Global Warming and CO2 Emissions Blog

Some power companies have recognized the reality of climate change and are actively working to decrease global warming pollution. One company in Texas, however, is about to make theirs a whole lot worse -- with global impacts that will be felt for decades to come.

Texas-based TXU, Inc. is now planning a $10 billion investment in eleven new coal-fired power plants over the next several years. A few months ago, Texas Governor Rick Perry (who has taken more than $324,000 in contributions from coal companies over the past six years) fast-tracked the permitting process and limited the time frame for public comment on this proposal.

Regrettably, the proposed plants will use outdated and highly-polluting technology -- pulverized coal -- when far more advanced technologies are commercially available and affordable. Alternatively, Texas could easily handle future energy needs by investing in energy efficiency -- a step that offers the best, fastest, cleanest and cheapest route to energy independence.

If these proposed plants are built, they will produce a total of 78 million tons of carbon dioxide each year -- the equivalent of the emissions from 10 million Cadillac SUVs -- which will continue each year of the plants' expected 25 to 35 years of operations. Outdated, carbon-intensive energy choices will be locked in for decades to come -- just when the rest of the nation is taking steps to reduce our fossil fuel dependence and cut global warming emissions.

Call to action:
Tell TXU CEO John Wilder (with a cc to Texas Governor Rick Perry) to cancel their plans for new coal-fired power plants, and invest in energy efficiency instead.

Deadline:
immediate

Additional Information:
We urge you to personalize the text of the letter and express your views in your own words.

For more information on this topic, please visit the website of Environmental Defense here.

Contact information and links for advocacy group(s) working on this issue:

Email TXU executives here!

TXU Headquarters:

TXU
Energy Plaza
1601 Bryan Street
Dallas, TX 75201 USA
214.812.4600 - phone

Environmental Contacts:

Dorothy Gilbreath
214.812.4445
dorothy.gilbreath@txu.com

TXU Environment, Health & Safety
Energy Plaza
1601 Bryan Street
Dallas, TX 75201

Write a letter or call today!

Labels: carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming

The Supreme Court hears arguments this week in a case that could determine whether the Bush administration must change course in how it deals with the threat of global warming.

A dozen U.S. states as well as environmental groups and large cities are trying to convince the court that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate, as a matter of public health, the amount of carbon dioxide that comes from vehicles.

Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas are burned. It is the principal "greenhouse" gas that many scientists believe is flowing into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate, leading to a warming of the earth and widespread ecological changes. One way to reduce those emissions is to have cleaner-burning cars.

The Bush administration intends to argue before the court on Wednesday that the EPA lacks the power under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The agency contends that even if it did have such authority, it would have discretion under the law on how to address the problem without imposing emissions controls.

The states, led by Massachusetts, and more than a dozen environmental groups insist the 1970 law makes clear that carbon dioxide is a pollutant — much like lead and smog-causing chemicals — that is subject to regulation because its poses a threat to public health.

A sharply divided federal appeals court ruled in favor of the government in 2005. But last June, the Supreme Court decided to take up the case, plunging for the first time into the politically charged debate over global warming. The ruling next year is expected to be one of the court's most important ever involving the environment.

At issue for now is pollution from automobiles. But the ruling indirectly may affect how the agency deals with carbon dioxide that comes from electric power plants.

In a separate lawsuit, the EPA says the Clean Air Act also prevents it from regulating such emissions from those plants. That claim would be undercut, Bookbinder says, if the high court rules in the states' favor in the auto emissions case.

President George W. Bush has rejected calls to regulate carbon dioxide. He favors voluntary steps by industry and development of new technologies to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

The United States accounts for about one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of carbon dioxide from U.S. motor vehicles, power plants and other industry has increased on average by about 1 percent a year since 1990.

Now that Democrats will control the House and Senate in January after their election victories this month, there is expected to be increased pressure in Congress for mandatory limits on carbon emissions.

Reprinted from the International Herald Tribune

Labels: carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming

Public Radio International's program The World did a segment today on the growing trend by consumer's to purchase carbon credits as a means for offsetting emissions from activities like air travel. You can listen to the show by clicking here.

Carbon credits are meant to offset the greenhouse gas pollution of jets by funding renewable energy projects. However, the "vendors" of these carbon credits do not always provide clear details explaining how these funds will actually be put to use.

• What types of carbon offset projects does your organization fund? Some services plant trees. Others subsidize solar power systems.
• What is the cost per ton of offset carbon dioxide? Current prices vary from US$4-30 per metric ton. So your dollars will be more effective with a lower $/ton.
  
• What are the specific projeccts that your organization is currently funding?
• Are these projects already viable or are my dollars necessary make sure they happen? Make sure your dollars are being invested in projects that need community support, as opposed to those that are already sufficiently supported by governments and large organizations.
  
• How much of the dollar amount purchased will actually go to the carbon neutralization project? Just like with charitable donations, it's a good idea to know how efficiently your dollars will be used. Purchase credits from organizations that have a solid track record of getting a high percentage of the dollars received in to carbon offset projects.
  

If you'd like to learn more about purchasing carbon credits, here are a few links to 3rd-party resources that may help you evaluate your options:

• Ecosystem Marketplace Carbon Credit Pricing Trends
  
• EcoBusinessLink's Carbon Offset Price Survey
• Ask the Climate Expert's Flying Green with Expedia and Travelocity
• Ask the Climate Expert's Where Should I Go to Become Carbon Neutral?

Labels: carbon dioxide emissions, environmental activism, global warming