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There are many reasons to move to a sustainable energy system: fossil fuel supplies getting tighter, easy oil increasingly having to be replaced by uneasy oil, accelerating climate change. And most indications are that we'll have to go there as soon as possible.

But is it possible? And when? At Ecofys, we've been working for 25 years on our mission: "a sustainable energy supply for everyone." Two years ago, we figured it was about time to bring all our experts together to find out whether that really makes sense. Excited by our first findings, we found WWF willing to commission an in-depth study. And since today, the word is out! Or actually, 250 pages of it, in what's now called "The Energy Report." And the good news is: it's possible indeed, by 2050.

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China is to impose an environmental tax on heavy polluters under an ambitious cleanup strategy being finalised in Beijing, according to experts familiar with the programme.

The tax will be included alongside the world's most ambitious renewable energy scheme and fresh efforts to fight smog when the government unveils the biggest, greenest five-year plan in China's modern history next month.

After three decades of filthy growth, the measures are designed to pull the country from the environmental mire and make it a leader in the low-carbon economy. But sceptics question whether the policy will have any more success than previous failed efforts to overcome the nexus of corrupt officials and rule-dodging factory bosses. Read The Full Article Here

Scientists fear billions of tree deaths caused by 2010 drought could see vast forest turn from carbon sink to carbon source Aerial view of a drought-affected area within the Amazon basin in Manaus, Brazil. Photograph: Rodrigo Baleia/LatinContent/Getty Images

Billions of trees died in the record drought that struck the Amazon in 2010, raising fears that the vast forest is on the verge of a tipping point, where it will stop absorbing greenhouse gas emissions and instead increase them.

The dense forests of the Amazon soak up more than one-quarter of the world's atmospheric carbon, making it a critically important buffer against global warming. But if the Amazon switches from a carbon sink to a carbon source that prompts further droughts and mass tree deaths, such a feedback loop could cause runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences. Read The Full Article Here

Financial Post - For years the Windsor Tool & Die factory, a stone's throw from the U.S.-Canada border, stood vacant, a testament to the breakdown of North America's auto industry.

But last summer a group of former auto workers in Windsor, Ont., rolled up their sleeves to scrape off the plant's decades of grime. Not to revive production of the auto machining parts it was once known for, but as a showroom and warehouse for the solar-power and solar water-heating systems sold by Green Sun Rising Inc.

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Media Consortium - A year ago, it seemed possible—likely, even—that President Barack Obama would sweep into the international negotiations on climate change at Copenhagen and make serious progress on the tangle of issues at stake. The reality was quite different. This year, the expectations for the United Nations Climate Conference in Cancun are less exuberant.

Last year, climate activists put their faith in international leaders to make progress. This year, they believe that it’s up to them, as outside actors, to marshal a grassroots movement and pressure their leaders towards decreased carbon emissions. (photo by Flickr user Greenpeace Finland)The conference will be held from Nov 29 to Dec 10 and the same issues from 2009 are up for debate. Countries like the United States, Britain, and Germany are still contributing an outsize share of carbon to the atmosphere. Read The Full Article Here

Manitoba Wildlands.org "Since environmental legislation became part of the public policy discourse in the early 1970s there has never been a period of more pressing environmental challenges facing Ontario," said Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), while releasing his 2009/2010 report September 22, 2010.

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BBC NEWS - A sharp increase in protection for ocean life is urged by conservationists and some governments.

The session at UN headquarters co-incides with the final day of talks on the Millennium Development Goals, and the UN says the two issues are linked. Delegates are to discuss why they have failed to meet a 2010 target for curbing loss of biodiversity.

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Earth Policy Institute - Solar photovoltaic (PV) cell manufacturers produced a record 10,700 megawatts of PV cells globally in 2009—an impressive 51-percent increase from the year before. While growth in 2009 slowed from the remarkable 89-percent expansion in 2008, it continued the rapid rise of an industry that first reached 1,000 megawatts of production in 2004. By the end of 2009, nearly 23,000 megawatts of PV had been installed worldwide, enough to power 4.6 million U.S. homes. Solar PV, the world’s fastest-growing power technology, now generates electricity in more than 100 countries.

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"We save people money so they can live better."

Just Means - This slogan dominates the front page of Walmart's Global Sustainability Report 2010 Progress Update. Its colorful lettering, presumably designed in accordance with Walmart's revamped logo, projects a "hip" new message from CEO Mike Duke: there is increasing demand for "sustainable" stuff and Walmart is ready to accommodate that desire, providing consumers the ability to purchase whatever they want at the lowest price possible. In addition to their new sustainable offerings, the international retail giant has made commitments to reduce energy use in their stores, increase fuel efficiency of their merchandise distribution fleets, and dramatically reduce the amount of packaging waste created. Duke explains: "Sustainability continues to make Walmart a better company by reducing waste, lowering costs, driving innovation, increasing productivity and helping us fulfill our mission of saving people money so they can live better." Read The Full News Item Here

Manitoba Wildlands - In 20 years, Ontario drivers could be using 25 per cent less fuel than today, saving the province money and reducing environmental damage, according to an August 2010 Pembina Institute report.
Bridging the Gulf highlights connections between choices made by commuters in Ontario, the negative impacts of oil extraction in North America, and ongoing ecological impacts from oil sands development. It focuses on personal transportation and presents five key actions to reduce oil consumption based on policy changes already underway in the province.

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Green BIZ  Climate Channel — The transport sector generates 13 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but a new study suggests the industry is in the slow lane when it comes to disclosing their carbon footprints and setting plans to shrink them.

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) surveyed nearly 300 of the world's largest transport companies (PDF) in a bid to assess how prepared the sector is to operate in a carbon constrained world. Global business is dependent upon the sector to move goods and services.

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