Wind Energy and renewable energy blog

COP15 Branded a Disaster by Green Groups

The climate conference at Copenhagen has been branded a distaster after leaders failed to put in place legally binding carbon reduction targets.

Despite an accord to limit global temperature rises to 2 degrees, several countries refused to sign up to legally binding carbon reduction targets. The result is that there will not be a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Friends of the Earth said the conference, which ended on Friday had been an “abject failure”, pointing out that the effects of global warming would be felt most by the poor. The blame for the failure has been cast in many directions- in particular towards the US and China, the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.

The agreement to the targets stalled when head of China’s climate delegation Xie Zhenhua, refused to agree a process allowing inspectors into China to verify that the country is meeting its carbon reduction committments. This process was a condition insisted upon by US President Obama and the lack of agreement to it has been seen by many as China asserting its power in the new world in a way other countries will not be happy about.

UK Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said that the outcome of the conference was “disappointing” but claimed that important progress was made in the challenge to deal with global warming.

Scotland on Road to Fighting Climate Change

Scotland has slashed its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a fifth since 1990, according to new figures published by the Scottish Government.

The figures show that emission levels stood at 56.9 million tonnes in 2007, but have been reduced 19% on 1990 levels. The carbon cuts are credited to greener energy production through increased use of renewable energy, business and industry, the public sector, waste management, international shipping, housing and agriculture. The bad news is that emissions from international aviation and shipping have increased.

Power generation accounted for 36% of emissions, 22% from transport, 14% from agriculture and 13% from business and domestic fossil fuel use. The Scottish Government has committed to a 42% reduction in carbon emissions from 1990 levels, by 2020 and 80% by 2050.