.

He added: “There is an urgent need to better manage our ecosystems and the natural resources they provide us with. But until now there has been no clear way of valuing the full range of benefits they provide beyond what we can buy and sell. The UK NEA introduces groundbreaking approaches to measure the value of these services and how they will be affected in future if we do not make the right choices now.

“The NEA shows that we need a more integrated approach to ecosystem management, involving government, the private sector, voluntary groups and the public working together to protect the services nature provides.”

The UK’s Environment Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, said: ““We have, until now, taken nature for granted and not understood that the services it provides do have a cost and, if we destroy nature, there is a really significant cost.

“This is absolutely ground-breaking. We are the first country to do this and get a full understanding of what we get free from nature and to factor that into our decision-making. It is hoped that the report will encourage people to protect the environment going forward.”

Other natural facts and figures:

• total value of fish caught in the UK: 600m pounds sterling;

• value of recreational fishing: 1 bn pounds;

• timber: 100m pounds;

• value of biodiversity to social well-being: 540m pounds.

By highlighting the value of urban parks and green spaces, it is hoped that developers will provide more natural areas in developments rather than simply increasing the density of housing.

The information in the assessment will help inform the forthcoming Natural Environment White Paper (details of proposed parliamentary law to be debated) that ministers say will help revitalise towns and the countryside.

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment Secretariat is based at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge

Source : London Press Service

Sainsbury's launches sustainability plan

The supermarket will double the amount of British food it sells and boost its provision of fairly traded products under the £1bn plan

Picture of a Sainsbury's shopping bag co

Photograph: Chris Young/AFP/Getty Images

Sainsbury's is to double the amount of British food it sells and boost its provision of fairly traded products under a wide-ranging £1bn sustainability plan launched on Wednesday.

The company, which has 21 million customers and almost 1,000 stores, said it was the most ambitious and far-reaching programme ever announced in the industry, as it set out 20 targets covering its products, community work and employees.

Initiatives unveiled under the so-called 20 by 20 sustainability plan will include driving down energy use in supermarkets , doubling the amount of British food sold from the current £4bn a year, increasing sales of fairly traded products to £1bn and making sure suppliers of meat, poultry, eggs and dairy goods follow higher welfare standards.

As well as being the the world's largest Fairtrade retailer - accounting for £276mworth of sales last year - it is also the largest retailer of MSC certified fish and RSPCA Freedom Food-certified products.

The company is also pledging to create 50,000 new jobs by 2020, by which point it expects 20,000 members of Sainsbury's staff will have reached 20 years' service.

The new plan coincides with the roll-out in stores today of the supermarket's new Brand Match scheme . Following Tesco's launch of its Big Price Drop campaign , Sainsbury's is pledging to save customers money by price matching match thousands of items sold by rivals Tesco and Asda Sainsbury's chief executive, Justin King, said: "Given the scale of our business, we believe these 20 commitments represent the most ambitious sustainability targets in our industry. If we are to meet the sustainability challenges that lie ahead, it is important that co
mpanies such as Sainsbury's invest in the future right now. We do not see this plan as a luxury, it is rather an essential investment that will ensure we can continue to provide customers with quality food at fair prices, sustainably. This represents another step in helping our customers live well for less."

King said the company had achieved most of its commitments covering corporate responsibility issues and now wanted to take a long-term view of how it conducted its business, predicting: "This will change the agenda in our industry."

David Cameron welcomed the announcement, saying it was a good example of the government scheme Every Business Commits , which is encouraging businesses to help build a "big society".

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) said: "We're delighted to see Sainsbury's commitment to double its sourcing of British food. It recognises the high quality and standards of production that British farmers meet and that consumers increasingly expect in the food that they buy. This additional demand will send a really positive signal to the industry at a time when farmers are facing massive investment pressures."

Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said Sainsbury's was building on an already impressive record over the sale of fair trade goods.

Sainsbury's sustainability plan follows moves by Tesco and M &S four years ago, when they announced major long-term green strategies.

Source: The Guardian

Farmers cheer Sainsbury’s commitment to double sourcing of British food

The NFU has said it is delighted by a commitment from Sainsbury’s to double its sourcing of British food.

Launched as part of the retailer’s new Sustainability Plan, the targets set also include a commitment to ensuring all meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy products will be sourced from suppliers who adhere to independent higher welfare standards.

NFU Director of Corporate Affairs Tom Hind said: “The commitment from Sainsbury’s to double its sourcing of British food should be commended; it is a bold and positive step for food and farming. It recognises the high quality and standards of production and environmental protection that British farmers already meet every day; those same standards that consumers increasingly expect in the food they buy.

“This will send a really positive signal to our British farmers and growers at a time when they are facing massive investment pressures and rising energy, fuel and feed costs across the board.

“We will be looking to Sainsbury’s to work with us on the detail of the plan to ensure that the commitments have integrity and deliver economic sustainability for UK agriculture. We want to ensure that commitments to driving efficiency, for example, also mean working with farmers to offer longer-term relationships with predictable and profitable prices. These should then help with challenges such as terms of investments.”

Source: National Farmers Union

The “wonder soil” that combats climate change

Innovative methods that turn forestry and agricultural waste into carbon-rich soil in a bid to tackle climate change are to be developed at a top facility with the latest technology.

A new processing unit will help scientists in the United Kingdom to produce biochar, a charcoal-like substance produced through the slow heating of waste matter.

Biochar is the porous carbonaceous substance produced by the thermochemical conversion of biomass - such as wood, leaves and manure - in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere at relatively low temperatures.

The biochar process converts this farming rubbish into a soil enhancer that can hold carbon, boost food security and discourage deforestation.

The process creates a fine-grained, highly porous charcoal that helps soils retain nutrients and water, potentially resulting in higher crop yields for farmers.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland say that biochar increases the carbon content in the soil, building a long-term store that counters excess carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air and helps to reduce other greenhouse-gas emissions.

The production process also releases energy-rich gases and liquids that can be used to generate green energy, thus offsetting the use of fossil fuels.

“Biochar is a process that can take carbon emissions out of the atmosphere,” said Stuart Haszeldine, who is Scottish Power Professor of Carbon Capture & Storage at Edinburgh University.

“Materials that are currently waste products could be turned into useful substances that, not only prevent greenhouse gases from accumulating in our atmosphere, but also help farmers produce more crops and use less fertiliser,” he added.

By being porous, biochar material attracts worms and also captures nutrients that would otherwise run off the land, thus reducing the need for carbon-intensive fertilisers.

Recent studies show that biochar may almost double plant growth in poor soils. Plants take in CO2 during photosynthesis and this CO2 is released into the atmosphere via natural decomposition and burning.

Biochar is a way to counteract this process by transforming the biomass into a recalcitrant stable carbon form that decomposes at much slower rates than its parent feedstock. The process traps CO2 in the char preventing it from being released back into the atmosphere.

The material can help facilitate better waste management and soil improvement, all on a scale achievable by a town, village or farm, the researchers found.

The new unit, at Edinburgh University’s UK Biochar Research Centre, is described as unique. It allows scientists to produce large quantities of biochar from a variety of agricultural and forestry materials.

The material will then be used in trials at sites across the UK. By producing different forms of biochar under controlled conditions, researchers seek to discover how best to match the material to different crops and soils.

Dr Ondrej Mašek, who is a lecturer in engineering assessment of biochar at Edinburgh, said: “Biochar is potentially an innovative way of combating climate change at a global scale. Through the opening of this new facility, Edinburgh and Scotland are taking the lead in researching how, exactly, biochar might be able to help us reduce our carbon footprint.”

Charles Hendry, the UK Minister of State for Energy, said: “I am delighted that the university has achieved a world first with this project. The research centre's exciting work will be vital as we gauge the full carbon-cutting potential of biochar. This work once again highlights the world-leading achievements being made in our universities.”

Source : Norval Scott, Press & Public Relations Office

Website: www.ed.ac.uk

Address: University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, EH8 9YL

GE ploughs $50m into India's wind energy market

General Electric Financial Services and Greenko sign $115m wind energy deal

See full size imageGeneral Electric (GE) has signed a $115m deal to help build 500MW of Indian wind farms, joining the growing list of investors betting on one of the world's fastest-growing green energy markets.

GE Energy Financial Services today confirmed it has signed a deal with Indian project developer Greenko to construct 500MW of wind farms across the country, the first of which will use GE turbines.

The companies have set up a venture dubbed Greenko Wind Project Private (GWPP) Limited to develop Greenko's project pipeline. It will be funded by $65m from Greenko and $50m from GE.

The deal is GE's first green energy investment in India and follows hot on the heels of Goldman Sachs ' recent $200m acquisition of a majority stake in Mumbai-based ReNew Wind Power Pv.

Raghuveer Kurada, managing director for India at GE Energy Financial Services, said the company would contribute both finance and expertise to the new venture.

"This investment expands GE's presence in one of the world's fastest-growing power markets, with a local, proven renewable energy developer," he said.

"In addition to capital, GE Energy Financial Services brings deep wind and other renewable energy expertise gained by building a $6bn portfolio of renewable energy investments worldwide."

When completed, GWPP will own 500MW of Greenko's project pipeline, enough renewable electricity to power 875,000 average Indian households and displace 700,000 tonnes a year of greenhouse gas emissions.

India is fast emerging as a major renewable energy hub, with wind power expected to play a significant role in the country's low-carbon economy. Annual wind turbine manufacturing capacity in India has been forecast to exceed 17GW by 2013, up from 7.5GW at the end of 2010.

However, despite its generation and manufacturing potential, experts have warned that India's market could face difficulties over the next year if proposed changes to tax laws are agreed.

Recent analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicted installations could fall 15 per cent in the financial year starting April 2012 from the 2,600MW expected for this year if an incentive favouring wind power developments is allowed to lapse.

It also remains to be seen if India can sufficiently upgrade its grid infrastructure to accommodate the county's fast-expanding green energy supply, amidst reports that some states are already struggling to integrate new wind farms to the grid.

FURTHER READING

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Source : Businessgreen

A week in the Leaf – Day 3: Parking and charging

The Nissan Leaf electric carWill Nichols finds parking can be a problem as he spends a week with Nissan's trail-blazing electric car

Nissan reckons you can travel about 100 miles in the Leaf before having to recharge, and in the city, where the speed limit is more aspirational than achievable, that is certainly true.

Even so, at some point you will have to fill up the battery. If you're not doing it at home, the government would like to see you charge up in car parks. It backed down from a policy of sticking charging points on every street earlier in the year, claiming that such an infrastructure would be "underused" and therefore "uneconomic".

So that leaves you with a bunch of regional charging networks, some of which have ambitions to expand nationally, but have yet to do so.

I've been loaned a membership card for Source London, the Transport for London-backed programme, which gives you access to 160 points across the capital for a £100 annual fee. In the longer term, 1,300 points should be available to members.

I've done my research before leaving home, so I know that the nearest Source London point to my office is in an NCP car park.

If I wasn't so highly efficient, or was driving somewhere unfamiliar, the Leaf has a handy function to locate the nearest point while you're driving - but beware: it doesn't tell you if it's in a particular scheme, so there's a chance you might not be able to charge once you get there.

Pulling into the car park, the bright green areas reserved for electric cars are immediately obvious. However, it's simultaneously apparent that only one of the four spaces is available, as the other three are occupied by 'conventional' cars.

One of the offenders is an eerily familiar black Porsche Carerra - surely not the same one that almost ploughed into me in Hampstead the day before? I've only been in the car three days and already I have a nemesis.

My Nissan Leaf is the only electric car at the chargepointFrustratingly, the staff can't help me and seem ill-informed. They tell me that the charge points are not yet active, when in fact they came online in May, while the manager eventually admits they have only seen around five electric cars in three months so they don't bother keeping the spaces clear.

A Transport for London spokeswoman confirms later that the bays should have been set aside specifically for Source London members, but the responsibility for enforcing this policy is down to the organisations managing the charging points.

And while NCP's web site claims to have 50 "electric-vehicle-only spaces", a spokeswoman tells me the company is powerless to stop errant vehicles parking in reserved bays.

It seems you may have to fight for your right to charge EVs. One council bay near my office is often home to a Mitsubihi iMiEV, but a large BMW is an equally common sight in the reserved bay. The council can issue tickets, but this doesn't help if you're running low on charge.

I don't need to top up the Leaf after just two days of driving but, in the interests of good journalism, I decide to try it out. Many points now provide fast-chargers that can fully charge a car in two hours or so, or provide a 20-minute top up, but not all current car models can use these, so the trickle feed seems a fairer test.

The system comprises a plug behind a flap that unlocks when you wave your membership card at the reader. Sounds simple. At least that's the idea, but it takes several minutes of wafting and holding the card on the screen before the flap opens.

I then need a fair few attempts to unplug and reinsert the plug before the chargepoint springs into action, flashing a green light while the blue bars on the Leaf's dashboard light up in the dingy garage.

Although it took me a good 10 minutes to activate the chargepoint, I'm pretty sure I can't blame the machine for the delay. Most other users I've spoken to have had no problems recharging at all, while my technical abilities are flummoxed by the toaster on a daily basis.

Within two hours my 'tank' is full but, while the charge was free, I've had to pay £47 for a day's parking.

Parking on the street may provide a cheaper option, but for now it's off to the next challenge: a weekly shop with my mother.

Source: Will Nichols, Business Green.

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