News digest 8 – 19 June 2008

Companies
Anheuser-Busch to filter vehicle emissions
Toyota to up hybrid production
Drilling linked to Indonesian volcano
$100 million committed to US solar
UK climate consultancy moves into US




Reports
UK, EU may miss climate goals
Green jobs still flourishing in UK
Report: Sustainability efforts are superficial
Report: China’s resources not keeping up

Policy
Tasmanian government acts on climate change


Companies

Anheuser-Busch to filter vehicle emissions

Fifteen trucks in one of US brewery Anheuser-Busch’s New York fleets will be receiving multi-stage diesel filters that can reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 80%, as well as closed crankcase systems that can eliminate all crankcase emissions. The filter devices are being funded by a $150,000 grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency for the Northeast Diesel Collaborative, and the company is also in the process of replacing diesel engines with compressed natural gas engines in 22 other trucks, as well as converting the entire 75-truck fleet to biodiesel.

Toyota to up hybrid production

Toyota plants in Thailand and Australia will begin to manufacture hybrid versions of the company’s popular Camry in an effort to promote hybrid vehicles worldwide, announced Toyota Motor Corp. this week. The carmaker aims for Toyota Motor Thailand’s Gateway plant to produce up to 9,000 hybrid Camrys yearly beginning in 2009, and Australia’s Altona plant to roll out 10,000 of the vehicles each year starting in 2010. Toyota said it hopes to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles yearly as early as possible during the next decade.

Drilling linked to Indonesian volcano

A mud volcano that has been erupting for 2 years in Indonesia is being blamed on drilling in a well called Banjar-Panji-1, operated by drilling company Lapindo Brantas. A study published this week in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters says the Lusi mud volcano was almost certainly caused when pressure in Lapindo’s well caused an underground fluid leakage, while the company maintains that the eruption was triggered by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that occurred nearby two days earlier.

$100 million committed to US solar

Duke Energy announced this week that it plans to embark on a $100 million project to install solar panels at up to 850 sites in North Carolina, including factories, homes, schools and stores. If approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the programme would provide more than 2,600 homes with over 16 megawatts of ‘distributed generation’ power, meaning the energy is generated close to the point of use instead of having to be transported via power lines to other customers.

UK climate consultancy moves into US

UK climate change and energy consultancy firm AEA Technology announced last week that it would acquire the US-based Project Performance Corporation, an information technology and environmental management firm, for $65 million. PPC’s CEO Michael Nigro—who will become chief operations officer and president of US operations for the new entity, called the Enlarged Group—said the merger entailed opportunities for growth both in the US and internationally, and that the firm would continue to work on the climate changes problems faced by governments and large companies.

Reports

UK, EU may miss climate goals

Following existing climate change policies may lead the UK and the EU to miss their declared goal of allowing no more than 3°C of temperature warming, though they may achieve their goal of reducing emissions 20% by 2020, says a report by the Stockholm Network. According to the report, only radical policy changes—such as a global cap on carbon production—would allow countries to curb emissions and stop climate change.

Green jobs still flourishing in UK

The market for climate change-related jobs in the UK is still booming despite an economic downturn pressuring many other sectors into cutting positions, says UK-based recruiting firm Acre Resources. Acre said they have seen a 20% increase in the number of “green collar jobs” in the environmental sector during the past 12 months, and positions dealing with energy reduction and emissions management have increased by 180%. In addition, Acre says the average salary within the climate change industry this year is up 14% from last year, to £49,000.

Report: Sustainability efforts are superficial

Many companies’ efforts into sustainability are merely superficial, and are sincerely affected only by pressure from international investors instead of well-meaning legislation, regulation, or consumer demand, says a new report from consulting firm Arthur D. Little. According to the report, business legislation and regulations are generally too lenient to have a lasting influence, and consumers are usually unaware of a company’s business practices—leaving only the international investment community to recognize the long-term economic potential of sustainability and carbon management.

Report: China’s resources not keeping up

Since the 1960s, China’s ecological footprint has doubled, says a report released last week by WWF and the government’s China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. According to the Report on Ecological Footprint in China, the nation is now using roughly 15% of the world’s total biological capacity, and uses more than double what its own ecological resources can supply sustainably. The report recommends that China begin its move toward sustainability by taking steps like investing in clean technologies and taking individual action like switching to energy efficient light bulbs.

Policy

Tasmanian government acts on climate change

The Tasmanian government announced this week that it would set firm goals for tackling climate change within the state. Outlined measures include creating a complete carbon-neutral government vehicle fleet by July 2010, offsetting the emissions from all government air travel through a partnership with Greening Australia, requiring all state agencies to provide annual reports on their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and providing a draft of the government’s 2008 Climate Change Bill for public comment.