sustenergy press review n. 12

also published on http://sustenergy.wordpress.com  (beta version)
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SUSTENERGY PRESS REVIEW n.12 – 29 Septeber 2008
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Mobile phones to track carbon footprint
Keeping track of your carbon footprint could become as simple as slipping a mobile phone in your pocket: a London-based start-up company has developed software for mobile phones that uses global positioning satellites to work out automatically whether you are walking, driving or flying and then calculate your impact on the environment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/29/carbonfootprints.travelandtransport

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Video: Alaska’s Eroding Arctic Coast

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/video-alaskas-eroding-arctic-coast/

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Rich nations’ greenhouse gases fell in 2006: survey

OSLO (Reuters) – Rich nations’ greenhouse gas emissions dipped for the first time in five years in 2006, easing 0.1 percent despite robust economic growth, a Reuters survey of the latest available information showed Friday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE48P6OL20080926?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&sp=true

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CO2 Flow Speeds Up; Poor Countries Now Lead

Overnight the Global Carbon Project, a network of scientists tracking emissions of carbon dioxide, released its latest update, and it shows that emissions are accelerating and are close to the highest scenarios considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year.More than half of global emissions, which totaled more than 34 billion tons of CO2 in 2007, are now from developing countries, the report said. Their dominance reflects explosive growth in the burning of coal and manufacturing cement, another big source of the heat-trapping gas.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/co2-flow-speeds-up-poor-countries-now-lead/

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Africa awash in sunlight, but not solar energy
From household solar panels to thermal generators big enough to power a town, sun power has enjoyed explosive growth around the world.
Everywhere, that is, except on the sun-drenched continent of Africa.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMM7je0c_5HgWo2_K64Ptt-BRdyg

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Spain Ratifies New 500-MW Solar Subsidy Cap

Spain’s Cabinet has ratified proposals to set a new limit on subsidised solar power at a capacity level of 500 megawatts, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said on Friday.
The approval ends weeks of wrangling over the new subsidy cap, which is far below the 1,200 MW fixed in a current subsidy scheme expiring on Monday that helped make Spain the world’s third-largest solar market after Germany and the United States.

http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=107383

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Scottish Power Plans $184 Million Spend on Tidal Power Turbines

Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) — Scottish Power Ltd., Iberdrola SA’s U.K. unit, plans to invest more than 100 million pounds ($184 million) on tidal-power developments as the utility develops energy-production that doesn’t add to carbon-dioxide emissions.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=a3HCt5SyVWFk&refer=europe

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Carbon clean-up in Stinky Town
A new German coal-fired power station buries its own CO2. Now Europe must decide whether to spend €12bn subsidising more.
The next 10 days will determine if CCS, which is expensive and still unproven, has a future. A vote in the European parliament will decide whether the first 12 demonstration projects receive a €12bn (£9.5bn) subsidy. Failure to reach agreement – and Europe is split over the proposal – will mean a delay of at least two years while the search goes on for alternative funding mechanisms.

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ILO new report says emerging green economy could create tens of millions of new “Green Jobs”

NEW YORK (ILO News) ─ A new, landmark study on the impact of an emerging global “green economy” on the world of work says efforts to tackle climate change could result in the creation of millions of new “green jobs” in the coming decades.

The new report (Note 1) entitled Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World, says changing patterns of employment and investment resulting from efforts to reduce climate change and its effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies, and could create millions more in both developed and developing countries.

http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang–en/WCMS_098481/index.htm

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sustenergy press review – 11

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Portugal vai ser pioneiro a nível mundial no aproveitamento da energia das ondas

O primeiro parque de ondas pré-comercial do mundo foi inaugurado em Portugal a 23 de Setembro de 2008. Localizado ao largo da Aguçadora, Póvoa do Varzim, tem 3 máquinas Pelamis – desenvolvidas por uma empresa britânica. Parecem enormes cobras que oscilam ao sabor do mar.

http://static.publico.clix.pt/homepage/infografia/ambiente/pelamis/

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Spain eases plan to slash subsidy for solar power

MADRID, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Spain has decided to ease proposed sharp cuts in a generous subsidy scheme to solar power producers in one of the world’s hottest markets, Energy Secretary Pedro Marin said on Tuesday.Marin said the proposed limit on total capacity of new solar power panels entitled to subsidies in 2009 will be 500 megawatts, which compares to an earlier draft proposal to set the cap at 300 MW.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7820055
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EU lawmakers set to halt carbon curbs

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union lawmakers are set to slam the brakes on plans to curb carbon dioxide emissions from cars, easing the burden on the auto industry in the fight against climate change, documents circulated on Tuesday showed.
A draft European Parliament resolution would delay and soften the mandatory emissions limits proposed by the executive European Commission, reduce the fines for non-compliance and give carmakers a freer hand on how they achieve the cuts.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKTRE48MA1O20080923
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Exclusive: The methane time bomb

Arctic scientists discover new global warming threat as melting permafrost releases millions of tons of a gas 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-the-methane-time-bomb-938932.html

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Solar Projects Draw New Opposition

WHAT’S not to like about solar power? Sunlight is clean, quiet and abundant. If enough of it were harnessed and turned into electricity, it could be the solution to the energy crisis. But surprisingly, solar power projects are running into mounting opposition — and not from hard-nosed, coal-fired naysayers, but from environmentalists

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/business/businessspecial2/24shrike.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Einstein fridge design can help global cooling

An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University who are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/21/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange

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Two Nobelists Call for Forest Carbon Market

Two recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize with a passion for the environment have joined the push to include forest preservation in carbon-trading markets as a way to curb greenhouse gases and help poor rural communities in the ailing tropics. The laureates, former Vice President Al Gore and Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan leader of an African movement to curb poverty and advance women’s rights through tree planting, made their pitch at a Manhattan meeting on forest conservation, economic development and climate.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/two-nobelists-call-for-forest-carbon-market/

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EU biofuel panic threatens planet – Brazil envoy

BRUSSELS, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Europe’s heated debate over biofuels risks weakening one of the world’s best tools to fight climate change and one of the developing world’s best hopes for economic growth, Brazil’s ambassador to the EU said on Friday.”What I fear is the debate over biofuels has taken on a very emotional character and we have somewhere got lost in this emotion,” said Maria Celina de Azevedo Rodrigues.”Once, biofuels were seen as the salvation, and all of a sudden they are the devil.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7811185

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Bill Gates Goes For Algae, Invests in Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy

Cascades Investments LLC, Mr. Gates’ personal investment vehicle, is backing Sapphire Energy, a start up working towards a commercial-scale facility to produce oil from algae. And by all indications, he is not trying to save the world from its petroaddiction. He’s trying to make some money.
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/09/17/bill-gates-goes-for-algae-invests-in-biofuel-maker-sapphire-energy/

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Monitoring and evaluation of household energy projects!

http://www.hedon.info/BoilingPoint55-June2008

The theme of this edition is the effective Monitoring and Evaluation
(M&E) of household energy projects. While often neglected, M&E
is a critical component of any project as it allows a practitioner to
measure the success of an intervention, whether in technical, social,
economic, environmental or political terms, so that they can learn from
the indicator results to improve future work.

press review n.7

SPECIAL DOHA SESSION

Doha Collapse No Surprise But Extremely Unfortunate — Especially for Developing Countries

http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/07/doha_collapse_no_surprise_but.php

Food Security Fears Undermine Doha Trade Talks

http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/07/food_security_fears_undermine.php

South Centre’s Analysis and News of the WTO’s Mini-Ministerial

http://www.southcentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=664&Itemid=1

Trade Talks Crumble in Feud Over Farm Aid

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072900556.html?hpid=topnews

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Solar Thermal Power Coming to a Boil

Jonathan G. Dorn

After emerging in 2006 from 15 years of hibernation, the solar thermal power industry experienced a surge in 2007, with 100 megawatts of new capacity coming online worldwide.

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2008/Update73.htm

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New Report from Harvard Kennedy School Researchers Calls for Changes to Biofuels Incentives

Report Highlights Potential to Create Sustainable Biofuel Industry in the Developing World

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/articles/biofuels-report

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Spain to cut speed limit in bid to reduce oil imports

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/30/energyefficiency.travelandtransport

What is going to power our cars?

With oil supplies a continuing concern, focus is switching to lithium for electric vehicles. But debate rages about how much of it is available

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/31/motoring.energy

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Google Energy Guru Pushes Congress to Insulate America

Dan Reicher, Google’s guru of all things related to energy and the environment, came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday with some ideas on how to keep Earth from overheating and poor families from freezing this winter in the face of sky-high prices for heating oil.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/google-energy-guru-pushes-congress-to-insulate-america/

press review 6

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Fuel Cell Vehicles 15 Years Away, Research Council Says

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5828

Hydrogen fuel cells may be the best energy-saving alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, and the technology could be economically competitive by 2023, a U.S. National Research Council report announced Thursday.

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http://dn.sapo.pt/2008/07/24/ciencia/paineis_solares_sara_para_iluminar_a.html

Painéis solares no Sara para iluminar a Europa

Energia. O sol do deserto africano pode fornecer três vezes mais energia do que o sol no Norte da Europa. Os cientistas europeus defendem que bastaria recolher 0,3% dessa luz para fornecer electricidade verde a todo o Velho Continente

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World Bank Revisits the Meaning of “Absolute” Poverty

The World Bank has announced a new poverty line on the basis of revised estimates of Purchasing Price Parity (PPP) price levels around the world. In the working paper that explains the basis for the new line, poverty measurement guru Martin Ravallion and his co-authors make two proposals.

http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/07/world_bank_revisits_the_meanin.php

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Cassava for food and energy security

25 July 2008, Rome – The tropical root crop cassava could help protect the food and energy security of poor countries now threatened by soaring food and oil prices, FAO said today. At a global conference held in Gent, Belgium, cassava scientists called for a significant increase in investment in research and development needed to boost farmers’ yields and explore promising industrial uses of cassava, including production of biofuels.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000899/index.html

http://biopact.com/2008/07/fao-calls-for-boost-to-cassava-research.html

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World Bank Criticized on Environmental Efforts

The World Bank and its partners need to do a far better job of considering the environmental effects of projects they finance in poor countries, its internal review group concludes in a new report.

The review, released Tuesday, examined some of the $400 billion in investments in nearly 7,000 projects from 1990 to 2007. It found that recent pledges for environmental sustainability by the bank and sister institutions, including the International Finance Corporation, were often not put into practice when dollars were turned into dams, pipelines, palm plantations and the like.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/science/earth/23enviro.html

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PRESS REVIEW n 5 – 22 july 2008

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SUSTENERGY PRESS REVIEW N. 5 - 22 July 2008

(AVAILABLE ALSO AT SUSTENERGY.WORDPRESS.COM)

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Açores: investigador admite produção de cem toneladas/dia de hidrogénio dentro de quatro a cinco anos

http://economia.publico.clix.pt/noticia.aspx?id=1336081

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Biofuel policies in OECD countries costly and ineffective, says report

OECD’s Economic Assessment of Biofuel Support Policies says biofuels are currently highly dependent on public funding to be viable. In the US, Canada and the European Union government support for the supply and use of biofuels is expected to rise to around USD 25 billion per year by 2015 from about USD 11 billion in 2006. The report estimates that biofuel support costs between USD 960 to USD 1700 per tonne of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) saved.

http://www.oecd.org/document/28/0,3343,en_2649_33717_41013916_1_1_1_1,00.html

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New global soil database

Soil database win-win options for climate change mitigation and food production

21 July 2008, Rome – A new database on the world’s soils improves knowledge of the current and future land productivity as well as the present carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential of the world’s soils. It helps to identify land and water limitations, and assist in assessing the risks of land degradation, particularly soil erosion risks, said FAO today.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000882/index.html

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Millennium Villages are designed to demonstrate how the eight Millennium Development Goals can be met in rural Africa within five years through community-led development.

http://www.millenniumvillages.org/

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IEA warns non-Opec oil could peak in two years

Oil production in non-Opec countries is set to peak within the next two years, leaving the world increasingly dependent on supplies from the cartel of exporting nations, according to one of the world’s leading energy experts.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article4368523.ece

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Climate Film Draws a Rebuke

A controversial British documentary called “The Great Global Warming Swindle” unfairly portrays several scientists and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Britain’s television watchdog agency ruled on Monday.

The agency, the Office of Communication, issued a report rebuking Channel 4 in Britain, which broadcast “Swindle” last year. But the report said the film, while “intemperate” in its characterizations of the dominant scientific view that humans are the main force in warming the planet, “did not materially mislead the audience so as to cause harm or offense.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/science/earth/22clim.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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Mideast Facing Choice Between Crops and Water

CAIRO — Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/worldbusiness/21arabfood.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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Squandered oil wealth leaves Nigeria in dark age

Nigeria has earned the equivalent in today’s terms of nearly $1.2 trillion from oil production over the past four decades, the sort of money that enabled oil-producing Gulf states like Qatar to develop some of the strongest economies in the Arab world.

Yet the vast majority of Nigeria’s 140 million people live in no better conditions than their neighbours in West Africa, the least developed region of the world’s poorest continent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSL14702123

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PUTIN, POWER, AND THE NEW RUSSIA

By Marshall I. Goldman

Oxford University Press, $27.95, 256 pages

REVIEWED BY JOSEPH C. GOULDEN

http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/20/how-russia-strives-to-dominate-oil/

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France to test water near reactors after uranium leak

PARIS (AFP) — France’s ecology minister has called for tests of the ground water near all of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors after a uranium leak at a plant in the south polluted the local water supply.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5guWSVW7BaXtHeX_WGVKBhXH36oyQ

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Energy crisis threatens U.S. survival, Gore says

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United States should be making all of its electricity with renewable and carbon-free energy in 10 years, former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/17/gore.energy/index.html

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Food aid, a gigantic waste of money?

BIOPACT – Pedro Sanchez, director of the Tropical Agriculture Program of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and 2002 World Food Prize Laureate, has some interesting numbers on the unsustainable costs of food aid. They show that the multi-billion dollar food aid industry is in a crisis because of rising costs. But there is a very positive side to this crisis: it has now become rational and profitable to invest in local farmers in developing countries

http://biopact.com/2008/07/food-aid-gigantic-waste-of-money.html

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For Global Trade Talks, the Stakes Have Risen

Negotiations at the Doha Development Agenda, the official name for the Doha round of trade talks, are expected to last six days, and they will determine whether, after seven years, a trade agreement is within reach.

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SUSTENERGY press review n.4

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SUSTENERGY PRESS REVIEW n. 4 – 10 July 2008

all press reviews available also  http.//sustenergy.wordpress.com

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Center for Global Development – SCRAP the G8

An article full of links from on the best think tank on global development issues

Once again the G8 has come up tragically short on climate change and a host of urgent problems affecting poor people in developing countries. The good news is that they are at least discussing the right topics.

http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2008/07/scrap_the_g8.php

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Portugal and Renault-Nissan Alliance Partner Directly on EVs; Consumer Sales Begin in 2011

9 July 2008

The Government of Portugal and the Renault Nissan Alliance have formed a partnership to bring together the public and private sectors to create the necessary conditions to make zero-emission vehicles a viable and attractive solution for consumers. Portugal is the first partner to join the Alliance in a direct program of this type.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/07/portugal-and-re.html

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Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008 Report

UNEP SEFI and New Energy Finance are pleased to release this year’s Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008 Report. The report provides an overview of capital flows and an analysis of the trends in sustainable energy investment activity

http://sefi.unep.org/english/globaltrends.html

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Large Solar Energy Array Set for G.M. in Spain – NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/business/08solar.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&oref=slogin

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Gazprom Offers to Buy All of Libya’s Gas – NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/business/worldbusiness/10gazprom.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Oil speculation: Why we don’t have answers

There’s a lot we don’t know about how the oil futures markets now work. Congress should find out.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/07/news/economy/oil_prins.fortune/?postversion=2008070811

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Economic Progress and Climate Change Issues: A Dissenting Viewpoint

(not everybody agree with IPCC)

David Henderson 1

http://www.warwickhughes.com/papers/clare_mar08.htm

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MIT Portugal Energy Faculty Promote Green Islands Project at Azores Conference

MIT Portugal Program leaders in Sustainable Energy Systems will promote a groundbreaking new project that could change the way islands, like the Azores, utilize its energy resources at the AmbiTech Azores 2008 conference July 9-11.

http://www.mitportugal.org/event-news/mit-portugal-energy-faculty-promote-green-islands-project-at-azores-conference.html

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OPEC chief warns of ‘unlimited’ oil prices if Iran is attacked

VIENNA: The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday that oil prices would see an “unlimited” increase in the case of a military conflict involving Iran, because the group’s members would be unable to make up the lost production.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/10/business/opec.php

Energy Statistics 2008

STATISTICAL REVIEW OF ENERGY 2008

Oil, Gas and coal. all the data you always craved for:

world table with consumption from 1965 till today, by country and various unit measures,

very useful!!!

http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9023771&contentId=7044470

press review – 3 – 7 July 2008

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SUSTENERGY PRESS REVIEW – 3 – 7 July 2008

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The Guardian

Clean tech: Green energy is the modern gold rush

The “clean tech” sector has bounced back from the credit crunch with new global figures showing a resurgence of interest from investors in alternative energy – labelled a “green Klondike” that could reach $600bn annually by 2020.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/02/renewableenergy.carbonemissions

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The Guardian

Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis

Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% – far more than previously estimated – according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy

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BIOPACT – EU to change biofuels policy: imports from Brazil, solid biomass for electric transport, biohydrogen

After a three day informal meeting, European Energy Ministers have signaled the beginning of a change of policy on biofuels. Instead of producing liquid biofuels in the EU, they are considering to import the green fuels from Brazil, where they can be made far more efficiently.

http://biopact.com/2008/07/eu-to-change-biofuels-policy-imports.html

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-Key EU lawmaker proposes new 2015 biofuel target – Reuters

PARIS, July 4 (Reuters) – A key European Union lawmaker said on Friday he had broad parliamentary backing to propose changing the EU’s target for biofuels so that 4 percent of road transport fuels come from renewable sources by 2015.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0434441520080704

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REUTERS –

Gazprom CEO stands firm on $250 oil, $1000 gas view

BAKU, July 3 (Reuters) – Europe’s bill for Russian gas will rise by a quarter by the end of 2008 and will eventually double, the head of Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday, repeating his view that the oil price will rise by another $100 a barrel.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSL0341241220080703?rpc=401&

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TELEGRAPH – Oil price shock means China is at risk of blowing up:

The great oil shock of 2008 is bad enough for us. It poses a mortal threat to the whole economic strategy of emerging Asia.

Oil price shock means China is at risk of blowing up

An oil rig in China’s Bohai Sea

The manufacturing revolution of China and her satellites has been built on cheap transport over the past decade. At a stroke, the trade model looks obsolete.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/07/07/ccview107.xml

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AP – EU, Russia optimistic about new energy deal

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — The European Union and Russia said Friday they would discuss all aspects of energy cooperation — including access to energy markets — during negotiations on broader political and economic ties.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMoYDBafXbYUCHxJP1DRlsBbikrwD91N1T900

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INHABITAT – U.S. Freeze on Solar Energy Projects Lifted

Last week the New York Times reported that “the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.” …… Just days later, after an uproar of voiced concern, the moratorium was reversed.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/04/us-puts-the-freeze-on-solar-energy-projects/

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AFP

Only seven years left for global warming target: UN panel chief

PARIS (AFP) — The head of the UN’s Nobel-winning panel of climate scientists on Friday said only seven years remained for stabilising emissions of global-warming gases at a level widely considered safe.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), delivered the bleak warning at a gathering of European Union ministers where he pleaded with the EU to take the lead in global talks on tackling climate change.

The UN negotiations “must progress rapidly, otherwise I am afraid that not only future generations but even this generation will treat us as having been irresponsible,” said Pachauri.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jGxKw2XS4_IHH6Xc7RVAY02dkNBg

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Oil supplies will be tight for 5 years, energy agency says

GLOBAL oil markets will remain tight over the next five years, the International Energy Agency has warned, in a gloomy assessment that offers little respite for consumers battered by record high oil prices.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/01/business/oil.php

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Oil supplies will be tight for 5 years, energy agency says – International Herald Tribune

 Oil supplies will remain tight over the next few years despite record
high prices, the International Energy Agency projected in a report
issued Tuesday, even though costly crude oil is affecting consumption. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/01/business/oil.php