| eg magazine
the latest information on climate change and sustainability |
| eg newsletter |
26 October 2009
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The eg magazine website comprises:
- a database of short news items
- a magazine with in-depth articles
- month by month diary of conferences & events
www.egemagazine.com
Register online or send me an email if you would like a FREE one month trial subscription.
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The website is updated approx every two weeks. This is a FREE bi-monthly newsletter. To unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page.
Anne Finnane
Editor
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| eg magazine |
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Published by
The Global to Local Foundation
Annual Subscription £70 + VAT | |
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| CRC energy efficiency scheme |
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The Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has announced the final details of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), now called the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, the new regulatory incentive to improve energy efficiency in large public and private sector organisations which comes into operation from 1 April 2010. Following extensive consultation with businesses and trade bodies, DECC has made some improvements to the scheme:
- To smooth the introduction of the scheme and to help ease the upfront costs, organisations will only have to report emissions in the first year (2010/11). In subsequent years, organisations will have to buy allowances corresponding to their emissions from energy use, and then surrender them by the end of the year.
- In the second year (2011/12) extra weighting will be given to organisations which take action early to improve energy efficiency.
- Recognition will be given to organisations which use onsite renewable energy like wind turbines or solar panels by publishing the increased carbon savings from such measures.
- Organisations will be given greater flexibility in how they participate. Subsidiaries who are large enough to qualify in own right (at least 6000MWh) may opt to do so separately from their organisational group
Visit website
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| Local Climate Impact Profiles |
New guidance is now available on producing Local Climate Impact Profiles (LCLIP), the tool to help local authorities and other organisations start work on adaptation. An LCLIP examines recent weather events as a means of reviewing current vulnerabilities and as an aid to assessing how prepared organisations are to cope with current severe weather. It is considered an effective way of opening dialogue about adaptation both within organisations and amongst partners and helps councils to achieve Level 1 of NI188 (Planning to adapt to climate change). Full guidance including example presentations, spreadsheets and reports are available online. |
| Local GHG inventory tools |
With many European cities and regions taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at local level, a new report argues that such actions will require local governments to be aware of local sources of emissions and their potential to reduce them. The joint report, by the College of Europe and Institut Veolia Environnement, goes on to warn that in order to carry out the required greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory, cities are confronted with a maze of different tools to construct and implement mitigation and adaptation policies. The researchers found that a number of advanced calculating tools for creating local greenhouse gas inventories already exist, but that the awareness of these is low. The study concludes that if the different cities' inventories are to produce comparable results, interoperability between the methods used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions will be essential. more |
| Malmo wins award |
The city of Malmö in Sweden has won the prestigious Scroll of Honour Award from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) for its innovative approach to becoming a 21st century eco-city. The city believes that making its infrastructure greener is the quickest and easiest way to avoid the impacts of climate change .The city has created eco-friendly neighborhoods of transformed tenements and old shipyards, following the impact of the 1980's recession on the city's industrial base. Much of Western Harbour now runs solely on renewable energy, including wind and solar, while organic waste from the area is turned into biogas. Roof gardens reduce runoff and insulate homes, while a carpool system with special lanes for pedestrians and cyclists help cut vehicle use. Using a holistic approach to its greening, the city is investing in centres of learning on urban sustainability, such as the Institute for Sustainable Urban Development. Malmo plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25 per cent between 2008 and 2012, well above the Kyoto Protocol's target of 5 per cent.
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| Managing water |
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SWITCH is the name of an action research programme, implemented and co-funded by the European Union and a cross-disciplinary team of 33 partners, including universities, from 15 countries around the world. The importance of including water in overall city development strategies was one of the key issues emphasised at the Global City Water Futures Summit, held in Delft on 7-10 October 2009. Journalists participating in the Summit have established a blog, reporting on the discussions, challenges, outcomes and innovative ideas. It also provides a place where anyone else who is interested in water issues can read, comment, discuss and share information. Faced with rapid urbanisation, deteriorating infrastructure, population growth and extreme weather conditions, city water systems throughout the world are coming under increased pressure. Collaboration between stakeholders and more flexible technologies are considered to be indispensable in order to strengthen local resilience. The project is scheduled to end in 2011.
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| The challenges of low carbon living |
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The ESRC Research group on Lifestyle Values and Environment (RESOLVE) hosted a conference in London on 18 June 2009.
Presentations are available from sessions which covered the following themes:
- social research methodologies used to understand (un)sustainable consumer behaviours and behaviour change
- developing energy and carbon scenarios
- evidence on carbon reduction projects and programmes from local authority and community based case studies
- key issues in consumption patterns and their associated environmental impacts,
- the changing patterns of governance in relation to social and environmental goals
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| European funding workshops |
"European Funding and the Climate Change Agenda"
Global to Local workshops
London 11 November
Manchester 26 November
Cambridge 2 December
Bristol 13 January
Edinburgh 20 January
Leeds 10 February
These one-day workshops will provide the opportunity to do some focussed preparation for the next set of opportunities for European funding which will be coming up throughout 2010. Find out how your authority or organisation could benefit.
The workshops are for Public sector organisations and representatives from local strategic partnerships. It will be of particular interest to officers dealing with: Climate Change, Environmental issues, Energy management, Transport, SMEs and Civil Protection
Actions to counter and mitigate climate change are at the heart of the European Union's priorities. The European Commission makes money available to support local and regional initiatives that have a significant European dimension.
The earlybird rate is just £130* + VAT for a full day of practical training and advice. Delegates are encouraged to bring along a project concept note to develop - so you can be sure that the day will be relevant and helpful for YOU.
View PDF document with more information about the workshops
*Early bird rate for London extended to 2nd November
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