By now, most people concerned with fisheries management in New England, and in fact many others across the country, are aware of the difficult situation unfolding around the Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod stock. For those who are not, a stock assessment completed late in 2011 drastically altered our perception of the stock from the last assessment completed in 2008, and suggests that the resource is in much worse shape than we previously thought.

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Update: Please note that the EPA is now due to finalize the national emission standards for oil and gas activities by Tuesday, April 17. On April 3, 2012 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is due to finalize national emission standards to limit some of the harmful air pollutants discharged from a variety of oil and gas […]

Thirty-five years ago, Milton Friedman wrote a famous article for The New York Times Magazine whose title aptly summed up its main point: “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” Never mind that most companies don’t pay the full price for the pollution they create, or the health and environmental impacts that […]

Today we are making history.  Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever nationwide emission standards to limit dangerous carbon pollution from new coal- and gas-burning power plants.  Today we take the first critically important step towards addressing the climate-destabilizing pollution emitted by power plants.  Today we take a vital step towards protecting Americans’ health […]

By Jamie Fine

After hearing that his obituary was published in the New York Journal, Mark Twain was quoted as saying, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” 

A similar retort applies to media coverage of a recently released report that questioned the effectiveness of cap-and-trade policy, since the study actually found that federal programs to control sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) achieved goals at lower than expected costs. 

In the study, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) researcher Margaret Taylor found that greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs do not necessarily induce the private sector to develop patents for innovative technologies to address climate change.  

Unfortunately for the study, the finding has been woefully misinterpreted and seized upon by those looking to undermine California’s plan to use cap-and-trade to cut climate pollution. David Roberts of Grist called the report’s announcement “a classic example of a press release overhyping and oversimplifying.” 

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the paper reaffirms the well-documented idea that cap-and-trade programs help companies meet emissions targets more cheaply than anticipated. The consequence, observed Taylor, was low allowance prices and a consequent decline in related patents.   

The key point of the paper though—and the main reason that this is a positive—is that cap-and-trade regulations keep pollution abatement costs low by encouraging program participants to find and adopt an unexpected range of approaches for reducing emissions.

Here are two key takeaways from Taylor’s paper:

1. Reducing emissions more cheaply than expected goes hand-in-hand with faster-than-expected deployment of clean technologies and strategies.
2. The flipside of low costs and rapid deployment means fewer new inventions and patents (a point Taylor emphasizes).

Overall, the report should be read as good news for California. As Taylor found, these approaches may not result in an onslaught of new patents but they are likely to cut pollution quickly and efficiently. Companies that are capped under California’s program can use industrial energy efficiency, building weatherization and fuel switching efforts to cut emissions.

We appreciate the spirit of Taylor’s inquiry. Yet, the question being asked isn’t the right one.  Rather than asking if a policy spurs measurable innovation in the face of climate change where action is unquestionably needed, the right question is, “does cap-and-trade show greater promise to spur low-cost solutions better than the alternatives?” 

The answer is a definitive “yes” when the cap-and-trade policy creates expectations of a nontrivial, persistent price on pollution. A recent story in Reuters stated that global warming is close to becoming irreversible if we don’t act now. California and economies around the world are acting by putting a price on carbon. This is the most environmentally and economically sensible approach to cutting emissions, which is key to helping us avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

By Elizabeth Sturcken

In an article posted online this week, Mother Jones magazine makes a sweeping critique of Walmart’s efforts to reduce the environmental impacts created by its Chinese supply chain. Having been closely involved with Walmart on these and other sustainability initiatives since 2005, we’d like to offer EDF’s perspective on the story, and on what’s at stake in terms of both risk and opportunity.

The sheer scale of Walmart’s business – not to mention its influence on broader markets – means even small improvements in energy and water use, emissions and other metrics translate into major environmental benefits. And big steps can change the game entirely. All of that is doubly true when we are talking about its massive footprint in China’s industrial base.

A big part of learning how to make change work is learning what doesn’t work. There are fits and starts in any major initiative, and we would be worried if we weren’t hitting a few dead ends, because that would mean we aren’t being creative or ambitious enough in our thinking.

For example, it is true that some of the energy efficiency projects with Walmart suppliers discussed in the article did not pan out as we had initially hoped. We also believe that Walmart made some missteps like not dedicating consistent resources to the effort, and moving slowly to adopt robust accounting and auditing procedures.

Nevertheless, we continue to believe strongly that Walmart is serious about its sustainability agenda. And for EDF, working with Walmart remains a huge leverage point for making change throughout the global economy.

Yes, Walmart can do more — and more they ultimately must do if they are going to succeed. And sure, there have been many times we wanted it all to move faster.  But none of that changes the impact that the company’s engagement on sustainability issues has had and could continue to have.

Even in China, where it has been a bumpy road, EDF has taken lessons from Walmart’s experience and used it to launch a new program aimed at aggregating and financing energy efficiency upgrades across a range of factories in the retail supply chain.

We think the story of Walmart’s sustainability work will evolve further this year, as the company’s two-year investment in product lifecycle analyses and carbon reporting tools start playing an increasingly important role in supplier relationships and product design.

None of this is simple or easy. Integrating sustainability in an enterprise like Walmart is a multi-pronged, multi-year effort stretching well beyond its own four walls. And because the going can be hard, it is great to know that the media are watching and helping to keep Walmart and other companies that are at the forefront on their toes.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) does not accept payment or donations from Walmart or any of our other corporate partners. See our corporate donation policy.

By Linda Esteli Mendez, EDF Tom Graff Fellow Recognizing the importance of freshwater to the health and vitality of the world’s people, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 22nd, 1992 as the first “World Water Day.” Each year a new theme related to freshwater is celebrated on March 22nd. This year’s theme is water […]

Jennifer McPartland, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist. This past November, EPA scientists published a sobering paper, “The exposure data landscape for manufactured chemicals,” in the journal Science of the Total Environment.  The paper reveals how little systematic information we have about human and environmental exposures to the thousands of chemicals in use today. The aim […]

The post Exposing our ignorance: EPA study reveals barren exposure data landscape first appeared on EDF Health.

Employee engagement is becoming a hot topic around the corporate water cooler.  Increasingly, CSR managers are seeing it as a way to not only have happier employees, but also to drive business value. At the same time, many companies are not fully taking advantage of energy efficiency, despite all the opportunities it can offer for […]

I received a flurry of emails this morning congratulating me on comments I made that appeared in a Wall Street Journal article titled, “Faulty Wells, Not Fracking, Blamed for Water Pollution.” It is a good article. It suggests that even if artificial channels created by hydraulic fracturing have not yet been shown to have caused […]

I received a flurry of emails this morning congratulating me on comments I made that appeared in a Wall Street Journal article titled, “Faulty Wells, Not Fracking, Blamed for Water Pollution.” It is a good article. It suggests that even if artificial channels created by hydraulic fracturing have not yet been shown to have caused […]

By Jamie Fine

This commentary was originally posted on the EDF California Dream 2.0 Blog.

Increasing energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy are two ideal ways to cut climate pollution. Yet financing for these types of projects is often limited.

California has proposed using on-bill repayment (OBR) to help close a financing gap for EE that some have estimated to exceed $10 billion annually. It would be the first statewide program of its kind in the country to use third-party financing to fund energy-related upgrades for any type of building.

The program allows private loans for building efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects to be repaid through utility bills. Billions of dollars could be made available at attractive terms for a variety of buildings, including single-family homes where owners are upside down on their mortgages, small businesses, large commercial properties and multi-unit rental buildings.

At next week’s Good Jobs, Green Jobs Western Regional Conference in Los Angeles, a panel of experts will discuss how the program can make energy upgrades more affordable and create good, green jobs. This workshop will feature a description of OBR, provide a status update on regulatory developments, and consider program design tradeoffs.

The workshop, “On Bill Repayment Solves the Financing Puzzle,” will be hosted by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and moderated by our Chief California Economist, Jamie Fine. Brad Copithorne, EDF’s energy and policy specialist who designed the program will describe how it works and how energy users can take advantage of the program to save money on energy bills and hedge against higher energy prices.

Other panelists include: Gretchen Hardison, Environmental Affairs Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; John Rhow, Director, Barclays Capital; and Neil Alexander, Account Manager, Utility Solutions Group, TRANE. These experts will share their perspectives on the program, and how it can be designed to meet the unique needs of their constituencies.

EDF looks forward to hosting the panel and discussing ideal ways to shape the final program. We are expecting California’s Public Utilities Commission to soon decide whether to offer OBR to all utility customers as a way to reduce energy use, grow the economy and protect public health and our environment.

By Jamie Fine

Increasing energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy are two ideal ways to cut climate pollution. Yet financing for these types of projects is often limited.

California has proposed using on-bill repayment (OBR) to help close a financing gap for EE that some have estimated to exceed $10 billion annually. It would be the first statewide program of its kind in the country to use third-party financing to fund energy-related upgrades for any type of building.

The program allows private loans for building efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects to be repaid through utility bills. Billions of dollars could be made available at attractive terms for a variety of buildings, including single-family homes where owners are upside down on their mortgages, small businesses, large commercial properties and multi-unit rental buildings.

At next week’s Good Jobs, Green Jobs Western Regional Conference in Los Angeles, a panel of experts will discuss how the program can make energy upgrades more affordable and create good, green jobs. This workshop will feature a description of OBR, provide a status update on regulatory developments, and consider program design tradeoffs.

The workshop, “On Bill Repayment Solves the Financing Puzzle,” will be hosted by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and moderated by our Chief California Economist, Jamie Fine. Brad Copithorne, EDF’s energy and policy specialist who designed the program will describe how it works and how energy users can take advantage of the program to save money on energy bills and hedge against higher energy prices.

Other panelists include: Gretchen Hardison, Environmental Affairs Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; John Rhow, Director, Barclays Capital; and Neil Alexander, Account Manager, Utility Solutions Group, TRANE. These experts will share their perspectives on the program, and how it can be designed to meet the unique needs of their constituencies.

EDF looks forward to hosting the panel and discussing ideal ways to shape the final program. We are expecting California’s Public Utilities Commission to soon decide whether to offer OBR to all utility customers as a way to reduce energy use, grow the economy and protect public health and our environment.

 

In the tropical forests of southern Mexico, demand for and growth of farmland and pasture for cattle ranching is driving deforestation. Keeping forests alive is crucial to preventing climate change, because cutting and burning trees is a huge contributor to global warming pollution; as EDF's Mexico program coordinator, I've recently moved to the southernmost state of Chiapas […]

Take a trip through southern Mexico, and you’re bound to see immense forests with majestic trees like ceibas or ahuehuetes, hear the sounds of howler monkeys or scarlet macaws, make out some amazing archaeological sites, and meet the area’s generous peoples. This region has some of the richest  variety of life in Mexico, which is […]

Can our old TVs and computer monitors, which are filled with toxic substances, be safely and profitably recycled into new products?  We don’t know, but with tens of millions units expected to hit the waste stream over the next few years as households upgrade to newer flat panel models, we need to find out. And […]

There is palpable excitement in Singapore as government, industry, and NGO leaders from around the world are gathered for The Economist's World Oceans Summit. We've spent decades diagnosing the many challenges facing the oceans and testing new solutions, and now a growing chorus of voices are calling for global action. With leadership we can--and will--recover global fisheries in our lifetimes.

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Today, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin released a major report titled, “Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development.” The report’s conclusions are those of the authors, though Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) helped the […]

Today, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin released a major report titled, “Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development.” The report’s conclusions are those of the authors, though Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) helped the […]

Twice in the last two weeks, FirstEnergy has announced it will shut down old coal-fired power plants – then tried to blame those business decisions on the clean air rules that protect us all from toxic pollution. First, at the end of January, First Energy announced it would retire six coal-fired power plants in Ohio, […]