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    At the 148th Meeting of the OPEC Conference, the oil exporting cartel decided to leave its production level unchanged, sending crude prices spiralling to new records (above $104). OPEC "observed that the market is well-supplied, with current commercial oil stocks standing above their five-year average. The Conference further noted, with concern, that the current price environment does not reflect market fundamentals, as crude oil prices are being strongly influenced by the weakness in the US dollar, rising inflation and significant flow of funds into the commodities market." OPEC - March 5, 2008.

    Kyushu University (Japan) is establishing what it says will be the world’s first graduate program in hydrogen energy technologies. The new master’s program for hydrogen engineering is to be offered at the university’s new Ito campus in Fukuoka Prefecture. Lectures will cover such topics as hydrogen energy and developing the fuel cells needed to convert hydrogen into heat or electricity. Of all the renewable pathways to produce hydrogen, bio-hydrogen based on the gasification of biomass is by far both the most efficient, cost-effective and cleanest. Fuel Cell Works - March 3, 2008.


    An entrepreneur in Ivory Coast has developed a project to establish a network of Miscanthus giganteus farms aimed at producing biomass for use in power generation. In a first phase, the goal is to grow the crop on 200 hectares, after which expansion will start. The project is in an advanced stage, but the entrepreneur still seeks partners and investors. The plantation is to be located in an agro-ecological zone qualified as highly suitable for the grass species. Contact us - March 3, 2008.

    A 7.1MW biomass power plant to be built on the Haiwaiian island of Kaua‘i has received approval from the local Planning Commission. The plant, owned and operated by Green Energy Hawaii, will use albizia trees, a hardy species that grows in poor soil on rainfall alone. The renewable power plant will meet 10 percent of the island's energy needs. Kauai World - February 27, 2008.

    Tasmania's first specialty biodiesel plant has been approved, to start operating as early as July. The Macquarie Oil Company will spend half a million dollars on a specially designed facility in Cressy, in Tasmania's Northern Midlands. The plant will produce more than five million litres of fuel each year for the transport and marine industries. A unique blend of feed stock, including poppy seed, is expected to make it more viable than most operations. ABC Rural - February 25, 2008.

    The 16th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition - From Research to Industry and Markets - will be held from 2nd to 6th June 2008, at the Convention and Exhibition Centre of FeriaValencia, Spain. Early bird fee registration ends 18th April 2008. European Biomass Conference & Exhibition - February 22, 2008.

    'Obesity Facts' – a new multidisciplinary journal for research and therapy published by Karger – was launched today as the official journal of the European Association for the Study of Obesity. The journal publishes articles covering all aspects of obesity, in particular epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis, treatment, and the prevention of adiposity. As obesity is related to many disease processes, the journal is also dedicated to all topics pertaining to comorbidity and covers psychological and sociocultural aspects as well as influences of nutrition and exercise on body weight. Obesity is one of the world's most pressing health issues, expected to affect 700 million people by 2015. AlphaGalileo - February 21, 2008.

    A bioethanol plant with a capacity of 150 thousand tons per annum is to be constructed in Kuybishev, in the Novosibirsk region. Construction is to begin in 2009 with investments into the project estimated at €200 million. A 'wet' method of production will be used to make, in addition to bioethanol, gluten, fodder yeast and carbon dioxide for industrial use. The complex was developed by the Solev consulting company. FIS: Siberia - February 19, 2008.

    Sarnia-Lambton lands a $15million federal grant for biofuel innovation at the Western Ontario Research and Development Park. The funds come on top of a $10 million provincial grant. The "Bioindustrial Innovation Centre" project competed successfully against 110 other proposals for new research money. London Free Press - February 18, 2008.


    An organisation that has established a large Pongamia pinnata plantation on barren land owned by small & marginal farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India is looking for a biogas and CHP consultant to help research the use of de-oiled cake for the production of biogas. The organisation plans to set up a biogas plant of 20,000 cubic meter capacity and wants to use it for power generation. Contact us - February 15, 2008.

    The Andersons, Inc. and Marathon Oil Corporation today jointly announced ethanol production has begun at their 110-million gallon ethanol plant located in Greenville, Ohio. Along with the 110 million gallons of ethanol, the plant annually will produce 350,000 tons of distillers dried grains, an animal feed ingredient. Marathon Oil - February 14, 2008.


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Thursday, March 06, 2008

Researchers: corporate Voluntary Environmental Programs don't perform well

There's a race on to find the best methods and models for countries, citizens and companies to protect the environment. Regional, national or international agreements (such as the Kyoto Protocol) that impose binding rules and targets contrast with 'voluntary' schemes, which are often found in the United States. Market based approaches contrast with tax-based techniques; voluntarism contrasts with interventions by the state; bottom-up approaches differ from top-down strategies. The question as to which way of organising the efforts is most efficient, is crucial. But there are no easy answers.

New research from George Mason University however shows there clearly is a problem with so-called Voluntary Environmental Programs (VEPs) in the U.S. The researchers surprisingly found that companies which participate in such schemes perform worse in their attempts to help the environment than those that do not take on these programs at all. Findings are presented in Policy Studies Journal.

The Environmental Protection Agency — the largest sponsor of environmental programs — contributed $69 million, or 1.6 percent of their budget, to funding VEPs last year. Yet according to research by Nicole Darnall, assistant professor of environmental science and policy at Mason, and doctoral student Stephen Sides, these programs do not appear to boost environmental performance. In the study of more than 30,000 firms, companies that did not participate in VEPs performed 7.7 percent better than participants.

The way these programs are monitored also appears to affect performance. Companies that are self-monitored—as opposed certified by an external third party—appear to do even worse in their overall environmental goals. Nonparticipating companies outperformed companies participating in self-monitored VEPs by 24 percent.
Design deficiencies, specifically the absence of third-party oversight of performance monitoring, invite 'free ridership' on the part of some participants. Companies are taking part in these programs and receive credit for doing so, but some aren’t really adhering to the goals. - Nicole Darnall
The disappointing performance results also appear to relate to weak VEP goals. Darnall says that while other companies may be meeting program requirements, nonparticipating companies may have stronger goals. Specific and challenging goals result in a higher performance:
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Darnall and Sides aggregated results found from nine previous studies from 1999-2007. They defined environmental performance as an objective quantitative change in pollution or conditions contributing to the same such as degree of recycling, pollution prevention and time out of compliance.

More than 200 VEPs exist in the United States at the regional and national levels, and even more operate within states and localities. VEPs include programs such as the 33/50 Program, which asked companies to reduce certain emissions, discharges and waste streams by 33 percent in 1992 and 50 percent in 1995; the Climate Challenge Program, sponsored by the Department of Energy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions; the ISO 14001, an externally regulated program; Responsible Care, adopted by the American Chemistry Council; and the Sustainable Slopes Program for ski areas.
It is important to ask, 'What is the role of these programs?' If VEPs are designed for the single purpose of encouraging participants to improve the environment to a greater degree than companies that don’t participate, then they are failing. - Nicole Darnall
However, the researchers points out that VEPs could have other roles. VEPs can explore innovative environmental policy ideas. Such ideas can be tested and evaluated before they are implemented across the regulated community.

References:

Darnall, Nicole and Sides, Stephen, "Assessing the Performance of Voluntary Environmental Programs: Does Certification Matter?" Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2008.

Jorge E. Rivera, Peter deLeon (2008). "Voluntary Environmental Programs: Are Carrots without Sticks Enough?", Policy Studies Journal, 36 (1) , 61–63, doi:10.1111/j.1541-0072.2007.00253.x


3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

why cite Jorge E. Rivera, Peter deLeon (2008) instead of the authors of the paper. Sloppy!

7:18 AM  
Anonymous xoddam said...

The proper citation is:

Darnall, Nicole and Sides, Stephen, "Assessing the Performance of Voluntary Environmental Programs: Does Certification Matter?" Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2008.

It's available as a PDF here:

http://osf1.gmu.edu/~ndarnall/docs/VEP_meta-analysis.pdf

10:34 AM  
Anonymous Jonas said...

Thanks, for the correct reference.

We're very busy on biochar, that's why we've been a bit sloppy indeed these past few weeds.

Jonas.

2:15 PM  

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