rests with individual nations. The U.S. EPA says it has received no applications for permits to release iron, but Margaret Leinen, chief scientist for the start-up company Climos, says EPA officials told her that the process will be similar to that for other permitted activities. Leinen says she is hopeful that future federal legislation on carbon
markets also will address OF. The convention statement sends a clear message to governments that met at the UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, says Kristina Gjerde of the World Conservation Union. She notes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III report on mitigation of climate
change describes OF as “speculative and unproven, with the risk of unknown side effects.” The world community “needs to consider the full range of impacts of proposed geoengineering fixes and to ensure they are properly regulated to prevent adverse impacts on the environment,” she contends. —NOREEN PARKS
Energy efficiency as an energy resource
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and climate change are encouraging innovative programs. President Bush recently signed legislation to Program your home heater to Alliance to Save Energy (ASE). raise the corporate fuel efficiency run lower while you’re out, or inScarred by price swings and standard for automobiles from tostall a compact fluorescent lightblackouts in 2001 caused by the day’s average of about 25 miles per bulb in your reading lamp—these deregulation of the state’s energy gallon (mpg) to an average of 35 are easy steps to reduce energy industry, state leaders, who have mpg for each car maker’s fleet. consumption. But now governbeen pushed forward by Gov. ArBut moving governments to ments worldwide, spurred on by nold Schwarzenegger’s (R-CA) take action hasn’t been easy. “It improved building and machine commitment to address global took a crisis to sort of jolt us out technologies, are adopting innovawarming, have concluded that of complacency,” said Mark Gortive energy policies with effidon, Director of Strategic Enciency as a top priority. These vironmental Management, governments also are seeing Provincial Government of the progress toward another goal: Western Cape of South Africa. energy efficiency is being In December 2005, the Westimplemented more as a prinern Cape suffered an electricity cipal mechanism to reduce blackout, because a major nugreenhouse gases. clear power plant temporarily Energy efficiency has trashut down, causing a $3 billion ditionally been defined as loss to the economy. The blackinstalling technologies to reout acted as a wake-up call to duce energy losses in homes citizens who had been wasteful and buildings. Today, it inwith cheap energy. “[A] whole volves much more, ranging environmental [consciousStudies indicate that commercial buildings will use 25% less energy if a building tune-up is conducted to ness] was really felt at the time, from restructuring utility rate repair and adjust controls used for heating, air conpolicies to reward utilities which led to behavior changditioning, hot water, and lighting equipment, without that help consumers use less es on the part of consumers,” making large investments in new equipment. electricity to launching edusaid Gordon. The government cation programs that teach rushed ahead with mandates students the link between energy “you essentially have to have ento reduce energy use and to deuse and the environment. ergy efficiency as the linchpin if velop a sustainable and efficient California leaders have made you want the economy to thrive,” energy policy. “Cape Town provefficient use of energy their top Grueneich said. Efficiency proince will be the most affected by policy priority, said Dian Gruegrams, some of which have been in climate change,” Gordon said, and neich, a commissioner at the Caliplace for 30 years, are now annua climate change response plan is fornia Public Utility Commission ally saving more than 40,000 giganow in development. (PUC), which regulates utilities, watt-hours of electricity—avoiding However, most consumers have transportation, and telecommunithe need to build 24 large (i.e., 500 little idea of the power behind cations in the state. megawatt) power plants, PUC said. large programs that use technoloGrueneich was one of several Every state in the U.S. has some gies to improve energy efficiency, speakers in November to represent form of efficiency policy, said Lowespecially when aimed at reducstate or provincial governments at ell Unger, policy director for ASE. ing greenhouse gases, experts said. the Energy Efficiency Global FoSoaring energy prices as well as A report from the management rum sponsored by the nonprofit electricity demand, air pollution, consulting firm McKinsey & Co., 652 ■ Environmental Science & Technology / February 1, 2008
released in November, notes that improving efficiency in buildings and appliances could take the biggest chunk out of CO2 emissions in the U.S. The report, a yearlong collaboration by researchers at McKinsey and other companies, as well as several nonprofit environmental groups, creates a road map of sorts for governments. “Improving energy efficiency in the buildings-
and-appliances sector could offset some 85% of the projected . . . demand for electricity in 2030, largely negating the need for incremental coal-fired power plants,” the authors wrote in the report, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost? Grueneich noted that California is the world’s 12th largest source of CO2, when taking into account the emissions of power plants that
supply energy to California but are located elsewhere. The passage in 2006 of AB 32, which mandates a drop in greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020, certainly spurred on the legislators. “Energy efficiency is one of the key tools we are looking at to achieve that goal” of scaling back California’s greenhouse gas emissions, Grueneich said. —CATHERINE M. COONEY
Will leaders learn from EU mistakes?
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requested. Seven states are taking the EC to court, arguing that this will harm their industries. Partners in the newly launched prices for carbon credits fluctuated Phase II will also cover more International Carbon Action Partwildly in Europe, and the market industries, including aviation. nership (ICAP) are looking forcrashed completely in April 2006. Despite stiff U.S. opposition, EU ward to the day when there is only Low carbon prices are not good ministers recently took the first one global carbon emissions tradnews: they mean companies can step in approving a proposal that ing scheme. Launched in October, afford to pollute and have little inwould include all flights enterICAP is designed to standardize centive to clean up. ing and leaving the EU. Under the how carbon allowances— scheme, starting in 2011, the allocation of emissions airlines would be required each company is allowed to reduce emissions by 10% to emit—are measured and compared with industry avtraded. Participants hope erage levels in 2004–2006. that sharing information Many CO2 market watchon their progress will preers in the U.S. have focused vent governments from reon the collapse of credit peating the mistakes made prices. But European econin the largest greenhouse omists point out that Phase gas emissions trading marI was always intended as a ket, the EU Emission Tradlearning experience. The Emissions trading markets are one solution for continued ing Scheme (ETS). EC didn’t expect to get the coal use in a carbon-constrained world. The ICAP partners— numbers so wrong, howevnine U.S. states, includer, says Turner. ing California and New York; two The EU’s problems began with Trevor Sikorski of Point Carbon, Canadian provinces; seven EU an overallocation of allowances at a carbon consultancy, advises govnations; and New Zealand and the start of the program. “Governernments or others that set up new Norway—are banking on lessons ments relied on industry estimates trading programs to decide whethlearned from ETS, the EU’s key of future emissions and, lo and beer to follow the European model of instrument to fight global warmhold, companies ended up overesa short learning phase, or to wait a ing. In that scheme, each of the 25 timating what they needed,” says bit, gather and understand emiscountries in the EU was allocated Guy Turner of the research firm sions data before start-up; both apan amount of CO2 that its factoNew Carbon Finance. Carbon pricproaches are valid, he adds. ries could emit. Emissions were es collapsed but have now stabiDespite the enthusiasm for divided among companies, and oflized at prices in the mid-€20s. trading, many advise caution. ficials could buy or sell allocations ETS managers are now gear“We will never achieve the necesdepending on whether a company ing up for Phase II of the trading sary 60–80% reductions in carbon was over or under its emissions market (2008–2012), during which emissions by midcentury if we rely limit. Started in 2005, ETS curemissions limits will be more decompletely on trading schemes,” rently covers 12,000 installations manding. The European Commissays Steve Rayner of Oxford Uniresponsible for 45% of EU carbon sion (EC) has set an emissions cap versity’s James Martin Institute for emissions. that limits EU member states to Science and Civilization (U.K.). But ETS’s credibility suffered as 10% fewer allowances than they —MARIA BURKE February 1, 2008 / Environmental Science & Technology ■ 653
