Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Companies increasingly counting internal cost of carbon

Almost 30 public-traded US companies are using an ‘internal carbon price' in their business planning, according to a new report by CDP.

The organisation formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project finds companies spanning all sectors of the economy, including energy, utilities, airlines, technology and the financial industry are using the measurement. All of the companies bar BP and Royal Dutch Shell are listed in the S&P 500.

Internal carbon pricing is a method of recognising the external cost of companies' operations on the environment and society, as well as incorporating the effects of climate change into risk assessment and long-term business planning.
Moreover, most companies in the survey told CDP they were accounting for their impacts now because they expect an eventual regulatory approach to prevent climate change.

To view the full article please click here

Friday, April 26, 2013

Hilton Worldwide extends Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia

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Carbon Expert – Business Sustainability Carbon Consultancy

Hilton Worldwide announced the extension of its Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia with the inclusion of Conrad Bali and Hilton Bandung in Indonesia. They join 11 existing properties in Southeast Asia already offsetting carbon emissions from events and meetings. Since its introduction on 1 October, 2012, the Hilton Worldwide Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia has successfully offset more than 4,500 tonnes of carbon emissions. The amount of carbon offset is equivalent to taking over 470 economy class flights around the world.

At no additional cost to customers, the program measures carbon generated by events and meetings and offsets these through the purchase of carbon credits. The credits are used to fund projects in Borneo and Cambodia that have strong community and environmental benefits beyond carbon. From 1 April, 2013, 13 Hilton Worldwide properties in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are part of the program.

“Hilton Worldwide is committed to leading the hospitality industry in sustainable practices,” said William Costley, vice president, operations – Southeast Asia, Hilton Worldwide. “The exceptional results from the first six months of the Hilton Worldwide Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia demonstrate the meaningful contribution an organisation can make to the environment and communities it operates in.”

Hilton Worldwide is the first and only major multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability measurement and corrective action a brand standard at each of its over 3,900 hotels globally.

To see the full story, please click here

Carbon Neutral ?

Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process of calculating missions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero”
DECC definition of carbon neutrality

To view more in depth expert Carbon Offsetting  analysis visit our website. http://www.carbon-expert.com

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Europe's climate chief vows to fight on to save emissions trading scheme





Carbon Expert - Business Sustainability Carbon Consultancy


Connie Hedegaard's attempts to introduce longer-term reforms will face fierce opposition from a powerful business lobby


Europe's climate chief vowed on Wednesday to fight on to save the EU's flagship environmental policy, the emissions trading system (ETS), after a serious blow on Tuesday when MEPs rejected reforms aimed at repairing the ailing system.


MEPs voted 334 against to 315 in favour of "backloading" the market – a proposal aimed to reverse the plummeting price of carbon that has resulted from a surplus of permits in the ETS market – leading the price of carbon to fall by almost half to under €3 on Tuesday.


Connie Hedegaard, EU commissioner for climate action, said: "We are preparing structural [longer-term reforms]. We will have new meetings for stakeholders, in parallel with an impact assessment. We are preparing an initiative." The proposals include measures to restrict rights to carbon permits under the system, and to allow for reviews of the number of permits companies receive for free.


Phil Hogan, the Irish environment minister who holds responsibility for the portfolio under the Irish presidency, said: "We are not prepared to allow this issue to die. We have a working party, and we will see what we have to do to put [this issue] up to people in a democratic process."


These attempts will face fierce opposition, however, from a powerful business lobby that has opposed the penalties on carbon dioxide emissions that Europe has sought to impose, in order to tackle climate change.

To see the full article, please click here

Carbon Neutral ?
"Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process of calculating missions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero"
DECC definition of carbon neutrality

To view more in depth expert Carbon Offsetting  analysis visit our website. www.carbon-expert.com

Monday, April 15, 2013

How polluters are trying to neuter carbon market ahead of key vote

Sandbag' Rob Elsworth warns a vote against backloading carbon allowances will undermine the EU's entire climate change strategy

To view the full story please click here

Friday, April 12, 2013

International cap-and-trade markets expanding – but still contentious

Nascent carbon emissions-trading exchanges in several countries are increasingly looking at options to interlink with one another, which advocates say would offer investors long-term stability, increase revenues for the development of renewable energy and strengthen corporate support for climate policy.

Yet critics warn that so-called cap-and-trade systems are inefficient and create incentives for polluting industries to continue with business as usual. They also warn that the new systems in the United States are dependent on mechanisms that adversely impact on poor and indigenous communities in developing countries.

"I've been incredibly struck at the recent groundswell of interest by countries – including China and Korea – looking to develop carbon markets," Harinder Sidhu, an Australian civil servant, said Wednesday at a panel discussion here.

To see the full story please click here

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Ballooning Gas Exports to Leave Australian Wind Winner: Energy

Australia’s $65 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.

Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group (BG/) Plc and Santos Ltd. open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the A$33 billion ($34 billion) of wind- and solar- power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

To view the full story on Bloomberg, click here

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Carbon Neutrality pledge from TAG Construction (UK) Ltd

Essex based TAG Construction (UK) Ltd have committed to working towards becoming a carbon neutral company.

Since 1996 TAG Construction has grown as a company by carrying out construction works for local authorities, large property companies, pension funds and education authorities.

In order to become Carbon Neutral they have engaged the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Click here for the full Considerate Constructors Scheme newsletter

Monday, March 11, 2013

KLM debuts weekly transatlantic biofuel-powered flight

Carbon-Expert
Dutch airline confirms weekly flights from New York to Amsterdam will use sustainable biofuels.

Click here for the Business Green article

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Huhne and Hendry lining up behind decarbonisation target

Former energy secretary Chris Huhne and former energy minister Charles Hendry are reportedly among those considering rebelling against the coalition and voting in favour of the inclusion of a decarbonisation target in the upcoming Energy Bill.

Click here for the full Business Green article.

Can Copenhagen Become the World's First Carbon Neutral City?

During the same week of the Beijing smog, Lord Mayor Frank Jensen of Copenhagen spoke at a green solutions presentation at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Key talking points covered the gamut from smarter cities and sustainable design, to energy efficiency and a bold plan for the city of 1.2 million people to become the world's first carbon neutral city by 2025.

Click here for the full Huffington post article