Infographic - Oil and Cost of Production

Keystone XL Loses Another Battle but the War Rages On

On Tuesday November 18th, the US Senate narrowly rejected a bill (2280) to speed approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The motion needed 60 votes in favour to pass. The bill failed after 59 senators voted in favour and 41 were against. Predictably, all 45 Senate Republicans voted in favour of the legislation alongside 14 Democrats and Independents. The pipeline was approved last week for the ninth time by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

Fossil Fuel Powered Manipulation

Big Oil uses its vast wealth to advocate for the ongoing extraction of climate change causing fossil fuels. Their ruthless manipulation was recently revealed in a leaked transcript of a speech from an oil and gas industry insider. As reported in a New York Times article, some of these disreputable tactics were outlined by veteran Washington political consultant Richard Berman in an address he gave to industry executives at a June event sponsored by the Western Energy Alliance.

"If the oil and gas industry wants to prevent its opponents from slowing its efforts to drill in more places, it must be prepared to employ tactics like digging up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities"

Insurance Industry Hit Hard by Climate Change

There are a host of industries that will be impacted by climate change but none more than the insurance industry. According to some assessments it will cost a total of 8 trillion by 2100 if we do not substantially reduce emissions in the coming years. Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather events will be very costly to the global economy. Climate change will increase global conflicts, increase food shortages, decrease water supplies and increase morbidity and mortality.

Extreme weather and floods will be the primary cost driver for the insurance industry. A recent Ceres report states that in 2013 just under a third of the $116 billion in worldwide losses from weather-related disasters were covered by insurance.

Infographic - Cradle to Cradle: Rethinking Design

New Tool will Integrate Sustainabilty Initiatives

A new tool will soon be released that represents a new tenant of sustainability focused on integrating existing resources.

There are a number of different sustainability initiatives, however, these sometimes diverging sometimes overlapping approaches can be complex and unwieldy. New comprehensive tools are required to integrate these resources.

Whether we are talking about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), environmental product declarations (EPDs), health product declarations (HPDs) or Cradle to Cradle, the list of sustainability initiatives, design tools and reporting systems continues to proliferate. Many of these initiatives are very useful, but understanding how they work together can be a daunting task.

Republicans Keep Pushing Keystone XL Pipeline

Never let it be said that Republicans are not tenacious when it comes to their support for fossil fuels and knee-jerk opposition to President Obama. Republicans in Congress are trying yet again to force the President's hand on the Keystone XL pipeline. A motion was already passed in the House and another is expected today (November 18th) in the Senate.

The House of Representatives passed a measure Friday (November 14) that would force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline with a vote of 252 to 161. Nearly all Republicans voted for the bill, along with 31 Democrats. This is the ninth time the House has tried to push the President on the Keystone XL.

Growing Influence of Sustainability Leaders

Sustainability leaders at some of the wealthiest companies are increasingly influential. According to a Verdantix, 92 percent of companies that responded to a survey reported that they have a sustainability officer who reports directly to the CEO or a member of the executive committee.The Verdantix survey asked 260 senior sustainability decision-makers around the world about the influence of sustainability leaders on executive committees regarding decision-making authority and budgetary contributions in 21 key initiatives. These initiatives include assurance, consulting, energy management, natural capital, reporting, supply chain and other sustainability activities.

Infographic - Pledges to the Green Climate Fund

Climate Change Addressed at the G20 Summit

The G20 met in Brisbane, Australia over the weekend (November 15 and 16) and despite strong resistance climate change was elevated to a top tier issue. Not only did climate change find its way onto the agenda, it was prominent in the final communique which included references to taking practical measures to combat global warming. The elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and increasing pledges to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) were among the climate related issues that were addressed.

The most strident opposition to the inclusion of climate change came from the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the host of the G20 Summit. The reason for Abbott's resistance became clear after he launched a vehement defense of the coal and fossil fuel industry. Abbott's support for fossil fuels and opposition to the inclusion of climate change was ironic in light of the extreme heat that confronted leaders as they assembled for the summit.

Obama Pledges $3 Billion to the Green Climate Fund

On the heels of signing an important emissions reduction agreement with China, US President Barack Obama has pledged $3 billion to the UN's Green Climate Fund (GCF) at a meeting of the G20 in Australia. The GCF is an important international fund that serves as a crucial mechanism to help poorer nations reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change. This fund was created four years ago, and although it got off to a slow start, the President's pledge combined with the pledges of other nations will help to grow momentum.

French President Francois Hollande pledged US $1 billion (€780 million) in September at the UN Climate Summit in New York city, and German leader Angela Merkel made a similar pledge earlier in the year. Other nations including Sweden, the Netherlands, Mexico, and South Korea have also made pledges. As of today contributions to the fund total $US 8 billion. The UNFCCC goal for the forthcoming climate talks in Lima this December is $10 - 15 billion. The 20th UN Conference of the Parties (COP) in Peru will set the stage for COP 21 next year in Paris where it is hoped that we will see a global climate agreement.

Event - Blue Dot Telephone Town Hall with David Suzuki

This event will take place on Sunday, November 30, 2014 1 p.m. Pacific /4 p.m. Eastern. This fall, David Suzuki traveled coast to coast asking Canadians to stand with him to help protect our right to a healthy environment. The right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and eat healthy food is recognized by more than 110 nations — but not Canada. Although the Blue Dot Tour has ended, work to gain legal recognition of every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment continues.

Webinar - Intelligent Energy Systems

This one hour webinar will take place on November, 19th, 2014 at 2 pm. One of the most significant trends in commercial building management today is the use of technology to continually monitor and adjust building systems to optimize performance. The benefits of intelligent energy systems are numerous – energy savings, access to real-time data to optimize building performance, cost savings, reduced emissions and occupant comfort. This webinar will discuss advances in M2M technology and how it is being deployed today in buildings and beyond - helping to create smart cities. It will also focus on lighting and how today's advancements in lighting controls form an important component of a building’s intelligent energy system.

Event - POWER-GEN India & Central Asia and DistribuTECH India

These two co-occurring events will take place on May 14 - 16, 2015 in New Delhi, India at the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre.

At the 2015 events POWER-GEN India & Central Asia will celebrate its 14th year and DistribuTECH India will celebrate its 2nd year. Together, the two events will create the complete energy package with representation from leading international power industry companies from across the entire power generation including renewables, hydro, distribution and transmission sectors.

Event - GIL 2014: Canada Think Tank

The inaugural launch of GIL 2014: Canada Think Tank, Frost & Sullivan’s Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership will take place on December 2, 2014, at the Novotel Toronto North York Hotel in Toronto. This intimate gathering will include senior executives from more than twelve vertical industries in/around Canada.

Event - Green Bonds Webinar and Live Q&A

This event will take place on Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time at the The Nature Conservancy - 4245 North Fairfax Drive #100 Arlington, VA 22203.  The Green Bonds Webinar and Live Q&A will offer information to help you to fund the green economy.

The philanthropic landscape continues to shift, and organizations focused on building a sustainable future for people and planet must seek new and innovative opportunities to fund initiatives with an impact.

Event - Energy Storage: Grid Enabler or Competitor? (Tweet Chat)

This event will take place on November 17th at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT. This discussion will address the issue of whether energy storage technologies are a grid enabler or a competitor.

This Twitter conversation will be about the current and future state of energy storage. It will specifically compare the role of storage in supporting versus defecting from the grid.

Major advances in materials science and improved manufacturing are driving down the cost and improving the performance of energy storage technologies at a rapid pace. With energy storage at the cusp, The Energy Collective will host a live Twitter conversation to explore the implications for electricity systems and markets:

Video - Koch Brothers Climate and Energy Lies

This video covers some of lies perpetuated by the oil billionaires Charles and David Koch. They have managed to spread climate confusion in America and elsewhere even though global warming is the most studied phenomenon in the history of science. The scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change is irrefutable. Nonetheless, a small group of very powerful oil interests led by the Koch brothers has managed to influence public opinion. They want to misinform the public to avoid regulations that would limit the production of fossil fuels and hamper their accumulation of wealth. The science clearly shows that emissions from fossil fuels are the leading driver of climate change. The woeful ignorance of many Americans is due to a steady stream of lies from pseudo-scientific think tanks funded by the Koch brothers. These two climate destroying villains have poured $67 million into efforts to deny climate change.

Video - Fossil Fuels Must be Eliminated by 2100 (IPCC Synthesis Report)

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report there is no future for fossil fuels. The world must scale back the use of fossil fuels immediately and eliminate their use by 2100 if we are to avoid the worse impacts of climate change.

Video - Climate Change Finding its way onto the G20 Agenda

A meeting of the G20 got underway on Saturday November 15 in Australia. Despite Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's desire to keep climate change off the agenda, comments from UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon and US President Barack Obama made it hard to ignore. In a speech at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Obama made it clear that he wants to see action on climate change. He also announced 3 billion pledge for the UN's Green Climate Fund.

Video - Obama Addresses Climate Change at an Australian University

President Barack Obama is in Australia for a G20 summit. Prior to the start of the conference the President spoke to students at Queensland University. During his speech Obama addressed the importance of dealing with climate change and he pledged a $3 billion contribution to the Green Climate Fund to help developing nations deal with the impact of climate change.

The Growth of Green Jobs

Over the last few year green jobs have seen unprecedented growth. Far from slowing down the rate of growth of green jobs appears to be accelerating. Currently there are 620K people working in the renewable energy sector in the US. Globally millions of jobs have already been created by the green economy and it is estimated that by 2030 there will be 20 million jobs in the sustainability sector.

In addition to the jobs directly created in the renewable energy industry like those in solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy there are ancillary jobs like those in the green building sector, green vehicles, green chemistry and even green accounting. All of these industries have positive economic “ripple” effects.

Republican Ignorance and the Latest IPCC Report

The Republican's response to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report puts their ignorance and their partisan politics on display. Although this is among the world's most comprehensive reports on climate science it is dismissed by the GOP as "politics".

Listen to what two leading Republicans had to say about the IPCC's conclusion that the Earth is headed towards, “severe, pervasive, and irreversible” climate change impacts:

Searching for Hope after the Midterm Climate Fiasco

For all those who support climate action, it is hard to find a reason to hope in the wake of the 2014 midterms. Many climate advocates lost and the vast majority of elected Republicans deny the scientific consensus on climate change and support fossil fuels. Even though this outcome warrants our despair, President Obama cautions us to avoid cynicism. As Obama said in a recent mailing to his supporters:

Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL

Congress is trying to fast track the controversial Keystone XL project. A debate on the pipeline is scheduled to take place today (Friday, November 14)  in both the US House and the Senate. Both houses of the Republican led Congress are expected to approve the bill.

While the President has indicated he will veto the bill, there are steps that could be taken by the GOP to override his decision.

Obama Standing Up to the GOP by Promising to Veto Keystone XL Legislation

President Obama said that he will veto the GOPs efforts to push through the Keystone XL. He sees that the GOP is gunning for him and his climate agenda. Rather than backing down he is standing up to Big Oil and their Republican minions.

By standing up to Republican threats Obama is showing that he is a man of integrity and a true champion of the environment. The move is consistent with the President's promise that he will only allow the pipeline to be built if it, "doesn’t increase climate change."

Republican Law to Curtail (Environmental) Regulations

Even before the 2014 midterms Republicans were looking for ways to fight environmental regulations.  Republicans have already passed legislation in the House that would keep the federal government from spending money on regulations. The bill is called the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act. It would require the approval of both houses of Congress for any federal rules that cost $100 million or more per year.

Republicans are well known for their outdated anti-regulatory political philosophies. They have not changed their tune one bit even though recent history has painfully demonstrated that it was the absence of regulations that led to the global recession of 2007 & 2008.

Historic Climate Cooperation Between the US and China

After nine months of negotiations, a historic climate change deal has been signed between the US and China, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. This deal heralds what looks like the start of a new era of cooperation that will turn the tides in the fight against climate change.

On Wednesday November 11, in Beijing, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced ambitious new greenhouse gas reductions.

"As the world's two largest economies, energy consumers and emitters of greenhouse gases, we have a special responsibility to lead the global effort against climate change," Obama said.

Predictably the deal is being opposed by the GOP, however, this is not a treaty and therefore does not require the approval of Republicans in Congress. Although the agreement is non-binding the two countries have indicated their intention to achieve the following:

Graph - Global CO2 from Energy by Region

How to Craft Value out of Sustainability Supply Chains

Here are four perspectives on sustainability supply chains ranging from strategic considerations to practical approaches to implementing sustainability into core values. There are a total of three sessions supplied by senior executives from Stainbury, Deutsche Telekom, Rio Tinto, and McDonalds.

Sainsbury's, Group Commercial Director, Member of Board of Directors, Mike Coupe (now Chief Executive)

Deutsche Telekom Group, Climate Change and Sustainability Officer, Executive Vice President, Luis Neves

Rio Tinto, Vice President, Marketing and Sales – Copper and Precious Metals, Vania Grandi

McDonald’s Europe, Senior Director Supply Chain, Keith Kenny.

Republicans and Democrats on Climate Change

There is a massive gulf separating Republicans and Democrats on the issue of climate change. Climate change and environmental issues did not keep Republicans from achieving gains in the Senate, the House of Representatives and many gubernatorial contests. When we take a look at voting patterns we once again see the stark partisan divide between Democrats and the GOP on climate change.

Map - US Climate & Energy Ballots (2014)

Tool - Water Risk Monetizer

On Wednesday, November 5, Ecolab and Trucost introduced the Water Risk Monetizer, a first-of-its-kind tool that will help businesses assess water-related risks in financial terms and enable more informed decision making.

The information provided by this free tool can be used to help businesses around the world better understand water risks and the potential implications of water scarcity for a particular facility.

Graphs - IPCC Report: CO2, Temperatures and Emissions

German Sustainability Leadership

Germany is well known for its leadership in renewable energy, but the country has also shown leadership in other realms of sustainability.

German leadership on sustainable use of resources extends to their water stewardship. According to an Newsweek article by Rose Jacobs, titled “Doing It the German Way.” “Their water conservation efforts were so enthusiastic in the 1990s and early 2000s that by 2009 sewage systems were suffering from too little water running through them.”

Unlike many other nations around the world, Germany also shoulders the burdens of its global responsibilities as an economic powerhouse. In July, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged €750 million (~US$ 1.01 billion) to the UN Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Required Climate Investments and Impact on Growth According the IPCC Synthesis Report

Massive investment is required for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Here is a summary of needed investments and their impact on growth from the IPCC's recently released Synthesis Report.

Concern about the impact on growth is one of the primary reasons why some resist mitigation efforts. However, the Synthesis report says that the impact of climate investment on global economic growth would be negligible. Such investment would not impede growth which is expected to be between1.6 per cent to 3 percent per year until the dawn of the next century.

Webinar - Climate Change: Strategies for Resilience for a Fragile Planet

Climate Change: Strategies for Resilience for a Fragile Planet will take place on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST. This webinar will explore how a risk and resilience framework can help strengthen the ability of vulnerable people and communities around the world to address the challenges they face on a daily basis.

This series of informal conversations between pairs of internationally recognized experts will focus on how the concepts of risk avoidance, risk mitigation, and preparedness can be applied to improve outcomes across a wide range of policy areas, including climate change, asset-building, mental health, housing and community development, and health financing.

Infographic - Solar Energy Growth in the US

IPCC Synthesis Report: Background and Summary

In November the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its final world Synthesis Report. This is the world's most comprehensive assessment of scientific knowledge on climate change. The conclusions in the report are the starkest warnings yet. Urgent action is required as we are rapidly running out of time.

The final Synthesis Report summarizes three massive climate investigations:

1. The report on the physical science of climate change was released in September 2013. It reiterated the finding that humans are the leading cause of climate change. They further demonstrated that as measured by a number of indicators (ice sheet melt, glacial melt and sea level rise), climate change is occurred faster than predicted. It further stated that this is impacting meteorological conditions by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

Germany's Renewable Energy Leadership

It has been 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and during that time Germany has emerged as the economic engine of Europe and a global leader in renewable energy. On November 9th, Germans celebrated their peaceful revolution and reunification. Germany has reason to be proud of their global leadership in solar and wind power.

Germany began its renewable energy ascendancy long before it was fashionable. As of January 2015, Germany can boast 15 years of clean energy leadership.

De-Fossilization