The EPA is accepting comments

The EPA is accepting comments on the proposed permits for 75 days after publication in the Federal Register (commenting deadline is February 21, 2012). Comments can be submitted:

• Online at:          http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0141-0001
• By email to:      OW-docket@epa.gov
• By mail to:    

Water Docket

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mail Code 2822T

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.

 Washington D.C., 2046

  Attn: Document I.D. No. EPA-HQ-OW-2001-0141. 

Public meetings will be held on January 11, 2012 in Washington D.C., and January 23, 2012 in Chicago, IL.

For more information, see: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels.

EU forges ahead with emissions trading scheme - World of Renewables

Posted - December 23, 2011 - Grant Saxon - World of Renewables

As governments and renewable energy industries across Europe digest the details and implications of the package of climate change legislation proposed by the EU's executive arm last month, first reactions to its release have been overwhelmingly positive.

The European Commission appears to have pulled off that rare coup—a combination of legislative proposals that pleases both governments and the renewable lobby alike. The main dissenters are those who would have preferred a faster trajectory towards a single EU-wide market for renewable energy, while some states are dismayed at their tough targets.
The legislation's largely positive reception, however, is the best foundation possible for the hundreds of hours of horse trading ahead. Each of the EU's 27 member countries has been allocated a specific renewable target. As they work to transpose the Commission's instructions into national law, governments, parliaments, and EU legislators will be driving hard bargains under the watchful eye of energy producers and consumers to ensure a fair and strategically sensible distribution of weapons in the European war on climate change.
The EUR 60 billion package ($88 billion) contains two crucial pieces of draft legislation that will drive more use of wind energy: a renewable directive with national targets and a major overhaul of the EU emission trading system (ETS). The proposals translate the historic agreement reached a year ago by EU members to cut greenhouse gases across Europe by 20% and boost renewable s' share of energy consumption to 20%, both by 2020. The greenhouse gas reduction goal will be increased to 30% if a global climate change agreement is reached.
In a last minute compromise, the Commission dropped its plan for development of a single European market for renewable energy based on trade of green certificates. The aim had been to introduce "flexibility" in meeting the targets by allowing countries falling behind to buy green certificates from countries ahead of the game. But massive opposition from the renewable lobby and some governments to certificate trade, which they said would destabilize the established national markets for renewable s, caused the Commission to postpone the plan.
A slower transition towards cross-border trade, says Christian Kjaer of the European Wind Energy Association, is a signal to member states to put in place domestic market frameworks to stimulate the development of their own renewable resources first, including the use of price subsidy mechanisms, improved grid networks for uptake of locally generated electricity and streamlined planning procedures.
If American wind industry members are perplexed by the European industry's fierce opposition to a single EU market for renewable it is hardly surprising. For years, the American Wind Energy Association has campaigned for just that: a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard for the United States. But with individual state markets for wind power gradually developing across the US, America might find itself running into the same dichotomy faced by Europe: once a state or national market is up and running, it becomes extremely difficult to replace that with a federal market structure, however beneficial that might be for consumers in the long run.
 
Complete Post at:
http://www.worldofrenewables.com/vbnews.php?do=viewarticle&artid=1451&title=europe-forges-ahead

California Inventors Develop Patent for Ellipsoid Exhaust Intake Bonnet (EIB) for Maritime Emissions Control System - Power Engineering

Posted - 12/20/2011 - By Targeted News Service - Written by Arpi Sharma; edited by Anand Kumar. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 20 -- Sal Caro, Camarillo, Calif., Kevin Connolly, Ventura, Calif., and Jason McAuley, Port Hueneme, Calif., have developed a patent (8,075,651) for an "ellipsoid exhaust intake bonnet (EIB) for maritime emissions control system."
The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "An improved Exhaust Intake Bonnet (EIB) for an Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System (AMECS) includes a ribbed frame lowered and then drawn around a stack of an Ocean Going Vessel (OGV), and a shroud unfurled over the ribbed frame. The ribbed frame has a more flexible structure to better conform to rectangular and oval stacks. The bonnet includes a peak with a duct for receiving exhaust gasses captured by the shroud. The bonnet is positioned over the stack using a deployment arm. A duct carries exhaust from the stack to an Advanced Maritime Emissions Control Unit (AMECU) where the exhaust gasses are processed before releasing to the air. The AMECU) may reside on a ship, a barge, a trailer next to a docked OGV, or be a stationary AMECU) on a dock."
The patent application was filed on Jan. 21, 2009 (12/356,862). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=8,075,651.PN.&OS=PN/8,075,651&RS=PN/8,075,651

Posted at:
http://www.power-eng.com/news/2011/12/1566625010/california-inventors-develop-patent-for-ellipsoid-exhaust-intake-bonnet-eib-for-maritime-emissions.html

Ignazio Messina & Co, Hamworthy Krystallon Install First Commercial Marine Scrubber - Environmental Leader LLC.

Posted - December 19, 2011 -  Environmental Leader LLC. 

The first of four Ignazio Messina & Co.-owned vessels installed with marine scrubbing technology from manufacturer Hamworthy Krystallon has come on line. Linea Messina is the first ever vessel to operate commercially with a scrubber system, enabling Ignazio Messina to meet 0.1 percent sulfur emissions regulations in EU ports, as well as “future-proofing” the vessel for the impending 2015 0.1 percent U.S. Emission Control Area, Hamworthy says.
Ignazio Messina placed the word’s first commercial order for seawater scrubbers in 2010, to be installed on four new 45,000 dwt Ro-Ro vessels. Each ship features five scrubbers, consisting of four units for the auxiliary engines and one unit for the auxiliary boiler.
The delivery of the equipment for Linea Messina took place in January 2011, followed by installation throughout the summer.  Maritime vessel classification organization DNV approved the installation during testing in October 2011. The vessels are the first of their type to gain the Royal Institute of Naval Architects’ Green Plus classification, Hamworthy says.
Linea Messina will operate along the African coast as well as in Italian waters.
Hamworthy Krystallon says that the successful installation of the scrubber presents the shipping industry with a “simple choice”: Pay the $300 to $400 price differential for costly distillate fuel or install a scrubber, which typically has a payback of less than two years.
In September, shipping giant Maersk Line announced that it was to test a Belco scrubbing system. Maersk said that the exhaust gas cleaning system could cut sulfur emissions by more than 97 percent.

Posted at:
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/12/19/ignazio-messina-co-hamworthy-krystallon-install-first-commercial-marine-scrubber/

Shipping first in climate cash lineup: Point Carbon - Reuters

Posted - Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:02pm EST - By Susanna Twidale

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Point Carbon) - The international maritime sector remains firmly in the U.N's cross-hairs when it comes to finding cash to fill a global fund to help poor countries tackle climate change.
U.N. climate talks last week agreed the design of a Global Climate Fund to channel up to $100 billion a year by 2020 to poorer nations, but failed to make headway on where the money will come from to fill it.
While a proposal to tax global shipping was dropped at the last minute at the talks in Durban, industry watchers say enough political momentum has built up and shipping will very likely become the fund's first source of financing.
"The writing is on the wall. Every independent report into innovate sources of finance for the GCF mentions revenues for the international maritime sector," said Andre Stochniol, a consultant on sustainable shipping.
Shipping is seen as a clear target because it is not yet regulated under any international climate regime and is a new source of revenue that would not drain public purses of cash-strapped governments, he said.
"It is quite clear this is the most talked about idea as a potential source of revenue for the fund," agreed Lies Craeynest, EU climate change policy advisory at aid group Oxfam.
"Just because it was not in the final text (in Durban) does not mean it is off the agenda and we are hoping to see some real progress next year," she said, adding that shipping's inclusion in a draft U.N. text was a sign of progress.
During the Durban talks, the UK's climate minister Chris Huhne said a levy on shipping fuel or aviation emissions would be the "preferred option" to raise part of the fund's target compared to other proposals such as a tax on financial transactions.
"I think the bunker fuels route is much more likely to be successful," he said.
IMPASSE EASE
 
Complete Post at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/16/us-carbon-shipping-idUSTRE7BF1DU20111216

LNG-Fueled Marine Industry at 48 Ships and Growing, Zeus Conference to Examine Implications - Market Wire

 Posted - Dec. 13, 2011, 1:56 p.m. EST

A survey of the marine industry by Zeus Development Corporation finds that 48 non-LNG-carrier ships will soon be fueled with LNG. In January, the company will host the World LNG Fuels Conference to discuss this trend.

"Low natural gas prices make the switch to LNG-fuel tempting for some marine operators," said Tom Campbell, analyst at Zeus. "However, it is the enforcement of IMO emissions standards that is driving the trend."

In 2015 and 2016, the International Maritime Organization's Tier III standards ratchet down sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions in a 200 nautical mile radius around North America and Europe, known as emission control areas. The alternatives to LNG include scrubbers and after-exhaust treatment systems, which are expensive and cumbersome.

"Fleets tend to use after-exhaust treatment systems for existing ships, but newbuild ships that can be designed for LNG's characteristics tend to use LNG," Campbell said.

In the past two years, 11 new LNG-fueled ships have been built, Campbell notes. They vary from patrol vessels to fueling barges to tugboats and ferries. Within these categories, LNG usage varies from high-speed ferries to large cruiser ferries. A complete list can be obtained online at www.zeusintel.com/ZeusEvents/WLNGF2012/VesselInventory.aspx .

LNG-fuel is also beginning to take root in new geographic regions like South America and the Gulf of Mexico. Units are also being considered in Quebec, Washington State and New York.

Alongside the trend are proposals for fueling facilities. New bunkering facilities are being discussed in Trinidad and Tobago, Dubai and Singapore.

Complete post at:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lng-fueled-marine-industry-at-48-ships-and-growing-zeus-conference-to-examine-implications-2011-12-13

Maersk launches shipping biofuel experiment - Business Green

Posted - December 14, 2011 -By BusinessGreen staff - Business Green

Shipping giant Maersk Line is testing the performance of algae-based biofuels as a means of cutting emissions from a vessel en route from northern Europe to India.
Blends of between seven and 100 per cent biofuels will be used in the auxiliary test engine of the Maersk Kalmar, a 300m container ship, during its month-long, 6,500 nautical mile voyage.
During the journey, Maersk expects the Kalmar to use up to 30 tonnes of biofuel while on-board engineers analyze emissions data on nitrogen oxides), sulphur oxides, CO2 and particulate matter, along with effects on power efficiency and engine wear and tear.
The tests are scheduled to conclude this month with results following soon after.
Maersk said it expects to identify an optimal blend of distillate and biofuel that will meet the International Maritime Organization's forthcoming emissions regulations.
The project is the first collaboration between Maersk and the US Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command, a partnership that sprung up after Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Maersk's headquarters in Copenhagen in October last year.
While biofuels have been increasingly adopted by airlines as a method of reducing emissions and avoiding oil price volatility, shipping has not embraced the technology to the same extent.
Under a deal agreed at the IMO earlier this year, shipping companies must consider methods to improve the fuel efficiency of vessels, such as slower speeds, while new vessels will have to meet rising minimum efficiency standards from 2015.

Complete Post at:
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2132126/maersk-launches-shipping-biofuel-experiment

Maersk and the U.S. Navy Collaborate on Biofuel Initiative - Maritime Executive

Posted  - Monday, December 12, 2011

Maersk and the U.S. Navy are testing algae-based biofuel on the container ship Maersk Kalmar. The ship is en route from Northern Europe to India.
Maersk Kalmar has two key attributes that make it a suitable vessel for biofuel testing. The 300 meter-long container ship has a dedicated auxiliary test engine, which reduces the risks of testing, and its fuels system has a special biofuel blending equipment and separate tanks.
In October 2010, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Maersk headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and learned of energy conservation initiatives across Maersk’s fleet of over 1,300 vessels. These programs fit well with the Navy’s interests in increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. The biofuels test is the first collaboration between Maersk and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
“The shipping industry needs to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas intensity in the coming decades. In the short term, we can gain a lot by focusing on improving fuel efficiency. In the longer term, we would like to see sustainable biofuels become a commercially available, low-carbon fuel,” said Jacob Sterling, Head of Climate and Environment at Maersk Line.  
During its month-long, 6,500 nautical mile voyage from Bremerhaven, Germany to Pipavav, India, the ship will use 30 tons of biofuel. Engineers and crew onboard are testing blends ranging from 7% to 100%. The team is also analyzing emissions data on NOx (nitrogen oxides), SOx (sulphur oxides), CO2 and particulate matter from the fuel use, along with effects on power efficiency and engine wear and tear. Tests are scheduled to conclude in early December with an analysis of results following soon thereafter.


 Complete Post at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/maersk-and-the-u-s-navy-collaborate-on-biofuel-initiative

Climate deal delays new concerted effort on greenhouse gases - LA Times - World

Posted - December 11, 2011 - LA Times - World 

REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON -- Negotiators at a climate change meeting in South Africa struck an 11th-hour deal to avoid the collapse of international negotiations over global warming, averting the worst fears of environmental advocates but doing little to immediately advance the cause of limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
The agreement in effect would postpone new concerted global action on climate change for at least eight years. However, given the political realities, particularly in the United States and China, the accord probably offered the best chance to move the process forward, analysts said.
The mood at the United Nations gathering in Durban was somber as the talks ended just before dawn Sunday, participants said, largely because many questions remained unanswered and the risk of a catastrophic increase in global average temperature had not been reduced.
Under the deal, nations committed themselves to talks aimed at reaching a legally binding agreement by 2015 that would limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming. The limits would not go into effect until 2020 at the earliest.

Most countries have agreed to voluntary emission-reduction goals that scientists and environmentalists consider too modest. Without significant cuts in greenhouse gases, the world would be on course for a jump in global temperature of about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which would profoundly disturb water, weather and agriculture almost everywhere, according to widely accepted climate models.

Complete Post at:
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7048304257613697692

Shipping Fuel Levy Blocked by U.S. at UN Talks, Greenpeace Says - BLOOMBERG L.P.

Posted - By Kim Chipman - Dec 9, 2011 5:01 AM ET - Bloomberg L.P.

The U.S., China and India oppose efforts to use charges on shipping fuel to funnel money into a United Nations climate aid fund, according to Greenpeace’s Martin Kaiser.
The Obama administration and Basic group of negotiating countries that also includes South Africa and Brazil say funds must come from national budgets rather than charges on shipping fuels, Kaiser, head of international climate politics for Greenpeace, said in an interview today.
A draft UN proposal at talks in Durban, South Africa, called for funds raised by actions to be taken by the International Maritime Organization to cut maritime fuel emissions to be channeled into both the UN’s mooted Green Climate Fund and into providing compensation to developing nations whose companies are affected by the extra shipping costs.
The IMO is considering an emissions-trading system or global levy as a way to lower emissions blamed for climate change.
The draft proposal released in Durban earlier this week marked the first potential private source of income for the fund, which Christiana Figueres, the UN diplomat leading the discussions, has said is a key outcome the negotiations ending today need to agree on. Industrialized nations have pledged to raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change and reduce emissions.
“Given the financial crisis and budgetary crisis of many industrialized countries, the only way to fill up the climate fund is through this mechanism,” Greenpeace’s Kaiser said.
“There’s a broad alliance saying it has to come from national budgets rather than from reliable mechanism but given the financial crisis and the budgetary crisis of many industrialized countries, the only way to fill up the green climate fund is through” this mechanism.
US lead negotiator Todd Stern yesterday declined to comment on the issue of shipping fuels and climate finance proposals in Durban. He said he is optimistic progress will be made on establishing the fund countries agreed to at UN talks last year.
 
Post at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-09/shipping-fuel-levy-blocked-by-u-s-at-un-talks-greenpeace-says.html

Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permits for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation of a Vessel - Federal Register

Posted December 8, 2011 - Federal Register

A Notice by the Environmental Protection Agency on 12/08/2011
This article has a comment period that ends in 75 days (02/21/2012) 

Summary - EPA Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are publishing for comment a draft NPDES Vessel General Permit (VGP) that would authorize discharges incidental to the normal operation of non-military and non-recreational vessels greater than or equal to 79 feet in length. If finalized, this draft VGP would replace the current VGP, which was issued in December 2008 and expires on December 19, 2013. EPA is also proposing a draft NPDES Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) to authorize discharges incidental to the normal operation of non-military and non-recreational vessels less than 79 feet in length. EPA is proposing the sVGP to authorize discharges from vessels less than 79 feet in length, because the P.L. 110-299 moratorium (subsequently extended by P.L. 111-215) expires on December 18, 2013. These laws generally provide that no NPDES permits shall be required for incidental discharges (except discharges of ballast water) from vessels less than 79 feet and commercial fishing vessels. EPA is soliciting comment on today's draft VGP and draft sVGP. Comments on any aspect of the permit, including the fact sheet discussions and economic analyses supporting the Agency's tentative decisions, are welcome. Note that in many places, EPA requests comments on specific aspects of today's draft permits; these specific solicitations are meant to highlight for commenters areas on which they may wish to focus, most often because these areas involve provisions not contained in the 2008 VGP. The requests for comment on specific aspects of the permit should not be interpreted as discouraging comment on other provisions or aspects of the draft permits.


Complete Document at:
http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/12/08/2011-31576/draft-national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-general-permits-for-discharges

UN’s Maritime Agency to Weigh Setting Price on Ship Emissions - bloomberg.com

Posted: By Kim Chipman and Ewa Krukowska - Dec 7, 2011 7:21 AM ET - Bloomberg.com

The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations’ shipping agency, will next year consider how to set a price on greenhouse-gas emissions from ships that contribute to climate change.
The London-based IMO’s environmental panel will give “priority consideration” on whether to set a global levy or establish an emissions-trading program, IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos said today in an interview in Durban, South Africa.
The UN agency has been unable to agree on measures to curb emissions from ships for more than a decade. The European Union, which runs the world’s biggest carbon trading system, has said it may present its own proposal next year to limit the industry’s pollution if IMO doesn’t find a solution.
Global maritime transport accounts for almost 3 percent of carbon-dioxide discharges, and emissions from ships are expected to increase from 150 percent to 250 percent by 2050, according a report by WWF and Oxfam published in September.
Mitropoulos declined to comment on when a decision may be made or how much revenue may be raised from a tax or trading program. He stressed that any new rules for shipping emissions must apply to all vessels regardless of country.
“For this system to succeed, ships should comply with the same global standards all over the world,” he said. “Were we to move to different standards for different ships you would have a major problem.”
A proposal at the Durban summit calls for using charges on shipping fuels as a way to channel money into a UN climate aid fund. The plan is part of discussions on how to establish a new Green Climate Fund and raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help vulnerable nations deal with global warming.

Carbon Price

The proposal is significant because it identifies the first potential private source of income for the fund.
The draft UN document proposes that “financial resources” raised by unspecified actions to be taken by the IMO to cut bunker fuel emissions be channeled into both the UN’s mooted Green Climate Fund and into providing compensation to developing nations whose companies are affected by the extra shipping costs.
 
Complete Post at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-07/un-s-maritime-agency-to-weigh-setting-price-on-ship-emissions.html

Durban: UN aviation agency touts green initiatives, but emissions reductions nowhere to be seen - Environmental Defense Fund

Posted - By Jenny Cooper  - December 7, 2011 - Environmental Defense Fund


EDF has a team here in Durban, South Africa for two weeks to participate in the UN climate summit. One of the issues we’re engaged on in the negotiations is reducing emissions from international aviation and maritime shipping.
With tens of thousands of people from around the world here to discuss a global response to climate change, the daily schedule is always packed full of official negotiations, large plenary meetings, and press conferences.
Each day also features a number of “side events” — events outside the official negotiations put on by any “observer” of the climate negotiations, including countries, UN agencies,  and non-governmental organizations (like EDF) — which serve as an important venue for information sharing, creative thinking, and open discussion on policy recommendations.
Earlier in the conference, I attended “Emissions from international transport – global actions for global industries,” a side event jointly hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agencies for aviation and maritime shipping affairs, respectively.
For nearly fifteen years, member states of ICAO have been toiling over how to reduce carbon pollution from the aviation sector. To date, ICAO has yet to design or implement a measure to curb such emissions and shows no sign of progress in the near future.  (It’s worth noting that the UNFCCC negotiations on international transport don’t aim to create an emissions reduction mechanism. Rather, countries here in Durban are trying to agree on a decision that would encourage ICAO and IMO to hasten their work to reduce emissions from their respective sectors.)
Given this history, the side event at the climate negotiations was stunning: ICAO spent nearly all its 45 minute event lauding its recent initiatives to reduce emissions, calling them “miraculous.”
So what ICAO climate initiatives are worthy of such praise? None.
ICAO’s current efforts to reduce emissions from aviation amount to a do-nothing plan: global inspirational goals to improve fuel efficiency and achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020.
What exactly does this mean? It means:

1. Neither countries nor carriers have any legal requirements to reduce their total emissions; and
2. Aviation emissions can grow unfettered until 2020, at which point emissions could plateau if countries voluntarily take actions to mitigate emissions growth.

Complete Post at:
http://blogs.edf.org/climatetalks/2011/12/07/durban-un-aviation-agency-touts-green-initiatives-but-emissions-reductions-nowhere-to-be-seen/

Brief Note About a ‘Slow Onset Disaster’ - ABC News

Posted - Dec 7, 2011 6:13pm -By Bill Blakemore -  ABC News


… with a good Jeopardy answer, plus a minor footnote
Nature’s Edge Notebook: Durban Diary

“Slow Onset Disaster” is a phrase that’s been used for decades by specialists in the United Nations system who help people prepare for and deal with … slow onset disasters.
For example, drought.
There is often enough warning time for groups like the U.N.’s ISDR office (for International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) to prepare people to lessen the suffering, financial loss and natural destruction that can be reasonably predicted as the ancient and familiar patterns of drought begin to set in.
Man made global warming is the mother of slow onset disasters.
Only it’s now beginning to speed up.
And it didn’t come with an instruction manual.
The recent increase of extreme weather around the world – and, ominously, in both hemispheres at once – fits the patterns predicted 40 years ago by the world’s scientists for increased frequency of such events, and in some cases (such as heavy downpours and snowfall) increased severity.
Man made global warming and ocean acidification began slowly in the 1800′s as the burning of coal spurred an industrial revolution, pouring more and more invisible heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) up through chimneys into the atmosphere where much of it hangs around for 50 years and longer.
What distinguishes global warming from other slow onset disasters is that there’s hardly a realm of human activity that it does not affect – in citird and villages, banks and businesses, schools and living rooms, embassies and movie theaters.
The entire UN system is trying to help deal with these effects in many ways. Today it gave a glimpse of how.
The world is generally aware of negotiations like those here at the annual global climate summit wrestling over how to set a price for the world on carbon emissions … and how to get the rich nations, who put most of the CO2 in the air, to chip in and help poor countries, who put little CO2 in the air, adjust to the unwanted changes now advancing fast upon them.
Less well known is the network of 29 organizations that make up “The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination” – the CEB.
They are working together in an effort to help countries deal with the climate problem.
They include a few familiar acronyms like UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) and the WHO (the World Health Organization) … but some are less familiar to the public:  WFP (World Food Programme), UPU (Universal Postal Union – helps coordinate postal rates between countries) and IMO (International Maritime Organization – see below.)

Complete Post at:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/12/brief-note-about-a-slow-onset-disaster/

ABB to promote ‘cold ironing’ in UK - Maritime Journal

 Posted December 7, 2011 - Maritime Journal

ABB Marine and Cranes is working to promote the environmental and commercial benefits of the use of shore-to-ship high voltage electrical connection technology to the UK.

Also known as 'cold ironing' and 'alternative marine power', ABB describes the technology as “essentially the port operator providing a connection to the local electricity network for the vessel. This allows the vessel to shut down its diesel engines thereby cutting all airborne emissions (CO2 plus other emissions such as NOx, SOx and particulates). In addition to the significant benefit to the environment, a reduction in noise pollution and vibration is realized which has a positive effect on local communities.”
According to ABB, there has been a common concern in the industry around the matter of global standards, something that has recently been addressed by the publication of the IEC 'publicly available standard' (IEC/ISO/IEEE 60092-510) which aims to ensure global compatibility for connections, communication and protection.
Stuart Melling, account manager for ABB Marine and Crane business unit said: "This development removes some of the uncertainty a port and vessel operator would have around investing in this technology. The environmental benefits are clear, most of our customers accept this but also want to avoid investing in a 'white elephant'. Now that a global standard has been published, the prospect of using this solution to achieve port and vessel environmental targets (such as energy efficiency and carbon dioxide reduction) is much more compelling.

Complete Post at:
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/abb-to-promote-cold-ironing-in-uk

UPDATE 2-Shipping cash may help fund climate-draft - Reuters

 Posted - Tue Dec 6, 2011 7:55am EST - By Nina Chestney - Reuters

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Cash raised by the shipping industry's efforts to cut carbon emissions might be directed to developing countries to help them tackle climate change, according to a draft document seen by Reuters at United Nations climate talks on Tuesday.
The text proposes that money raised by "specific actions" to reduce emissions from maritime bunker fuels, which may be designed and implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), could be directed to developing countries and used to aid climate adaptation through a Green Climate Fund.
Negotiators will discuss the proposal, which was put forward by developing countries, on Tuesday.
Several delegates at a U.N. climate summit in Durban doubted there would be agreement on it, expecting any final deal at the end of the week would be worded vaguely.
Clarity on sources of climate funding could help revive the flagging U.N. talks, which end this weekend, where nearly 200 countries are trying to make progress towards clinching a new global climate treaty.
"I don't expect any clear outcome but if something stays in the text, it would be a big step in a small way," said Bas Eickhout, European Member of Parliament.
"Everything boils down to where is the money? I think that the entire financial decision is going to be a big deal in Rio," he added, referring to a U.N. conference on sustainable development in June next year.


Complete Post at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/06/climate-maritime-idUSL5E7N61DS20111206

EPA Releases Vessel General Permit to Improve Regulations on Ballast Discharges - Port of Entry® and Medio Ambiente Online

Posted December 6, 2011 -  Port of Entry® and Medio Ambiente Online

CHICAGO -- The federal government took another tentative step toward protecting the Great Lakes and vulnerable coastal waters from the scourge of invasive species with proposed limitations on their chief delivery vehicle: ballast water dumping by commercial vessels. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new national permit to deal with discharges of ballast water that are a normal part of operating freighters and other large commercial vessels. As a result of a legal settlement, that permit will limit the number of invasive species that vessels can dump in the Great Lakes and other water bodies. Unfortunately, EPA’s new limits are pegged to standards established by the International Maritime Organization, which while supported by the shipping industry, are not strict enough to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive organisms which currently cost the eight Great Lakes states over $1 billion every five years.
"It is hard to see the movement of invasive species until it is too late,” said Thom Cmar, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Unfortunately, out of sight, out of mind has meant that we have not dealt with the problem of ‘living pollution’ as aggressively as other environmental threats like oil spills or toxic releases. The new proposed ballast water permit is par for that course---it is a start, but nowhere near what is needed to stop these uninvited critters from sapping our most valuable water resources.”
The permit update comes on the heels of a long legal battle to force EPA to regulate ballast water under the Clean Water Act.  Protective limits on invasive species in vessels’ ballast discharges are necessary to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species carried in the ballast tanks from overseas ports. Species like the zebra and quagga mussels, spiny water fleas, and round gobies have all arrived to the Great Lakes via the unregulated discharge of contaminated ballast water.
“Since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes has been ground zero for freshwater invasions from overseas vessels,” said Jennifer Nalbone, Director of Navigation and Invasive Species for Great Lakes United. “The EPA’s VGP is a real opportunity to advance protection for the Great Lakes and the nation. After decades of painfully slow progress, our waters deserve a leap forward in protection, not a baby step.”
While the new permit represents an improvement over previous versions, conservation groups and scientists are concerned that the weak international standards are not strict enough to prevent the next major invasive species threat. International Maritime Organization ballast water standards are not scientifically based and offer only a marginal improvement over the current practice of flushing ballast tanks with saltwater.

Complete Post at:
http://www.medioambienteonline.com/web/guest/green_economy_news/article/-/article/iY0h/14137/-1/205571/epa-releases-vessel-general-permit-to-improve-regulations-on-ballast-discharges

Scrubber Technology - GL Exchange Forum

Posted - 2. Dec. 2011 - GL Exchange Forum
Pressure on the shipping industry to reduce the air emissions from vessels grows day by day. Regulations to more strictly limit the sulphur content in marine fuel are in place and set to tighten over the coming year. Exhaust gas scrubbers are one solution for vessels to meet such limits over the coming years and to discuss the use of this technology Germanischer Lloyd (GL) recently held an exchange forum at their Head Office in Hamburg
More than 50 representatives from the maritime industry, shipping companies, ship management agencies, shipyards, maritime journalists and stakeholders met to consider the emissions limits, hear presentations from GL and industry experts, and discuss the drivers, implementation and commercial implications of scrubber technology for the industry.
Mr Ralf Plump, Head of GL’s Department Environmental Research, set the background for the presentations at the forum, providing attendees with an examination of the international regulations in place and upcoming, the drivers pushing their introduction, and the advantages provided by scrubber technology. Mr Plump also looked at the estimated costs for retrofitting scrubber to existing vessels, in comparison with the installation of LNG (liquefied natural gas) fuel systems. Not only scrubber technology, but overall fuel efficiency in the maritime logistic chain was the key to lowering emissions, he noted, but shipping should also have its eye on the development of “zero emissions” solutions.
The class and regulatory requirements for the conversion of vessels to utilize scrubber technology were the focus of the Georg Martin, Head of GL’s System Technology Department, in his presentation. The safety considerations, class rules and monitoring requirements were laid out by Mr Martin, who noted that for the Class rules did not require Wet Scrubber Systems to have a scrubber bypass system, as long as the complete system is made of non-combustible material.
In his presentation “Special Features of the application of Wet Scrubber Technology”, Mr Torbjorn Henriksson, from Wärtsilä Industrial Operations, looked at the scrubbing process and Wärtsilla’s solutions both for scrubbers and for wash water processing. Mr Henriksson went on to examine Wärtislla’s first full-scale SOx (sulphur oxide) scrubber installation on the GL classed “Containerships VII”, which was completed in August 2011.
Complete Post at:

http://www.gl-group.com/en/group/news_24083.php

Shipping industry seeks self regulation on emissions - Eco - Business.com

Posted -  Friday, December 2nd, 2011 - By : Jenny Marusiak - Eco - Business,com

International shipping industry groups have teamed up with prominent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to lobby for a bigger role in how the industry cleans up, and pays for, its carbon emissions.
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) joined global NGOs Oxfam and WWF at this week’s UN climate talks in Durban to call for self-regulation by the shipping industry on climate matters.
The ICS is an industry association that represents over 80 per cent of the world’s merchant fleet.
In a statement released on Tuesday, ICS secretary general Peter Hinchliffe said that the industry would agree to contributions to a UN climate fund for developing countries, if the industry could determine its own regulation on pollution.
The Green Climate Fund, adopted last year in Cancun under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is meant to distribute US$100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
“It is in the best interests of both the environment and developing nations for shipping to be regulated via our industry regulator, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with the same rules for carbon reduction applying to all internationally trading ships, but in a manner which respects the principles of the UN climate convention,” he said.
Mr Hinchcliffe added that the industry had a “clear preference” for raising funds through measures linked to ships’ fuel consumption, such as a fuel tax, as compared to an emissions trading scheme. Emissions trading schemes require participating companies to purchase permits for the emissions they produce.
As global climate negotiations pick up pace this week, the shipping industry’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – which account for just over three per cent of overall emissions – have come under increasing scrutiny from the international community.

Complete post at:
http://www.eco-business.com/features/shipping-industry-seeks-self-regulation-on-emissions/

Shipping Industry Open to Paying for Carbon Emissions - Environmental News Services

Posted December 2, 2011 - Environmental News Services

The global shipping industry has joined with international nonprofit organizations to recommend that governments at the United Nations climate change conference in Durban give the International Maritime Organization clear guidance on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide from commercial shipping.
The international aid agency Oxfam, the global conservation organization WWF, and the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80 percent of the world's merchant fleet, today issued a joint call to delegates to recognize that placing a charge on carbon emissions by ships can help control climate change.
The International Maritime Organization is the UN agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of pollution by ships.
"The international shipping industry is firmly committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020, with significant further reductions thereafter," said ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe. "However, the Durban Climate Change Conference needs to give the International Maritime Organization a clear mandate to continue its vital work to help us deliver further emission reductions through the development of market-based measures."
The shipping industry hopes that governments at the conference will respond positively to the IMO's July agreement to adopt a package of technical measures to reduce CO2 emissions from the shipping industry.
By 2030, these measures are expected to reduce ships' emissions by 25 to 30 percent compared to business as usual. To date, this is the first international agreement containing binding and mandatory measures to reduce CO2 emissions that has been agreed for an entire industrial sector.
Samantha Smith, leader of WWF's Global Climate and Energy Initiative, said, "We are very pleased that the shipping industry acknowledges its responsibility to play its part in further reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With around three percent of the world's total emissions, full participation of the shipping sector will help greatly towards keeping global warming below the two degree Celsius target agreed by governments. Putting a charge on carbon in the global shipping sector can have huge benefits in meeting our climate change objectives."

Complete Post at:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2011/2011-12-02-01.html

Carbon tax takes centre stage - bdnews24.com

Posted - Thu, Dec 1st, 2011 7:32 pm BdST - Sayed Talat Kamal

Carbon taxing seems to be the favored, albeit still controversial, solution offered at the UN Climate Summit at Durban.
While the issue of taxing carbon emissions has been raised by major industry contributors - such as the aviation and shipping industry - which most representatives and interest groups concerned are in agreement of, there have also been suggestions to impose carbon taxes on agriculture, an area that is a bit more murky and sensitive.
A significant portion of the funds collected through these carbon taxes, which is a tax on the carbon content of fuel, or more on carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, will be channeled into the Green Climate Fund as source of reliable revenues.
The fund, in theory, would be used to provide up to US$100 billion each year to help countries, most vulnerable to climate change, pay for programmed to adapt and reduce their own emissions. The establishment of this fund was agreed upon in the last installment of the Conference of Parties (COP16) to the UN climate change convention in Cancun, Mexico last year.
The carbon tax in aviation has both its strong proponents as well as its detractors. The EU, for example, has said yesterday that it would not back down on the levy to tax the carbon emissions on international airlines, and would impose the tax on all airlines flying into or out of European airports.
The measure has been opposed in European courts by at least two American airlines, with more challenges expected from Chinese airlines as well.
The Chinese delegation has expressed its firm opposition arguing that such a unilateral or mandatory action would constrain the growth of international aviation. Venezuela has described the proposed measure as "a bomb," and was concerned that it could "cause lots of problems at the international level."

Complete post at:
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=212655&cid=36

EPA proposes commercial discharge permits - Trade Only "Today"

Posted - December 1, 2011 -   Trade Only "Today"

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued two draft vessel general permits that would regulate discharges from commercial vessels, excluding military and recreational vessels.
The proposed permits would help protect the nation’s waters from ship-borne pollutants and reduce the risk of introduction of invasive species from ballast water discharges, according to the agency.
The draft Vessel General Permit, which covers commercial vessels greater than 79 feet in length, would replace the current 2008 Vessel General Permit, when it expires in December 2013. The new draft Small Vessel General Permit would cover vessels smaller than 79 feet in length and would provide such vessels with the Clean Water Act permit coverage they will be required to have as of December 2013.
The EPA intends to issue the final permits in November 2012, a full year in advance, to allow vessel owners and operators time to prepare for new permit requirements.
The updated permit would reduce the administrative burden for vessel owners and operators. It would continue to regulate the 26 specific discharge categories that were contained in the 2008 permit and, for the first time, manage the discharge of fish hold effluent.
A key new provision of the permit is a proposed numeric standard to control the release of non-indigenous invasive species in ballast water discharges.
The Small Vessel General Permit would be the first under the Clean Water Act to address discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels less than 79 feet in length.
The draft permit specifies best management practices for several broad discharge management categories including fuel management, engine and oil control, solid and liquid maintenance, graywater management, fish hold effluent management and ballast water management.

Post at:
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/517370-epa-proposes-commercial-discharge-permits

Fate of Kyoto Protocol in spotlight at talks - China Daily Information Co (CDIC).

Posted - November 30, 2011 - Lan Lan China Daily

BEIJING - The global climate change talks in Durban got off to a rocky start, with developed and developing countries holding diverging positions, indicating tough negotiations ahead.
The fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the sole international agreement that obligates industrialized countries to slash carbon emissions, remains the essential issue of the summit.
Developing countries are calling for an extension of the first commitment period which expires in December 2012.
"It is hardly conceivable that a country would leave the Kyoto Protocol to do more," said Su Wei, China's top climate change negotiator.
He reiterated that the Kyoto Protocol is the cornerstone of the climate regime and its second commitment period is the essential priority for the success of the Durban conference.
The Durban conference should clearly establish the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol where developed countries shall undertake quantified emission reduction commitments, he said.
"We cannot lower the bar for negotiations in Durban neither keep shifting goal posts," said Ambassador Silvia Merega of Argentina, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China.
"Durban should not be the burial ground for the Kyoto Protocol, rather, it should be the birthplace of the second commitment period."
"It must be preserved and strengthened if we are to ensure any meaningful multilateral response to the issue of climate change," she said.
Christiana Figueres, the UN's top climate official, said the protocol's future is "the defining issue of this conference".
She said an extension of Kyoto targets is linked to pledges that developing countries must make to join the fight against climate change.

Complete post at:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-11/30/content_14184990.htm

Carbon tax fails to get UN stamp - Hindustantimes

Posted - Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times - New Delhi, November 30, 2011

A bid to legitimize carbon tax on aviation and maritime transport has got thumbs down from the developing world with Cuba terming it violation of the basic principle of United Nations climate convention of common but differentiated responsibility.
The International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organisation have proposed carbon tax on the lines of what Europe would be implementing for flights landing there from January 2012.
The two organisations want global framework of carbon tax on airlines and shipping companies, which fail to meet emission norms of certain regions, such as Europe, to reduce emissions from aviation and maritime transport. The European Union wants to extend its carbon tax regime called Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) to the shipping sector by 2015 and is looking at ratification of the same from the UN’s top climate body.
Cuba, speaking in Durban climate conference of 195 nations on behalf of India, China, Argentina, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Egypt and Algeria, accused the two organizations of trying to burden the developing world for meeting emission reduction targets of the developed world.
As per the UN convention, the rich nations are required to reduce emissions and pay for climate mitigation in the developing world. The proposal, however, aims to turn the table with developing world having to pay for emission reduction targets of the rich nations.
“These types of measures would have political, economic and social implications and penalize international transport, increasing its costs, and, thus, affecting international trade, particularly in the developing world,” the statement read out at the conference said.
Cuba accused the two organizations of proposing a framework for market based measures without considering objections from number of developing countries. It sought consensus before any country including Europe impose such unilateral carbon tax.
Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has already written to European Commission opposing the “unfair” carbon tax. Her sentiments were reflected in the Cuban statement which said there was a need for transfer of technologies and provision of financing to ensure that the developing world can improve efficiency in international transport.

Post at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Carbon-tax-fails-to-get-UN-stamp/Article1-776101.aspx