China is calling Canada’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol “regrettable” and says it goes against the efforts of the international community. Canada’s move comes days after climate-change negotiators met to hammer-out a global deal in Durban, South Africa. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin expressed China’s dismay at the news that Canada had pulled [...]
Tag: greenhouse gas emissions
December 14, 2011
December 11, 2011
Durban talks: how Connie Hedegaard got countries to agree on climate deal
Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s climate chief, has been hailed the hero of the Durban meeting that reached an unexpectedly solid outcome in the early hours of Sunday . “She is very, very good and we are very lucky to have her,” says Chris Huhne, the UK energy and climate change secretary. “She held everything together [...]
December 11, 2011
Durban Climate Talks Produce Imperfect Deals
Negotiators at the U.N. climate conference in South Africa have approved a package of agreements to combat global climate change. While the deal is a step forward, observers say more should have been accomplished. After hours of political wrangling and compromise on all sides, delegates emerged from an all-night session Sunday with a way forward [...]
December 10, 2011
Deal in Doubt as Durban Talks Wind Down
Time is running out for a major deal to tackle climate change at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in South Africa, and observers say the world’s biggest emitters are continuing to hold up progress on a new agreement to cut emissions. Delegates at COP17 are continuing to work on details of a European Union [...]
December 2, 2011
EU Claims Progress on Climate ‘Roadmap’ at Durban
As the first week of negotiations at the U.N. climate change conference in South Africa comes to a close, the European Union says support is growing for a new legally-binding agreement to cut emissions. But the United States and other countries remain strongly opposed to the idea. EU negotiators are urging other parties at the [...]
November 29, 2011
Canada makes Kyoto climate strike
28 November 2011 Last updated at 19:21 GMT By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News South African President Jacob Zuma: Climate change is “a matter of life and death” Canada will not make further cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, and may begin formally withdrawing next month. Though not a surprise, [...]
November 24, 2011
Durban Climate Conference: What’s at Stake?
Representatives from nearly 200 nations are gathering in Durban, South Africa for an annual United Nations conference on climate change. And while most parties agree on the need to tackle the issue, there remain vast disagreements over the methods. One of the most pressing issues at the 17th annual Conference of Parties, known as COP17, [...]
November 8, 2011
US airlines begin powering flights with biofuels
Do not be alarmed if your aircraft begins to smell suspiciously like a fast food restaurant – or pond scum for that matter. US airlines were racing this week to demonstrate their clean energy credentials, scheduling a number of flights partially powered by biofuels. First United Continental announced the departure on Monday morning of Flight [...]
November 8, 2011
Pipeline protest at White House
7 November 2011 Last updated at 12:04 GMT Many activists view the decision on the pipeline as a crucial test of President Obama’s green credentials Thousands of protesters opposed to a controversial pipeline project surrounded the White House on Sunday. Canadian company TransCanada is seeking permission to build the 1,600-mile (2,700km) Keystone XL pipeline from [...]
October 25, 2011
Nebraska governor to consider legal challenge to Keystone XL pipeline route
Nebraska governor Dave Heineman said on Monday he will call a special session of the state legislature over TransCanada’s proposed $7bn oil sands pipeline that would cross ecologically sensitive areas. Heineman wants TransCanada to change the route of the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline away from Nebraska’s Sand Hills region, which sits atop the Ogallala aquifer, [...]
October 20, 2011
Cap-and-trade emissions scheme expected to be approved by California
California was expected to give final approval on Thursday to North America’s first mandatory cap-and-trade emissions scheme, delivering an important win for environmentalists after a season of defeat. After a day of scheduled public hearings, the California Air Resources Board was due to vote on Thursday afternoon on the adoption of an emissions trading scheme. [...]