Categories: Climate Change

Is Africa Ready for Carbon Investment?

Posted by: Mark Scott on January 25

Africa represents roughly 3% of projects worldwide under the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. A combination of better investments to be found elsewhere (particularly in China and India), regional risks such...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Heading Towards Nopehagen?

Posted by: Mark Scott on December 17

Global leaders woke up in Copenhagen on Dec. 17 to find a blanket of snow covering the ground. But it was inside the Bella Center—the conference hall where delegates from...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Why Trade Matters

Posted by: Mark Scott on December 16

This entry is cross-posted from Europe Insight. With protestors staking out the climate talks and politicians continuing to point fingers at each other, one issue isn't getting much play in...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Protestors Try to Storm Talks

Posted by: Mark Scott on December 16

This entry is cross-posted from Europe Insight. Snow was thick on the ground in Copenhagen on Dec. 16, but that didn't put off thousands of protestors who tried to force...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: “Now Must Change the Game”

Posted by: John Carey on December 15

The heads of state are due to start arriving at the Copenhagen climate summit tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16. As a result, now comes “the moment when we really change the...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: A tough day—and a “theater game”

Posted by: John Carey on December 14

Monday, Dec. 14, was a tough day at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen. The place is mobbed, with the heads of some non-governmental organization delegations waiting in the cold outside...

Dispatch from the Copenhagen Climate Talks: A Pink Plastic Elephant?

Posted by: John Carey on December 13

What have the negotiations been like for Yvo de Boer, the United Nations climate chief who is in charge of the talks? “I never had the opportunity to spend a...

Interview with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in Copenhagen

Posted by: John Carey on December 12

The Obama Administration officials whose names usually pop up when it comes to issues of climate and energy are Energy Secretary Steven Chu, climate czar Carol Browner, or even President...

Dispatch from Copenhagen: Secretary Locke Worries That U.S. Companies Could Fall Behind

Posted by: John Carey on December 11

If the climate talks now going on in Copenhagen lead to binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions, the resulting transformation to a greener energy system will be good for business,...

Climate change happening fastest in the arctic

Posted by: Adam Aston on October 23

According to the annual Arctic Report Card, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists are seeing "drastic changes" in northern most areas of the globe compared to just...

Climate Change Hoax: The Fake U.S. Chamber About-Face

Posted by: John Carey on October 19

The press conference at the National Press Club, ostensibly called by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was seemingly packed with reporters—and the message was stunning. Purporting to speak for Chamber...

Does it matter that Apple pulled out the Chamber of Commerce over climate change?

Posted by: Adam Aston on October 06

After all, companies routinely come and go from professional bodies with little notice. And with some 3 million business members, the Chamber is the world’s largest commercial federation. So what...

One Potential Benefit of Climate Legislation: More U.S. Oil

Posted by: John Carey on September 17

There’s a long-running, fierce debate over the cost of reducing the emissions of gases that cause climate change. Opponents say that the climate bill passed by the House of Representatives,...

What do Americans Think about Climate Change Legislation? Polls Differ

Posted by: John Carey on August 11

In an landmark vote on June 26, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would tackle climate change by imposing mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Now, just about...

Deforestation's Role in Carbon Markets

Posted by: Mark Scott on August 04

Deforestation is fast becoming a central part of any Post-Kyoto agreement on global greenhouse gases. It's easy to see why. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the sector...

Is Europe Right to Reject Carbon Tariffs?

Posted by: Mark Scott on July 27

It's not every day Europe gives the U.S. lessons on free trade. But when it comes to climate change, that's exactly what's happening. Last week, European politicians rejected plans to...

The Costs of Capturing Carbon

Posted by: John Carey on July 20

Perhaps the biggest single question in the climate debate is how much it will cost to capture the carbon dioxide given off by power plants, especially coal power plants. Some...

U.S. Climate Change Envoy: Post-Kyoto Talks 'Inadequate'

Posted by: Mark Scott on July 14

A politician that tells the truth is like a dog that can talk -- a very rare breed. Yet in a moment of candor, Jonathan Pershing, U.S. deputy special envoy...

Clean Development Mechanism: Lessons for Post-Kyoto Talks

Posted by: Mark Scott on June 29

Ahead of the post-Kyoto meetings in Copenhagen later this year, a lot has been made of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) -- a United Nations-backed program that...

New World Record For Emissions Targets

Posted by: Mark Scott on June 25

In a classic case of 'whatever you can do, I can do better,' Scotland has announced the world's most ambitious greenhouse gas targets -- the home of Braveheart, kilts, and...

House Panel Spars over Climate Legislation

Posted by: John Carey on June 09

By Elise Craig How contentious is proposed legislation to tackle climate change by putting caps on greenhouse gas emissions? A fairly subdued House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing on...

Climate Bill Passes House Committee

Posted by: John Carey on May 21

My email box is filling up with responses to the historic passage of a cap and trade climate bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee this evening (May 21)....

Climate Change: Hot Debate over Green Concrete

Posted by: John Carey on March 26

Climate savior or potential green-washer? Los Gatos, Calif-based startup Calera Corp has a bold idea to do something concrete about climate change—literally. With venture funding from Vinod Khosla, the company...

Using the Clean Air Act to Regulate Climate -- Lisa Jackson Speaks

Posted by: John Carey on February 24

To hear William L. Kovacs talk, a mighty regulatory hammer is about to come down from the Obama Administration to smite the American economy. The threat he (as the vice...

Another Legal Victory in Climate Change Battle

Posted by: John Carey on February 06

When Washington, in the years of the Bush Administration, failed to take action against global warming, environmentalists and states backing such action fought back in the courts. They asked the...

Are Europe's Low-Carbon Ambitions Realistic?

Posted by: Mark Scott on January 22

The European Union loves to set targets. Never more so than when it comes to tackling climate change. Yet sometimes, you have to wonder whether the Old World really believes...

Climate Legislation: Watch out for the Enviros!

Posted by: John Carey on January 15

There’s a simple-minded view that the big battle ahead on climate change is between the ‘green’ crowd (including the upcoming Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress), which wants strong mandatory...

Europe Leads Growing Carbon Markets, For Now

Posted by: Mark Scott on January 14

As the world's financial markets slide from bad to worse, here's a small silver lining to a pretty big grey cloud. According to European consultancy Point Carbon, the global carbon...

High or Low CARB Diet?

Posted by: John Carey on December 05

In 2006, California passed a landmark bill requiring the state to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. Of course, the legislation didn’t say how to...

Climate Security Act: Spin battles begin

Posted by: Adam Aston on May 22

If you haven't been paying close attention to the rumblings about US laws addressing climate change, you won't be able to avoid the issue much longer. The leading bill in...

Cost of Iraq War equal to that of fixing climate change?

Posted by: Adam Aston on April 24

President Bush’s recent speech addressing climate change was met with derision internationally. One of his excuses for a go-slow approach is the estimated cost of converting the US economy to...

The Challenge for Greens Now

Posted by: Arthur Eves on April 17

Green is the standout winner of the buzzkill question: "Name the buzzword that we will all be sick of hearing next year."

President Bush's Climate Plan is Expected to Fall Short

Posted by: John Carey on April 15

President Bush has a habit of promising action on climate change--and then not delivering. In his campaign, he came out in support of mandatory curbs on carbon dioxide emissions from...

Melting Glaciers Means Poor Harvests?

Posted by: John Carey on March 20

The facts are indisputable and sobering. The glaciers in the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau are melting. Those glaciers feed mighty rivers like the Ganges in India and the Yellow River...

Overestimating the Costs of Carbon Constraints

Posted by: John Carey on March 19

With Congress moving forward on climate change legislation, the battle over the costs reducing greenhouse gas emissions is heating up. In mid-March, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) unveiled an...

Some in Southern Baptist Convention Onboard with Climate Change

Posted by: Heather Green on March 10

If real work is going to happen on climate change, I mean the real policy work, the hard realizations that people will need to adapt to a new set of...

EPA Administrator on the Hot Seat

Posted by: John Carey on February 26

The Senate today released documents showing how EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson bucked the scientific and legal experts on his staff when he denied California’s request for tighter auto emissions...

Bitter news for wine makers

Posted by: Adam Aston on February 25

For many great wine growing regions, a warming planet doesn't mean a sudden end of production, but we may see a slow degradation of wine quality as vineyards overheat, dry...

Haagen-Dazs Speaking Out About Bee Disaster

Posted by: Heather Green on February 22

(Photo from Aussigall) The tragedy of the bees can seem like something happening in the vacuum of scientific study. Which is why I think it's important when companies like...

2007 second hottest year on record

Posted by: Adam Aston on January 16

Last year was the second hottest year since 1951, when scientific instruments first start rigorously tracking global temperature, according to data released last week. The chart above shows a...

A Carbon Dividend?

Posted by: John Carey on January 10

In the last year, the political winds on climate change have shifted dramatically. A cap on the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is now widely seen as...

Half a hundred folks most likely to spark a climate revolution

Posted by: Adam Aston on January 08

The Guardian, one of the UK's top daily newspapers, has posted a list of "The top 50 people who could save the planet" that's getting lots of attention in...

Tricks in the Climate Debate?

Posted by: John Carey on December 03

As delegates gather in Bali, Indonesia to try to hammer out an agreement on climate change, some intriguing shenanigans are happening here at home. One of the key developments in...

Climate Change Legislation: Don’t Believe the Opponents’ Numbers

Posted by: John Carey on November 28

The U.S. Senate is now working on a bill that would require cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, and the opposition is pulling out all the stops to block its passage....

Choosing Column A

Posted by: Adam Aston on November 04

A compellingly clear simplification of the choices we face in dealing with the risks of global warming. Check it out....

Create your own imaginary world, then cook it to death!

Posted by: Adam Aston on October 24

When it hits store shelves November 15, SimCity Societies, the latest installment of one of the most popular, long-lived PC games in history (and the only game to which I've...

Warm Weather Woes

Posted by: Adam Aston on October 23

It's almost Halloween. New York City is basking in its third week of Indian summer. And I'm beginning to fear for my annual ski trip. AccuWeather.com released its long term...

There Are Solutions to Climate Change

Posted by: John Carey on October 05

When it comes to climate change, many people have moved quickly from denial to despair. This isn’t a new observation, by any means, but I’m struck by how, even as...

Mark your calendar: Climate chatter galore

Posted by: Adam Aston on September 12

Through year end, we're headed into period with an unprecedented number of high-level, international climate change meetings.

Uncertain Climate at Harvard Business School

Posted by: John Carey on August 08

Doug Koplow got a nasty surprise at his last Harvard Business School reunion. He'd missed the Saturday speakers because of family duties, but at the dinner that evening, he got...

What Happens When the Glaciers are Gone?

Posted by: John Carey on July 12

I'm just back from a trip to Switzerland, where among other things, I met with Professor Dr. Martin Grosjean, executive director of the country's NCCR Climate Management Centre. Grosjean told...

Film review: Manufactured Landscapes

Posted by: Adam Aston on July 04

A visually riveting mix of video and stills, Manufactured Landscapes unfolds with the beauty of Koyaanisqatsi and packs all the environmental punch of An Inconvenient Truth. Check it out on a big screen if you can. More here:

GreenWords -- Top eco-tales to check out

Posted by: Adam Aston on June 12

As they catch my eye, I plan to post links to important, controversial or outstanding stories on the environment and green biz. Here are few recent picks. In the "The...

Exxon's Climate Denial -- Again

Posted by: John Carey on May 22

The arguments against action to combat climate change have undergone a remarkable evolution. When this whole debate started a decade ago, opponents said: “There’s no evidence that the climate is...

Welcome to GreenBusiness, BW's newest blog

Posted by: Adam Aston on May 22

Welcome to Green Business, BusinessWeek.com's latest blog. Our aim here is to explore the business side of energy, the environment and climate change. They’re fast changing issues, and highly divisive--perfect...