Summary
Today’s edition might be a historic one, as it signs the end of an era, that of oil. And it is Ali Al Naimi, oil minister and climate negotiator for Saudi Arabia, who says so! Indeed, everyone seems to (finally) have an epiphany. Glencore chairman Tony Hayward calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels and pension funds worth billions grow anxious about the risks posed by climate change. As a result, shareholders put pressure on energy companies over their carbon emissions.
Quote of the day
“Eventually, one of these days, we are not going to need fossil fuels.”
Ali Al Naimi, oil minister and climate negotiator for Saudi Arabia, in the BusinessGreen’s story John Kerry says businesses should go 100 per cent renewable, as Saudis hint at end to oil age
Lead stories
John Kerry says businesses should go 100 per cent renewable, as Saudis hint at end to oil age
By Jessica Shankleman – BusinessGreen
US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday joined a growing chorus of voices demanding businesses set ambitious goals to slash greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades, ahead of this year’s crucial Paris Climate Summit.
http://jlne.ws/1AjqlPc
Glencore chairman Tony Hayward calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels
By Fiona Harvey – BusinessGreen
The chairman of the world’s biggest commodity trader has called for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels.
http://jlne.ws/1PAzB8e
Top EU companies urge drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
By Alister Doyle and Geert De Clercq – Reuters
Top European companies urged governments on Thursday to set a goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero well before 2100, saying that going green can bring profits rather than costs.
http://jlne.ws/1KoG42H
Business leaders prepare for limited UN climate deal in Paris
By Tom Levitt – The Guardian
Business leaders are preparing for a limited agreement on reducing carbon emissions at the crunch UN summit in Paris later this year, despite growing support from them for carbon pricing and a commitment to cut emissions by enough to avoid more than 2C of global warming.
http://jlne.ws/1Sn8VXi
Shareholder Pressure Increasing Over Climate Change Risks
By Tara Patel and Stefan Nicola – Bloomberg News
Energy companies are facing increased scrutiny over their carbon emissions as pension funds worth billions grow anxious about the risks posed by climate change.
http://jlne.ws/1GtCstW
Green Climate Fund ‘open for business’ after Japan’s $1.5bn pledge
By Jessica Shankleman – BusinessGreen
A climate change fund set up by the United Nations to bolster developing economy investment in clean technologies and climate adaptation has confirmed it is now open for business after Japan delivered its $1.5bn pledge, taking total contribution agreements to $5.47bn.
http://jlne.ws/1Hz8RR6
Jeb Bush on Climate Change: Not ‘Highest Priority,’ Some Scientists ‘Arrogant’ on Debate
By Michael Oleaga – LatinPost
Based on Latino Decisions’ polling data, Latinos have labeled climate change as a threat, but former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a potential Republican Party presidential nominee, the topic should not be the highest priority for the U.S.
http://jlne.ws/1doyQhL
Brazil’s ditching of climate change targets may not signal policy shift
By Jonathan Watts – The Guardian
First it was there. Then it was gone. The long-awaited announcement of Brazil’s new climate target came and went with a sleight of hand that caused an uproar among environmentalists this week.
http://jlne.ws/1AjuDGb
Bahrain to host major forum on climate change
Trade Arabia
A major forum will be held in Bahrain next week to discuss the impact of climate change on small islands and the importance of sustainable ecological policy-making.
http://jlne.ws/1Hyyfnd
Lawmakers jumping onto energy bill bandwagon
By Geof Koss – E&E
Following an extended hiatus on pushing major energy legislation past the finish line, lawmakers are hoping to make up for lost time.
http://jlne.ws/1IP0otB
Events
EMA Annual Meeting
October 28-30, 2015
Omni Parker House Hotel
Boston, MA
http://bit.ly/192w3CR
Carbon
Vermont joins green coalition
Times Argus
Vermont has joined a coalition of domestic and international governments to work toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
http://jlne.ws/1FCM0BS
University of Hawaii System votes to divest from fossil fuels
By Emma Howard – The Guardian
The University of Hawaii System has announced it will divest its $66m (£42m) endowment from oil, coal and gas companies, following a vote by its board of regents on Thursday.
http://jlne.ws/1Bg33EP
Natural gas / coal
Don’t invest in Australia coal mines, scientists warn banks in bid to halt climate change
By Ernest Kao – South China Morning Post
Science has added its voice to the call for international financial institutions to halt investments in coal-mining projects in Australia’s resource-rich Galilee Basin.
http://jlne.ws/1Lk8hod
Best alternative to coal? Still nuclear
Tyler Morning Post
If the Obama administration has declared war on coal, it’s done so while unilaterally disarming itself of its most potent weapon — nuclear energy.
http://jlne.ws/1Lk8JCO
The Grim Promise of India’s Coal-Powered Future
By Eric Roston – Bloomberg News
Burning coal is both a proven way to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and the most dangerous fuel driving global warming. The United Nations has set itself the goal of reconciling these two things, and the results are shaky at best.
http://jlne.ws/1AjvsyE
Power
Beijing promises coal-free power by 2017 to fight pollution
Beijing will build four gas-fired power and heating plants by next year and shut the last of its coal-fired generators by 2017 as part of its campaign against hazardous air pollution, officials said.
http://jlne.ws/1R9GV89
Africa’s Power-Starved Financial Capital Mulls Sewage, Solar
By Paul Burkhardt – Bloomberg News
Johannesburg, Africa’s biggest financial center, is considering generating power from sources ranging from sewage to water pipes to help end electricity cuts that shutter shops and cause traffic gridlock.
http://jlne.ws/1KoJ7I8
Eurus Energy Completes 16.7 MW Wind Power Station in Japan
By Chisaki Watanabe – Bloomberg News
Eurus Energy Holdings Corp., a Japanese clean-energy developer, completed a 16.7-megawatt wind power station in central Japan.
http://jlne.ws/1F1wMle
Clean tech
Your Home Doesn’t Matter for Tesla’s Dream of a Battery-Powered Planet
By Tom Randall – Bloomberg News
Elon Musk has done something remarkable. He built a 220-pound battery to hang on the garage wall and convinced a huge number of people that owning one is a lifestyle choice—like having a compost bin in the garden and reusable diapers on the baby. His battery is personal, and it’s going to change the world with your help.
http://jlne.ws/1AjvMNU
Water
El Niño could bring drought and famine in west Africa, scientists warn
A global weather phenomenon could cause a famine in the Sahel this year by combining with already dry conditions to create a “double whammy” for the region, scientists and aid groups have warned.
http://jlne.ws/1Q1216c
Obama Set to Strengthen Federal Role in Clean Water Regulation
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to announce a major clean water regulation that would restore the federal government’s authority to limit pollution in the nation’s rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://jlne.ws/1GtBbTs
Miscellaneous
Scientists Sample the Ocean and Find Tiny Additions to the Tree of Life
By Karen Weintraub – The New York Times
Climate change scientists have known for years that rising temperatures affect sea creatures, from the biggest fish to the microscopic plankton at the base of the ocean food chain.
http://jlne.ws/1c8YkxY