Global goals summit: dignitaries convene for a day to define the world
On Friday, three years after the idea was first mooted at a summit in Rio, 193 countries are expected to ratify a new set of ambitious global goals that aim to end extreme poverty and hunger, address the impact of climate change and reduce inequality by 2030. At the UN general assembly in New York, member states will formally adopt the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) resulting from the largest consultation process the UN has conducted in its 70-year history. The goals, which promote human rights, gender equality and peaceful and just societies, will be officially adopted on day one of a three-day summit that will begin with an address from Pope Francis. More than 150 world leaders are expected to be in attendance. A global campaign to raise the profile of the goals, headed by the film-maker Richard Curtis under theProject Everyone banner, will also kick off over the weekend. The availability of accurate data to monitor progress will be a key factor in achieving the goals, particularly when it comes to seeing whether they have changed the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. (Guardian)
China to announce cap-and-trade programme to limit emissions
President Xi Jinping of China will make a landmark commitment on Friday to start a national program in 2017 that will limit and put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, Obama administration officials said Thursday. The move to create a so-called cap-and-trade system would be a substantial step by the world’s largest polluter to reduce emissions from major industries, including steel, cement, paper and electric power. The announcement, to come during a White House summit meeting with President Obama, is part of an ambitious effort by China and the United States to use their leverage internationally to tackle climate change and to pressure other nations to do the same. Joining forces on the issue, even as they are bitterly divided on others, Mr Obama and Mr Xi will spotlight the shared determination of the leaders of the world’s two largest economies to forge a climate change accord in Paris in December that commits every country to curbing its emissions. (NY Times)
Climate Change
Shell, BHP and GE to advise governments on climate change
The oil group, Royal Dutch Shell, has teamed up with the McKinsey management consultancy and other large companies to advise governments on how to combat global warming without weakening their economies. Coal miner BHP Billiton, the US General Electric conglomerate, and at least two big environmental groups are also backing a $6 million “energy transitions commission” to create a blueprint for a greener global economy in the next 15 years. The move is one of several initiatives fossil fuel groups are supporting as countries prepare to strike a UN climate change accord in Paris in December. But the commission, due to be formally unveiled at a conference in Texas on Monday, is already under fire from some climate campaigners asking if a body supported by fossil fuel companies can offer objective guidance on global warming. Shell’s efforts to explore for oil in the Arctic have made it a particular target for protesters who say the company could despoil a pristine environment in an attempt to extract fuel that causes climate change. (FT)*
Energy
Switch the world’s street lighting to LED, urges new campaign
A major new global campaign calling on cities worldwide to switch all their streetlights to LEDs by 2025 has been launched this week by The Climate Group. Mark Kenber, CEO of The Climate Group, said there is no longer any reason to delay the deployment of LED street lighting, describing it as a “no-brainer” for city authorities looking to cut emissions and save money. “Our global trials and stakeholder consultations have shown that, when it comes to tackling climate change, LEDs are the lowest of the low hanging fruit and easiest to implement,” he said in a new report. “It’s technically proven, commercially viable, and already resulting in major savings for cities around the world.” The campaign, called LED = Lower Emissions Delivered, follows up on the non-profit’s 2012 trials of LED street-lighting in 12 major cities including New York, London, and Kolkata, where it looked at how the latest LED products performed and are perceived by the public. (Business Green)
Drax pulls out of £1 billion carbon capture project
Energy company Drax has abandoned a £1 billion project to introduce carbon capture technology to cut emissions, citing reduced government subsidies for renewable energy. Drax was working on the scheme to store carbon dioxide next to its plant in North Yorkshire, which is the biggest coal-fired power station in the UK. The company said that due to lack of profits, it had to put its business and shareholders first. Drax chief executive Dorothy Thompson said it was a very sad decision and they thought the project still had a lot of potential. She said: “The most recent effect has been the government has removed a tax exemption for renewable power that is sold to industrial companies and we’re the largest generator of renewable power in the UK and this has suddenly removed a stream of income. The day it was announced our share price dropped by a third and that simply reduces the amount of cash we have available for future investments.”(BBC)
COMMENTS