AEI & FCPP : The Environmental State of Canada, 2009

Canadians have a great deal to celebrate when it concerns their environment, write Kenneth Green of the American Enterprise Institute and Ben Eisen of the Frontier Center for Public Policy. Over the past 30 years, Canada has cleaned up its air and water, preserved ecosystems and timberlands and protected the soils, while simultaneously sustaining strong economic growth. Of course, there is still more that can be done, but Canada is well on the way toward environmental sustainability, they say.

The report, The Environmental State of Canada–30 years of Progress, was authored by Frontier advisor Kenneth Green (D. Env.), and Frontier analyst Ben Eisen (M.P.P.). Some of the findings from include:

• On air pollution: levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are much lower in Canadian towns and cities than they were just a few decades ago. For readings of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, there has been neither a measurable drop nor a measurable increase since the early 1990s.

• On greenhouse gas emissions, Canada’s emissions have increased by over 20 per cent since 1990. However, greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP (which accounts for population an economic growth and is measured as GHG emissions per unit of economic productivity) dropped 18 per cent in real (inflation-adjusted) terms between 1990 and 2005.

• On freshwater quality, more than twice as many monitored sites fell into one of the top two designations–good and excellent, than fell into one of the bottom two designations (marginal and poor).
Canada’s record in this area is also strong compared with its peer countries. Canada has the second-highest level of water quality among G8 countries, behind only Italy.

• On freshwater withdrawals, Canada’s NAFTA trading partners, the United States and Mexico, withdraw 17 per cent and 19 per cent respectively of their renewable fresh water each year, Canada withdraws just 1.6 per cent of its resources — a very sustainable level–and could afford to share fresh water with countries around the world which are water-poor and which suffer from environmental health problems as a result;
For further conservation measures in Canada however, water pricing should be introduced.

• Canadian soil quality has improved dramatically in recent years. Whereas in the early 1980s, Canada experienced a significant annual net loss in the measurement of soil organic carbon, by the early 2000s, Canada enjoyed large annual net gains.
The percentage of cropland designated by the federal government as being at very low risk of wind erosion (the lowest possible designation) reached 86 per cent in 2001, up from 72 per cent in 1981.

• On ecosystem conservation, In 1989, just three per cent of Canada’s land area was protected by legislation. By 2003, that number rose to 8.4 per cent.

• On forestry, throughout the past decade, Canada’s total forest cover has held steadily at approximately 310-million acres, or 34 per cent of Canada’s land mass.

Read the report (53 pages, pdf)

New EDC Guide Shows Canadian Businesses “How To” Access $100 Billion in Global Infrastructure Opportunities

In response to the ongoing global economic crisis, many of the world’s largest multilateral development banks have increased their 2009 – 2011 budgets in order to support new infrastructure projects in developing countries. To help Canadian companies take advantage of these opportunities, Export Development Canada has developed a free step-by-step guide on how to bid on — and land — international development contracts.

The online guide focuses on four key banks: the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

To find out more about the Guide or to download a free copy, visit www.edc.ca/infrastructure .

Contact:
Marie-Claude Erian, Sector Advisor
Export Development Canada
t: 613-598-2969
f: 613-597-8667
e: merian@edc.ca

Copenhagen Climate Congress Synthesis Report released

The State of Climate Change Science & Policy: Copenhagen Climate Congress Releases Synthesis Report
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.18.09

Back in March the University of Copenhagen and the International Alliance of Research Universities hosted the Copenhagen Climate Congress, whose goal was to sort of fill in the gaps and update everyone on the science of climate change, since the last IPCC report. At the end of the conference an interim summary was produced, but now the final synthesis report has been released. It has six key messages:

1. Climate Changes We’re Observing Go Beyond Natural Variability

Recent observations show that greenhouse gas emissions and many aspects of the climate are changing near the upper boundary of the IPCC range of projections. Many key climate indicators are already moving beyond the patterns of natural variability within which contemporary society and economy have developed and thrived. These indicators include global mean surface temperature, sea-level rise, global ocean temperature, Arctic sea ice extent, ocean acidification, and extreme climatic events. With unabated emissions, many trends in climate will likely accelerate, leading to an increasing risk of abrupt or irreversible climatic shifts.

2. Temperature Increase Beyond 2°C Will Be Very Difficult to Cope With

The research community provides much information to support discussions on “dangerous climate change”. Recent observations show that societies and ecosystems are highly vulnerable to even modest levels of climate change, with poor nations and communities, ecosystem services and biodiversity particularly at risk. Temperature rises above 2°C will be difficult for contemporary societies to cope with, and are likely to cause major societal and environmental disruptions through the rest of the century and beyond.

3. Weak Initial Emission Reduction Increases Risk of Catastrophe

Rapid, sustained, and effective mitigation based on coordinated global and regional action is required to avoid “dangerous climate change” regardless of how it is defined. Weaker targets for 2020 increase the risk of serious impacts, including the crossing of tipping points, and make the task of meeting 2050 targets more difficult and costly. Setting a credible long-term price for carbon and the adoption of policies that promote energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies are central to effective mitigation.

4. Preventing Climate Change Must Be Linked With Improving Social Equity

Climate change is having, and will have, strongly differential effects on people within and between countries and regions, on this generation and future generations, and on human societies and the natural world. An effective, well-funded adaptation safety net is required for those people least capable of coping with climate change impacts, and equitable mitigation strategies are needed to protect the poor and most vulnerable. Tackling climate change should be seen as integral to the broader goals of enhancing socioeconomic development and equity throughout the world.

5. Inaction is Inexcusable

Society already has many tools and approaches – economic, technological, behavioural, and managerial – to deal effectively with the climate change challenge. If these tools are not vigorously and widely implemented, adaptation to the unavoidable climate change and the societal transformation required to decarbonise economies will not be achieved. A wide range of benefits will flow from a concerted effort to achieve effective and rapid adaptation and mitigation. These include job growth in the sustainable energy sector; reductions in the health, social, economic and environmental costs of climate change; and the repair of ecosystems and revitalisation of ecosystem services.

6. How to Meet the Challenge


If the societal transformation required to meet the climate change challenge is to be achieved, then a number of significant constraints must be overcome and critical opportunities seized. These include reducing inertia in social and economic systems; building on a growing public desire for governments to act on climate change; reducing activities that increase greenhouse gas emissions and reduce resilience (e.g. subsidies); and enabling the shifts from ineffective governance and weak institutions to innovative leadership in government, the private sector and civil society. Linking climate change with broader sustainable consumption and production concerns, human rights issues and democratic values is crucial for shifting societies
towards more sustainable development pathways.

Those wanting to dig into some more specifics on each of these key messages should download the report: Synthesis Report — Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions [PDF]

GreenBiz.com [US]: Green Economy Investments Bring 300 Percent More Jobs, Reports Find

June 18, 2009

Two new reports on the impacts of moving to a low-carbon economy show putting money toward energy efficiency, building retrofits and renewable energy projects can create 1.7 million new jobs, significantly more than the same investment in fossil fuel industries.

The reports were released today in tandem by four groups: Green for All, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) worked together on the “Green Prosperity” study, while PERI also worked with the Center for American Progress on the “Economic Benefits” report.

Together, the reports show the economic, environmental and social impacts of investing about $150 billion per year in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies; that number includes funding from the federal stimulus package signed into law in February as well as the proposals in the Waxman-Markey climate bill that is currently making its way through Congress.

Importantly, Ellis-Lampkin and Peter Lehner, the executive director of the NRDC, both highlighted the fact that these job-growth estimates are net gains, factoring in jobs displaced in the fossil fuel industries as the economy shifts to renewables. The loss of existing jobs is a regular criticism of green-collar jobs proposals.

Retrofits, Public Transit, and the Smart Grid

There are three prongs to where these investments should occur. The biggest and most immediately beneficial is energy efficiency retrofits for existing buildings: Those projects make up 40 percent of the funding in the $150 billion annual project.

“Retrofits right now is a known technology,” Pollin said, one that “creates fast returns with low risk, creates a lot of jobs in a construction industry that is flat on its back.”

Making homes, schools and workplaces more energy efficient offers a significant boon to residents and business owners: Ellis-Lampkin estimates that boosting energy efficiency will decrease the cost of living for low-income households by 3 to 4 percent per year as energy bills shrink. From the “Economic Benefits” report:
An average-sized single-family home in the United States would require an investment of as little as $2,500 in energy-efficiency retrofits to produce a cost savings in the range of 30 percent per year. This would involve caulking to plug air leaks in the house and adding insulation to attics and basement ceilings. For an additional $2,500, further energy savings are available through replacing windows with air leaks and installing energy efficient appliances.

Similarly, public transportation investments will allow municipalities to get more for their dollar: Pollin said that every mile traveled on public transit produces half the greenhouse gases than in a private vehicle, and costs about half the amount to travel the same distance in a private vehicle.

The final leg of the investment project is smart grid technology, which the reports’ authors suggest investments of about $44 billion per year to meet the growing demand for energy across the country.

“In the immediate term, energy efficiency is going to be the best investment,” Pollin said. “Then, for the next decade we’re going to see the creation of the clean energy economy.”

“This is not a question of whether the private sector spends the money, it’s a question of if we spend it smart or stupid,” said Peter Lehner, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “If we spend it well it will have tremendous impacts throughout the economy.”

Read the entire article

Transalta Corp added to Canada’s 50 most environmentally responsible public companies

GLOBE-Net (June 16, 2009) (MARKETWIRE )

TransAlta Corporation has been named to the Jantzi list of the 50 most responsible corporations in Canada for 2009. The list is compiled by Jantzi Research Inc., an independent investment research firm that evaluates and monitors the social and environmental performance of companies. Inclusion in the Jantzi list is granted to companies that lead their industries toward sustainability by setting standards for best practice, and demonstrating superior environmental, social and economic performance.

TransAlta recently released its 12th Annual Report on Sustainability, providing an overview of its social and environmental performance. Highlights in the report include: Announcement of Project Pioneer, the world’s largest integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, aimed at reducing one megatonne of carbon emissions, scheduled for commercial operation in 2013.

Expansion of TransAlta’s renewables to account for 16 percent of its portfolio. A 66 percent reduction of sulphur dioxide and a 13 percent reduction of nitrogen oxides across TransAlta’s operations. -

Lloyds List : Shipping and logistics firms driving green innovations

Lloyd’s List, June 17, 2009 – Shipping and logistics companies are embracing green innovations partly to save money through lower fuel bills, partly to comply with international regulations, including those covering ballast water management and wastewater discharges, and partly because of customer demand.

And, on a more altruistic level, some owners, including French liner boss Jacques Saadé, are embracing green innovations to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations.

But whatever the motivation, green innovations are coming to the fore as an increasing number of shipping and logistics outfits are assessing their impact on the environment and attempt to improve their environmental credentials.

…

The report, carried out by Cap Gemini and Georgia Tech, showed just 51% of the logistics companies surveyed thought there would be a positive return on investments in green innovations. A further 35% were undecided and 14% thought there would not be a positive return. At the same, less than half of their customers were optimistic about using environmental criteria in the selection of companies.

The study also showed the gap between what logistics companies’ customers considered what was most important that logistics operators should be doing and what logistics companies were actually doing. Asked what was most important to improve their green credentials, 77% of customers answered that improvements in transportation efficiencies including effective shipment consolidation, routing and mode were important. By comparison, 31% of customers said their logistics companies were actually making efficiency improvements.

…

On a more local level, firms are also seizing the initiative as witnessed by the move by Orient Overseas Container Line to be included in a guide on how to reduce emissions produced by Hong Kong’s Climate Change Business Forum in partnership with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

The guide details the steps companies should take to reduce emissions and outlines the resulting business opportunities, return on investments and bottom line savings.

Commenting on its involvement, OOCL chief executive Philip Chow said: “We believe every business in every industry must work proactively to reduce harmful emissions and business leaders should encourage sustainable economic development through innovative and voluntary measures. This guide provides a comprehensive starting point and excellent information source on the challenges we are all facing.”

Read the article via WBCSD

Environment Canada : Plans for a national carbon market

Canada says plans to set up market for carbon – Wed Jun 10, 2009

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada on Wednesday unveiled plans for a national carbon market that it said would help cut emissions of greenhouse gases by making it more attractive to invest in clean energy projects. Ottawa said the first major step would be to put a price on carbon, and Environment Minister Jim Prentice said it would be up to markets to set that price.

A key element of the market is a set of rules for carbon offset credits, which will come into force on Jan 1, 2011. “The offset system will be a key part of our overall commitment. It is intended to generate real reductions on greenhouse emissions,” Prentice said in a speech in Ottawa.

Under the rules, companies and individuals would receive the credits for investing in clean energy projects like wind turbines and could sell those credits to enterprises that cannot meet targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Planting new forests or capturing methane gas from landfills and turning it into a usable fuel could also be offset projects, Prentice said. The offset system targets those parts of the economy that will not be covered by planned federal curbs on heavy industrial emitters of greenhouse gases. One potential risk for the government is that Canada’s carbon market and credits system could be overshadowed by whatever happens in the United States. Prentice said Canada’s plan was to set up a domestic carbon market first. It then hoped to move to a North American version including the United States before moving toward a global market. “Clearly the United States is headed in the direction of a (carbon) marketplace, as is Canada. We have a very close dialogue with the United States on these issues,” he told reporters after the speech. Canada previously planned to impose binding cuts on greenhouse gas emissions by major enterprises in 2010.

But Prentice said last month that Ottawa would delay those cuts until it saw what Washington planned. The government has pledged to cut Canada’s carbon emissions 20 percent from 2006 levels by 2020. Green activists say the cuts should be far more ambitious. Prentice released initial proposals for the offset system on Wednesday. He said the final drafts would be published later this year after a 60-day period for public comments.

Environment Canada Media Release:
Offset System A Step Towards A Carbon Market In Canada

Customizable Interactive Map Shows U.S. Alternative Fuel Data

Customizable Interactive Map Shows U.S. Alternative Fuel Data

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) announced the launch of a comprehensive mapping tool to help industry and government planners implement alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. The new TransAtlas tool combines several different types of geographic data to identify areas with potential for developing advanced transportation projects. It is sponsored by DOE’s Clean Cities initiative, which aims to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by promoting advanced vehicle technologies and alternative fuels. This interactive mapping tool is available by visiting www.afdc.energy.gov and clicking on the TransAtlas icon.

Source: National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)

New Water & Wastewater in Canada blog

Because I have recently focused much of my research on the Water and Wastewater sector in Canada, I have created another blog to share this specific information with a broader community. The new blog, called Water in the Works, is hosted by wordpress at waterintheworks.wordpress.com . Stop in sometime and say hi  

Michelle

BSR : Value Chain Approaches to a Low-Carbon Economy

Value Chain Approaches to a Low-Carbon Economy: Business and Policy Partnerships was prepared in support of a workshop at the World Business Summit on Climate Change (Summit) on leveraging value chains to reduce climate impacts and build a low-carbon economy.

It is widely acknowledged that making significant progress on mitigating the impact of climate change depends on reducing the impacts of supply chains.

A recent McKinsey study shows that 40 to 60 percent of companies’ total carbon footprints reside upstream in their supply chains, suggesting the scale of the opportunity. Fundamental changes in consumer behavior, supply chain structure and management, and business models are needed for long-term success.

The scope of this challenge is reinforced by a current knowledge gap: most suppliers do not track or report carbon emissions data; buyers do not control suppliers’ emissions or have access to accompanying data, and there is disagreement on how to measure and apportion responsibility for supply chain emissions.

The paper aims to illuminate the development of value chain approaches that address current challenges and unlock opportunities to capture value.

First, it describes the economic and environmental pressures on existing value chain models. It is clear that the economic and policy conditions under which extended supply chains emerged in the past quarter-century are changing rapidly as a result of climate, and that these trends may accelerate soon. In this light, the ongoing viability of current supply chain models can no longer be assumed.

Second, the report outlines the distinct elements of the value chain model, to illustrate how climate change will impact all links in the value chain, from product development to assembly to distribution to end-of-life. The paper suggests that companies look at both the full lifecycle of their products and services, and individual elements of the value chain, to identify the opportunities for greatest impact.

Third, it identifies promising examples of innovative action that—in collaboration with others along the value chain—are beginning to tackle the monumental challenges we face.

Finally, the paper raises questions about policy implications. Businesses face a parallel challenge of remaking their internal processes while engaging with public officials differently, to support the development of policy frameworks that can support the creation of value chains that will thrive and shape the low-carbon economy.

Web Site:http://www.bsr.org/