Saudi Arabian United Float Glass Company set to become first Carbon Neutral Company in Yanbu

The Arabian United Float Glass Company, the first independent float line in the Middle East and Africa has committed to taking the first steps to implementing a strategic approach to reducing its impact on the environment and engaged the services of Carbon- Expert, an international carbon management consultancy, to conduct a carbon footprint assessment.

Click here for the full AMEInfo article

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 Urban Times article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Paulie Malignaggi Teams Up With Carbon Neutral Investments to Become First Ever Carbon Neutral Boxer

Current WBA Welterweight, Paulie Malignaggi and his team are to become carbon neutral ahead of his high profile fight at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Click here for the full Sacramento Bee article.

The Low Carbon Energy Company hails new era for financing sustainability projects

Carbon-expert

Despite the current economic climate and the understandable distrust consumers and businesses feel towards the financial services industry, Lancashire-based sustainability experts, The Low Carbon Energy Company are urging people to consider low carbon alternatives.

Click here for the IB Times article.
www.carbon-expert.com

Westcliff-on-Sea IT firm gets positive about emissions

An Essex IT consultancy firm is set to become ‘carbon positive’.

Westcliff-on-Sea based Globalnet IT Innovations Ltd is a local company which helps businesses of all sizes to maximize the potential of their IT Infrastructure through innovative cloud computing solutions.
In order to become carbon positive, Globalnet has enlisted the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Having a sustainability policy and dealing with business Green House Gas (GHG) emissions has become an intrinsic part of business management.
Major players in the IT industry, IBM and Microsoft, have already formulated sustainability policies and are actively looking at becoming carbon positive across the whole business.
Now it is the turn of smaller companies to get on board as well.
Robert Burdett,
Director of Globalnet IT Innovations explains. “We strive to offer the best and most beneficial IT solutions to our clients. With this in mind we are also conscious of the impact that IT has on the environment. We partnered with Carbon-Expert not only to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, but to prove how easy it is to go beyond carbon neutral to a point where a company can be beneficial to the environment, by using our cloud solutions our clients will now be able to do the same.”

Moya McKeown, Business Development Manager at Carbon-Expert said: “Being carbon positive is a recognized way to enhance your brand and reputation and sits nicely along with Globalnet IT ethos of providing good honest IT Consultancy and support.”
The fact that computers generate emissions is old news.

A 2007 article in The Economist revealed that computers, printers, mobile phones and the widgets that accompany them account for the emission of 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide around the world.
“The same report,” says Moya McKeown, “estimated that the spread of computers will increase these associated emissions by about 6 per cent annually until 2020.  Now  with Microsoft taking the lead with its ground breaking commitment to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2013 - the IT industry is moving to ensure it does not get left behind.”

“For most businesses the benefits of developing and maintaining a sustainability program out-weighs the costs both in time and money,” says McKeown.
www.carbon-expert.com

Emirates Palace Marina – Opulence and Good for The Environment

Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Palace Marina has committed to measuring its impact on the environment.
Already registered under the International Blue Flag Award programme, Emirates Palace Marina is an exclusive 167 berth fully serviced marina securely located in the grounds of the Emirates Palace Hotel and has enlisted the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Click here for the full Urban Times article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Olympic cauldron built in 'Bond-style gadget workshop' says architect as organisers vow to make giant flame carbon neutral

The lighting of the Olympic cauldron at last night's opening ceremony was, if nothing else, wonderfully unique. The giant flame's design was so sophisticated the studio where it was crafted looked more like James Bond's gadget workshop, its architect revealed today.

Click here for the Mail Online artcile.

Carbon trading coming to Shanghai

Shanghai will officially launch a pilot carbon emissions trading platform next year, which is expected to see the participation of about 200 companies in 16 industries, the China Securities Journal reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous source.

Click here for the Global Times article

Carbon savings promised in "biggest railway expansion in 150 years"

A £9.4bn rail upgrade programme to create a faster, low-carbon network was announced by the government today in what ministers hailed as the biggest modernisation since Victorian times.

Click here to read the full Business Green article.

www.carbon-expert.com

DPD launches carbon neutral shipping in six markets

European parcel carried DPD has now adopted carbon neutrality for its services in six major markets, at no extra charge to customers.

Click here for the Post & Parcel article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Climate change and what it means for investors

There seems to be an article every day now on the effects of climate change and why businesses and governments need to become more environmentally responsible but what does that mean for investors?


The graph shows the increase in Carbon Dioxide from 1960 – 2010 and it continues to
increase on an annual basis with measurements over 400 ppmv in the last month.
In an attempt to control and reduce the carbon emissions and greenhouse gases the
Kyoto Protocol was created as a way of monetising carbon output emissions. By making emissions reductions that have been verified a commodity that can be bought and sold by organisations a new asset class has been created, one that now offers a
fantastic investment opportunity for the forward thinking investor.

VER’s (Verified Emission Reductions) are credits derived from a wide-range of project
types, from small scale community driven projects, to large renewable energy
projects. Each VER represents a verified emission reduction of one tonne of CO2 or
equivalent gas, this means each credit is the result of a positive contribution
to the global effort to control climate change.

The VER market is growing rapidly. In 2008, 123.4 million metric tonnes of CO2 were transacted a near doubling of the 2007 volume.  VER prices then increased by 20% in 2009 when the market was valued at US$705 million and with a projected annual growth of 25% it offers a great investment option.
For more information on the trading of carbon credits or reducing your carbon footprint
please see our website www.carbon-expert.com or contact Moya McKeown at carbon-expert on 020 3137 5480

www.carbon-expert.com

Going Carbon Positive with Cromwell Polythene

Cromwell Polythene Ltd based at Sherburn-in-Elmet near Leeds have been in business for 25 years and are a leading independent supplier of products for the waste management and recycling sector.  On 11th June 2012, they decided to follow a Carbon Positive process by deciding to work towards achieving a Carbon Neutral decision with Carbon-Expert a leading international carbon consultancy.

Click here for The Urban Times article.

Government launches Energy Bill to deliver 'transparency and certainty' for low carbon economy

Carbon-Expert

The government has today confirmed long-awaited plans for the biggest shake up to the energy industry in a generation, vowing that its ambitious package of "electricity market reforms" will bolster energy security, slash greenhouse gas emissions, and help create up to 250,000 new green jobs.

Click here for the Business Green article.

www.carbon-expert.com

A window into Microsoft's quest to become 'carbon neutral'

Microsoft today announced a commitment to achieve “carbon neutrality” for its energy use companywide during its upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1. It’s a bold and somewhat unusual plan, but consistent with the software giant’s other recent sustainability initiatives, which favor sophisticated, IT-fueled projects conducted in a transparent and accountable fashion.

Click here for the full GreenBiz.com article.

The 2012 "Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge" becomes green rally.

The 2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (30 March - 6 April),

second round of the 2012 FIA Cross Country World Cup and first round of FIM World Cup for bikes, has signed a deal to offset any environmental damage from the event. The agreement is signed between Automobile & Touring Club of UAE (ATCUAE) with Carbon Credit brokerage, Advanced Global Trading (AGT), and considered to be the first of its kind in the region.
Click here ro read the full MarathonRally.com article.

FedEx and BP push the envelope with carbon-neutral deliveries

Logistics company set to offset emissions from delivery of more than 200 million packages through BP Target Neutral scheme.

Click here for the Business Green article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Airlines Raring To Adopt Biofuels In Pursuit Of Carbon-neutral Growth

Carbon Expert

The airline industry is currently striving to meet the challenges faced due to the rising fuel costs and the efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Biofuels provide a viable alternative to conventional fuel and enable airlines to reduce their environmental impact.

Click here to read the full RTT News article.

www.carbon-expert.com

GE applauds Labor's 'gutsy' carbon tax

THE Australian government had been "gutsy" to follow through on its pledge to introduce a carbon tax, according to the world's top industrial conglomerate.

Click here to read The Australian article.

Co-op bank pledges £200m to UK renewables

Carbon-Expert

The Co-operative Bank increased its support for renewable energy today, by pledging to lend an additional £200 million to the sector in 2010.

Click here for the full Guardian article.

Investors tell CEOs: ‘Cut your carbon, or risk losing trillions’

Big investors know that money talks … and a group of nearly 100 investors with deep pockets hopes it can use money power to send a message to companies that could do more to cut their carbon emissions.

Clck here to read the full Green Bang article.

EU takes next step in making airlines pay for carbon

Carbon Expert

The European Commission on Monday took another technical step to bring all
airlines using EU airports into its carbon trading scheme, following on from
last year's court ruling that, despite loud international opposition, the EU
plan was legal.

Click here to read the full Reuters article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Carbon Expert | How to profit from trading carbon credits

Carbon credits are being traded all around the world by companies to meet environmental emissions targets, individuals looking to decrease their personal emissions, and investors looking to profit from the carbon market boom whilst helping the environment.

This is now big business. According to the latest report from the World Bank, the global carbon trading market is now worth a phenomenal US$144 billion.

So what are carbon credits and how can they help? Each carbon credit represents one tonne of CO2; creating a way of monetising greenhouse gases. Each carbon credit bought puts money into a project that is verified to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and can then be sold to companies who need to reduce emissions to comply with global targets, or to individuals who want to reduce their emissions.

The opportunity to trade carbon credits was created by the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol, a legally binding document committing countries to efforts for the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The treaty created a number of emission reduction targets that nations needed to meet to safeguard the environment. Collectively, industrial nations agreed to reduce their GHGs by 5.2% from 1990 levels. On an individual country basis, this ranges from an 8% reduction in the European Union to 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and an increase permitted of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland. These countries are now responsible for ensuring that companies, and the governments themselves, are reducing GHGs.

To facilitate this, the Kyoto Protocol gave GHGs a value, known as a carbon credit. Each carbon credit is equivalent to one tonne of CO2. If a company has emissions over its allowance, then this entails a cost.

Private investors, through a carbon credit broker, can get access to these credits on exchanges, and trade rising demand for credits to make a profit and to channel funds into these projects, helping them grow.

This boom has meant increasing interest from investors, who usually trade stocks and shares. Is it worth these investors diversifying their portfolio to trade carbon credits? What are the upsides and downsides to either?

Source: www.propertywire.com

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We have a commitment to the alternative green market sector, and are a leading international broker of carbon credits. In a market now worth approximately US$144 billion, the carbon market is set to eclipse all preceding markets. Carbon is having a major impact on energy markets and prices. Its effects are impacting upon energy producers, utilities and increasing numbers of manufacturers.

Carbon Expert | What Is Carbon Credit?

In step with the dramatic rise in C0₂ emissions and other pollutants in recent years, a variety of new financial markets have emerged, offering businesses key incentives — aside from taxes and other punitive measures — to slow down overall emissions growth and, ideally, global warming itself.

A key feature of these markets is emissions trading, or cap-and-trade schemes, which allow companies to buy or sell "credits" that collectively bind all participating companies to an overall emissions limit. While markets operate for specific pollutants such as greenhouse gases and acid rain, by far the biggest emissions market is for carbon. In 2007, the trade market for C0₂ credits hit $60 billion worldwide — almost double the amount from 2006.

How It Works

Emissions limits and trading rules vary country by country, so each emissions-trading market operates differently. For nations that have signed the Kyoto Protocol, which holds each country to its own C0₂ limit, greenhouse gas emissions trading is mandatory. In the United States, which did not sign the environmental agreement, corporate participation is voluntary for emissions schemes such as the Chicago Climate Exchange. Yet a few general principles apply to each type of market.

Under a basic cap-and-trade scheme, if a company’s carbon emissions fall below a set allowance, that company can sell the difference — in the form of credits — to other companies that exceed their limits. Another fast-growing voluntary model is carbon offsets. In this global market, a set of middlemen companies, called offset firms, estimate a company’s emissions and then act as brokers by
offering opportunities to invest in carbon-reducing projects around the world.
Unlike carbon trading, offsetting isn’t yet government regulated in most countries; it’s up to buyers to verify a project’s environmental worth. In theory, for every ton of C0₂ emitted, a company can buy certificates attesting that the same amount of greenhouse gas was removed from the atmosphere through renewable energy projects such as tree planting.

Why It Matters Now

Industry watchers say carbon markets will continue to grow at a fast clip — especially in the United States, where Fortune 500 powerhouses such as DuPont, Ford, and IBM are voluntarily capping and trading their emissions. Even though a national cap on carbon emissions doesn’t yet exist in the United States, most consider it inevitable, and legislators are already pushing the issue in Congress.

It’s not just governments who are demanding emissions compliance — consumers want it, too. The commitment a company makes to curb its pollutant output is an increasingly public aspect of strategy. More and more employees are taking these factors into account when deciding where to work. A recent study from MonsterTRAK found that 80 percent of young professionals want their work to impact the environment in a positive way, and 92 percent prefer to work for an environmentally friendly company.

Why It Matters to You

Let’s say a company can’t afford to modify its operations to reduce C0₂. Purchasing carbon credits or offsets buys it time to figure out how to operate within C0₂ limits. For others, it can be a cost-effective tool to help lower emissions while earning public praise for the effort. Each credit a company buys on the Chicago Climate Exchange — usually for about $2 — means another
company will remove the equivalent of one metric ton of carbon.

The Advantages

Companies in different industries face dramatically
different costs to lower their emissions. A market-based approach allows
companies to take carbon-reducing measures that everyone can afford. “The
private sector is better at developing diversified approaches to manage the costs
and risks [of reducing emissions],” says Jesse Fahnestock, spokesman
at Swedish power company Vattenfall, which is a member of a global Combat
Climate Change coalition.

Reducing emissions and lowering energy consumption is usually good for the core business. For example, in 1997 British energy company BP committed to bring its emissions down to 10 percent below 1990 levels. After taking simple steps like tightening valves, changing light bulbs, and improving
operations efficiency, BP implemented an internal cap-and-trade scheme and met its emissions goal by the end of 2001 — nine years ahead of schedule. Using the combined C0₂ reduction strategy, BP reported saving about $650 million.

Then there’s the long-term investment angle: Buying into the carbon market boom now suggests significant dividends later on. Carbon credits are relatively cheap now, but their value will likely rise, giving companies another reason to participate.

The Disadvantages

As with any financial market, emissions traders are vulnerable to significant risk and volatility. The EU’s trading scheme (EU-ETS), for instance, issued so many permits between 2005 and 2007 that it flooded the market. Supply soared and carbon prices bottomed out, removing incentives for companies to trade. Enforcement of trading rules can be just as unpredictable, though Fahnestock says the EU is working to correct the problems.

Carbon offsets have their own drawbacks, which reflect a fast-growing and unregulated market. Some offset firms in the United States and abroad have been caught selling offsets for normal operations that do not actually take any additional C0₂ out of the atmosphere, such as pumping C0₂ into oil wells to force out the remaining crude. In 2008 the Climate Group, the International Emissions Trading Association, and the World Economic Forum will work to develop a Voluntary Carbon Standard to verify that offsetting projects are beyond business-as-usual and have lasting environmental value.

The lack of offset regulations has also made marketing problematic. Recently, companies have taken to declaring themselves “carbon neutral.” But until the Federal Trade Commission determines the guidelines for such terms, it’s unclear which companies actually merit the distinction. Already Vail Resorts, the organizers of the Academy Awards, and other organizations have taken heat for touting their investments in carbon offset projects that were not entirely environmentally sound.

Source: www.cbsnews.com

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We have a commitment to the alternative green market sector, and are a leading international broker of carbon credits. In a market now worth approximately US$144 billion, the carbon market is set to eclipse all preceding markets. Carbon is having a major impact on energy markets and prices. Its effects are impacting upon energy producers, utilities and increasing numbers of manufacturers.

Carbon Expert | Carbon expert pitches for use of solar, wind energy

Climate change experts at the International Conclave stressed on the urgent need for setting up wind and solar energy power generation projects as well as taking up fuel efficiency measures in transportation and planning energy efficiency for buildings.

Former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh, who was heading the Committee of Low Carbon Strategies for India, said, “India is emitting only two per cent of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted globally. Indian emissions are never above the average stipulated levels. Yet, we are also victims of climate change and we are seriously committed to make a 25 per cent cut in CO2 emissions.”

The Committee had recently filed an interim report stating that reducing CO2 emissions by 25 per cent is possible by increasing energy utilisation by eight per cent and even a 35 per cent reduction in emissions is possible if we are assisted by developed countries in the areas of technology transfer and other issues.

“We are importing 80 per cent of the oil and 20 per cent of the coal our country requires. By the rate at which we are using coal in thermal power plants and any new plants coming up, we are going to face a very difficult situation by the year 2035,” said Mr Parikh.

In the field of nuclear energy the country has aimed at generating 10,000 mega watts of power in next 35 to 40 years. Fast breed rectors have to be set up but it takes time to produce plutonium needed.

Source: www.deccanchronicle.com

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We have a commitment to the alternative green market sector, and are a leading international broker of carbon credits. In a market now worth approximately US$144 billion, the carbon market is set to eclipse all preceding markets. Carbon is having a major impact on energy markets and prices. Its effects are impacting upon energy producers, utilities and increasing numbers of manufacturers.

Carbon-Expert News - Carbon Trading to Double in North America This Year

Carbon trading in North America is poised to double this year with the inauguration of carbon markets in California and Quebec, and the total value of the Western Climate Initiative is set to surpass that of the eastern Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, according to Thomson Reuters Point Carbon.

Carbon Expert–Reducing Emissions and Carbon Trading

Carbon-Expert is a global company, with offices in London, Gibraltar and Spain, with over 10 years of blue chip experience. We source and trade Voluntary Emission Reduction Credits (VERs) to help companies and individuals offset their CO2 emissions and help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change worldwide.