NGO brings biogas to the poor in India and becomes member of the Chicago Climate Exchange
Andhyodaya, an NGO based in Kerala, India, which promotes biogas production among poor farmers, has become the first Indian member of a United States-based climate exchange that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the chairman of the mart anounced [*.pdf].
The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) legally binds its members, the majority of which are U.S. corporations who are unable to meet carbon emission reduction targets, to purchase carbon credits from those who have trimmed emissions, or buy offsets from clean energy projects. Members commit to reduce their emissions by six percent by 2010.
By participating in the exchange, Andhyodaya, which operates in the Southern-Indian state of Kerala, would be able to earn revenue by selling credits earned by enabling emission cuts through its small biomethane plants that deliver clean bioenergy to the poor.
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: climate change :: biogas :: carbon credits :: Chicago Climate Exchange :: India ::
CCX - which has about 230 members including Ford, Dupont and IBM as well as whole cities such as Chicago - has emerged as one way for the U.S. to try to begin to cut emissions in the absence of federal regulations.
The U.S. has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which has several similar systems that have been operating for years, such as the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows companies from countries who ratified the Kyoto Protocol to invest in clean energy projects in the South.
Because of a lack of government initiatives on climate change in the U.S., some American companies have gone it alone and are using voluntary mechanisms to cut carbon emissions, on markets like the CCX, in anticipation of future mandatory rules.
"I am delighted that CCX is focusing on projects like this which benefit the poor and also reduce emissions," said R.K. Pachauri, director of environment think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
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The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) legally binds its members, the majority of which are U.S. corporations who are unable to meet carbon emission reduction targets, to purchase carbon credits from those who have trimmed emissions, or buy offsets from clean energy projects. Members commit to reduce their emissions by six percent by 2010.
By participating in the exchange, Andhyodaya, which operates in the Southern-Indian state of Kerala, would be able to earn revenue by selling credits earned by enabling emission cuts through its small biomethane plants that deliver clean bioenergy to the poor.
"Our goal and mission is to try to engage with companies that can bring us projects and therefore bring credits and dollars to the rural poor of India," Sandor told a news conference. We think we can bring significant value to the rural poor and contribute to reducing global warming." - Richard L. Sandor, CCX's chairmanAndhyodaya's 20,000 small-scale biogas projects have led to cuts equivalent to 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide --or the annual emissions from about 8,000 cars. According to Sandor, this represents a market value of approximately €123,000/US$160,000, not bad for a relatively small NGO:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: climate change :: biogas :: carbon credits :: Chicago Climate Exchange :: India ::
CCX - which has about 230 members including Ford, Dupont and IBM as well as whole cities such as Chicago - has emerged as one way for the U.S. to try to begin to cut emissions in the absence of federal regulations.
The U.S. has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which has several similar systems that have been operating for years, such as the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows companies from countries who ratified the Kyoto Protocol to invest in clean energy projects in the South.
Because of a lack of government initiatives on climate change in the U.S., some American companies have gone it alone and are using voluntary mechanisms to cut carbon emissions, on markets like the CCX, in anticipation of future mandatory rules.
"I am delighted that CCX is focusing on projects like this which benefit the poor and also reduce emissions," said R.K. Pachauri, director of environment think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Article continues
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
UPI Poll: biofuels top alternative energy choice
Biofuels and solar energy topped respondents' choices in a UPI-Zogby International poll regarding alternative energy sources in the United States. A total of 6,882 U.S. residents were asked in a Jan. 16-18 Zogby interactive poll to select which alternative energy source would be most useful in the future. They responded as follows:
- ethanol/biomass (26.7 percent)
- solar power (22.3 percent)
- hydroelectric (10.5 percent)
- wind power (9.9 percent)
- geothermal (2.3 percent)
Ethanol has grabbed a lot of attention since U.S. President George Bush's State of the Union speech last year when he spoke the country's "addiction to oil". The U.S. President boosted biofuels once again by his address last night.When asked which type of renewable energy is 'most likely to replace fossil fuels', participants again ranked ethanol/biomass first, with 39.8 percent giving that answer, 10.8% said solar energy and 10.6% hydroelectric.
Still, respondents think there isn't much hope for weaning the United States off oil: 61.1 percent of those asked said less than 25 percent of current fossil fuel energy use would be replaced by renewable energy sources in 10 years.
Consumer perceptions and expectations on alternative energy are playing an increasing role in decision making processes, as more and more (public) companies in the sector face public scrutiny.
Obviously, a clean and efficient energy future depends on diversifying and using as broad a range of renewables as possible. It is not a matter of picking one energy technology over another. The poll does indicate though which alternative energy sectors need to put more efforts in convincing consumers of their potential.
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: renewables :: solar :: wind :: hydroelectric :: geothermal :: ethanol :: biomass :: United States ::
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posted by Biopact team at 4:05 PM 1 comments links to this post