20 November 2008
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• Source: Reuters News

WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Group of Eight major industrialized countries should be doubled to include Brazil, China and India and other nations to better tackle global challenges like climate change and economic stability, a blue chip panel said on Thursday.

The panel, which included European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former World Bank President James Wolfensohn, argued that the G8 has become “outdated.” (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Other, Development, Climate Change

12 September 2008
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• Author: Geoffrey Kemp
• Source: The Toronto Star

I am about to turn 70 years old, so along with all but two of the G8 leaders, I will be dead before 2050. But I am concerned about the world into which my small grandchildren will grow.

It is time to put climate change into context. The small child used as a political prop by Stephen Harper on the front of Tuesday’s Star will be in his mid 40s in 2050 and, along with his sister and their cohorts, will be responsible for overcoming the economic and environmental problems that Stephen Harper’s lack of leadership on climate change will cause. Doing next to nothing in Canada unless India and China make the same commitment is the act of a follower not a leader. Unable to reach agreement at the last summit, G8 leaders seemed to decide to each do their own thing, in some cases little or nothing. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Climate Change

9 September 2008
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• Source: Irish Times

RICH COUNTRIES must start basing their climate change policies on human rights principles and stop using economic excuses to “wriggle out of their responsibilities”, says international aid agency Oxfam in a new report published today, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

2 September 2008
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• Source: States News Service

The following information was released by the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released this statement at the conclusion of the G8 Speakers’ Conference held in Tokyo and Hiroshima, Japan, August 31 to September 2. In addition to formal sessions, Pelosi and the other G8 members met with His Majesty Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Climate Change, Arms Control, Proliferation and WMD

1 September 2008
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• Author: Hiroshi Okabe
• Source: JAPAN SPOTLIGHT Bimonthly

Toyako Summit Mulls Environment, Other Global Issues

A Japanese legend says our wishes for the future will be met if we write them on “tanzaku” strips of paper and tie them to a bamboo branch on the occasion of the July 7 “Tanabata” star festival. Top leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial countries met for their annual summit at the Lake Toya resort in Hokkaido on that day and made wishes in accordance with the legend. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change

26 August 2008
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• Source: Jiji Press English News Service

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will request 23.8 billion yen in budget outlays for fiscal 2009 to revive subsidies to promote the use of solar power systems at private homes, officials said Tuesday.

Japan provided subsidies to households adopting solar power systems between 1994 and fiscal 2005, when the subsidy system was scrapped for financial reasons. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

26 August 2008
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• Source: Agence Europe

More than 1,500 delegates from 180 countries are meeting in Accra, Ghana, from 21 to 27 August) in the latest phase of UN climate change negotiations which aim to bring, in December 2009, an international agreement on a worldwide post-2012 regime for tackling global warming. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

26 August 2008
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• Author: Jonathan Soble
• Source: Financial Times

Japan is preparing for the arrival of plug-in electric cars next year with plans to build hundreds of “quick recharge” power stations and other infrastructure to accommodate the vehicles.

Drivers in Japan will be the first in the world to be offered battery-powered cars by large carmakers. The transport and power system upgrades, which are supported by the government, carmakers and electricity utilities, are designed to promote rapid adoption by easing concerns about the cars’ convenience and driving range. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

23 August 2008
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• Author: John Vidal and David Adam
• Source: The Hindu

Developing countries and human rights groups are heading for a clash at a U.N. climate change meeting intended to stop the destruction of tropical forests. Diplomats from more than 100 countries are meeting in Accra, Ghana, to open talks on whether tropical forests should join the emerging global carbon market. This would allow countries and companies to earn money from not cutting down trees. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change

22 August 2008
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• Author: Kim Hyun-cheol
• Source: Korea Times

A carbon tax is likely to be introduced from 2010 in a master plan to achieve low-carbon based development.

Chong Wa Dae has recently confirmed a list of 40 new administrative strategy agenda, which includes substitution of a carbon tax with the current transportation tax, the Chosun Ilbo, a Korean daily, reported Thursday. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change

21 August 2008
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• Source: The Saigon Times Daily

OSLO - More than 150 nations meet in Ghana from today trying to speed up sluggish talks on a new climate treaty and plug big gaps in a “vision” of leading industrial nations of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Aug. 21-27 meeting of 1,000 delegates will also consider new ways to combat global warming such as slowing tropical deforestation ?U.N. studies say burning of trees accounts for about 20% of greenhouse gases from human activities. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change

21 August 2008
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• Author: Aminu Abubakar
• Source: Agence France Presse

Time is running out in the fight against global warming, the UN’s top climate change official warned as a new round of UN talks got started here Thursday.

“There is little time left to get a solid negotiating text on the table. Clearly the clock is ticking,” said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change

20 August 2008
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• Author: Kim Hyun-cheol
• Source: Korea Times

President Lee Myung-bak faces a bumpy road in his move to transform South Korea into a “Low Carbon, Green Growth'’ country, as suspicion is mounting over the feasibility of his administration’s roadmap. (more…)

Filed by Sarah Cale under The Environment, Climate Change

19 August 2008
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• Author: Anne Chaon
• Source: Agence France Presse

Rich nations will come under pressure at climate talks in Africa this week to get specific about how quickly and by how much they intend to cut their carbon footprints, said the UN climate chief.

The expert-level gathering in Accra, Ghana kicks off Thursday, and will lay the technical groundwork for a major UN meeting in Poznan, Poland at the end of the year. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

19 August 2008
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• Source: Korea Times

President Lee Myung-bak’s latest pledge for “low-carbon, green growth'’ is a welcome ― if belated ― shift from the expansion-at-all-costs policy.

Nor did his environment-friendly development scheme appear to be a hurriedly-coined slogan on the occasion of the Republic of Korea’s 60th birthday Friday, as he made similar remarks at the G-8 summit in Japan and the National Assembly’s opening session last month. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under The Environment, Climate Change

15 August 2008
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• Source: Targeted News Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 — Greenpeace International issued the following news release:

The Indonesian province of Riau has pledged to halt the destruction of its forests and peatlands; a move that will prevent billions of tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Climate Change

12 August 2008
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• Source: Asian News International

The second meeting of the ministerial-level India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue was held in London.

Finance Minister P. Chidambarm led the Indian side, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling represented the UK on Monday.

The two sides discussed global macro economic issues in the context of the rising fuel, food and energy costs. The matter of climate change and enhancing cooperation in the filed of renewable sources of energy was also discussed. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under Global Financial Crises, Climate Change

10 August 2008
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• Author: Li Xiang
• Source: China Daily

Italy will seek closer engagement with China on major global issues when Rome holds the presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) next year, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

“I intend to closely engage with China on key topics on the G8’s agenda such as climate change, sustainable energy policy, global terrorism and poverty,” Frattini said in an interview with China Daily in Beijing on Friday. (more…)

Filed by Ivana Jankovic under Development, Climate Change, Energy and Nuclear Safety

7 August 2008
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• Source: SinoCast China Business Daily News (Abstracts)

BEIJING — China’s first two exchanges for environmental interest transactions were established in Beijing and Shanghai on August 5, 2008, citing a report.

On their early stage, these exchanges offer platforms for the trade of carbon dioxide rations.
(more…)

Filed by Anita Li under The Environment, Climate Change

6 August 2008
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• Source: Modern Power Systems

In what has become a dismally predictable outcome of international environmental meetings the Group Eight summit in Japan broke up on 9 July with nothing more to show for its efforts in tackling climate change than a feebly worded agreement by the world’s biggest polluters that there was a need for ‘deep cuts’ in greenhouse gas emissions: accompanied by resounding silence on the question of setting specific targets. (more…)

Filed by Sarah Cale under Climate Change

6 August 2008
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• Author: James Varley
• Source: Modern Power Systems

Al Gore’s recent call for a “man on the moon” approach to repowering the USA with carbon free electricity certainly went down well with his whooping audience at the Constitution Hall in Washington, thanks to a skilfully crafted script including some very good lines: “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has to change.” (more…)

Filed by Sarah Cale under Climate Change, Energy and Nuclear Safety

6 August 2008
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• Source: Joins.com

Worldwide efforts to reduce carbon dioxide, which contributes substantially to global warming, have started to pick up over the years. Takejiro Sueyoshi, 63, who heads Carbon Offset Japan (www.co-j.jp [http://www.co-j.jp.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca]), is one of the trailblazers in efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Asia. Sueyoshi was the first to establish a system wherein Japan reinvests payments by individuals and companies for emitting carbon dioxide into funding environment-friendly projects in developing countries.With the money paid by the member, Carbon Offset Japan buys carbon credits from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) approved by the United Nations. The credits are then used in developing environment friendly businesses. In just 11 months since Carbon Offset was launched in September 2007, its membership has grown to roughly 600,000 individuals and 70 corporations. Corporate members include Nissan and Sumitomo Bank. (more…)

Filed by Sarah Cale under Climate Change

5 August 2008
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• Source: Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies

NEW DELHI, Aug. 5 Kyodo - Japan called for India’s support on Tuesday for a target of halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but India made it clear it is difficult to accept a long-term target as developed and developing nations have different responsibilities. The request was made during talks between Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. Japan, which holds this year’s Group of Eight presidency, is eager to convince India, one of the world’s major emitters, to agree to the 2050 target and to join a post-2012 global framework. The G-8 summit in July agreed to seek other nations in the world to ‘’share'’ the goal of halving emissions. At Tuesday’s meeting, Komura also said Japan plans to provide 104.7 billion yen worth of low-interest loans to India for subway and road construction, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Climate Change, Arms Control, Proliferation and WMD

3 August 2008
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• Source: The Press Trust of India Limited

Washington, Aug 3 (PTI) — Describing the rapid economic growth of India and China based on coal and other hydrocarbons as “a problem”, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said Washington has “repeatedly” raised the issue of global warming with the two countries so as to address the challenges. (more…)

Filed by Ivana Jankovic under The Environment, Climate Change

3 August 2008
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• Author: Hugh Wheelan
• Source: Observer Business Pages

A GROUP of the world’s biggest pension funds brought together privately by Prince Charles and known informally as the P8, an allusion to the G8 group of the world’s wealthiest nations, is to release an action plan this summer on fighting climate change using their investments. (more…)

Filed by Ivana Jankovic under The Environment, Climate Change