Copenhagen Forum sees natural gas as key to transitioning to a low-carbon economy
At a major event, the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF), the UN Foundation (UNF) and the Worldwatch Institute addressed the potential for natural gas to accelerate the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The Copenhagen forum, “Natural Gas, Renewables and Efficiency: Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy” brought together energy and environmental leaders from industry, government and non-governmental organizations to explore the role natural gas can play in climate action and energy security.
Over the course of the afternoon, the audience heard from a variety of energy newsmakers and experts, including:
– Aubrey K. McClendon, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Chesapeake Energy Corporation; Chairman of the Board, American Clean Skies Foundation
– Christopher Flavin, President, Worldwatch Institute
– David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy
– Ian Smale, Group Head, Strategy and Policy, BP
– U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth, President, UN Foundation
– Vello Kuuskraa, President, Advanced Resources International
“Compared with coal, natural gas allows a 50-70 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Christopher Flavin, President of the Worldwatch Institute. “It’s a good complement to the wind and solar generators that will be the backbones of a low-carbon electricity system.”
Aubrey K. McClendon, Chairman of ACSF and Chesapeake Energy, the largest explorer of natural gas in the U.S., and Vello Kuuskraa, President of Advanced Resources International, discussed the abundance of natural gas in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
“There really has never been much debate about whether natural gas is a good fuel – its carbon light molecular structure guarantees that,” commented McClendon. “The issue has always been whether there has been enough of it to begin moving our electric generation system in the United States as well as other parts of the world away from carbon-heavy coal and oil. The major natural gas shale plays in the U.S. have made it clear we have enormous reserves of natural gas to successfully address our economic, environmental and energy issues now.”
In his remarks at the forum, U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth noted, “Now that economically accessible reserves in the U.S. have grown by more than 60 percent, it is important to rethink the role of natural gas in climate and energy policy. The dramatic new discoveries and reserves are almost a gift, giving us a chance to develop a faster and smoother transition toward a low-carbon economy.”
The premise that brought forum organizers together is that the expanded availability of natural gas makes it possible to accelerate the decarbonization of energy supplies by substituting natural gas for coal and to a lesser extent oil. In addition, a new generation of flexible, efficient gas-fired generators will facilitate the introduction of larger shares of wind and solar power into the world’s power grids.
Speakers and panelists — including Flavin of Worldwatch, Gigler of KEMA, and Smale of BP — discussed strategies for maximizing the environmental and economic advantages of growing amounts of natural gas in the world’s energy system.
The event also considered the policy issues that must be addressed for gas to play its potential role — ranging from a fair and level carbon market to regulation and taxation of the gas industry and open access and fair pricing in the electricity markets.
The politics and policies from the perspective of developing countries like India were also addressed by Dr. Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe).
“North America’s New Natural Gas Resources and their Potential Impact on Energy and Climate Security,” a comprehensive working document authored jointly by Gregory C. Staple, ACSF CEO and respected climate policy expert, and Dr. Joel L. Swerdlow, author of the noted National Geographic Society Book, Nature’s Medicine, was released at the close of the forum. The working document, which builds a case for why natural gas offers an immediate opportunity for climate action and policies for promoting the constructive transition, is available online at the ACSF Web site, www.cleanskies.org.
Source: American Clean Skies Foundation; UN Foundation; Worldwatch Institute
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
NASA to spotlight shrinking Arctic Sea ice and unprecedented glacier study at Copenhagen
NASA will take its Earth science research and educational programs before a world-wide audience Dec. 7-18 during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. NASA is one of several U.S. government agencies supporting the first-ever U.S. Center, an outreach initiative housed in Copenhagen’s Bella Conference Center.
Organized by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Center will host more than 60 events during the conference. The center’s meeting room is a 100-seat auditorium where U.S. and international leaders in the fight against climate change will headline presentations on a wide range of critical initiatives, policies, and scientific research. The center’s reception room serves as a welcome area where visitors can learn more about U.S. climate actions and programs.
The reception room will feature displays and videos using data from U.S. satellites, including NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing research spacecraft. Some of this imagery will be shown on the “Science On a Sphere” projection system, a six-foot, computer-driven globe that displays animated images of the Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere. NASA scientists also will be on hand to discuss agency research and programs with visitors.
The U.S. Center, which is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time daily, is located in Hall C5 of the Bella Conference Center. NASA is sponsoring the following presentations during the Copenhagen conference:
State of the Science: Earth’s Changing Polar Ice Cover
The presentation will feature the latest observations and research findings on shrinking Arctic sea ice and the rapidly changing ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Speaker: Waleed Abdalati, University of Colorado (Dec. 7, meeting room).
Climate Change Impacts on Civilizations: Lessons from Space Archaeology
NASA is pioneering the use of satellite observations to read the clues of how ancient civilizations reacted to changes in climate. Speakers: Tom Sever, University of Alabama; Ron Blom, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Dec. 7, meeting room).
“Extreme Ice” Multimedia Presentation
See images from the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography. Speaker: James Balog, Extreme Ice Survey (Dec. 7, meeting room; Dec. 9 and 16, reception room).
Student Climate Research Campaign
This is a showcase of research projects by secondary school students from around the world conducted through the NASA-sponsored Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program. Speaker: Donna Charlevoix, University of Colorado (Dec. 8, reception room).
International Global Climate Change Observation from Space
NASA plays a leadership role in the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. The committee’s international member agencies operate and plan missions to measure critical components of climate change. Speakers: Jack Kaye, NASA’s Earth Science Division; Makoto Kajii, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Dec. 11, meeting room).
The World’s Forests as Carbon Sinks and Sources
This presentation will feature the latest scientific knowledge on how forests absorb and release carbon, and how human activities have changed that balance. Speaker: Jeffery Masek, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (Dec. 11, meeting room).
Many of the meeting room events will be webcast live on the State Department conference Web site. For a complete schedule of events, visit: http://cop15.state.gov/
Regular updates on events during the conference will be posted at: http://www.facebook.com/usdos.cop15
Source: NASA
European and US Cities sign Stockholm Appeal urging world cooperation at COP15
The mayors of the largest cities in Europe and the United States have co-authored a mutual appeal, ‘The Stockholm Appeal on Climate Change’. The appeal manifests the signatories’ desire for the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen to result in an international climate change agreement.
The Mayor of Stockholm, Sten Nordin, initiated the cooperation between the mayors, represented by EUROCITIES and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). The appeal complements the ambitions of the Swedish government, which is currently holding the Presidency of the European Union.
The Stockholm Appeal provides a powerful statement of intent to the national governments in the run-up to COP15. By stating the cities’ mutual climate protection and sustainability aspirations, the appeal aspires to serve as further incentive for the heads of state at COP15 to reach an agreement.
“We know it is possible to combine economic growth with strong environmental measures. Our cities are putting into practice many innovative and effective strategies to protect the environment. With our strength, knowledge, experience and successes at the local level, the local governments of our cities play a crucial role in climate protection. Our citizens and cities will help implement the agreement signed by government officials at COP15,” says Sten Nordin, Mayor of Stockholm.
In the UK, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese supports the Stockholm Appeal on Climate Change.
“Our view in Manchester is that a low carbon future is in everybody’s interest. Measures to develop future prosperity must now be inextricably linked to environmental actions. We also owe a responsibility to the rest of the world, particularly the most under-developed parts, to take a lead in tackling climate change.”
“A report we commissioned last year stated the Manchester region would lose GBP21 billion if we failed to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. I know that many other cities across Europe and in the US have come to similar conclusions,” Sir Richard continues.
The Stockholm Appeal will be officially presented on 27 November at the EUROCITIES 2009 Stockholm conference. The appeal will be handed over by Sten Nordin, the Mayor of Stockholm, and representatives of the Presidency of EUROCITIES and the Presidency of the USCM, to representatives of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union and the Obama Administration.
“With the Stockholm Appeal on Climate Change, we urge the decision-makers at COP15 to sign the agreement in December, and to use this opportunity for real change. We need the legislation and economic means to put your words into action,” says Sten Nordin, Mayor of Stockholm.
Sir Richard Leese adds: “The decisions to be made in Copenhagen will have an impact on everyone, at a global, national and local level. For that reason, I urge leaders at the summit to seize this critical opportunity to secure a binding agreement that sets ambitious targets for reducing global emissions, while also providing resources to developing countries.”
“The battle against climate change will be won or lost in the cities of Europe, where 80 percent of European citizens live. City governments are best placed to find local solutions to this global challenge. Not only are cities leading by example but they are also closest to the citizens and businesses that need to use our planet’s resources more efficiently,” says Jozias von Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague and President of EUROCITIES.
“U.S. mayors proudly stand with our European counterparts in asking international recognition of the role of local leaders in climate protection. At the forefront of creative strategies, U.S. mayors have forced our national government to act to combat climate change. To date, one thousand mayors have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to meet or beat Kyoto goals. Mayoral leadership is a major impetus in climate protection,” says Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle and President of USCM.
The appeal refers to the EUROCITIES Declaration on Climate Change, the USCM Climate Protection Agreement and the Local Government Climate Roadmap, expressing the common position of networks of local authorities from all continents.
UK cities supporting the Local Government Climate Roadmap referred to in the Stockholm Appeal on Climate Change include London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham and Sunderland.
More about EUROCITIES work on climate change: http://www.eurocities.eu/include/lib/sql_news_card.php?newsID=1430
More about the US Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement: http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/agreement.htm
Source: City of Stockholm, EUROCITIES, and United States Conference of Mayors