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20. February 2013 - News
Global trade of softwood lumber fell in 2012
The Global Forest Industry This Quarter Excerpts from the 4Q 2012 issue of the Wood Resource Quarterly (www.woodprices.com) The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) increased by 1.5 percent in the 4Q/12 after having declined for five consecutive quarters. The Softwood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) was up slightly in the 4Q/12 to $100.13/odmt, while the Hardwood [...]
18. February 2013 - News
Africa’s development conforms to the historical trend of the times
Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, on Sunday and pledged continued support for Africa’s development. “Africa is a continent of hope,” said Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee as he met with Dlamini-Zuma at the Great Hall of the People [...]
15. February 2013 - News
Explore the sparkle behind the UAE’s diamond market and trade
The world’s favourite precious stone hasn’t lost its sheen despite rising prices and seeming lack of investment value. We bust a few myths surrounding the big ice “But square-cut or pear-shaped, these rocks don’t lose their shape…” crooned Marilyn Monroe famously in Diamond’s are a girl’s best friend, in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Brunettes, in [...]
15. February 2013 - News
SMFS’ currently account for approximately $415 billion of Australian superannuation assets
SMFS’ currently account for approximately $415 billion of Australian superannuation assets, and investments through SMSFs are expected to more than double. The diagram above depicts a SMSF loan / borrowing structure common to many lenders. In this structure, the loan is made to the SMSF and the lender has limited recourse to the assets of [...]
14. February 2013 - News
Wheat advanced for a second day in Chicago
Wheat advanced for a second day in Chicago, while corn rebounded from the longest losing streak in 32 years on speculation that slumps from last year’s peaks will boost demand for U.S. supplies. Soybeans also gained. Wheat for delivery in March gained as much as 0.5 percent to $7.3925 a bushel on the Chicago Board [...]
13. February 2013 - News
Azerbaijan’s $34 billion sovereign-wealth fund to buy commercial real estate in Australia
SYDNEY—Azerbaijan’s $34 billion sovereign-wealth fund plans to buy commercial real estate in Australia as part of a strategy to add assets down under. “We plan to travel to Australia in order to meet with the leading market participants including regulators, developers, asset owners, and overseas investors to gain deeper understanding of the market,” said the [...]
12. February 2013 - News
Foreign investment creates enormous benefits in a country’s economy
Foreign investment creates enormous benefits in a country’s economy, increasing production and encouraging innovation. Chile ranks fifth in a list of those most deserving of this speculation, which will have benefitted the country in many different ways. “Not only does it contribute to the creation of jobs, but also to the incentive to develop human [...]
7. February 2013 - News
Linking Australia’s Carbon Pricing Mechanism to the EU ETS: opportunities and risks
The Australian Government’s decision to link the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (CPM) with the EU ETS presents Australian liable entities with an opportunity to reduce their cost of compliance during the flexible price phase of the scheme, which is scheduled to begin on 1 July 2015. This opportunity arises because linking the two schemes allows liable [...]
6. February 2013 - News
Can short-term gains make up for long-term forestry employment?
On this seventh anniversary of the landmark accord among industry, government, First Nations, and environmental groups over land use in the Great Bear Rainforest, there’s hot discussion about where the long-standing negotiation, underway since the day the accord was signed, is heading. Among many others is the question: Can short-term gains from selling carbon credits [...]
5. February 2013 - News
Australian mining companies developing gold, copper and iron ore mines across Africa
Facing ageing mines and rising taxes at home, Australian mining companies are developing gold, copper and iron ore mines across Africa. Australia’s mining pain has been Africa’s gain, and the trend shows no signs of fading. Australian investment in Africa is expected to rise to $50bn over the next three years, according to Australia’s department [...]
4. February 2013 - News
Public forests: seeing the trees, not the wood
The government’s decision to increase public ownership of forests will be an investment with returns for everybody The decision to place the future of England’s public forests in the hands of a new independent authority represents a double U-turn. Having in 2010 announced an “everything must go” policy, ministers changed their minds and have now [...]
1. February 2013 - News
Abbott is surrounded by climate denialists in own party
The official party platforms have not yet been unveiled for the September 14 poll – and may not be until after the “official” campaign period begins on August 12. Still, it’s pretty clear where the three main parties stand, so we’ve outlined the principal issues. We’ll be updating and expanding this document over time – [...]
31. January 2013 - News
Global warming from greenhouse gases affects rainfall patterns
Global warming from greenhouse gases affects rainfall patterns in the world differently than that from solar heating, according to a study by an international team of scientists in the January 31 issue of Nature. Using computer model simulations, the scientists, led by Jian Liu (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Bin Wang (International Pacific Research Center, [...]
30. January 2013 - News
London’s landscape is changing, and history is taking a back seat
A rendering of the interior of Smithfield Market under redevelopment plans by Henderson Global Investors. Surrounded by winding streets with names like Cloth Fair, Cowcross Street and Hosier Lane, London’s Smithfield Market is steeped in history. Meat and livestock have been traded for more than a thousand years on the site, which also was where [...]
29. January 2013 - News
ITM Financial advised investors to add gold into their portfolio
Forex trading signals provider ITM Financial advised investors to add gold into their portfolio, citing the commodity’s strong performance in the last five years. In a recent blog post, the company pointed out that the price of the commodity has consistently increased by as much as 150% despite the global financial crisis which occurred concurrently. [...]
28. January 2013 - News
Investors urged to diversify portfolios and look at investing in foreign equity markets
In the search for profits, investors are being urged to diversify their portfolios and look at investing in foreign equity markets. However, this brings a number of risks, not least the threat that currency swings could wipe out any profit you make. That’s because any investment in a foreign stock is also an investment in [...]
26. January 2013 - News
Gold will rally this year and into 2014
Gold will rally this year and into 2014 as U.S. Federal Reserve policy makers will probably maintain asset purchases for two more years to buttress the recovery of the largest economy, according to Morgan Stanley. The metal, which rose for a 12th year in 2012, may average $1,830 an ounce in the final quarter from [...]
24. January 2013 - News
$95 billion worth of assets under management by 2030
We estimate we’ll have $95 billion worth of assets under management by 2030,” says Martin Clarke. “This will take us to end of our active period.” Crisis in the global economy may be knocking the value of most UK pension funds off course, but it is actually helping swell assets at the £12-billion ($19-billion) Pension [...]
23. January 2013 - News
Government serious about environment, sustainability and ethical corporate governance
If the government is serious about wanting to make a positive difference on issues such as the environment, sustainability and ethical corporate governance then it must obligate financial planners to ask their clients about socially responsible investing, according to Australian Ethical’s Phil Vernon. The managing director of the superannuation and responsible investment specialist thinks that [...]
22. January 2013 - News
The world must spend an extra $700 billion a year to curb its addiction to fossil fuels
The world must spend an extra $700 billion a year to curb its addiction to fossil fuels blamed for worsening floods and heat waves and rising sea levels, a study issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF) showed on Monday. As government and business leaders prepare to meet at the forum in Davos, Switzerland this [...]
21. January 2013 - News
Rice production has been reported noticeably inflated
It comes as a shock for those who believe Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in food production. A new study has found that over the years, rice production has been reported noticeably inflated. At least in one year, it was inflated as much as 3.5 million tonnes. On the other hand, consumption has also been [...]
17. January 2013 - News
No coordinated global system in place for reporting on biodiversity change
In contrast to climate change, there is no coordinated global system in place for measuring and reporting on biodiversity change or loss. An international team of biologists is now addressing this gap. In Science today, 30 researchers led by Henrique Miguel Pereira, from the Centre for Environmental Biology of the University of Lisbon, proposed a [...]
17. January 2013 - News
Banks accused of using the Government’s taxpayer-backed cheap credit scheme
Banks have been accused of using the Government’s taxpayer-backed cheap credit scheme to rip off customers by cutting rates on savings accounts more than on new loans. The FLS was established to provide banks with cheap state-backed funding on around £80bn of loans. The claim comes after Andrew Bailey, head of prudential regulation at the [...]
16. January 2013 - News
UK consumer prices inflation held steady at 2.7% in December
UK consumer prices inflation held steady at 2.7% in December, official figures have shown. A rise in electricity and gas prices was offset somewhat by a fall in fuel costs and air transport, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The CPI rate of inflation has been above the Bank of England’s 2% target since [...]
15. January 2013 - News
Retail prices index inflation (RPI) spent 2012 fluttering up and down
Should we be worrying about inflation? Retail prices index inflation (RPI) spent 2012 fluttering up and down between 2.6 and 3.9 per cent, and currently sits at an unremarkable 3 per cent. But while there is little sign of drama in the short term, some commentators (including the IC’s Alistair Blair in his final column) [...]
14. January 2013 - News
Infrastructure is often said to be an ideal investment
Infrastructure is often said to be an ideal investment for many pension schemes. It offers the potential for stable returns, relatively predictable cash yields and portfolio diversification. But the take-up of infrastructure investment across pension schemes in different regions is very different. In Australia, pension schemes have long embraced it. Australian superannuation funds on average [...]
31. December 2012 - News
Wine prices usually follow the equity markets
AAA is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who claims that some of the finest wine labels are currently experiencing a period of depressed values and this is the time to snap them up. Boston, MA, December 29, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who [...]
21. December 2012 - News
Gold price has dipped from about $1,750 an ounce to under $1,670
It’s not been a good month for gold as the price has dipped from about $1,750 an ounce to under $1,670, two large sell-offs in recent weeks accounting for the bulk of that $80 decline and once again spurring talk of manipulation in the gold market. Who is responsible for these market-moving sell orders and [...]
21. December 2012 - News
The government last week forecast a $137 million surplus for 2012/13
The measures are part of a 70-point economic action plan that Premier Ted Baillieu says is designed to strengthen the state’s economic position. “This is an economic reform agenda to lift productivity, attract new investment and generate jobs,” Mr Baillieu said on Friday. The government last week forecast a $137 million surplus for 2012/13 but [...]
20. December 2012 - News
U.K. inflation-protected bonds are poised for their worst year
U.K. inflation-protected bonds are poised for their worst year in more than a decade as government proposals to change the way it calculates a gauge of retail prices threaten to lower payments on the debt. Britain’s 290 billion-pound ($470 billion) market for securities linked to the retail-price index handed investors a loss of 0.7 percent [...]
20. December 2012 - News
Betting on Hunger: Is Financial Speculation to Blame for High Food Prices?
The Chicago Board of Trade, pictured in 1885, is a key global hub for trade in wheat Remember the food crisis of 2007 and 2008, when rapid and extreme increases in global food prices led to riots and civil unrest in 28 countries? While we have yet to see unrest on the same level since, [...]
17. December 2012 - News
Sales of private-equity offerings at Bank of America Merrill Lynch rose 70%
Sales of private-equity offerings at Bank of America Merrill Lynch rose 70% this year through late October, the New York-based firm says. Other alternative products, such as nontraditional mutual funds and market-linked investments, also got a boost, says Merrill. It expects its alternative-investments business to keep expanding as it adds new private-equity and hedge-fund choices [...]
10. December 2012 - News
The yellow metal provides an array of benefits to the investors
Gold, a symbol of wealth in Indian households has witnessed a large stable demand over the years. The yellow metal (Gold) provides an array of benefits to the investors: stability to the investment portfolio, a hedge against uncertainties and Inflation and as an avenue for long term returns on investment. Gold, in the last decade [...]
10. December 2012 - News
Climate campaigner Cindy Baxter fears carbon trading has been put at risk
Climate campaigner Cindy Baxter fears carbon trading has been put at risk by New Zealand’s position on greenhouse gases. A United Nations meeting in Doha on Saturday decided to extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol until 2020, but New Zealand was one of four countries that voted against. Ms Baxter said New Zealand will [...]
6. December 2012 - News
ATC facilities across Africa will be upgraded to international standards
Air traffic control facilities across Africa will be upgraded to international standards, improve safety and reliability and ensure more efficient air transport using a €40 million loan from Europe’s long-term lending institution, the European Investment Bank, to African air traffic control agency ASECNA. This will improve navigation and control systems, meteorological systems and security infrastructure [...]
5. December 2012 - News
Breeding plants that convert more CO2 to food could help feed a growing population
Breeding plants that can convert more carbon dioxide to food could help feed a growing population. In 2007 and 2008, due in part to rapidly rising energy costs and climatic extremes, the world experienced a sweeping food crisis, with food riots observed in more than 30 countries. In 2010 and 2011, unprecedented drought in Russia [...]
5. December 2012 - News
You need some good gold investment strategies for 2013
All the goldbugs are calling for the end of days this year. Obama this, taxes that. Fiscal cliff. Etc. “You need some good gold investment strategies for 2013,” the experts tell us. Should you hold on to that solid dividend stock or should you cash it out due to higher taxes on dividends? Are gold [...]
5. December 2012 - News
The long term economic development and prosperity of the African continent linked to economic potential
Nairobi — The long term economic development and prosperity of the African continent, as an active national and international trading bloc, is inextricably linked to its ability to unlock its huge economic potential of feeding itself. Despite this fact, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that sub-Saharan African countries’ food import bill has increased [...]
5. December 2012 - News
Mr. Rosenthal confirmed the Kingdom of Morocco “cannot rely on the references regarding agricultural products”
Hague — The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Mr. Uri Rosenthal confirmed indicated that the Kingdom of Morocco “cannot rely on the references regarding agricultural products in Western Sahara, on the basis of the agricultural agreement between the European Union and Morocco.” “The above-mentioned agricultural agreement which, to come into force at a later date, [...]
1. December 2012 - News
Global food prices remained stable though close to 2008 record levels
Global food prices remained stable, though close to 2008 record levels, the World Bank said on Thursday, as it warned that a “new norm” of costlier food was setting in and threatening to increase hunger and malnutrition in the world’s poorer regions. In an update of its quarterly “Food Price Watch” report, the World Bank [...]
1. December 2012 - News
A German organisation spends three million euros to help Ghana’s agriculture sector
A German organisation is pouring three million euros to help Ghana’s agriculture sector to adapt to climate change and save the West African country’s biggest employer from collapse. The financial support from the Energy and Climate Fund (ECF) of the German Technical Development Cooperation (GTDC) will be targeted at regions mostly affected by veld fires. [...]
30. November 2012 - News
Acidification of the world’s oceans is harming sea life
It is the little mentioned flip side of global warming – the acidification of the world’s oceans. Now new research shows that, as predicted, it is harming sea life. Even if climate change were not taking place, the process provides compelling cause for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, for they are powering what scientists believe [...]
29. November 2012 - News
Nigeria’s leaders made a show of globetrotting in search of foreign direct investment
After Nigeria’s return to civilian rule 13 years ago, its leaders made a show of globetrotting in search of foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2002 one critic said Olusegun Obasanjo, the then-president, had already spent a third of his three years in office out of the country. The trips abroad have since slowed, as it [...]
22. November 2012 - News
The Bank of England considering slashing interest rates
The Bank of England weighed the case for slashing interest rates even more than their current record low of 0.5 per cent, the minutes of its November Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting revealed yesterday. The Bank, headed by Governor Sir Mervyn King, has not budged on borrowing costs since March 2009, but its staff consulted [...]
22. November 2012 - News
The cumulative effect of global warming
As the holder of a degree in physics, I am convinced of only 2 major sources contributing to man-caused Global warming. This is strictly my own opinion, and is a minority view: One source is unthinking people who own small (mostly under 15” diameter) globe maps of the world and who also own one of [...]
22. November 2012 - News
UK’s first auction for Phase III allowances of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in London
The UK’s first auction for Phase III allowances of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme took place in London today. This auction was run by exchange platform ICE Futures Europe, which was appointed in April to host the sale of allowances. The auction sold 6.5 million allowances, with a clearing price of €6.62 ($8.47), raising approximately [...]
21. November 2012 - News
MCX GOLD February contract was trading up at 0.28%
At 14:15 hrs MCX GOLD February contract was trading at Rs 32188 up Rs 89, or 0.28%. The GOLD rate touched an intraday high of Rs 32209 and an intraday low of Rs 32095. So far 914 contracts have been traded. GOLD prices have moved up Rs 993, or 3.18% in the February series so [...]
21. November 2012 - News
World’s third-largest farm equipment maker to invest $100 million over the next three years in Africa
AGCO Corp., the world’s third-largest farm equipment maker, has disclosed plans to invest $100 million over the next three years, and help the development of farming in Africa. According to CP-Africa, AGCO’s Director for Africa and the Middle East, Nuradin Osman, said: “The only frontier left for arable land is in Africa. We are in [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Global gold demand may be on the decline
GLOBAL gold demand may be on the decline – down 11 per cent, or 138.9 tonnes from the third quarter of 2011. But it has had a series of highs since the economic downturn. Gold is the classic “store of value”. It’s traditionally seen as a safe haven in troubled times, providing a hedge against [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Gold steadied around $1,733 an ounce on Tuesday
Gold steadied around $1,733 an ounce on Tuesday, following its biggest one-day rise in two weeks, supported by hopes the United States will resolve its fiscal problems and by buying in response to the Middle East conflict. Spot gold was up 0.09 percent at $1,732.96 an ounce by 1205 GMT, after rising more than 1 [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Poor grape harvests could increase the cost of on an average bottle of wine
Poor grape harvests around the world could increase the cost of on an average bottle of wine in Britain by up to £1, Majestic Wine has warned. The average bottle of wine sold in Britain costs around £5 and that could rise by up to £1. Steve Lewis, the Majestic chief executive, expects the wine [...]
21. November 2012 - News
One can buy gold on dips to USD 1700 for the target of USD 1720
Geojit Comtrade has come out with its trading strategies on Gold. According to the research firm, one can buy gold on dips to USD 1700 for the target of USD 1720 with a stop-loss of USD 1688. Spot gold regained strength, surging more than one percent yesterday propped up by Middle East tensions and hopes [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Global food price shock provides an opportune moment for the North African countries
The recent global food price shock, combined with the political upheaval in North Africa, provides an opportune moment for the North African countries, along with the international community, to take stock of the food security status of the region and to reappraise food security strategies in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Food imports to Arab world reach $34 billion annually
Food imports to Arab world reach $34 billion annually. World food prices hold steady despite costlier cereals, wheat Global food prices remain high and volatile Driven by bad wheat and a serious collapse the Siberian harvest, world wheat prices have risen more than 40 percent since January and are once more flirting with the panic [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Severe food shortages have hit 18 million people across nine countries
Severe food shortages have hit 18 million people across nine countries this year in Africa’s Sahel region, following unpredictable and insufficient rains. The region bordering the Sahara Desert has had three severe food crises in four years, and international aid agencies say it is time to break the cycle of food insecurity in the Sahel. [...]
21. November 2012 - News
The shortage of 1.5 million metric tonnes of rice will cause food crisis?
The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria has said that the shortage of 1.5 million metric tonnes of rice owing to flooding in various parts of the country would not lead to food crisis in the country. The association also cautioned the Federal Government to resist pressures from the “cabal of economic saboteurs” to abandon and [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Malaysian palm oil futures edged lower on Tuesday
Malaysian palm oil futures edged lower on Tuesday, as investors booked profits after the contract hit a more than two week high earlier in the day and as export demand continued to show signs of slowing. The world’s No.2 palm producer exported 1.02 million tonnes of palm products for Nov. 1-20, down 3.3 percent from [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Malaysian palm oil futures rose to their highest in two weeks
Malaysian palm oil futures rose to their highest in two weeks on Monday, tracking gains in soyabeans and rival soybean oil, although caution ahead of export data kept gains in check. China, the world’s top soy buyer, will temporarily halt regular state sales of soya from this week as Beijing starts a stockpiling programme for [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Indonesia is expected to absorb around 1 million tons of certified sustainable palm oil
JAKARTA: Indonesia is expected to absorb around 1 million tons of certified sustainable palm oil by 2015, the Kuala Lumpur-based Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) says. This take-up will help the multi-stakeholder body reach its target of selling 9.8 million tons globally in the next three years, from 4 million tons at present, RSPO [...]
21. November 2012 - News
Sierra Leoneans get official results from the country’s National Electoral Commission
A girl touches a painted picture of U.S. President Barack Obama and Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, on the outside of a hairdressers in Freetown on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (AP / Rebecca Blackwell) The announcement came as Sierra Leoneans awaited official results from the country’s National Electoral Commission, which legally has 10 days [...]
14. November 2012 - News
Mining stocks offer leverage to the movement of the underlying metal
You have probably read in multiple articles that mining stocks offer leverage to the movement of the underlying metal. But this hasn’t been the case over the past several years, which has created some confusion in the precious metals investment community. While the gold price has more than doubled (+110%) in the past five years, [...]
8. November 2012 - News
China’s resurgent interest in Africa has spawned a bewildering variety of worldwide reaction
African countries still grappling with developing constitutions CHINA’s resurgent interest in Africa has spawned a bewildering variety of worldwide reaction. The response of the West has generally been negative and alarmist. Surprisingly, some in Africa have also uncritically embraced these responses. Rather than a negative force, China’s involvement in Africa has recast Africa’s position in [...]
31. October 2012 - News
The US Federal Reserve has engaged in dozens of interventions/ bailouts
Since the Financial Crisis erupted in 2007, the US Federal Reserve has engaged in dozens of interventions/ bailouts to try and prop up the financial system. Now, I realize that everyone knows the Fed is “printing money.” However, when you look at the list of bailouts/ money pumps it’s absolutely staggering how much money the [...]
26. October 2012 - News
Gold traders are the most bullish in three weeks as investors
Gold traders are the most bullish in three weeks as investors’ bullion holdings rose to a record on mounting speculation that central banks will add stimulus to bolster economic growth. Fourteen of 26 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect prices to rise next week, nine were bearish and three were neutral. Investors boosted holdings in exchange-traded [...]
24. October 2012 - News
Whisky sold as a hot “alternative investment”
Folk are so hard-up for returns, an increasing number are falling for the latest hustle – whisky sold as a hot “alternative investment.” Penta decided to investigate the growing secondary market for whisky when a public relations executive sent us a breathy and alarming pitch: “Investment Grade Scotch (IGS) is rapidly becoming a hot commodity [...]
22. October 2012 - News
48 per cent of men preferred prime minister Ms Gillard
Since the controversy over Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s attitudes towards women flared in early September, his lead among male voters has ended – 42 per cent of men now rate him preferred prime minister compared with 48 per cent for Ms Gillard. Laura Tingle – While today’s headlines will be about the Prime Minister, the much [...]
16. October 2012 - News
Norway nearly double the carbon dioxide tax rate for its offshore oil and gas production in 2013
Australian Climate Commission Norway will nearly double the carbon dioxide tax rate for its offshore oil and gas production in 2013, the country’s environment ministry announced last week. By raising the tax rate from 210 Norwegian Krone to 410 Krone (or €28 to more than €55) per ton of CO2, the Norwegian government is setting [...]
16. October 2012 - News
Gold prices lost luster Monday as demand induced by quantitative easing
Gold prices lost luster Monday as demand induced by quantitative easing, or QE3, eroded and the stock market climbed on Citigroup’s (C) third-quarter profit surprise as well as strong retail sales data, which eased fears of slower economic growth and hopes for more stimulus. Spot gold prices fell 1% to $1737.70 an ounce. SPDR Gold [...]
15. October 2012 - News
Investors can either buy shares in gold-mining companies, or purchase the metal itself
Investors can either buy shares in gold-mining companies, or purchase the metal itself. Money Definitions now the key to consumer protection Lure of gold pulls in NZ investors Hidden charges lurk in event ticket prices Comparing funds for the best outcome Job interview nightmares Property linked to high dollar NZD up on USD weakness NZ [...]
11. October 2012 - News
DECIDING on what to do with your accumulated UK pension or superannuation money when transferring between countries can be a headache
DECIDING on what to do with your accumulated UK pension or superannuation money when transferring between countries can be a headache. In fact it could be the last thing you want to think about as you make plans to move back to Australia. There are however significant potential benefits from transferring your pension. As some [...]
10. October 2012 - News
Gold Prices last week reached an 11-month high of $1,796.50
Gold Prices last week reached an 11-month high of $1,796.50 an ounce after comments by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi suggested that more bailouts may be forthcoming. Draghi had stated that euro is “irreversible,” and that the central bank stood prepared to purchase the bonds of indebted countries. The Paragon Report examines investing opportunities [...]
10. October 2012 - News
Australia’s former prime minister urged China and the United States
Australia’s former prime minister urged China and the United States — the top two emitters of carbon dioxide from fuel combustion — to cooperate on climate change. “If the United States were to achieve some sort of compact with the Chinese on how to entrench national actions within a global regulatory framework, then we’d start [...]
9. October 2012 - News
Australia to lead improvements in global food security
Australia’s experience in dealing with its challenging farming environment means it’s well placed to lead improvements in global food security, Foreign Minister Bob Carr says. A billion people across the world face food shortages and are at risk of acute malnutrition and premature death, Senator Carr told the Crawford Fund annual development conference in Canberra [...]
20. September 2012 - News
‘Unprecedented’ increase in the scale of Australian mining
‘Unprecedented’ increase in the scale of Australian mining would nullify an internationally agreed goal, Greenpeace warns. Plans to open up a new Australian “coal export rush” would turn a single Queensland region into the seventh largest contributor of carbon dioxide emissions on the planet, undermining international efforts to keep global warming below 2C, a new [...]
17. September 2012 - News
Wine exports into China have ‘a huge chance
Wine exports into China have ‘a huge chance if we don’t stuff it with cheap wine’, says Francis Osborn, right, with son Chester Chester. AFTER nearly 70 years of making wine, d’Arenberg patriarch Francis “d’Arry” Osborn knows a few things about booms and busts, and he has one message for Australian winemakers looking to make [...]
7. September 2012 - News
Australia and the European Commission announced begin linking emissions trading schemes (ETS)
Last week Australia and the European Commission announced they would begin linking emissions trading schemes (ETS) in two years’ time. An emissions trading scheme sets a cap on carbon emissions, requiring polluters to hold a permit for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit. The level of the cap dictates how many permits are available. [...]
6. September 2012 - News
Gold is most likely serving its role as a crisis barometer
Gold’s latest rally — and the dollar’s recent decline — has the investing world buzzing with speculation as to just what’s driving it. Conventional wisdom says that gold senses another round of loose money on the part of the world’s leading central banks. But what few investors have considered is that gold is most likely [...]
5. September 2012 - News
The Australian federal government will not pay electricity generators compensation
The Australian federal government will not pay the country’s top polluting brown coal-fired electricity generators compensation to shut down after negotiations with their owners broke down, the Australian Financial review reported on Wednesday. The paper said government talks with Hazelwood, which is owned by International Power GDF Suez, and Yallourn, which is owned by TRUenergy, [...]
27. August 2012 - News
CSR, GHG and sustainability new buzzwords
CSR, GHG and sustainability – buzzwords that are often bandied around by businesses to appease their social and environmental conscience. But one company is putting its money where its mouth is, and proving that environmental sustainability is good for business. Two years after being awarded carboNZero certification, local IT and print solution company Hawke’s Bay [...]
24. August 2012 - News
Declaration of media practitioners for the ruling party in Sierra Leone
We have heard of the recent declaration of media practitioners for the ruling party in Sierra Leone, which is led by a hardworking President in the person of President Koroma. The questions have kept coming but the fact remains, these latest developments are indicative of the journalists’ appreciation of President Koroma and his government. There [...]
23. August 2012 - News
UNEP unveiled a new standardized baseline for the SADC region’s electric power grid
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) unveiled a new standardized baseline for the SADC region’s electric power grid in Gaborone, Botswana, last week. This is a major step forward in efforts to boost access to climate-friendly investment in Africa. The new emission factor, which encompasses all grid-connected utilities operating within the Southern African Power Pool [...]
15. August 2012 - News
For six months, the markets at Flemington will not pass on the 20 per cent power price hike
SYDNEY Markets is taking on the carbon tax and its effects on businesses with plans to absorb its costs – to the tune of $500,000. For six months, the markets at Flemington will not pass on the 20 per cent power price hike introduced on July 1. Co-owner of Southern Cross Produce, Bill Chalk, said [...]
9. August 2012 - News
New awards have been introduced in the section of Agribusiness Awards for Excellence
SEVERAL new awards have been introduced into the line-up in this year’s NAB Agribusiness Awards for Excellence. One of them is the Environment, Energy and Climate Action in Agribusiness Award, which is being sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) in Canberra. According to Julie Gaglia, from DAFF, the new award will [...]
3. August 2012 - News
New report reveals clean energy sources to undercut coal on cost in the coming years
Australia, one of the world’s most coal-dependent economies, will rapidly transition towards cleaner and more cost-effective sources of energy over the next two decades, according to a major new report. Released earlier this week, the Australian Energy Technology Assessment (AETA) report from the government’s Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics analyses 40 different energy technologies [...]
1. August 2012 - News
Extreme weather events have thrust the topic of climate change
A series of extreme weather events — including droughts, wildfires, and heat waves — have thrust the topic of climate change into the limelight. Some influential energy experts, both conservative and moderate, are mulling a carbon tax to control fossil-fuel-generated emissions of greenhouse gases, which most scientists agree are causing global warming. Recent studies have [...]
26. July 2012 - News
Qantas has signed a deal to buy up to 1.5 million offset credits
Australian airline Qantas has signed a deal to buy up to 1.5 million offset credits over five years to meet part of its liabilities under Australia’s carbon pricing scheme and offer voluntary offsets to passengers. The offsets will be generated from managing Henbury Station, a 500,000 acre natural landscape in the Northern Territory, in which [...]
24. July 2012 - News
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like buying an insurance policy
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like buying an insurance policy: we incur a cost to reduce a risk. Every year Australians spend millions on insuring homes, cars and their health, not because they know that something will happen to them, but because of the risk that it might. This research was funded by a number [...]
23. July 2012 - News
Australia would have been “increasingly exposed” without CO2 law
Australia, the developed world’s biggest percapita polluter, would have been “increasingly exposed” without passing legislation charging companies for their carbon emissions, Treasurer Wayne Swan said. More than 90% of the countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are introducing a price on carbon emissions or already have one, Swan said yesterday in his [...]
17. July 2012 - News
Carbon savings promised in “biggest railway expansion in 150 years”
Nick Clegg says government’s £9.4bn programme of upgrades offers greener alternatives to cars and planes 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. It includes £4.2bn of new projects, including the creation of a high-capacity [...]
13. July 2012 - News
Antarctica and its surrounding waters are under pressure
Antarctica and its surrounding waters are under pressure from a variety of forces that are already transforming the area, scientists warn. The most immediate threats are regional warming, ocean acidification and loss of sea ice, all linked to global levels of carbon dioxide. Sea ice cover, crucial to the survival of virtually every animal that [...]
11. July 2012 - News
Introduction of a carbon levy to CO2 emitters backed by coal exporters
Australia has introduced a carbon emissions tax in a bid to combat climate change. Kristian Wolf, head of the German-Australian Chamber of Commerce says this will promote renewable energy in the coal exporting nation. Deutsche Welle: The introduction of a carbon levy for the 500 biggest CO2 emitters has been very controversial. What was behind [...]
10. July 2012 - News
Gillard said all taxpayers who earn $80,000 or less a year would receive a tax cut
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has assured Wyndham residents that they will take home more money in their pay cheques as she launched the controversial carbon tax this month. Ms Gillard said all taxpayers from Wyndham who earn $80,000 or less a year would receive a tax cut and people earning up to $18,200 a year [...]
6. July 2012 - News
Australia formally adopted the scheme to stop greenhouse emissions
Carbon tax or collective psychosis — Australia formally adopted at least one of them at midnight Saturday as we joined a growing list of countries who stop greenhouse emissions at a tollgate before waving them onward to the heavens. Australia has for decades walked in lockstep with Canada on public policy, but now we part [...]
26. June 2012 - News
A new process claims to virtually eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions
AS the July 1 introduction of the carbon tax nears, what better time for the partners of a joint Australian-Israeli initiative to announce they could give brown-coal production a clean bill of health? A new process claims to virtually eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, potentially removing the carbon footprint from south-eastern [...]
22. June 2012 - News
Australia is ahead in terms of action on green jobs and climate change
That much was clear as Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended a Group of 20 nations leaders summit in Mexico and a United Nations sustainable development conference (Rio+20) in Brazil this week. But being ahead of the pack doesn’t necessarily mean the pack isn’t following – a point Gillard would be keenly aware of as the [...]
21. June 2012 - News
Mabo and the Keating Government’s response the Native Title Act
The following information was released by the office of the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research of Australia: Three weeks ago, Parliament marked the 20th anniversary of the High Court’s Mabo decision on native title. Mabo and the Keating Government’s response, the Native Title Act, were subjected to a vitriolic scare campaign by conservative [...]
21. June 2012 - News
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott plans to set off across the country on carbon tax
When the carbon tax takes effect on July 1, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott plans to set off across the country to talk about it. While the Labor government says ‘the sky won’t fall in’ when the $23 per tonne impost on Australia’s biggest polluters is introduced on July 1, the coalition maintains it will push [...]
21. June 2012 - News
Global warming – yawn. How bad could it possibly get?
In his article ”Global warming – yawn. How bad could it possibly get?” (June 13, p17) Gwynne Dyer exposes public indifference to the threat of global warming. In Australia, this indifference arises in part from the perception that a 5 per cent reduction of carbon emissions by 2020 is a fair contribution by Australia. The [...]
19. June 2012 - News
Treasurer Wayne Swan says July 1 will be a ”game changer”
Treasurer Wayne Swan says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will be left in a ‘‘policy cul-de-sac’’ when the carbon tax is introduced. Treasurer Wayne Swan has told his Labor colleagues that July 1 will be a ”game changer” for the carbon tax. Today Mr Swan – who is also acting Prime Minister while Julia Gillard is [...]
18. June 2012 - News
Spending went up 12 per cent and hit a record-high of $1.086 billion
For the March quarter, spending went up 12 per cent and hit a record-high of $1.086 billion while investment for resources projects still in the drawing board has reached $500 billion. Mr Swan attributed the continuous flow of money in the resources sector to high demand for minerals especially from Asia. The treasurer issued the [...]
15. June 2012 - News
Almost 80,000 WA businesses will be eligible for 13¢ a litre more in fuel rebates
Almost 80,000 WA businesses, councils and tradies will be eligible for 13¢ a litre more in fuel rebates from July 1 in tax changes timed to coincide with the carbon price. Under the redesigned fuel tax credit system, those in construction, manufacturing and public works will be eligible for the full 38¢ a litre rebate [...]
13. June 2012 - News
Exhaustive list of how Australia is not a leader on addressing climate change
When did Australia decide that we didn’t want to lead the world on doing something good for the rest of the world? That instead we’d prefer to be an extremely timid follower or, maybe better, a freeloader? This fight to not lead the world in having an effective and comprehensive price on carbon pollution is [...]
12. June 2012 - News
Major cities in Australia are lagging behind those in Europe on climate change policies
AUSTRALIA’S major cities are lagging behind those in Europe, South America and the United States in rolling out programs to tackle climate change, a new global report reveals. The Carbon Disclosure Project, an independent green business think-tank based in London, analysed data on greenhouse emissions and green programs provided by 73 cities. Its report shows [...]
11. June 2012 - News
Young Australian entrepreneur on the mission to save the world
In 2007, young Australian entrepreneur Dorjee Sun began a mission to save the world. He criss-crossed the globe with a documentary crew, inserting himself into climate change negotiations in a way which eventually made him one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of the Environment”. At the same time, climate change was killing John Howard. An Inconvenient [...]
8. June 2012 - News
The Clean Energy Regulator and the Australian Securities to work together
The Clean Energy Regulator and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to deliver their regulatory responsibilities under Australia’s carbon pricing mechanism. The Clean Energy Regulator is responsible for administering legislation that will reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of clean energy, while the Australian Securities [...]
8. June 2012 - News
New Israeli solar technology transforms greenhouse gas emissions to usable car fuel
Technology developed by head of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Energy Center creates mixture that can be used for car fuel. A new Israeli solar technology is able to transform greenhouse gas emissions from the dirtiest of pollutants into a useable fuel for automobiles. Israeli startup NewCO2Fuels Ltd., in partnership with Australian firm Greenearth Energy [...]
7. June 2012 - News
Australia’s economy rocketed to 4.3 percent growth for the year through March
Australia’s economy rocketed to 4.3 percent growth for the year through March, its fastest expansion since the global financial crisis as Chinese demand for iron ore and other commodities masked difficulties outside the mining industry. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday that the economy grew 1.3 percent in the January-March quarter from the previous [...]
6. June 2012 - News
BHP poised to reveal ‘dramatic’ carbon plan
BHP Billiton will soon reveal a new company policy to combat carbon emissions, which will include some ”pretty dramatic” changes, according to chief executive Marius Kloppers. Speaking in Perth this morning, Mr Kloppers said BHP had been revising its internal policy on energy and carbon emissions and would shortly reveal an updated version that would [...]
4. June 2012 - News
Australia weathering the ongoing global financial instability
AUSTRALIA is weathering the ongoing global financial instability, according to federal Treasurer Wayne Swan, which has seen billions of dollars wiped off share markets. Before the ASX 200 plunged this morning, Mr Swan said it was important to keep global challenges “in perspective”. “We face these challenges from a position of strength,” Mr Swan told [...]
1. June 2012 - News
Federal Government appointed Climate Change Authority
The Federal Government has appointed former South Australian Premier Mike Rann to the board of Low Carbon Australia, and Anthea Harris as Chief Executive of the new Climate Change Authority. Mr Rann is expected to be formally elected as Chair of Low Carbon Australia at its June 2012 board meeting. He is a member of [...]
30. May 2012 - News
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet announced today
The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet announced today that the Hon Mike Rann has been appointed to the Board of Low Carbon Australia Limited. Mr Rann is a member of the International Leadership Council, The Climate Group (UK) and the International Advisory Board, Ecological Sequestration Trust (UK). He brings a wealth [...]
29. May 2012 - News
A large portion of demand for clean and renewable energy will be driven by China and Japan
A large portion of demand for clean and renewable energy will be driven by China and Japan over the medium term and Australian SMEs are in a prime spot to take advantage of the boom, a new KPMG report says. The KPMG Green Power 2012 report found that Asian investment in renewable energy increased by [...]
29. May 2012 - News
30 farms will take part in Tweed Valley Farmland project
Thirty farms will take part in the Increasing Soil Carbon in Tweed Valley Farmland project, which has been granted $586,500 from the Federal Government. Tweed Shire Council and the Tweed Sustainable Agricultural Network, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (NCRMA) will oversee the project. The researchers are [...]
23. May 2012 - News
Environmental sustainability solutions for business to monitor GHG
FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer and industry leader in environmental sustainability solutions for business, today announced a services agreement with UK-based First Title to benchmark and actively monitor First Title’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and energy usage with FirstCarbon’s ghgTrack™ carbon management software. Services have been deployed within enact, the property services division of First Title [...]
22. May 2012 - News
Small businesses feel the gloom of tough trading conditions and domestic political uncertainty
Small businesses are feeling the gloom of tough trading conditions, weighed down by the European crisis, domestic political uncertainty and a looming carbon tax. The Australian Chamber of Commerce of Industry (ACCI) says the confidence of smaller operators may be eroded further by disappointment at the federal budget’s failure to deliver company tax cuts. The [...]
14. May 2012 - News
Clean energy sector goes back to before the Renewable Energy Target
Last week I managed to catch-up with Ric Brazzale, CEO of Green Energy Markets and Trading, one of the largest creators/brokers in solar renewable energy certificates (often referred to as STCs), and a leading analyst on the market in renewable energy certificates. For anyone heavily engaged in the clean energy sector, Ric is someone well-worth [...]
14. May 2012 - News
Clear political agenda to help Labor government to win back their traditional voters
THE budget came and went last week with a very clear political agenda to come out of it: that the Labor government intends to win back their traditional voters by ensuring a lot of money is pushed their way through tax cuts and cash bonuses for schoolchildren. At the same time, the budget appealed to [...]
7. May 2012 - News
First council in Australia to sign an energy-efficiency agreement
WAGGA City Council’s inclusion as one of the nation’s 248 top polluters comes less than a year after it became the first council in Australia to sign an energy-efficiency agreement, which had aimed cut thousands of dollars in carbon emissions. The five-year $209,715 deal with Low Carbon Australia, which was to fund energy-efficiency activities at [...]
4. May 2012 - News
Fourth Climate Action Summit was held on the weekend of April 28 to 29
The fourth Climate Action Summit was held on the weekend of April 28 to 29 at the University of Western Sydney. This annual summit brings together climate activists and environmentalists from across Australia to discuss campaigns and issues relating to grassroots action on climate change. The summit opened with a public forum called “Beyond the [...]
4. May 2012 - News
NCOS has been released allowing Australian businesses to offset under CFI
A revised National Carbon Offset Scheme (NCOS) has been released today, allowing Australian businesses to offset their products with pollution reduction under the Australian Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Introduced on 1 July 2010, the NCOS ensures national consistency and consumer confidence in the voluntary carbon market. The release of the revised Standard follows a [...]
3. May 2012 - News
ASIC starts registration and licensing process under the Australian Government’s carbon pricing mechanism
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released details regarding the registration and licensing process for those intending to provide financial services in emissions units under the Australian Government’s carbon pricing mechanism. ASIC Commissioner, John Price, said registration will help providers of financial services meet their licensing requirements under the Corporations Act 2001. ‘From [...]
1. May 2012 - News
Cut in interest rates by the Reserve Bank
The expected cut in interest rates by the Reserve Bank today will do nothing to save Julia Gillard. It is a drop in the bucket compared to the disillusionment and mistrust that is so pervasive in the community. To rescue her administration, the cut she must focus on is the one needed to be done [...]
30. April 2012 - News
Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard suspended lawmaker from the Labor party
SYDNEY—Australia’s minority government suffered a further blow on Sunday after Prime Minister Julia Gillard suspended an embattled lawmaker from the Labor party in a move that will pressure the government’s stability. Ms. Gillard suspended lawmaker Craig Thomson from the Labor caucus amid long-standing allegations that he misused funds while at the head of a health-sector [...]
27. April 2012 - News
A quarterly update of Australia’s national greenhouse gas inventory released
RENEWABLE energy has helped Australia to cut its total carbon emissions for the second year running, according to figures published in the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts, a quarterly update of Australia’s national greenhouse gas inventory, which is published by the federal government’s Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Clean Energy Council acting chief executive [...]
26. April 2012 - News
Standard and Poor indicate natural gas future is far from secure
Results of a joint study by Standard and Poor and RepuTex indicate that although natural gas is widely viewed as the logical replacement for coal in the Australian power sector, its future is far from secure. The paper, released by RepuTex’s carbon analytics service in conjunction with Standard and Poor’s ratings agency, forecasts the impact [...]
20. April 2012 - News
CLIMATE SPECTATOR: A great way to spend $10 billion
Is it possible that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation is one of the most misunderstood climate policies in Australia? At its core, the CEFC helps develop a diverse portfolio of renewable (and clean) energy at commercial scale, as “insurance to Australia securing the lowest cost of energy in a carbon constrained world” – in Broadbent’s [...]
19. April 2012 - News
Australia emitted 546 million tons more greenhouse gas emissions in 2011
Australia emitted 546 million tons more greenhouse gas emissions in 2011 than in 2010, the government says in its report for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. While that represents a 0.6 percent increase compared to 2010 figures, it is less than the peak in 2008, the National Greenhouse Accounts report, released Tuesday, states. [...]
17. April 2012 - News
Australia on track to meet Kyoto Protocol carbon pollution target
Australia is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol carbon pollution target, according to the federal government, despite emissions rising in 2011. The latest National Greenhouse Accounts were released today by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, with Australia’s national inventory total emissions of greenhouse gases increasing by 0.6 per cent to 546 [...]
16. April 2012 - News
Carbon dioxide (CO2) climate change and greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas that is considered to be a root cause of climate change Al Ain: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas that is considered to be a root cause of climate change. Others include nitrous oxide, water vapour, methane, and ozone levels in the atmosphere. Reducing CO2 [...]
11. April 2012 - News
Browse liquefied natural gas project get western coast to reach a final investment decision
SYDNEY: Australia has given partners in the Browse liquefied natural gas project off its western coast more time to reach a final investment decision, as attempts are made to end in-fighting and quell opposition from environmentalists and landowners. Australia has set a course of overtaking Qatar as the world’s top exporter of LNG later this [...]
10. April 2012 - News
Australia’s electricity retailers and efforts to reduce our emissions
There seems to be a large appetite out there to cast Australia’s electricity retailers as the villains in Australia’s efforts to reduce our emissions. A few weeks ago I participated in a report on ABC’s 7:30 which implied that the failure of the Solar Flagships program was largely the fault of electricity retailers. Last week, [...]
6. April 2012 - News
Federal government released a new handbook on Carbon farming
THE Federal government has released a new handbook designed to better explain the benefits of the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Agriculture Minister Senator Joe Ludwig said the new CFI program attached to the government’s Carbon Tax – that’s due to start on July 1 – was explained from start to finish in the CFI Handbook [...]
6. April 2012 - News
Carbon tax is expected to add about $190 to the annual power bills
THE carbon tax is expected to add about $190 to the annual power bills of struggling NSW households from July 1. While the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal is due to release its estimates for NSW families by mid-April, draft price reports issued by its ACT and Queensland counterparts put rises close to $200 for [...]
5. April 2012 - News
World’s largest engineering firms are first wave of South Korean carbon companies
Two of the world’s largest engineering firms are among the first wave of South Korean companies to attain Carbon Trust Standard accreditation, after the UK consultancy launched the labelling scheme in the country alongside the Korea Productivity Center (KPC). Hyundai Engineering and Construction and Samsung Electronics joined S-Oil and Korean Western Power as the first [...]
5. April 2012 - News
Federal government spent about $17 million on ads on carbon tax
The federal government spent about $17 million on ads explaining its carbon pricing package – almost double the amount spent encouraging people to take part in the census. A new report on government advertising for the second half of 2011 shows the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency spent $16.8 million on a campaign [...]
4. April 2012 - News
Low-carbon investment portfolios has taken a small but significant step
The move towards low-carbon investment portfolios has taken a small but significant step in Australia, with Industry Funds Management launching a new low-carbon, environmental, social and governance portfolio strategy, believed to be the first of its type to factor emissions intensity into an Australian investment product. Other funds that focus on ESG issues, or on [...]
3. April 2012 - News
Government’s carbon tax compensation package for minimum-wage review
LABOR has rejected business calls for an upcoming minimum wage rise to be limited on the grounds that many low-income workers will be overcompensated for the effects of the carbon tax. Workplace Minister Bill Shorten and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet yesterday said the government’s carbon tax compensation package should not be a factor in [...]
3. April 2012 - News
Climate Change is a critical and urgent issue
Bellingen Council has adopted a draft Climate Change policy, despite reservations expressed by two Councillors. Over two year ago, Council adopted an emission reduction target of 40 percent on 1990 levels by 2020. Cr Bruce Cronin said the target was “extremely naïve”. “How do we measure our performance?” Cr Cronin asked. In a report to [...]
2. April 2012 - News
Missed opportunities in Australian politics
There have recently been a series of lost political opportunities for politicians and the Government alike. With the ALP polling at low levels not dissimilar to the Coalition following the 2007 election, Tony Abbott is making little headway. Yes, the Liberal-National Party in Queensland trounced Anna Bligh’s Labor Party. But the Queensland landslide resulting in [...]
30. March 2012 - News
Scrapping of greenhouse gas emission caps
The scrapping of greenhouse gas emission caps on new power generation projects has been interpreted as the latest move by the State Government to fast-track new brown coal projects in the Latrobe Valley. This comes following news it had abandoned overall carbon emissions reduction targets adopted by the previous government in 2010, which aimed to [...]
30. March 2012 - News
Government cash grants to coal generators
Australia’s three biggest polluting brown coal-fired electricity generators will share A$760 million ($780 million) in government cash grants to help them adjust to a price on carbon, Australia’s Climate Change Department said on Friday. The money comes from A$1 billion set aside to help coal-fired power stations curb greenhouse gas emissions, with the money to [...]
29. March 2012 - News
Qantas and Virgin release information about surcharge strategies
Last month both Qantas and Virgin released information about their surcharge strategies in response to the cost of carbon, which will begin to impact their bottom lines on July 1.Usually a surcharge is imposed with the express intention of recovering costs. If cost recovery was the intention then one would expect Qantas and Virgin’s surcharges [...]
28. March 2012 - News
Ministers need more time to consider a policy on carbon reporting
Government statement says ministers need more time to consider a policy almost universally supported by businesses. The government has been criticised for not coming to a decision on the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The government has come under fire after failing to make a decision on whether to introduce mandatory reporting for greenhouse gas [...]
28. March 2012 - News
World close to reaching tipping points in global warming
The world is close to reaching tipping points that will make it irreversibly hotter, making this decade critical in efforts to contain global warming, scientists warned on Monday. Scientific estimates differ but the world’s temperature looks set to rise by six degrees Celsius by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to rise uncontrollably. As [...]
23. March 2012 - News
Climate change can cause flooding
Sea-level rise from global climate change could increase flooding problems for already vulnerable residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, according to a new report. Terrebonne and Lafourche ranked as the most-populated parishes in Louisiana facing the highest risk from sea-level rise. They came in behind Jefferson and Orleans parishes. Houma and Bayou Cane are also [...]
23. March 2012 - News
Climate Scientists at ‘Boot Camp’ In Australia
In what may be a ‘clash of worldviews’ representatives from indigenous and local communities are holding a climate workshop with physicists, computer modellers and other climate scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Cairns, Australia 26-28 March. This is a unique opportunity for Native peoples to discuss their traditional knowledge and experiences [...]
22. March 2012 - News
Budget cut in diesel fuel rebate ‘would put our competitiveness at risk’
MINERS have warned that any further cuts to the diesel fuel rebate could cut output, reduce international competitiveness and would violate sound tax policy if the government decided to pursue the measure in the May budget. After The Australian reported yesterday that sources said the government was looking at a further tightening of the scheme [...]
20. March 2012 - News
Companies Missing Opportunities to See Green With Sustainability Efforts
There’s a lot of talk about the other green of sustainability – financial savings. However, a recent survey from Ernst & Young LLP found that many companies might be missing opportunities, as tax departments and sustainability programs lack integration. Only 16% of companies that either have or are developing an environmental sustainability strategy said their [...]
20. March 2012 - News
Australia’s Senate Approves Controversial Mining Tax
Australia’s upper house of parliament, the Senate, voted on Monday night to approve a controversial legislation that imposes a 30 per cent tax on iron ore and coal mining companies, clearing the final hurdle for the legislation to become law. The measure cleared the Senate in a 38 to 32 vote with backing the ruling [...]
20. March 2012 - News
FTSE mulls global, U.S. carbon strategy indexes (Reuters )
Index provider FTSE Group is considering creating global, U.S.-based and European country-based carbon strategy share indexes after launching four new indexes last month to help investors manage risks linked to climate change, a senior FTSE official said. In February, FTSE with its partners expanded the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy Index Series with a Europe-wide, a Japan-based and two [...]
20. March 2012 - News
DECC defends decision to delay gas CCS requirement until 2045 (businessgreen.com)
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) yesterday hit back at criticism of its decision to allow gas-fired power plants to operate without carbon capture and storage (CCS) until 2045, insisting it would not allow a new “dash for gas” to undermine the UK’s carbon targets. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey and [...]
19. March 2012 - News
UK economy: Where companies grow and export(bbc.co.uk)
Some of the country’s most deprived areas could provide the potential for the best quality business growth according to research commissioned by BBC English Regions. As the country continues to face economic challenges the research, conducted by information analysts Experian, looked at evidence for growth, or otherwise, from 2010 to 2012 in every local authority [...]
19. March 2012 - News
Australia falls behind in preparation for low-carbon world(theconversation.edu.au)
Australia is the only country in the Group of Twenty nations less prepared for a low carbon emissions world than it was almost two decades ago, a report has found. Since 1995, Australia’s reliance on polluting activities has grown relative to almost every other major economy, according to the report, produced by think tank the [...]
16. March 2012 - News
The impact of the EU’s emissions trading system on aviation(nationmultimedia.com )
Emissions from air travel contribute to global warming by altering the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Aviation is a fast-growing industry and therefore a fast-growing contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. CO2 emissions from aviation account for approximately 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change says [...]
16. March 2012 - News
UK recognizes opportunity in Canadian Low-Carbon, sustainability sectors (ecofriendnews.com)
The United Kingdom’s strong expertise and know-how in the sustainability and environment sectors are being showcased this week by British business and government leaders attending GLOBE 2012, one of the world’s most influential environment-focused forums. The more than 20 British companies – including UK Trade & Investment’s delegation of 15 organizations – exemplify the country’s [...]
16. March 2012 - News
Taking notes from the best de-carbonisation plans(climatespectator.com.au)
Around the world an increasing number of detailed policy road maps are demonstrating the possibility, necessity and urgency of a rapid transition to a just and sustainable post carbon future. The key barriers to this transition are social and political, not technological and financial. The Post Carbon Pathways report, published by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University [...]
16. March 2012 - News
No doubt about it, Australia’s getting hotter(carbonnews.co.nz )
Australia’s land and oceans have continued to warm in response to rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. This is the headline finding in the State of the Climate 2012, an updated summary of Australia’s long-term climate trends released by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology this week.
15. March 2012 - News
Britain is among the worst performing economies in G20, says grim report (dailymail.co.uk)
Britain was among the worst performing of the major economies at the end of last year, a grim report showed last night. Output in the UK fell by 0.2 per cent in the final three months of 2011 as the crisis in the eurozone, austerity at home, and the high oil price took their toll. [...]
15. March 2012 - News
City of Grand Forks set to reduce carbon emission levels by 2020 (grandforksgazette.ca )
The initiative began in 2008 and aims to reduce emission levels by 2020 to the levels established in 2007. When the project began, Grand Forks’ benchmark was 420 tonnes. Based on figures from 2010, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions now total around 330 tonnes. “We are now down to 330 tonnes,” explained Lynne Burch, the city’s [...]
15. March 2012 - News
Business leaders urge UK government to stay on path to low-carbon economy( energyefficiencynews.com)
CEOs of major businesses including EDF Energy, Lloyds, Kingfisher, Unilever, Shell and Tesco have written an open letter to UK Chancellor George Osborne urging him to stay “firmly on the path” to a low-carbon economy. Ahead of the Coalition Government’s Budget later this month, 11 members of the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders on Climate Change make [...]
15. March 2012 - News
Australia’s vehicle emissions trail Europe by a long way (caradvice.com.au)
Average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Australia’s new car fleet continue to fall, but the vast difference between our emissions and those of European countries suggests we still have a long way to go to green up our act. A report by Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) reveals average CO2 emissions from new passenger and light [...]
15. March 2012 - News
A coalition to support Australia’s carbon price(climatespectator.com.au)
Carbon markets are the forefront of domestic climate policy in Australia. They are now also becoming a core question of diplomacy, as Australia looks to link its emissions trading scheme to that of trading underway in the European Union (EU) and New Zealand. This is happening in parallel to the ongoing UN framework negotiations towards [...]
13. March 2012 - News
EU Emissions Plan Backed By Group Of US Economists(Dow Jones Newswires)
The European Commission moved to fight back against escalating international opposition to its emissions-limiting scheme for the airline industry, releasing a letter to President Barack Obama from a group of U.S. economists backing its approach. Five Nobel laureates are among the signatories of the letter, to be sent Tuesday, which call on the U.S. to back what they called [...]
13. March 2012 - News
Renewables industry calls for clarity on post-2020 energy targets (guardian.co.uk )
The renewables energy industry has again called on the government to urgently clarify its plans for low-carbon energy development after 2020, following the release of a controversial submission to the EU, which argues the bloc should abandon specific renewable energy targets post-2020. Energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey yesterday responded to Guardian reports on the document by [...]
13. March 2012 - News
Decline in UK house price eases in February – RICS(Reuters )
British house prices fell at their slowest pace since July 2010 last month, and surveyors expect prices to stabilise in the coming months as the economic outlook brightens, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said on Tuesday. The value of British houses fell sharply at the start of the financial crisis and has been generally [...]
13. March 2012 - News
EU clears path for farming and forestry emission reduction targets (BusinessGreen )
The EU has proposed to establish common accounting standards for emissions from the forestry and agriculture sectors – the first step towards incorporating the last major sectors without standardised rules into its carbon reduction targets. Unlike most major sectors, measuring and monitoring land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) emissions were beyond scientific capability [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Cautious optimism as UK set to avoid another recession (scotsman.com)
THE UK economy has been buoyed by data that suggests the UK will avoid another recession. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed a positive shift in economic activity at the start of the year. The OECD said its composite leading indicators, a survey designed to anticipate turning points in the economic [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Ethiopia Feb inflation rises on food prices (Reuters )
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s year-on-year rate of inflation rose in February to 36.3 percent from 32 percent a month ago, official data showed on Monday. Many countries in east Africa and the Horn of Africa are battling double-digit inflation after poor rain cut harvests and global oil prices surged. In January, Ethiopia’s inflation dipped on [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Brazil Questions Sale of Amazon Land Rights to Irish Firm (latino.foxnews.com)
The Mundurucu Indians have sold their rights to 23,000 sq. kilometers (8,880 sq. miles) of land in the Brazilian Amazon to the Irish company Celestial Green Ventures, one of the world’s leading firms in the world carbon-credits market, the press reported. The $120 million deal was not approved by the entire tribe and is being [...]
12. March 2012 - News
EU Emissions Trading Scheme Assailed at FAA Conference (AIN Air Transport )
Critics vented frustration with Europe’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) during the FAA Forecast Conference March 8 in Washington, D.C. Leading the chorus of criticism, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood hinted that the U.S. government is considering “enforcement measures” to counter the European Union regulation. In opening remarks at the two-day event, LaHood described the ETS as “an [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Economy shows encouraging signs (rutherglenreformer.co.uk)
The threat of a “double dip” recession hitting Scotland is “diminishing”, the Bank of Scotland’s chief economist said, as a business survey suggested a “slow recovery” for the economy. The Bank of Scotland’s Purchase Managers Index for February showed both output and employment at private sector businesses increased at accelerated rates. The rise in staffing [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Sierra Leone is a paradise for potential tourist to Africa- Head of Chancery Kondeh (Cocorioko Newspaper)
Sierra Leone has continued to receive more attention from international partners regarding its socio economic potentials, good governance and infrastructural development. Concerted efforts are being made not only by political leaders to rebrand the country’s image after a horrible past, but also meaningful Sierra Leoneans including government functionaries working in respective missions abroad. HEAD OF [...]
12. March 2012 - News
Abu Dhabi shoppers hit in the pocket (thenational.ae)
Abu Dhabi shoppers are feeling the pinch after prices of basic food items from meat to coffee surged in the first two months of the year. The rises come despite government price controls aimed at protecting consumers from higher food costs. Shoppers should brace themselves for further rises, said Giyas Gokkent, the chief economist at [...]
12. March 2012 - News
New UN-backed emissions reduction scheme helps poorer nations use clean energy (engnews.gazeta.kz )
Rural households in developing countries will soon be able to swap kerosene lamps and diesel generators for clean renewable energy thanks to a financial incentive provided under the emissions reduction mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was reported ion Tuesday. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and an emissions [...]
11. March 2012 - News
Tony Blair expands his African empire into mineral-rich Guinea (telegraph.co.uk)
Tony Blair has added to his burgeoning African empire. The former prime minister can now count himself as official adviser to the president of Guinea, a hot, steamy republic in west Africa in possession of vast mineral resources. The agreement coincides with a deal to explore new mining opportunities signed by the government of Guinea [...]
8. March 2012 - News
UK interest rates held at 0.5% for third year (bbc.co.uk )
UK interest rates have been held at 0.5% by the Bank of England, marking three years since rates were first cut to the record low. Many analysts expect rates to remain at that level for at least another year. The monetary policy committee (MPC) also decided to make no change to its quantitative easing (QE) [...]
8. March 2012 - News
Set-aside, swaps boost emissions market volumes(environmental-finance.com)
Volumes in the European carbon market jumped last month, boosted by speculation ahead of a key European Parliament vote on supply-curbing measures and the widening spread between key carbon commodity prices. European emissions market volumes typically rise in February, ahead of the 31 March deadline for participants in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) [...]
8. March 2012 - News
Why cities can’t tackle global warming on their own(washingtonpost.com)
Whenever global warming drops off Congress’s radar, some environmentalists point out the real action is occurring locally, anyway. Some 500 U.S. mayors havesigned pledges to reduce carbon emissions. Berkeley, for one, promises an 80 percent cut by 2050. But do these plans actually do anything? (Mike Blake – Reuters)Not really, it turns out. Nate Bergpoints to an intriguing new paper in [...]
8. March 2012 - News
UK pushing for tougher emissions cuts at “crucial” EU meeting (businessgreen.com)
Businesses could find their efforts to comply with the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) prove futile, if Vince Cable gets his way. The Business Secretary has reportedly been lobbying Chancellor George Osborne to scrap the controversial scheme as part of the upcoming Budget in the interests of alleviating the administrative burden on companies. The CRC requires [...]
8. March 2012 - News
Right track for a clean energy future (climatespectator.com.au)
Australia has an alcohol problem; this really is not in dispute. Yet last week, Oliver Marc Hartwich suggested in these pages that capping the national alcohol intake while encouraging a change in habit to light beer would be a redundant exercise (A zero-sum carbon game, March 1). An Australia that is gradually encouraged to imbibe [...]
7. March 2012 - News
Column – Brazil should stick to its roots and keep the trees (thedaonline.com)
Brazil, which hosts 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, may become a victim to economically hungry “ruralists” who hold positions within the country’s congress. With March finally arriving, a crucial decision is about to be made. A debate will be held to decide whether to maintain regulations set by the 47-year-old Forest Code, or to [...]
7. March 2012 - News
Australian carbon capture trial drilling starts (ifandp.com)
The Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum has begun drilling in Harvey, south of Perth, to find out whether carbon emissions can be stored underground. The South West Hub project will collect data and samples at the Harvey One Well up to a 3km depth. The AUD8.5m project is the first non-commercial one of its [...]
7. March 2012 - News
EU Governments May Leave Out CO2-Permit Set-Aside in Energy Law (Bloomberg)
Governments in Europe intend to exclude from a planned energy law the option of withholding some carbon permits from the market, setting up a possible clash with European Parliament members seeking higher emission prices. The Danish government, which holds the 27-nation European Union’s rotating presidency, left out the possibility of setting aside carbon-dioxide allowances in its initial [...]
7. March 2012 - News
EU sets its carbon sights higher(utilityweek.co.uk)
Now that Europe’s 2020 target for greenhouse gas emissions is in sight, the European Commission has reignited the debate on setting higher targets to help it meet its longer term carbon reduction ambitions. Sian Crampsie reports Strengthening the European Union’s low-carbon ambitions would revitalise investment in the green economy and deliver health and environmental benefits, [...]
7. March 2012 - News
Pollution Control Market to Top $9bn by 2017, Report Says (environmentalleader.com)
The global air pollution control equipment market should grow significantly once utility, oil and gas companies comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations such as the EPA’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology rules, according to research by business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Analysis of the Global Air Pollution Control Equipment in Energy and Power Market finds that [...]
7. March 2012 - News
Europe Stands Firm On Emissions Trading Scheme, For Now (Tax-news.com, Brussels)
The Vice-President of the European Commission told the Aviation Leadership Summit at the Singapore Airshow that the European Union will stand firm on its decision to impose a tax on airlines’ emissions, but said the Union is open to constructive negotiations on multilateral alternatives. Responding to international criticism of the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme [...]
6. March 2012 - News
Access to Drinking Water; Clean energy; Sudan/South Sudan; Women in Business (undispatch.com)
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: The goal of reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water has been achieved, well ahead of the 2015 deadline for reaching the globally agreed Millennium Development Goals, the UN said today. Between 1990 and 2010, over two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, [...]
6. March 2012 - News
New UN-backed emissions reduction scheme helps poorer nations use clean energy (un.org)
Rural households in developing countries will soon be able to swap kerosene lamps and diesel generators for clean renewable energy thanks to a financial incentive provided under the emissions reduction mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was reported today. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and an emissions baseline and [...]
6. March 2012 - News
BRC survey shows fall in UK retail sales (The Guardian)
A brief surge in consumer confidence over the Christmas period appeared to evaporate in February after a fall in retail sales and a slowdown in the all-important services sector. The British Retail Consortium reported that retail sales values were down 0.3% on a like-for-like basis from the same month last year, when sales had already fallen [...]
6. March 2012 - News
UK Economy Update (homesgofast.com)
The Uk economy has enjoyed a relatively positive few days compared to last week, increasing the value of sterling. While last year saw concerns of further quantitive easing, market analysts now see any further QE in the foreseeable future as being unlikely. Uk manufacturing data, whilst being lower than expected (down to 51.2, below forecasts [...]
6. March 2012 - News
Travel and tourism to boost UK economy in 2012 (breakingtravelnews.com)
The luxury hotel group Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts has appointed two senior team members at their London properties. At Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, Ian Richardson has been named General Manager. He was appointed Acting General Manager at the property in November 2010. Ian joined Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in June 2004 as Health Club Manager at [...]
6. March 2012 - News
Wheat Output in Australia to Drop From Record on Lower Acreage (Bloomberg)
Wheat production in Australia, the world’s second-biggest shipper, may drop 13 percent from a record as farmers switch to barley and canola on better returns, a government commodity forecaster said. Output may total 25.7 million metric tons in the year from July 1, from a record 29.5 million tons a year earlier, the Canberra-based Australian Bureau of Agricultural [...]
6. March 2012 - News
W’Bank Boost Africa’s Food Security with $1bn (thisdaylive.com)
World Bank’s Vice-President (Africa), Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Monday said the global bank had queued behind Africa’s quest for food security and freedom from hunger, saying: “We now commi $1 billion to African agriculture investment.” Ezekwesili, who disclosed this in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, during the inauguration of Feed Africa Programme, which also coincided with the [...]
6. March 2012 - News
For climate-smart policies and investments (thefinancialexpress-bd.com)
A recent World Bank report on the cost of adapting to climate-change-induced extreme weather patterns has estimated that Bangladesh might need some $5.7 billion for the purpose by 2050. This natural-hazard-prone land does have to spend considerably in various adaptation measures, such as coastal embankments, cyclone shelters, flood management schemes and other infrastructures. But clearly, [...]
6. March 2012 - News
ETS reminder to hundreds of forest owners (scoop.co.nz)
ETS reminder to hundreds of forest owners Waikato Regional Council is writing to hundreds of forest owners in the region reminding them they need to register their forests by 31 March if they want to qualify for and claim Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) New Zealand units under the first five-year sequestration period of the Kyoto [...]
6. March 2012 - News
Africa: Improving Markets Key to Better Food Security (allafrica.com)
Food scarcity is a daily reality for much of sub-Saharan Africa, with yet another hunger crisis accelerating in West Africa’s Sahel region, just as drought-driven famine in Somalia eases. So as extreme weather and other climate impacts strengthen in the region, about 150 of the world’s foremost thinkers on agricultural markets believe the time has [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Tesco job creation ‘a massive boost for UK economy’, says Cameron (freshbusinessthinking.com)
Tesco announced today that it will create 20,000 new jobs in the UK over the next two years through a significant investment in customer service, refreshing existing stores and opening new ones. At the heart of this programme, Tesco plans to deliver new levels of excellence in customer service across its stores. Starting immediately, Britain’s top retailer [...]
5. March 2012 - News
UK growth forecast cut by British Chambers of Commerce (Bbc)
The UK will avoid a double-dip recession but growth this year will be slower than previously forecast, the British Chambers of Commerce has said. In its quarterly economic forecast, the business lobby group (BCC) predicted the UK economy would grow by 0.6%, down from its previous forecast of 0.8%. It warned that unemployment would rise [...]
5. March 2012 - News
UK economy picks up despite slower services growth (telegraph.co.uk)
The closely-watched Markit/CIPS services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to a three-month low of 53.8 from 56 in January, where anything above 50 indicates the sector was growing. Economists had expected a smaller fall to 55. Although the PMI series, which includes surveys on the manufacturing and construction sectors, are not official data, they are [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Rio+20 will stoke the debate over biofuelsJosé Pedro Martins (lapress.org)
The debate over the use of farmland for the production of biofuels, which affects food security worldwide, will resume with force during Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development set to take place in Rio de Janeiro in early June 2012. Various non-governmental organizations which will participate in the People’s Summit, an event held [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Food prices up 2.5%, FAO says (en.ammonnews.net)
AMMONNEWS – The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that global food prices rose 2.5 percent in January from the previous month. FAO economist Abdolreza Abbassian said there is no specific reason behind the rising food prices. He added that rising commodities costs are part of the major factors behind a growing wave of [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Rainforest home to vast treasury of life (CNN)
Both Brazil and Indonesia have embarked on programs to protect their tropical rainforests, which contain a rich treasury of life. Although many millions of species are known to inhabit this ecosystem, quantifying precisely how many plants and animals rely on the rainforest is difficult. David Ainsworth of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity told CNN: [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Climate Change And Challenges Of Reducing Carbon Emission —Rasak Musbau (pmnewsnigeria.com)
Climate change has become a new reality and a peculiar problem that has continually put world leaders on their toes over the years. The threat of climate change is now being properly addressed as not a mere environmental concern but developmental issues that have effects on health, agriculture, water needs and supply, economic growth and [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Climate Change Could Cause 900 Tropical Bird Species to go Extinct (ibtimes.com)
Up to 900 species of tropical birds could go extinct by the year 2100 because of climate change, according to a new study. The expected average temperature increase of 6.3 degree Fahrenheit (3.5 degree Celsius) could extinguish hundreds of bird species that struggled to adapt to habitat loss and extreme weather events, the authors wrote. Climate [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Climate change networking necessary for Africa – NGO (vibeghana.com)
Madam Jasqueline Nnam, Knowledge Sharing Officer of Africa Adapt (AA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has called on stakeholders to come together to share ideas on climate change to reduce its havoc on the people. Madam Nnam made the call at a “Meet and Greet”, an interactive forum for knowledge sharing with NGOs, farmers and researchers [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Tax credit could up oil production (oaoa.com)
A tax credit and incentives from the capture of carbon dioxide could be a win-win-win in the Permian Basin. C02 producers, oil producers and the federal government stand to benefit from the arrangement, which could result in a significant rise in oil production during the next 40 years through the enhanced oil-recovery process. Some say it [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Africa’s food crisis: Experts advocate linking farmers to markets (vanguardngr.com)
As food crisis unfolds in West Africa’s Sahel region, some of the world’s leading experts in agriculture markets say the time is ripe to confront the “substantial inefficiencies” in trade policy, transportation, information services, credit, crop storage and other market challenges that leave Africans particularly vulnerable to food-related problems. “We can’t control the weather or [...]
5. March 2012 - News
British Chambers of Commerce lowers UK growth forecast (bbc.co.uk)
The UK will avoid a double-dip recession but growth this year will be slower than previously forecast, the British Chambers of Commerce has said. In its quarterly economic forecast, the business lobby group (BCC) predicted the UK economy would grow by 0.6%, down from its previous forecast of 0.8%. It warned that unemployment would rise [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Natural Gas Seen Benefiting From U.S. Clean Energy Mandates for Utilities (Bloomberg)
Natural gas, which already is edging aside coal in American electricity generation, would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a clean-energy mandate for utilities under consideration in Congress this year. Senator Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat and chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced a measure March 1 to force electricity companies [...]
5. March 2012 - News
Australian business can access $1 billion in clean tech funding (investinaustralia.com)
More than 1800 manufacturers have registered to attend information sessions for the $1 billion Clean Technology Investment programs. The first sessions are being held today in Sydney. The $800 million Clean Technology Investment Program and the $200 million Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program offer assistance to businesses to invest in energy efficient capital [...]
4. March 2012 - News
Global prices still high, exporter to UAE says (gulfnews.com)
Food cost increases due to factors that include extreme weather conditions and rising world population A decline in food prices is expected this year due to improved supplies, but global prices remain high and volatile, Sam Meer, a UK-based exporter, told Gulf News at the recent Gulf Food show. The director of Commodities Exchange Ltd, a company [...]
2. March 2012 - News
Center Parcs pumps £250m into fifth UK site (telegraph.co.uk)
The holiday company’s private equity owner, Blackstone, said the park to be built at Woburn, Bedfordshire will offer a major boost to the UK economy and represents a £250m investment. Investment funds managed by Blackstone will pump £100m of new cash equity in the business while the remaining £150m will be financed through a loan [...]
29. February 2012 - News
British bank chief warns quantitative easing is ‘laying seeds for next crisis’ (guardian.co.uk)
A leading British banker has warned that the huge sums of money being pumped into western economies to underpin banks and promote financial stability risk “laying the seeds for the next crisis”. As central bankers on both sides of the Atlantic played down expectations that they were poised to unleash a fresh round of money [...]
29. February 2012 - News
Polling public opinion on climate change (ncse.com)
“After a period of declining levels of belief in global warming there appears to be a modest rebound in the percentage of Americans that believe temperatures on the planet are increasing,” according (PDF) to the latest National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change. Asked, “Is there solid evidence that the average temperature on [...]
29. February 2012 - News
UK consumers more confident on economy and finances, survey shows (guardian.co.uk)
Britons are becoming more optimistic about the economic recovery and their own finances, an influential survey has revealed. Market research firm GfK NOP said that even though the overall score on consumer confidence remained unchanged since last month at -29, there were grounds for “cautious optimism” in the detail of the index. Nick Moon, managing [...]
29. February 2012 - News
Sierra Leone: Doing Business With Britain (thepatrioticvanguard.com)
“Peace is a natural effect of trade.” Charles de Montesquieu I am delighted to announce that British and Sierra Leonean businesses have come together to launch the British Chamber of Commerce in Sierra Leone (BCCSL). The BCCSL will encourage British companies interested in coming and working in Sierra Leone to share their experiences and will [...]
28. February 2012 - News
Climate change is set to shake the earth (smh.com.au)
A changing climate isn’t just about floods, droughts and heatwaves. It brings erupting volcanoes and catastrophic earthquakes, says Bill McGuire in London. The idea that a changing climate can persuade the ground to shake, volcanoes to rumble and tsunamis to crash on to unsuspecting coastlines seems, at first, to be bordering on the insane. How [...]
27. February 2012 - News
EU industry emissions rise slightly in 2011: analysts (Reuters)
European Union industrial carbon emissions rose by up to 2.4 percent last year, analysts surveyed by Reuters estimated, below the market cap and keeping the 27-nation bloc on track to meet its 2020 climate target. The EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) limits the emissions of over 12,000 installations, including power plants and factories, and covers [...]
27. February 2012 - News
China’s Duan to chair U.N. carbon executive board (Reuters )
Maosheng Duan of China was on Monday named chairman of the executive board for the Clean Development Mechanism, becoming the first person from the world’s top polluter to oversee the UN-backed carbon market for developing nations. Duan succeeds Britain’s Martin Hession, who will now serve as vice-chair of the CDM executive board, said the United Nations Framework [...]
27. February 2012 - News
U.K. Home Prices Underpinned by Tax-Holiday Rush, Hometra (Bloomberg)
U.K. house prices held their value for a second month in February, boosted by a seasonal increase in demand and a rush to beat the expiration of a property-tax exemption, Hometrack Ltd. said. The average cost of a home in England and Wales was unchanged from January and 1.4 percent lower than a year earlier, the London-based [...]
27. February 2012 - News
South Korea Set to Vote on Last Hurdle for Emissions Trading (bloomberg )
South Korea delayed approving a cap- and-trade system to cut carbon emissions, setting back efforts to regulate factories and power plants in the fastest-growing producer of greenhouse gases among industrial democracies. The National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee put off the vote for at least a month, chairman Woo Yoon Keun told lawmakers today. The bill to establish [...]
26. February 2012 - News
Itaú gets $100 million to finance green projects (emergingmoney.com)
The Brazilian bank Itaú BBA (ITUB, quote) will receive loans of up to $100 million from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) to finance green projects in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The funds will be used to finance ITUB’s projects related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and cleaner production mechanisms as well as [...]
26. February 2012 - News
UN launches online database to help businesses adapt to climate change (un.org )
A new online database launched today by the United Nations will showcase successful strategies that businesses and communities are using to adapt to climate change while simultaneously increasing their profits and using their resources more efficiently. The database, which can be accessed through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) website, features more than [...]
24. February 2012 - News
Climate change fight gets tax nod too (mg.co.za)
An innovative carbon tax that rewards and punishes businesses was raised in the treasury’s tax proposals document. Although it was not launched during the budget speech, it will be introduced next year. The first phase lasts until 2020. The proposed tax, R120 per tonne of emissions, will penalise companies that do not start lowering their [...]
24. February 2012 - News
GEF Grant to Help Brazil Protect an additional 13.5 Million Hectares in the Amazon ( finchannel.com)
Thirteen and a half million hectares of additional new protected areas will be created in the next four years. According to the World Bank , the grant will also help consolidate 32 million hectares of existing areas. With an area of 4.1 million km2, the Brazilian Amazon is the largest continuous rainforest in the world, providing [...]
24. February 2012 - News
West Africa has potential for top-five gold spot (miningweekly.com )
West Africa has the potential to become one of the top five gold-producing regions in the world, according to Wood Mackenzie mining industry analyst Jonathan Leng. Numerous new gold-mining projects are being developed in West Africa, particularly in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but none of them are big enough to threaten [...]
24. February 2012 - News
African Petroleum makes major oil discovery in Liberia/West Africa (Sierraexpressmedia)
As part of its massive exploration and investment drive in the Africa sub-region, African Petroleum Limited has made yet another significant oil discovery. The company has announced that it found a total of 32 metres (105 feet) of net oil pay in two zones in Liberia,West Africa. The company said it has discovered a net [...]
23. February 2012 - News
Food price increases looming (newera.com.na)
Price increases on a number of food items have started showing up, nearly two weeks after the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) sounded the alarm bells over the volatility of international food markets. Namib Mills has just announced that the price of sugar will increase next week Monday [February 27] by between 7 [...]
23. February 2012 - News
Point Carbon forecasts volumes to grow 13 per cent this year ahead of EU ETS phase III (businessgreen.com)
Global carbon markets are set to crash 36 per cent in value this year to €61bn, despite a 13 per cent growth in trading volume, according to new forecasts from analyst firm Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. The research firm yesterday issued an outlook for the carbon market this year, including forecasts that the volume of [...]
22. February 2012 - News
Climate change could fuel tornadoes in US (omantribune.com)
WASHINGTON One year after a deadly tornado season in the United States caused nearly $30 billion in damage, an above-normal number of twisters could be in store for 2012. While there is no way to predict that there will be a repeat of 2011’s calamitous series of tornadoes, private weather forecaster Accuweather.com said this week [...]
22. February 2012 - News
UK Economy: Almost £8 billion surplus in the public purse offers Osborne with more options (egovmonitor.com)
The Office for National Statistics has revealed that public sector surplus in January stood at £7.8 billion amid higher tax receipts and lower borrowing from local government. The Office for Budget Responsibility noted that the figure is almost £2.5 billion more than the same month in 2011, and some £1.5 billion more than estimated. January [...]
22. February 2012 - News
Climate change increased likelihood of Russian 2010 heatwave – study ( environmentalresearchweb.org)
The extreme Russian heatwave of 2010 was made three times more likely because of man-made climate change, according to a study led by climate scientists and number-crunched by home PC users. But the size of the event was mostly within natural limits, said the scientists, laying to rest a controversy last year over whether the extreme [...]
21. February 2012 - News
Cut tax on rich to boost the UK economy: GWM (ftadviser.com )
The chancellor should abolish the 50 per cent tax rate for higher earners in next month’s budget and give generous tax relief to entrepreneurs who create initiatives and jobs, an IFA has claimed. Niraj Vyas, UK Financial Services Director for international IFA firm Guardian Wealth Management., said George Osborne should be focused on tax cuts [...]
21. February 2012 - News
Rising Food Prices Propelling Inflation Worldwide, Special Report by Profit Confidential (PRWEB)
Popular financial newsletter Profit Confidential reports that global food prices jumped 1.9% in January around the globe, the biggest monthly gain in 11 months. According to Michael Lombardi, lead contributor to Profit Confidential, things are going to get worse. New York, NY (PRWEB) February 21, 2012 Popular financial newsletter Profit Confidential reports that global food prices [...]
17. February 2012 - News
Declining agri productivity contributes to low exports: industry leaders (zambotimes.com)
Amid the 2012 Gross Domestic Product growth target of 5.5 to 6.5 percent set by the Philippines economic managers, the food manufacturing/ processing and exports sector are seriously concerned with four major issues – inadequate raw material supply, high cost of sugar and other material inputs, high cost of power and poor infrastructure, and logistics [...]
16. February 2012 - News
Manufacturing Data Lift Hopes For UK Economy (nasdaq.com)
- CBI industrial output survey holds firm, helped by better order books – EU Commissions says UK to avoid recession this year – Surveys of purchasing managers in Jan were strong LONDON — U.K. manufacturers were upbeat in February thanks to a sizable improvement in their order books, a survey showed Thursday, adding to a [...]
16. February 2012 - News
UK Economy: Mixed news on UK unemployment figures as 8.4% Britons are now out of work (Egovmonitor)
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics show that Britain’s unemployment surged by 48,000 in the final quarter of 2011 to touch 2.67 million. This equates to an overall unemployment rate of 8.4%, the highest in 17 years. In January, Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants increased for the 11th month in a row adding 6,900 to [...]
16. February 2012 - News
Volatile global economy reflected in farm prices (mudgeeguardian.com.au)
Global economic and political uncertainty is being reflected in Australian agricultural markets, according to a new report released by Rabobank. In its keynote annual report, Australian Agriculture in Focus, 2012, Rabobank says the world’s financial, industrial and agricultural markets have all begun to show greater risk aversion, price volatility and a deterioration in demand. Rabobank [...]
16. February 2012 - News
U.K. Consumer Confidence Increases to Five-Month High on Economic Outlook (bloomberg.com)
U.K. consumer confidence rose in January to the highest in five months on signs of strength in the economy, according to Nationwide Building Society, which said the increase may be a “temporary bounce.” An index of sentiment rose to 47 from 38 the previous month, the Swindon, England-based customer-owned lender said in an e-mailed report today. The reading [...]
15. February 2012 - News
California cap-and-trade law spurs U.S. forest carbon projects (mongabay.com )
Now that California’s carbon market has arrived, an Australian-based company that specializes in forest carbon offsets has jump started two forest projects with private landowners in the western U.S. The new company, Forest Carbon Partners, will make the projects available as carbon offsets for California polluters. “As the California carbon market comes online, New Forests [...]
13. February 2012 - News
Chinese approve $1.5bn investment in African Minerals project (sharecast.com)
LONDON (SHARECAST) - African Minerals (AMI), the iron ore producer focused on Sierra Leone, says its Chinese partner has been given state approval for a $1.5bn investment in the huge Tonkolili project. The Shandong Iron and Steel Group has also confirmed that testing of a trial shipment has been successful and that Tonkolili iron ore is of [...]
13. February 2012 - News
FAO Food Price Index up 2% in January, first increase since July 2011 (en.mercopress.com)
The FAO Food Price Index rose by nearly two percent or four points from December to January, its first increase since July 2011. According to FAO prices of all the commodity groups in the index registered gains last month with oils increasing the most followed closely by cereals, sugar, dairy products and meat. At its [...]
13. February 2012 - News
CBI sees UK economy skirting recession (SHARECAST )
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has today cuts its forecast for gross domestic product growth (GDP) for this year and next, albeit due to the contraction seen at the end of 2011. However, the business lobby expects the British economy to avoid the technical definition of a recession, often defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction, [...]
12. February 2012 - News
Economic uncertainty ‘costing jobs’ (UKPA)
Private sector jobs are still being lost in Northern Ireland because of falling levels of new business and economic uncertainty, it has been revealed. The rate of companies shedding workers was at its fastest last month since June 2011, the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland Purchasing Managers’ Index said. Business activity fell for the second month [...]
12. February 2012 - News
Ghana developing policy framework on climate change (ghanabusinessnews.com)
The Ghana government through the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology is developing a National Climate Change Policy Framework (NCCPF) to provide strategic direction and co-ordinate the national framework to address issues of climate change broadly in the country. National strategies are also being targeted to enable the execution of the United Nations Framework Convention [...]
10. February 2012 - News
Agriculture key to climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions (engineeringnews.co.za )
The world’s agriculture sector can contribute to climate change mitigation, while at the same time helping countries to adapt to climate change, say 14 scientists writing in the January 20 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Science. Members of the contributing team are drawn from 12 countries and it includes South Africa’s Council for Scientific and [...]
9. February 2012 - News
Bank of England pumps another £50bn into UK economy (guardian.co.uk)
The Bank of England was today left unmoved by a new Greek debt deal as it announced a third dose of electronic money creation to boost the flagging UK economy. Expressing concern that the eurozone crisis, together with George Osborne’s austerity programme and a rationing of credit, will stifle growth in 2012, the Bank said it would expand its quantitative [...]
9. February 2012 - News
In Sierra Leone, Rural and Private Sector Development Project (news.sl)
Sierra Leone is endowed with sufficient arable land with favorable climatic conditions, reasonable access to land; several agro-ecologies suitable for wide variety of crops, abundant water resources and political commitment for investment in the sectors. Promoting agriculture and achieving food security is at the heart of the ‘Agenda for Change’ of His Excellency President Dr. Ernest [...]
9. February 2012 - News
Climate change risk charted (hortweek.com)
Ecobank Sierra Leone on Tuesday 7th February 2012 benefited Two Million, Nine Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ($2.9m) from the Ten Million Euros support scheme given by the European Investment Bank. This was according to the Head of Domestic Bank at Ecobank, Mr. Mohamed Bah, who was addressing newsmen at a news conference held at [...]
9. February 2012 - News
Bank set to add £50bn economy boost(UKPA)
The Bank of England has injected a further £50 billion into the economy as the UK battles to stave off another recession. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to increase the quantitative easing (QE) programme – effectively printing more cash – from £275 billion to £325 billion despite the risks it poses to the [...]
9. February 2012 - News
Why we need a big green bank for low carbon transition (crikey.com.au)
One of the arguments that has been thrown forward against the proposed Clean Energy Finance Corporation — and will no doubt continue to be so in the coming months — is that it will be good money thrown after bad, and the $10 billion planned injection by the federal government is out of all proportion to the task at [...]
9. February 2012 - News
New Australian Government Energy Efficiency Programs Opened (Energy Matters)
The Gillard Government has just announced the opening of series of energy efficiency initiatives and assistance targeted towards business, local government, households and communities. A joint statement from Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government Simon Crean; and Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and [...]
8. February 2012 - News
Food price rises fuel inflation (UKPA)
China’s inflation rebounded in January as food prices soared, renewing pressure on Beijing to control living costs as it tries to boost slowing growth amid warnings of a looming global downturn. Consumer prices in the world’s second-largest economy rose by an unexpectedly strong 4.5% over a year earlier, up from December’s 4.1%, data showed. Food [...]
8. February 2012 - News
Permanent jobs rise for first time in 4 months (Reuters )
British employers expanded their permanent workforce for the first time in four months in January, a survey of recruitment agencies said on Wednesday, adding to signs that the economy may be improving. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said their monthly index of permanent staff placements rose to 51.2 from 48.5, the first reading above [...]
7. February 2012 - News
More big companies disclosing impacts on forests (mongabay.com )
More companies are reporting on the impact of their operations on global forests, finds a new report. Eighty-seven global corporations disclosed their “forest footprint” in 2011, according to thethird Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD), which asks companies to report on their impact on forests based on their use of five commodities: soy, palm oil, timber and [...]
7. February 2012 - News
Amazon comes under fire (environmentalresearchweb.org)
The Amazon rainforest stores around 100 billion tonnes of carbon in its biomass, the equivalent of more than 10 years’ worth of emissions from fossil fuels. But the region has undergone major changes recently, experiencing deforestation and climate variability. With that in mind, over the last 20 years the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) has looked at [...]
7. February 2012 - News
Climate change to be key in Shoshone Forest plan (billingsgazette.com)
Predictions of larger and more frequent fires across the Shoshone National Forest and other possible consequences of a warming climate are expected to play a factor in the agency’s efforts to manage the forest in the coming years. The Shoshone is working to revise its new forest management plan, and must consider climate change in [...]
7. February 2012 - News
Industry chiefs demand ‘vision’ for UK economy in 2030 (telegraph.co.uk)
Britain faces further decline compared with its international peers if the Government does not act to set out its priorities for industry, leaders from the sector have warned. As politicians debated bonuses in the Commons and the Prime Minister attempted to reassure business leaders that the Coalition was not “anti-business”, Sir John Parker led calls [...]
7. February 2012 - News
UK emissions rose 3.1% as economy recovered in 2010 (guardian.co.uk)
The 8.7% fall in carbon emissions as industry activity slumped during recession was a blip, figures show The dramatic fall in the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions caused by the recession has proved to be a blip, with national emissions rising 3.1% in 2010. The new energy and climate change secretary, Ed Davey, attributed the rise, the first in almost a decade, [...]
7. February 2012 - News
U.K. Consumer-Spending Slump Hits Retail Sales (online.wsj.com)
LONDON—Retail sales in U.K. stores that have been open for at least a year fell in January, and at the second-fastest rate for the first month of the year since records began in 1995, according to the British Retail Consortium’s monthly survey. Business surveys last week indicated that the economy picked up in January, and [...]
7. February 2012 - News
Extreme weather may cause food price surge (china.org.cn)
The bitter winter cold sweeping across Asia and Europe is not just miserable for commuters. The inclement weather is causing widespread disruption to transport services, power supplies – and a surge in sales of winter jackets. Meteorologists warn, the subzero temperatures are expected to continue into next week. Analysts say, it could also be the [...]
6. February 2012 - News
Use Rio+20 to overhaul idea of growth, urges EU climate chief (guardian.co.uk)
The world must use a landmark environmental summit this year to change forever the current damaging model of economic growth, Europe’s climate chief has warned, or face future crises as severe as the one currently enveloping the eurozone. Overconsumption of critical resources, and the rising prices of keycommodities such as food, energy and natural materials as [...]
6. February 2012 - News
UK house prices rise in January, Halifax says (telegraph.co.uk) UK house prices rise in January, Halifax says (telegraph.co.uk)
House prices in the UK rose 0.6pc in January according to Halifax, supported by low interest rates and providing further evidence the economy had a better start to 2012 than economists had feared. It was the first rise since October, and the average UK home is now worth £160,907. January’s rise followed 1pc falls in [...]
6. February 2012 - News
Arab World Faces Serious Poverty, Food Security Challenges (voanews.com)
A new report says Arab countries face a serious food security challenge and that poverty rates are much higher than official numbers suggest. It blames the situation on vulnerability to volatile food prices, natural disasters and water scarcity. The International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI, says its report shows a more realistic picture of the Arab [...]
6. February 2012 - News
Swedish industry set to receive 216.9m free EU carbon allowances (icis.com)
Swedish installations covered by Europe’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) could be awarded just over 216.9m EU allowances (EUAs) for free between 2013 and 2020, according the country’s draft National Implementation Measures (NIMs) plan. Member state’s NIMs plan detail the number of free carbon allowances domestic industrial companies and heat producers will receive under the [...]
6. February 2012 - News
UN sustainability panel says put a price on the environment (theconversation.edu.au)
A recent cartoon (below) extrapolates the use of the word “sustainable”. It predicts that in 50 years each sentence will on average contain the word at least once. The cartoon is clever, and “sustainable” is indeed overused. But there is a good reason why we hear about sustainability so much these days. It is important. [...]
5. February 2012 - News
UK bank lending to shrink in 2012 -Ernst & Young (Reuters)
* UK bank loans to shrink by 2.2 pct in 2012 -E&Y ITEM club * Payday loan companies set to benefit as banks cut credit -E&Y Feb 6 (Reuters) – Total bank lending in Britain is set to shrink for the first time since 2009 this year, and the lack of credit from mainstream banks [...]
4. February 2012 - News
The World’s Hungry and the Food Speculators( Le Monde diplomatique)
The asphalt road was straight and monotonous. Baobab trees passed one after the other, and the earth was yellow and dusty, despite the early hour. The air in the old black Peugeot was stifling. I was travelling north, towards Senegal’s big plantations, with Adama Faye, an agronomist and overseas development adviser to the Swiss embassy, [...]
2. February 2012 - News
Malawi rice price among sharp food rises for 2011 (bnltimes.com)
The World Bank’s latest Food Price Watch has cited Malawi rice as among the sharpest food prices rises experienced between the years 2010 and 2011 when general global food prices declined 8 percent. The bank said in its reporter on Tuesday that prices of rice increased by 56 percent in Malawi and 81 percent in [...]
2. February 2012 - News
Changes in global climate influence local weather (bgnews.com)
winter coat, a scarf, a pair of gloves and a hat is typically the make-up of a winter wardrobe – but with higher temperatures and fewer snowfalls, that isn’t the case this winter. Ted Eckmann, an instructor in the Department of Geography, said the major factors influencing year-to-year variability in Bowling Green’s climate are the [...]
2. February 2012 - News
Storm over climate change among weather forecasters (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. But weather forecasters, many of whom see climate change as a natural, cyclical phenomenon, are split over whether they have a responsibility to educate their viewers on the link between human activity and the change in the Earth’s climates. Only [...]
2. February 2012 - News
UK Climate Change Risk Assessment shows the East of England needs to adapt (cambridgenetwork.co.uk)
The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) 2012 highlights the top 100 challenges to the country and our economy, and provides the most compelling evidence yet of the need to increase our resilience. The research also confirms the UK as a world-leader in understanding climate risk to ensure we can make robust plans to deal [...]
1. February 2012 - News
China to invest in agriculture innovation to boost food security (Reuters )
China accounts for a fifth of the world’s population with less than 9 percent of its arable land, and the cabinet suggested in a document that China’s leaders were aiming to get serious about technology to ensure long-term food supplies. The State Council, or cabinet, said in the first policy document of the year it [...]
1. February 2012 - News
Aid organizations say 10 million in the Sahel region could go hungry (globalpost.com)
Six million people in Niger face food shortages this year due to a poor harvest, rising food prices, and regional insecurity, according to Save the Children. The charity warns that half the afflicted will be children. The lean months in Niger, a country where more than 65 percent of the people live on less than [...]
30. January 2012 - News
Climate change may shrink wheat crops (news.ninemsn.com.au)
Current projections based on computer models underestimate the extent to which hotter weather in the future will accelerate this process, the researchers warned. Wheat is harvested in temperate zones on more than 220 million hectares, making it the most widely grown crop on Earth. In some nations, the grain accounts for up to 50 per [...]
29. January 2012 - News
China-Africa friendship enhanced by diverse, growing cooperation (Xinhua )
The friendship between the world’s largest developing country and the continent home to mostly developing countries has lasted for over 60 years and touched the lives of over 2.3 billion people. As a new monument of the long-standing friendship between China and Africa, the 20-story African Union (AU) Conference Center and Office Complex constructed with [...]
27. January 2012 - News
‘Cap-and-Trade’ in China (asiasentinel.com)
Despite the refusal of conservatives in the United States Congress to believe in the harmful effects of rising greenhouse gases, the rest of the world seems to be trying to do something about it, particularly China, which has surpassed the US as the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide gases. The latest development came earlier [...]
26. January 2012 - News
Climate change set to hit UK hard and the poorest hardest (guardian.co.uk)
A gargantuan report reveals expected global warming impacts and – inadvertantly – a hidden but fundamental injustice Floods swamped the village of Lostwithiel in Cornwall on on November 17, 2010. Climate change is increasing the risk of flooding in the UK Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images If you thought global warming would bring little more to [...]
26. January 2012 - News
Global food crisis bubbling, but is anyone listening? (firstpost.com)
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Don’t heave a sigh of relief over falling food prices. It’s temporary. According to experts, global food prices are poised to increase through the decade. India is unlikely to prove an exception. “The time of cheap food is over,” Unilever Chief Executive Paul Polman told journalists [...]
26. January 2012 - News
The Australian Government’s initiative.
The Australian Government has declared its intention to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2050 – double the rate it is obliged to do under the Kyoto Agreement. Part of this is the Carbon Farming Initiative. The Treasury pricing mechanism for the credits produce under the initiative allows for regular [...]
26. January 2012 - News
REDD+: Opportunities to alter deforestation(thejakartapost.com)
he recent Durban climate talks had mixed results and different implications for each country, including Indonesia. On the main issue of reducing emissions from deforestation and peat land conversion, known as REDD, Durban made progress in setting reference emissions levels, measuring emission reductions (including agreements on measuring), reporting and verifying (MRV) of achieved REDD+ outcomes, [...]
25. January 2012 - News
Changing climate means more disasters, devastation (heraldtribune)
Damage from tornadoes, floods, droughts, hurricanes and wildfires caused more than $200 billion in losses and 1,000 deaths across the nation last year. Florida escaped major damage, but saw record high temperatures over the summer, after a much colder than normal winter. The conversation about climate change has to move beyond debates about greenhouse gases [...]
22. January 2012 - News
Carbon traded in 2011 grew 19%, bucking downturn (Oslo, Point Carbon)
Carbon price within EU crashes but rises in California: Global carbon markets last year continued to buck the global economic downturn with traded volumes up 19% on 2010, in a year of price volatility, according to analysis published today by Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. Some 8 Gt CO2e changed hands in compliance based carbon markets [...]
20. January 2012 - News
Solar2011 Conference (EcoGeneration)
Solar energy experts joined policymakers, scientists and energy industry professionals in Sydney during December 2011 for the annual Australian Solar Energy Society Conference – Solar2011. The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES)-hosted Solar2011 Conference, held at the Australian Technology Park in New South Wales, involved three days of focused debate and discussion about the policies and [...]
20. January 2012 - News
Food outlets raise prices as operating costs begin to rise (China Daily)
McDonald’s Corp has increased the prices of some of the items on its menus inChina, as the country prepares forits annual travel peak as the Lunar New Yearapproaches. The fast-food chain called the move a ”structural price adjustment”, but emphasized that ithad left the prices of some set meals unchanged. Beginning last week, the prices of a number of MacDonald’s items were raised by 0.5 yuanto 2 yuan ($0.08 to $0.32), including the Big Mac burger, soft drinks and pies. “The price of almost everything is surging, especially during the Chinese New Year, so it’skind of understandable if McDonald’s increases its prices,” said one customer at an outletin downtown Beijing. McDonald’s kicked off the price increases in Hong Kong earlier this month, citing thepressures of rising property and material costs. Since entering the Chinese mainland in 1990, the US company has opened more than1,300 stores in 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. It aims to expand itsnetwork in the mainland to more than 2,000 outlets by 2013. KFC Corp, which entered the Chinese market in 1987and is owned by Yum! Brands Inc, has more than 3,200restaurants across the mainland. KFC said it was notplanning any price increases because it had alreadyraised the price of its products in October. Some Chinese fast food chains, such as KungfuCatering Management Co Ltd, are also coming underpressure as margins shrink because of the rising costsof property, food and labor, especially in larger Chinesecities. Industry experts said to be competitive and profitable in the marketplace, many consumer-products companies are turning to price increases. The cost of foodstuff accounts for about one-third of items in the basket of goods used tocalculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a main index for inflation. China’s CPI rose as high as 6.4 percent in June, and one month later, the figure hadjumped to 6.5 percent, a three-year high. In 2011, Premier Wen Jiabao said ”excessive increases in consumer prices would not onlyaffect people’s lives, but could even undermine social stability”. In addition, the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, has said that ”stabilizing pricesand managing inflation expectations are critical” to government policy. Chinese leaders have vowed to make price stabilization a priority this year, but someeconomists have argued that it will be hard to do two things - boost a slowing economy andtame surging inflation - simultaneously. On Tuesday, Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, said China still facesmid- and long-term pressure from price increases, mainly in the costs of labor, land andother resources.
20. January 2012 - News
Get ready for another round of higher food prices (wowktv.com)
The latest USDA commodity price forecast predicts food prices for 2012 will increase 5 percent or more. And this comes on the heels of double-digit price increases for many food items last year. “It’s kind of ridiculous when you’ve got kids,” said Fred Adkinson, who was having lunch at the Capitol Market in Charleston. From fine [...]
19. January 2012 - News
U.K. Consumer Confidence Declines to Near Record Low: Economy(Bloomberg)
U.K. consumer confidence fell in December to close to a record low as rising unemployment and the euro debt crisis sapped Britons’ expectations for an economic recovery. An index of sentiment fell to 38 from 40 in November, Swindon, England-based Nationwide Building Society said today. It dropped to 36 in October, the lowest since the [...]
19. January 2012 - News
UK Economy Hits ‘Rock Bottom’, Survey Finds (news.sky.com)
There has been a surge in the number of businesses in serious financial distress, prompting a new warning that the UK economy has hit ‘rock bottom’. A report by financial services company Begbies Traynor found a 24% year-on-year increase in the number of companies in ‘critical’ financial distress during the last three months of 2011. [...]
19. January 2012 - News
U.S. announces climate change strategy (UPI)
The U.S. Interior Department has announced a strategy to help reduce climate change impacts on species, ecosystems and people and economies dependent on them. Working with state, tribal and federal agency partners, the department has created a first draft national strategy to help policy makers and resource managers prepare for those impacts, a release from [...]
19. January 2012 - News
UN invites proposals for host of new climate technology centre (UN News Centre)
The secretariat of the United Nations climate change convention today invited proposals for hosting the climate technology centre as requested by Governments at a UN conference held last year in the South African city of Durban. The Climate Technology Centre (CTC), along with its Network, is the implementing arm of the Technology Mechanism established at [...]
19. January 2012 - News
UK credit binge pushes debt above 500% of GDP (guardian.co.uk)
UK had the highest level of debt after Japan, an international study by management consultancy McKinsey found UK lenders have shown forebearance with homeowners with negative equity, masking extent of mortgage debt problem. Photograph Frank Baron for the Guardian Britain faces a difficult challenge over the next decade as it slowly adjusts to an economy [...]
19. January 2012 - News
U.K. Consumer Confidence Falls as Outlook for Economy Weakens (Bloomberg)
U.K. consumer confidence fell in December to close to a record low as rising unemployment and the euro debt crisis sapped Britons’ expectations for an economic recovery. An index of sentiment fell to 38 from 40 in November, Swindon, England-based Nationwide Building Society said today. It dropped to 36 in October, the lowest since the [...]
19. January 2012 - News
China may be world’s largest sugar importer by 2020 (RECORDER REPORT )
China is likely to become the world’s largest sugar importer by 2020 as consumption grows along with incomes, said Commonwealth Bank of Australia in a report on Wednesday. CBA said increased urbanisation and a Westernisation of diets would see sugar consumption rising rapidly in countries with low rates of sugar consumption per person such as [...]
19. January 2012 - News
Deforestation, climate change threaten the ecological resilience of the Amazon rainforest (mongabay)
Climatic gradient across the Amazon basin. The hydrologic Amazon basin is demarcated by a thick blue line; the mean daily precipitation during the three driest months of the year are overlain onto four land-cover classes. The arrow emphasizes the trend from continuously wet conditions in the northwest to long and pronounced dry seasons in the [...]
18. January 2012 - News
Climate change contributes to starvation in Africa (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
Raise the topic of global warming and Winnipeggers are apt to think about melting polar ice caps or this year’s mild winter. But in several African countries, climate change is already being cited as a contributor to hunger, and the fear is its effects will grow more dire. The United Nations and several Winnipeg-based aid [...]
18. January 2012 - News
Monti, Cameron want EU to push for growth (Reuters )
Italy and Britain called on the European Union on Wednesday to promote steps to boost economic growth and not focus solely on austerity to bring down the debt levels that have thrown the single currency into crisis. On his first visit to Britain since taking office in November at the head of a technocratic government, [...]
18. January 2012 - News
Slow response to East Africa famine ‘cost lives’ (Associated Press )
Thousands of people died needlessly and millions of dollars were wasted because the international community did not respond fast enough to early signs of famine in East Africa, aid agencies said Wednesday, while warning of a new hunger crisis in West Africa. Most rich donor nations waited until the crisis in the Horn of Africa [...]
18. January 2012 - News
B.C.’s cap and trade plan requires leap of faith (nanaimobulletin)
There is a correlation between the evidence provided to support any theory and the degree of faith required to believe in it. Underlying carbon cap and trade is the theory that the technological innovation of free enterprise is best suited to wean us off fossil fuels and that governments are best suited to control this [...]
18. January 2012 - News
Chinese firm investments $1.3bn in S.Leone farmland (AFP)
A Chinese company said Wednesday it will invest $1.3 billion to develop rice and rubber agriculture in Sierra Leone, the biggest investment to date in the country’s farming sector. Shanghai Construction Investment and Sierra Leone’s agricultural ministry signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday which says the company “will cultivate over 30,000 hectares of land” [...]
17. January 2012 - News
Energy efficiency paves way to a low-carbon future, but barriers persist( Stanford Report)
ave money, save the world. The promise and problems of getting people to stop wasting energy was the topic of a Stanford conference that gathered business people, government representatives and scholars from the United States and Australia. BY MARK GOLDEN Former Secretary of Defense William Perry, now a Stanford University professor emeritus of management science [...]
13. January 2012 - News
Food prices drive up CPI (China Daily)
Seasonal causes and rising labor costs are blamed for fluctuations BEIJING /GUANGZHOU - China’s inflation rate in 2012 will continue to be driven by risingfood prices, a result largely of rising labor costs and other agricultural conditions, analystssaid. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed that consumer price index(CPI), a main gauge of inflation, retreated to 4.1 percent in December, a 15-month low. But food prices, which account for about a third of the basket of goods in the bureau’s CPIcalculation system, were up in December by 9.1 percent year-on-year. That rise contributed2.8 percentage points, or more than two-thirds of the general price increase. Ba Shusong, an economist with the Development Research Center under China’s StateCouncil, blamed the surging food prices partly on seasonal causes. The end of the year isusually the time that producers begin to store goods for the coming Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, “a sharp increase in food prices may not be in the cards for this year becausethe price base is already very high,” Ba said at a forum on Thursday in Beijing. He predicted that increasing labor costs will continue to push food prices upward. Ba’s thoughts were shared by many analysts, who agreed that food prices will remain highover the long term. Wang Tongsan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a topgovernment think tank, said another cause of high price of food has been an increase inland prices. “This trend won’t stop unless the government takes tougher steps to protect the agriculturalpopulation,” Wang said. He said the main driver of China’s inflation is no longer increases in demand but is insteadrising costs. That is an outcome any fast-growing economy will have to face. In a survey of 100 economists conducted by the financial website hexun.com, more than 70percent of the respondents agreed that China’s CPI in 2012 will remain above 3 percentand below 5 percent. Lu Zhiming, a researcher with the Bank of Communications Co Ltd, said the inflation ratewill take a U-turn this year because the government’s current tightening policies willcontinue to bring down prices until the middle of the year. The second half of 2012, though, will come with moderate price increases, he said. “Food prices will always be a major indicator of the CPI change under the currentcalculation method,” said Lu Zhengwei, chief economist with the Industrial Bank Co Ltd. “They weigh more than 30 percent in the system and often fluctuate by a wide margin. “Considering the fall in non-food prices, food prices are likely to have an even bigger impacton the CPI in the future,” said Chen Xingdong, chief economist with BNP Paribas Asia. Both economists agreed that the weight given to food prices should be lowered graduallybecause food purchases make up a smaller percentage of consumers’ daily expenditure. “An appropriate proportion would be 25 to 30 percent,” Chen said. More than 40 percent of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou residents expresseddissatisfaction with the measures the government has taken to control prices in previousyears, according to a survey published on Thursday. Only 21 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with the government’s attemptsto control prices. The survey, conducted this month by Guangzhou Urban Survey and Research Center,interviewed 2,000 residents who were aged 16 years or older. Sixty-four percent of the residents surveyed were not satisfied with the increase in pricesseen in 2011, and 56 percent said prices would continue to rise in 2012.
13. January 2012 - News
U.K. House Prices Climb to Eight-Month High, Acadametrics Says (Bloomberg)
U.K. house prices rose to an eight- month high in December as homebuyers rushed to complete their purchases before the end of the year and demand from investors increased, Acadametrics Ltd. and LSL Property Services Plc said. The average price of a home in England and Wales rose 0.2 percent from November to 220,385 pounds [...]
13. January 2012 - News
US weather will increase food prices, expert says (The National)
ABU DHABI // Food prices are expected to rise sharply this year as experts predict a challenging year for agricultural staple foods. Despite the UAE’s new electronic monitoring system for food prices, Stephan Rikiert, the director of transaction banking at Dubai’s Standard Chartered Bank, said prices were likely to jump, mainly because of global climatic [...]
12. January 2012 - News
Stocks Finish Higher on Return of European Optimism (TheStreet)
NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Stocks finished Thursday in positive territory as improved European headlines overshadowed poor U.S. economic data The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 22 points, or 0.2%, at 12,471. The S&P 500 rose 3 points, or 0.2%, at 1296. The Nasdaq increased 13.9 points, or 0.5%, at 2725. “It looks like traders are [...]
12. January 2012 - News
UK interest rates kept on hold at record low of 0.5% (bbc.co.uk)
UK interest rates have been held at their record low of 0.5% by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. Interest rates have been kept at 0.5% since March 2009. The Bank did not announce any increase in its policy of quantitative easing. In October, the Bank said it would pump another £75bn into the [...]
12. January 2012 - News
Conditions ripe to capitalise on soaring global demand for food (independent.ie)
AMIDST all Ireland’s economic doom and gloom, one sector outperformed all others in the past 12 months. Figures released by Bord Bia yesterday show that the value of our food and drink exports increased by 12pc in 2011 to reach €8.85bn. This amounts to a rise of almost €1bn in the past year and follows [...]
12. January 2012 - News
EU financial institutions add to food uncertainty – report (neurope.eu )
European banks continue to contribute to volatility in the food markets and global hunger, according to a new study. The report, Farming Money: How European Banks and Private Finance Profit from Food Speculation and Land Grabs, complied by Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), analyses the activities of 29 European banks, insurance compamies and pension [...]
12. January 2012 - News
Eastern EU courted to accept 30% CO2 cuts (actmedia.eu)
A proposal allowing eastern European member states to bank some €3.2 billion of unused carbon credits if they agree to extend the EU’s emissions reductions target from 20% to 30% was made in a policy paper at the Durban Climate Summit last month, seen by EurActiv.The Danish presidency views the proposed trade-off positively and may [...]
10. January 2012 - News
U.K. RICS House-Price Index Shows Property-Market Strains Remain (Bloomberg)
A U.K. house-price index (UKRXPBAL) showed the property market continued to face strains last month from a deteriorating economic outlook and stretched consumers, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The gauge by London-based RICS gained one point to minus 16 from the previous month, it said in a statement today. The reading is [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Air Ticket Prices May Increase by 3% on EU Carbon Plan, OAG Says (Bloomberg)
The inclusion of airlines in the European Union’s carbon plan will cost the industry 3.5 billion euros ($4.5 billion) and may increase ticket prices by an average of 3 percent, aviation information provider OAG said. The EU, which wants to lead the global fight against climate change, decided that flights to and from European airports [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Changes ahead at food organizations (agweek.com)
United Nations World Food Program executive director Josette Sheeran announced Jan. 3 she will leave her post when her term expires in April, while Jose Graziano da Silva, the new director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, announced that eradication of world hunger will be the goal of his 3 1/2 year term, [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Index rebalancing to boost grain prices (Dow Jones Newswires)
Strange price moves may be apparent on the commodities markets this week as two of the world’s most widely followed commodities indexes undertake their annual rebalancing, analysts said. Macro-economic and geopolitical concerns continue to dominate these markets, but the movement of large sums of money as the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index and the Standard & [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Chinese Outward Investment: Slower Growth in 2011 (heritage.org)
Chinese investment has become a notable factor in the world economy and will continue to be for the indefinite future. As a whole, Chinese investment is now maturing in both positive and negative senses. As investment has matured, annual growth has slowed, with growth in some markets stagnating entirely. On the other hand, investment is [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Sierra Leone once again declared a UN Success story (Cocorioko Newspaper )
Sierra Leone was once again declared a United Nations success story during the UN Peacebuilding Commission Sierra Leone Country Specific Configuration informal meeting at the UN Headquarters on December 14, 2011. The UN described Sierra Leone as a model of post-conflict peace consolidation and national development in Africa. Disclosing this information to avidly-listening Sierra Leoneans in the hit [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Euro, Gold Move in Lockstep as Metal Loses Its Shine (Wall Street Journal )
NEW YORK—It turns out gold is just another metal after all. After trading for much of 2011 as a safe haven, an elite group that includes Japan’s yen and U.S. Treasury bonds, gold is acting more like other commodities and riskier assets these days. The connection is clearest in the change in the correlation between [...]
9. January 2012 - News
Warning CSG backlash to hit supply, prices (The Australian )
THE environmental backlash against the development of Australia’s coal-seam gas industry is a threat to the security of the gas supply just as the nation becomes more reliant on the fuel to provide a cleaner source of power. An assessment of Australia’s energy security has warned that environmental challenges faced by the CSG sector could [...]
8. January 2012 - News
Bank urged to expand QE measures (UKPA)
The Bank of England has been urged not to waste time in issuing another dose of emergency medicine to help the ailing British economy. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said an announcement this week on an expansion of the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) programme would boost confidence and ease concerns around the fate of [...]
8. January 2012 - News
Framing climate change correctly (mydigitalfc.com)
Literally, framing is the setting of an issue within an appropriate context to achieve a desired interpretation or perspective. The intent of framing a problem (for instance, climate change) in a particular way is not to manipulate people, but to make credible climate science more accessible to the public. Recent evidence suggests that framing seems [...]
8. January 2012 - News
Sierra Leone keen to boost trade with Oman (omantribune.com)
MUSCAT The rapidly changing world has opened up opportunities for trade ties between the Sultanate and Sierra Leone, according to Brigadier (retired) Julius Maada Bio, leader of Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Bio, who is SLPP’s presidential candidate in the elections to be held in November, said in an interview to Oman Tribune on Sunday [...]
8. January 2012 - News
PRECIOUS-Gold eases on firm dollar, euro zone fear (Reuters)
Gold prices fell slightly on Monday, after the momentum that pushed prices up 3 percent last week fizzled as the dollar firmed with growing worries about the euro zone debt crisis. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold dropped 0.4 percent to $1,610.59 an ounce by 0030 GMT, extending losses from the previous session. * U.S. gold edged [...]
6. January 2012 - News
Titanic Memorabilia Hitting Auction Block In April Could Sell As One Of Most Expensive Lots Ever (articles.businessinsider.com)
More than 5,000 artifacts recovered from the Titanic will be sold in bulk this April, reports The Los Angeles Times. The total pre-auction appraisal: a whopping $189 million. The items are a skip away on the Hudson River from where the Titanic was scheduled to dock in April 1912 on The Intrepid. Nearly 100 years [...]
6. January 2012 - News
African Rainforests Continue to Face Challenges (voanews.com)
The African continent contains about 30 percent of the world’s global rainforests, second only to the Amazon. Scientists and conservationists met at Oxford University to discuss changes the forests are expected to undergo in the 21st Century. Africa’s tropical forests face challenges from deforestation, hunting, logging and mining, as well as climate change. “Climate change [...]
6. January 2012 - News
Fresh boost for British economy as growth defies gloomy forecasts (dailymail.co.uk )
A strong recovery in the service sector yesterday added to mounting evidence that Britain’s economy is refusing to go into reverse. The latest figure for services – which account for up to 70 per cent of the nation’s output and include activities from accountancy to hairdressing to legal advice – jumped last month. The CIPS/Markit [...]
6. January 2012 - News
Canada abandons the Kyoto Protocol on climate change (Seaway News)
World leaders agreed to a package of measures that would eventually force polluters to take legally binding action to slow the pace of global changing at the most recent United Nations climate change talks in South Africa. After intense talks, about 190 countries agreed to cut emissions no later than 2020. This deal extended Kyoto, [...]
5. January 2012 - News
Australia’s Coal-Fired Power Generators Prepare for Carbon Tax, an Industrial Info News Alert (MARKETWIRE )
PERTH, AUSTRALIA, Jan 05, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia) — In 2011, nearly 60% of Australia’s total electricity requirements were met through black and brown coal-fired power generation. The Loy Yang coal-fired power station alone provides about 30% of the state of Victoria’s electricity needs. Industrial Info [...]
5. January 2012 - News
FIC: Biggest investments expected in agriculture (emg.rs)
President of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) Costin Borc said the biggest investments in Serbia can be expected in the area of agriculture, but that the arrival of major investors should not be expected this year on account of the crisis. President of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) Costin Borc said the biggest investments in [...]
5. January 2012 - News
Cher’s Bentley & More in Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia Sale This Month (justluxe.com )
This 2005 Bentley Continental formerly owned by entertainment legend Cher is the starring lot in Bonhams’ sale of entertainment memorabilia in Los Angeles. The vehicle, complete with “CHERZGT” vanity plates, estimated at up to $120,000, is part of the collection of Dr. Arnold W. Klein, who has reportedly fallen on hard times as of late. [...]
5. January 2012 - News
PRECIOUS METALS: Gold Hits 3-Week High On Bargain Interest (Dow Jones )
Comex February gold settles up $7.40 at $1,620.10 a troy ounce –Some investors view gold as a bargain after December’s declines –Iran tensions underpin some safe-harbor buying –HSBC, Barclays cut gold price forecasts but still expect price increases NEW YORK (Dow Jones)–Gold futures edged higher Thursday, settling at the highest price in three weeks as [...]
5. January 2012 - News
China is Australia’s fastest growing wine market (heraldsun.com.au)
AUSTRALIAN winemakers are investing in education — for themselves and prospective customers — so the Chinese continue to develop a taste for their wares. China is Australia’s fastest-growing wine market and already our fourth-biggest customer. Exports were up 32 per cent in the year to September to $194 million. But winemakers — learning from the [...]
5. January 2012 - News
New Year 2012 Address to the Nation (Press Secretariat State House )
New Year’s Day is usually a time for reflection and resolutions. In 2007 you gave me the mandate to push your resolutions through for a better Sierra Leone. Four years on, my record of transformational achievements is very visible for us to reflect on and strengthen our resolutions for 2012. In 2007, we firmed up [...]
4. January 2012 - News
Returning OFWs urged to invest in agriculture, fisheries (businessmirror.com.ph)
RETURNING overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are looking to invest their money should consider the agriculture and fisheries sector that is currently getting a big boost from the government. Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food, said there is “a lot to be optimistic about these sector” for 2012. “The [...]
4. January 2012 - News
UK house prices stay resilient despite pressures (choices.co.uk)
The new year has stirred up fresh concerns over the impact of Australia’s upcoming carbon price on electricity bills for small business and other commercial customers. While carbon tax relief for Australian households has been well publicised, the situation for commercial customers has received less coverage. Commercial electricity customers often pay a lower rate for [...]
4. January 2012 - News
Emissions trading is the right approach, despite what Civitas says (guardian.co.uk )
A report released by the thinktank Civitas on Tuesday paints a damning portrait of Europe’s flagship climate policy, the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). The scheme, which polices roughly half the carbon emissions in Europe, was designed to help governments meet their climate goals by devolving responsibility to large polluters in the private sector. [...]
4. January 2012 - News
Private sector spurs growth in agricultural R&D (cattlenetwork.com)
Companies that develop and manufacture agricultural inputs such as animal-health products, seed and machinery have invested heavily in research and development over the past two decades, according to a new report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service. The report, titled Research Investments and Market Structure in the Food Processing, Agricultural Input, and Biofuel Industries Worldwide, [...]
4. January 2012 - News
Clean-energy fund fears spread among industry sectors (The Australian )
SOME of Australia’s biggest industry sectors have joined the chorus of warnings that the government’s $10 billion clean-energy fund could distort markets, as Treasury concedes it has not forecast the budget impact of Julia Gillard’s carbon pricing reforms beyond mid-2015. The Australian Industry Greenhouse Network – whose members include BlueScope Steel, mining giant Rio Tinto [...]
4. January 2012 - News
Meeting food demands (fijitimes.com)
EXTENSION and advisory officers are people who assist farmers in all facets of agriculture production, from planting, germination, harvesting to selling their produce. In present conditions of climate change, world hunger and the world population standing at seven billion, the role of extension and advisory officers in assisting farmers to produce more to feed the [...]
3. January 2012 - News
Brazil overtakes UK as world’s sixth largest economy (investmentweek.co.uk)
Brazil became the world’s sixth largest economy in 2011, overtaking the UK, after continuing to see breakneck growth while the UK economy stuttered. Brazil, whose economy is driven by its vast supply of commodities including oil and iron ore, saw its GDP rise from $2.1trn in 2010 to $2.52trn in 2011, according to the Centre [...]
3. January 2012 - News
World’s Biggest Economies Face $7.6 Trillion Bond Tab as Rally Seen Fading (Bloomberg)
Governments of the world’s leading economies have more than $7.6 trillion of debt maturing this year, with most facing a rise in borrowing costs. Led by Japan’s $3 trillion and the U.S.’s $2.8 trillion, the amount coming due for the Group of Seven nations and Brazil, Russia, India and China is up from $7.4 trillion [...]
3. January 2012 - News
U.K. Stocks Climb to Two-Month High as Data Boosts Confidence (bloomberg )
U.K. stocks climbed for a third day, extending a two-month high for the benchmark FTSE 100 Index (UKX), as manufacturing data added to optimism the global economy can withstand Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis. Kazakhmys Plc (KAZ) and Barclays (BARC) Plc led mining and bank shares higher, rallying more than 5 percent on the first day of [...]
3. January 2012 - News
Uncorking China’s Wine Market (knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu )
Although China’s bustling metropolises and staid Bordeaux may seem worlds apart, the two are becoming increasingly intertwined. Indeed, China recently overtook the traditional strongholds of Germany and the United Kingdom to become Bordeaux’s largest export destination. This transformation is particularly remarkable given the country’s short history of mass wine consumption. Historically, beverages such as sorghum-based [...]
3. January 2012 - News
Ann Arbor memorabilia collector uses his finds to document changes in city (annarbor.com )
One local landlord with a passion for both Ann Arbor real estate and history found an outlet for both when he launched a search for some vintage photos more than a decade ago. Now Jeff Hauptman of The Oxford Companies owns a significant and growing collection of historical memorabilia of Ann Arbor that chronicles many [...]
3. January 2012 - News
Gold Prices Climb as Commodities Rally (beaconequity.com)
Gold prices rebounded sharply in trading today after falling near six-month lows last week as some strong economic data in the U.S. and China sparked a huge rally in equities and commodities. Silver prices also rose sharply in trading today, posting their biggest one-day gain months. Gold tracked the euro in trading today. The single [...]
2. January 2012 - News
Renewable energy boosts UK economy by £2.5bn (renewableenergyfocus.com )
Figures from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that companies have announced plans for almost £2.5 billion worth of renewable energy investment in the UK, with the potential to create almost 12,000 jobs, so far in the financial year 2011/12. By Kari Williamson A separate report to the European Commission on [...]
2. January 2012 - News
When did ‘climate change’ transform into ‘clean energy’? (thenewstribune.com)
What happened to “climate change” and “global warming”? The Earth is still getting hotter, but those terms have nearly disappeared from political vocabulary. Instead, they have been replaced by less charged and more consumer-friendly expressions for the warming planet. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday was a prime example of this shift. [...]
1. January 2012 - News
U.S. is top 2012 property investment pick (Reuters)
The United States will remain the top choice of most global commercial real estate investors in 2012, but the country has lost ground to Brazil which ranked No. 2 this year, according to a survey released Sunday. While the United States offers the most stable and secure option in commercial real estate, investors said improvement [...]
30. December 2011 - News
Reduction is the UN’s main market tool for encouraging investment in pollution-cutting projects (Bloomberg )
More than twice as many new carbon credits were supplied to the world’s second-biggest emissions market this year, damping prospects for a recovery from record- low prices in 2012. The UN Clean Development Mechanism will generate a record of about 320 million Certified Emission Reduction credits in 2011, up from 132 million last year, according [...]
30. December 2011 - News
Wine price 10% up in HK during new year holiday (www.wines-info.com )
As the Chinese New Year holiday is coming, prices of wine in HK rise by 10%. At present, HK people are chary of consumption. This has effect on bargain on wine business. Some famous wineries and producers have to adjust wine prices to a little lower level. However, wine investment is still worthy. For the [...]
30. December 2011 - News
METALS OUTLOOK: Higher Gold Prices Possible For Next Week, But Sustainability Questioned (Forbes)
Precious metals prices could continue to see gains next week following a stout rally on the last trading day of 2011, but market watchers said the viability of any gains lasting beyond next week is doubtful. Prices fell on the week, but rose on Friday. The most-active February gold contract on the Comex division of [...]
30. December 2011 - News
Wealthier China Helps Keep Food Prices High (voanews.com )
While the reasons behind today’s high food prices are complex, one nation – China – has an oversized influence on global markets. China’s three decades of breathtaking economic growth has fueled a remarkable rise in prosperity in the world’s most populous nation. But what’s been good news for China is bad news for many others [...]
29. December 2011 - News
Agriculture a fertile field for investment (China Daily)
Venture capital and private equity companies are showing great interest in investing in China’s agricultural industry. However, analysts said the relatively small profits, inclement weather and other risks could hinder their plans. “Because of strong support from government policies, different kinds of capital, both at home and abroad, have flowed into the agricultural sector,” Zhang [...]
28. December 2011 - News
Sports Museum of Los Angeles a treasure chest of memorabilia (articles.latimes.com )
Museum: a word that produces its own dust. The institutions are not without importance, of course, but who are we kidding? Many museums can also be interminable — like Ashton Kutcher movies, or Patti LaBelle renditions of the national anthem. Oddly, one of L.A.’s most fetching museums is a dirty little secret, in an industrial [...]
26. December 2011 - News
Cluff Gold shows commitment to its Sierra Leone project (SEM )
The Country Manager of Cluff Gold Company Sierra Leone, Alusine Jalloh (in photo) has expressed commitment towards the Sierra Leone project even though they have not yet started producing gold at their Baomahun project at Valunia Chiefdom Bo District Southern Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Baomahun project (Cluff Gold SL) is expected to be the [...]
9. December 2011 - News
China wine market tempting fruit for struggling Australian industry (radioaustralia.net.au)
Australia’s wine industry is looking to the Chinese market after being hit hard by a high Australian dollar and chronic oversupply. In the past decade, Australia’s wine exports to China have grown from $2-million in 2001 to more than $185-million in the last financial year. But Australia still lags behind France in popularity, and the [...]
8. December 2011 - News
ING: Euro’s Demise Would Cripple UK Economy (newsmax.com)
A breakup of the eurozone and ensuing abandonments of the currency would cripple the U.K. economy by making its exports extremely expensive on the neighboring continent, Dutch financial institution ING writes in a report. More than 47 percent of U.K. exports shipped out to the eurozone last year, while 33 percent of its imports came [...]
8. December 2011 - News
Mines Ministry introduces Operational Regulations for Mineral Sector (awoko.org)
n ensuring safe and professional mining operations in the country, the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, yesterday introduced the final draft of the Operational Regulations for the mining sector in Sierra Leone to stakeholders at a meeting held at Bintumani Hotel. Work on the regulations started in February this year with funding from the [...]
8. December 2011 - News
China plays key role in world food security (People’s Daily Online)
On Dec. 5, the Global South-South Development Exposition opened at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. Qu Sixi, director of the Service Centers for International Exchanges under the Ministry of Agriculture of China and also the leader of the Chinese delegation, said that the multilateral agricultural [...]
8. December 2011 - News
Brazil cracks down on illegal logging in Amazon (AFP)
Brazilian authorities on Thursday wrapped up a major operation against illegal logging in the Amazon, seizing thousands of tons of precious timber amid growing frictions over land conflicts in the region. Operation “Captain of Forest 2″ involving federal police, the military as well as experts from several forest protection agencies began on November 18 in [...]
8. December 2011 - News
Harry Winston’s Q3 Rough Diamond Sales Down 40% (forbes.com)
Harry Winston Diamond Corp., the luxury retail jeweler and supplier of rough diamonds, saw its retail sales slow to a crawl and its diamond business take a nosedive for the third quarter of fiscal 2012. Sales in the Toronto-based company’s mining segment fell 40 percent, year-over-year, to $36.2 million for the quarter, ended October 31. [...]
8. December 2011 - News
Gold Prices Rise with European Central Bank Actions (annuitynewsjournal.com)
Gold prices surged on Wednesday as investors predicted that European Central Bank actions would spur inflation and create a long-term rise in the value of precious metals. The International Business Times reported on Wednesday morning that the price of gold had increased by more than five dollars per ounce, putting its value at $1,735. Gold [...]
8. December 2011 - News
One Quarter of World’s Agricultural Land ‘Highly Degraded’, UN Report (Bloomberg)
The MF Global Inc. brokerage trustee treats foreign futures customers “differently,” favoring U.S. clients, RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG, a cooperative agricultural group, told a judge in New York. RWA, which used the MF Global broker-dealer to hedge farmers against market risk, said today that customers with “any substantial amount” of foreign futures positions received [...]
7. December 2011 - News
‘Friends’ memorabilia to be sold at auction (digitalspy.co.uk)
A collection of memorabilia from Friends is to be auctioned in Los Angeles later this month. Fans are invited to attend the Profiles in History public sale on December 15 and December 16 at the Paley Centre for Media in Beverly Hills, where they have a chance to bid on famous props from the popular [...]
7. December 2011 - News
European banks’ asset sales may hurt economy (MarketWatch)
Efforts by European banks to sell assets quickly and boost their capital levels could harm the region’s economy and will mean big hits to bank earnings, analysts are warning. Morgan Stanley expects banks to wind down or dispose of at least EUR1.6 trillion in assets in the next couple of years as they “go on [...]
7. December 2011 - News
China could be strong S.J. farm market ( Record Staff Writer)
China’s burgeoning economy and rapidly expanding middle class hold great potential for sales of premium San Joaquin County products – including wine, cherries, tree nuts and olive oil. That was the focus Tuesday as Shanghai officials visited the Lodi Chamber of Commerce for an export summit. Lu Rong Hua, director of the Wine Monopoly Bureau [...]
7. December 2011 - News
Sharp to invest more in emerging markets (Khaleej Times)
Global electronics giant Sharp announced its plans to increase its investment and market presence across emerging markets with a renewed focus on more than 80 countries that make up the Middle East, Africa and CIS region. In this regard, the Japanese company has created a new post for Hiroshi Sasaoka, 54, as the chairman of [...]
7. December 2011 - News
Brazil’s State REDD Moving Forward – but the Forest Law might be changing (Ecosystem Marketplace)
On Tuesday, with a vote of 59 to 8, the Brazilian Senate passed a reform of the famed forestry law. The congress passed this reform in June with a 410 to 63 vote; now it is up the president what will happen next. At a press conference in Durban, Marina Silva, the former Environment Minister [...]
7. December 2011 - News
U.K. Trade Groups Advocate Diligence for Diamond Purchases (diamonds.net)
With this week’s announcement that Global Witness has removed itself from the Kimberley Process, U.K. jewelers are seeking answers to why contentious diamonds remain at the forefront of news as they enter the critical festive retail period. The decision in November by the Kimberley Process to allow exports of diamonds from certain mines in Zimbabwe [...]
7. December 2011 - News
Gold Prices Rise Ahead of European Debt Summit (The Street)
Gold prices were climbing higher Wednesday as investors dumped stocks for gold headed into Europe’s two-day summit, which starts Thursday. Gold for February delivery was adding $11.40 at $1,743.20 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The gold price has traded as high as $1,747 and as low as $1,723.60 [...]
6. December 2011 - News
Investment Opportunities, Policies and Attributes of Commercial Farming in Africa (PRWEB)
Elevated commodity prices and growing global concerns over food security are driving investment in African Commercial Farming. Africa is attracting a wide variety of foreign investors eager to facilitate growth in the agricultural sector through commercial expansion. As Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture reach new horizons, CMT is hosting 2nd Commercial Farm Africa to unveil [...]
6. December 2011 - News
Sierra Leone gets second for development (awoko.org)
At the first Technical Workshop on Development and Transformation in Sierra Leone, it has been disclosed by the Chief of Staff, Dr. Kaifala Marrah, that “Sierra Leoneans should be proud of one thing that we have been given a second chance for development,” Dr. Marrah maintained that “at independence we have everything required; structured institution [...]
6. December 2011 - News
UNIDO-implemented projects in Sierra Leone evaluated (cocorioko.net)
On the sidelines of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 14th General Conference, a high level meeting between UNIDO officials and Sierra Leone’s delegation was convened to discuss progress on UNIDO implemented projects in Sierra Leone. The meeting which served to discuss details of UNIDO projects, sought to identify specific actions needed either by [...]
6. December 2011 - News
Food and Softs Outlook (CRB Research Team of Commodity Research Bureau)
An Excerpt from CRB’S Futures Market Service. COTTON Cotton prices are just above their recent 15-month low. Bearish factors include (1) demand concerns after Oct China cotton fabric exports fell 5.5% y/y, the sixth straight month of losses, (2) researcher Cotlook’s action to cut its 2012 global cotton demand forecast to 23.5 MMT and the [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Durban inches towards deal to drive CCS investment (businessgreen.com)
The Durban Summit could yet result in a deal that would accelerate investment for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in developing countries, with one industry expert putting the chances of an agreement at around 90 per cent. Over the weekend, the working group tasked with negotiating the potential inclusion of CCS projects in the [...]
5. December 2011 - News
UK economy ministers ‘have never met Edwina Hart’ (BBC News)
Two UK government ministers with senior economic roles have told MPs they have never met Welsh Business Minister Edwina Hart. She was appointed by First Minister Carwyn Jones more than six months ago. But UK Business Secretary Vince Cable and Trade Minister Lord Green told the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster they had not had [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Global industry CO2 output rises even in weak economy (Reuters)
Global carbon dioxide emissions from industry rose about 3 percent in a weak global economy this year, a study released today showed, adding fresh urgency to efforts to control planet-warming gases at U.N. climate talks in South Africa. The study by the Global Carbon Project, an annual report card on mankind’s CO2 pollution, says a [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Whisky: A palatable alternative investment market (FT Adviser)
Precious metals, art, antiques, wine and even toys are more familiar as viable investments. In the last 20 years, full sealed bottles of rare whisky have been increasingly sought after by collectors and investors. Like any investment, to make worthwhile gains you have to understand the market inside out; get it right and the returns [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Africa Is Losing Its Deforestation Battle and Action Needed, Say Experts (AfDB) (allafrica)
The UN-based fund that helps compensate developing countries combat deforestation should start fighting the causes as well as the effects. That was one of the main recommendations from forestry experts who gathered at the climate change conference, COP 17, in Durban. The discussion mainly focused on deforestation in Africa, particularly in the Congo Basin, which [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Amazon rainforest loss in Brazil drops to lowest ever reported (mongabay.com )
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to the lowest level on record between August 2010 and July 2011 according to preliminary data from Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research (INPE). Forest clearing during the period amounted to 6,238 square kilometers (2,408 square miles), down about 10.9 percent from a year earlier when 7,000 square kilometers [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Paragon Diamonds Awarded kimberlite Dyke Prospecting Licence (diamondne.ws)
Paragon Diamonds Limited, the African-focussed diamond explorer and developer announces the award of a second kimberlite licence in Lesotho to its 85% owned subsidiary Botle Diamonds (Pty) Ltd (“Botle”). Botle is a Lesotho exploration company incorporated on 29th November 2010, and held through Paragon’s 98.5% stake in International Diamond Consultants (IDC). The Motete Dyke Licence [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Gold prices steady as eurozone faces crucial solution-finding week (thecitizen.co.tz)
Singapore. Gold prices traded steady yesterday, after posting their sharpest weekly rise in more than a month, as the eurozone kicks off a week packed with meetings and decisions crucial to a solution to its debt crisis as well as the euro. The two-year-old debt crisis has not only pushed a few eurozone nations to [...]
5. December 2011 - News
U.K.Economic Growth Forecasts Cut by EEF as Manufacturers See Stagnation (Bloomberg)
The Engineering Employers Federation cut its U.K. growth forecasts and said manufacturers expect the industry to stagnate in the first quarter. The EEF sees gross domestic product rising 1 percent in 2012 instead of the 2 percent forecast in September, with factory output growing 0.9 percent rather than 2.2 percent, Chief Economist Lee Hopley told [...]
5. December 2011 - News
GULF COUNTRIES INVEST IN MOROCCAN TOURISM (cbsnews)
Morocco hopes to recover from the loss of money caused by the problems in the Euro zone. The authorities aim to gain sponsorship from oil rich gulf countries. The problems of countries, which chose the Euro to be their currency, have been well-documented in recent times. Wallets have become tighter and luxury items such as [...]
5. December 2011 - News
The Big Issues for 2012 (Switzer Financial News)
Murphy’s Law states, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. And clearly 2011 could be best described as the year when Murphy’s Law reigned. First there were significant floods across eastern Australia as well as disruptive cyclones across northern Australia. Coal production in mid-north Queensland was hampered over much of the year while banana production [...]
5. December 2011 - News
Michael Jackson memorabilia at Vegas premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Immortal’ (Entertainment Reporter )
The media from Central Florida in Las Vegas covering the city’s premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: The Immortal” World Tour. The show is coming to Orlando in a few months, so we wanted to show you what the buzz is like here in Sin City. Coinciding with the Vegas premiere is Fan Fest, [...]
4. December 2011 - News
Britain spends £10m to stop deforestation in Brazil (Telegraph.co.uk)
Britain is spending £10 million to stop deforestation in Brazil as part of a multi-billion fund to stop climate change. The money was announced by Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, at the latest UN climate summit in Durban South Africa. She said the money will stop illegal logging in the Cerrado, scrub forest in central [...]
4. December 2011 - News
Eco-initiatives in the Caribbean (bostonglobe.com)
Hotels around the globe are making significant efforts to “go green.’’ Though many Caribbean resorts have been slow to embrace the green movement, the majority of them have spent the last few years playing catch-up. Whether it’s relying on local farmers and fishermen for produce, creating awareness about marine ecology, using earth-friendly construction materials, or [...]
3. December 2011 - News
New Guide for Measuring Social and Biodiversity Impacts (Ecosystem Marketplace)
Negotiators from around the world are working to develop a global mechanism for slowing climate change by saving endangered rainforests and capturing carbon in trees, but an old issue has once again brought talks to a halt. That issue is “safeguards”, or how to ensure that forests aren’t saved at the expense of the people [...]
2. December 2011 - News
Struggle over “super” greenhouse gas (chinadialogue )
Headlines last month that China was threatening to release large quantities of potent HFCs provoked anger amongst green groups. But is it as straightforward as is sounds? Meng Si reports. Early last month, a news report triggered accusations that China was threatening to release large quantities of “super” greenhouse gas HFC-23, shocking environmentalists around the [...]
1. December 2011 - News
Gola Forest upgraded to a national park (press secretariat state house)
The Government of Sierra Leone wishes to inform the General Public and the International Community that on the 3rd December, 2011, H.E the President, Dr. Ernest Bai will officially declare the Gola Rainforest as a National Park. Government has always recognized the Gola Rainforest as one of the most important areas of Primary Forest remaining [...]
1. December 2011 - News
UK manufacturing fall stokes recession fears (telegraph.co.uk)
Manufacturing output fell at the fastest pace since the height of the financial crisis in April 2009, and jobs were cut at the sharpest rate in two years according to the Markit/CIPS PMI survey. Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said UK manufacturing had “run out of steam”, hit by falling demand in both domestic [...]
1. December 2011 - News
Averting a climate disaster (South Asian News Agency (SANA) )
The talks held since the Earth Summit of 1992 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been called “the most important negotiations ever undertaken in the history of humankind”. This is no exaggeration. Catastrophic, irreversible climate change represents the gravest threat today to human civilisation. With fast-rising emissions of carbon dioxide [...]
30. November 2011 - News
Amazonian indigenous peoples against REDD (lapress.org)
Pay-to-protect-forests program affecting indigenous rights. Peruvian indigenous organizations along with the Forest Peoples Program, an international non-profit that defends the rights of native forest-dwelling peoples, said in a recent report that carbon emission reduction programs tied to the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, a United Nations-led program, are hurting indigenous rights. [...]
30. November 2011 - News
Global warming experts paint a bleak picture of N.J.’s future (NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM)
Global warming will force changes in New Jersey lifestyles, health and businesses by the middle of this century, according to the latest scientific projections. At current rates, by the 2050s, rising tides will threaten Atlantic City and Long Beach Island. Month-long spells of 100-degree weather will kill more people in the New York/North Jersey metropolitan [...]
30. November 2011 - News
Biologist explores $25M renovated Rainforest (The Daily News)
GALVESTON — Rain forests are hot and wet. The sun beats down for 12 hours a day, and rainfall averages at least 160 inches each year. Not exactly the climate you’d expect to find on the Texas coast. But you won’t have to travel to the Amazon to explore this unique forest. Inside a glass [...]
29. November 2011 - News
UK economic forecast downgraded (businessweek.com)
The British government has revealed a gloomier outlook about the economy, but says the pain will be much worse if eurozone countries do not solve their sovereign debt crisis. Treasury chief George Osborne said Tuesday that the Office for Budget Responsibility expects Britain’s GDP to grow by 0.9 percent this year, down from its March [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Delay for global pact to ‘undercut carbon tax’(Source: The Australian)
THE opposition has seized on reports that developed countries could back away from international climate change treaty negotiations next week, leaving Australia’s climate change modelling in tatters. Next year marks the expiry of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding international agreement to limit emissions. Ahead of climate talks beginning next Monday in [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Business Economists Cut U.S. Recession Odds as Growth Picks Up(Source: Bloomberg)
The U.S. economy will grow more than previously estimated through 2012, with little chance of another recession, led by gains in business investment and commercial construction, a survey showed. Gross domestic product will expand 1.8 percent this year, more than a September forecast of 1.7 percent, according to results of a survey by the National [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Clean Energy Regulator(Source: Climate Change)
The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet has today announced the Clean Energy Regulator will begin operation from 2 April 2012. The Clean Energy Regulator will be a statutory authority responsible for administering the carbon pricing mechanism, the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme, the Renewable Energy Target and the Carbon Farming [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Greenhouse gases rise to record high(Source: The Australian)
THE amount of global warming-causing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to a new high in 2010, and the rate of increase has accelerated, the UN weather agency says. Levels of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas and major contributor to climate change – rose by 2.3 parts per million between 2009 and 2010, higher [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Greenhouse gas at new high, UN study shows(Source: The Australian)
THE amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere reached a high last year, and the rate of increase has accelerated, the UN weather agency said last night. Amounts of carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas that is the major contributor to climate change – rose by 2.3 parts per million between 2009 and 2010, higher [...]
22. November 2011 - News
Chinese Farm Support Doubles, New Data Shows(Source: All China Agriculture)
China’s agricultural subsidies doubled between 2005 and 2008, according to new figures provided by the government to the WTO last week. However, the report classes all farm support as ‘green box’ – the category for payments that are exempt from any ceiling or cuts on the grounds that they cause no more than minimal trade [...]
22. November 2011 - News
China’s Wine Market Shows Great Potential(Source: wines info)
The surging demand for wine in China has made the country one of the most important target markets for global wine producers, as regular Chinese consumers are now becoming more receptive to Western wine, and wealthy Chinese buyers are considering red wine as a new type of speculative investment to counter inflation. Promising wine consumption [...]
21. November 2011 - News
ACCC releases guidelines for carbon pricing(Source: Invest in Australia)
Guidelines for businesses making claims about the impact of the carbon price have been released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), said Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury. The Carbon Price Claims – Guide for Business provides information for businesses to refer to when they seek to make claims about the impact [...]
21. November 2011 - News
Taxpayer to take on mortgage risks of first-time buyers(Source: Telegraph)
Taxpayers will underwrite mortgages totalling hundreds of millions of pounds under plans to “unblock” the housing market and revive the flagging economy. The Prime Minister and his deputy, Nick Clegg, will unveil proposals to help first-time buyers of new homes by carrying part of the risk of their mortgages. They also propose subsidising the construction [...]
21. November 2011 - News
Food Costs for Low-Income Earners at 7-Year High (Chosun)
The Engel’s coefficient, which measures the percentage of an average household’s spending on food, has risen to the highest level in seven years for low-income households due to the weak won. The higher the Engel’s coefficient, the tougher financial conditions for low-income households. Statistics Korea on Sunday said the Engel’s coefficient for the lowest 20 [...]
21. November 2011 - News
Blueprint for Australian Agriculture hits the road (Beefcentral)
The National Farmers Federation is calling on all Australian agriculture stakeholders to get involved in the development of the Blueprint for Australian Agriculture as it hits the road for the first in a series of forums around the country. The first forum, taking place in Rockhampton, Queensland on November 29, will provide the first chance [...]
21. November 2011 - News
METALS-US deficit deadlock, euro zone weigh down copper prices (Reuters)
SHANGHAI, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Copper fell on Monday on the apparent failure of U.S. politicians to agree on trimming the country’s deficit, and Spain’s election of an austerity-minded government failed to ally fears about the health of the euro zone. Investors are also waiting to see if the European Central Bank would step up [...]
20. November 2011 - News
Wisconsin agriculture exports increase (Gazettextra)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s agriculture exports are a bright spot in the state’s economy. Ag exports increased 24 percent from January through September, compared with the same period last year. Wisconsin exported more than $2 billion worth of agricultural products during the first three quarters of the year. That breaks a previous record set [...]
20. November 2011 - News
Chinese in diamond challenge to Harare (Timeslive)
China’s interest in Zimbabwe’s alluvial diamond mining is posing a challenge to Harare. Zimbabwe last year said it would take over all alluvial diamond activities in the country. Savior Kasukuwere, the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, said alluvial diamonds were the preserve of the state and “must benefit the people of Zimbabwe”. Cabinet [...]
19. November 2011 - News
Asian thirst for wine feeds new investment market (Google)
HONG KONG — Asia’s thirst for rare and fine wine is moving beyond the dining table as the industry seeks to tickle the region’s capital markets as well as its taste buds. China is already the fastest-growing wine consumption market globally, and industry experts say wealthy Chinese business people are now also developing an appetite [...]
19. November 2011 - News
Mortgage lending slide increases expectations that house prices will drop (Independent)
Gross mortgage lending fell last month from September’s two-year peak, adding to expectations that already stagnant house prices are likely to fall as the economy weakens. Figures from the Council for Mortgage Lenders estimated that gross lending was £13.1bn in October, down 4 per cent from the previous month. Lending was 13 per cent up [...]
18. November 2011 - News
Memorabilia Mania (WSJ)
Through celebrity photos, posters, letters, costumes and props, collectors can “get away from reality,” as they relive great moments in entertainment, says Neil Roberts, head of Christie’s popular-culture department in London. He adds that competition for these nostalgic items is universal, with bidding expected from around the world. On Wednesday, Christie’s South Kensington will auction [...]
18. November 2011 - News
Why not make food, health part of security (China Daily)
Non-traditional security (NTS) issues have ranked high on the East Asia Summit’s (EAS) agenda since its establishment in 2005. Calls for greater collaboration on key NTS issues such as energy security, climate change, disaster management and infectious diseases have featured prominently at past summits. There is, however, a notable absence of EAS discussion on two [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Morden: Combining urban convenience with scenic green spaces (Net-lettings)
People seeking flats to rent in Morden will find that the London suburb is an ideal option for those seeking an area that combines the convenience of city living with access to greenery and open spaces. Located in the borough of Merton, Morden was once a quiet rural village community consisting of cottages and farms, [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Aust in Global Food Effort (Farm Online)
A MAJOR transformation in the global food system is needed to address future threats to food security according to experts from some of the world’s leading science organisations. The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (CSACC) – an independent global commission of eminent scientists – has released a blueprint for urgent action to deal [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Life after 2012 (FM)
The biggest buyer of Kyoto Protocol carbon credits, the European Union, has indicated that when the first commitment period of the protocol expires at the end of 2012, it will buy credits only from least-developed countries, and this excludes SA. The biggest buyer of Kyoto Protocol carbon credits, the European Union (EU), has indicated that [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Sierra Leone’s Iron Ore Industry Back in Business after 30 Years (Ib Times)
London-listed company African Minerals recently achieved a remarkable milestone with its shipment of a first batch of iron ore from its mine in central Sierra Leone, the country’s first export of the commodity after almost 30 years. The 40,000 metric ton shipment left last week and is bound for China’s Shandong Iron and Steel Group, [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Sir Mervyn King: Britain on the brink of second credit crunch, Bank of England Governor warns (Telegraph)
The eurozone crisis has left UK banks unable to raise the funding they need to make loans to businesses, evoking the spectre of the crunch that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers. And on one critical measure — the cost of insuring banks against going bust — lenders are already facing tougher conditions than at [...]
17. November 2011 - News
U.K. Consumer Confidence at Record Low(Bloomberg)
U.K. consumer confidence fell to a record low in October as Europe’s debt crisis and the unemployment outlook worsened, Nationwide Building Society said. An index of sentiment dropped 9 points from the previous month to 36, the lowest since the index began in May 2004, the Swindon, England-based customer-owned lender said in an e-mailed report [...]
17. November 2011 - News
The things they carried: Military Memorabilia Museum displays a treasure trove of war (Naples News)
The experiences of war live on in the hearts and memories of the men and women who fought, and, apparently, in their closets and garages as well.Thousands of artifacts, pieces of soldiers’ gear and souvenirs from this country’s wars, went on display Friday, Veterans Day, at the grand opening of the Museum of Military Memorabilia [...]
17. November 2011 - News
Rising food prices continue to hit restaurants (Masslive)
Regardless of economic conditions, be they boom or bust, the restaurant industry is discovering it has to continually cope with rising food prices. The run-up to the 2008 financial collapse was marked by double-digit growth in the cost of key commodities, but those upward pressures mitigated somewhat during the worst of the recession that followed. [...]
17. November 2011 - News
REAP farm energy investments announced (Iowa Farmer Today)
AMES — The USDA has announced 2011 awards for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) with a focus on solar, wind, geothermal and small hydropower. The awards reflect the growing and diverse opportunities for U.S. agriculture and rural communities to profit from renewable energy. REAP is a farm bill program that enables farmers and [...]
16. November 2011 - News
Climate change driving world toward food crunch; overhaul of system needed: expert (Vancouversun)
Surging population growth and climate change are driving the planet towards episodes of worsening hunger which only an overhaul of the food system will fix, a panel of experts said on Wednesday. “In the 21st century, as we are now we’ve got a major set of converging threats,” said John Beddington, a British professor who [...]
16. November 2011 - News
Ensuring Food Security, Tackling Climate Change (VOA News)
A high-level international panel has announced its recommendations for achieving food security while addressing the effects of climate change. The recommendations from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change released Wednesday come in advance of the U.N. climate change conference this month in Durban, South Africa. The panel includes scientists from 13 countries who [...]
16. November 2011 - News
Dubai diversifies with push into diamonds (Reuters)
The United Arab Emirates, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter and home to gold trading hub Dubai, is rapidly becoming a force in trade of another highly valuable commodity: diamonds. Dubai, the UAE’s centre for gem trade, handled $35 billion (22 billion pounds) worth of rough and polished diamonds in 2010, a leap from an annual [...]
16. November 2011 - News
Sir Mervyn King: Britain on the brink of second credit crunch, Bank of England Governor warns (Telegraph)
Britain is on the brink of a second credit crunch, the Bank of England warned as it slashed its growth forecasts for the economy and raised the prospect of a double-dip recession. The eurozone crisis has left UK banks unable to raise the funding they need to make loans to businesses, evoking the spectre of [...]
16. November 2011 - News
Banks give poor investment advice 90% of the time, investigation finds (Dailymail)
High Street banks could face punishment after damning evidence showed they feed ‘shockingly’ poor investing advice to inexperienced older savers. Nearly nine in ten High Street bank advisers failed an undercover investigation by consumer group Which?. Bank staff made ‘misleading statements’, tipped overly risky and ‘inappropriate’ products, and even lied to researchers about charges. Which? [...]
15. November 2011 - News
More precious than gold? Farmland has glowing appeal (Reuters)
Where there’s muck, there’s money, the old expression goes With 7 billion people now needing food on this planet, putting your money into soil and agriculture might be a long-term investment to consider. You’d certainly be in good company: In recent years, high-profile investors such as Jim Rogers and George Soros have made investments in [...]
15. November 2011 - News
BBC World News faces sponsorship clampdown after Malaysia row (Guardian)
The BBC World News channel has been banned from buying certain programmes and accepting some sponsorship deals, after an investigation found serious breaches of the corporation’s editorial guidelines in shows about subjects including Malaysia and carbon trading. A full investigation was launched by the BBC Trust into programming on BBC World News, a commercial channel [...]

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