– A round-up of the day’s top climate change stories
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USA: Greenhouse gas emissions in the US fell 1.6% last year, according to the latest figures. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the fall could be attributed to improved energy efficiency and lower emissions from electricity generation. The US natural gas boom has seen the country swap dirtier coal power for cleaner, and now cheaper, gas power. (EPA)
The EPA insists energy efficiency is behind the latest 1.6% slump in US greenhouse gas emissions (Source: EPA)
EU: Former Conservative Ministers have told the EurActiv newswire that the late Baroness Thatcher would have wanted to see reforms to the EU carbon market. A vote on the proposed changes will take place at 1200 CET today. (EurActiv)
Canada: United Nations desertification chief Luc Gnacadja has spoken for the first time of his disappointment at the Canadian Government’s decision to leave the international convention. Gnacadja rejected this critique, arguing the UNCCD was never intended to be focused on implementing specific projects, and had fully accounted for all of its budget. (RTCC)
USA: A partnership to develop aviation grade biofuels was renewed yesterday. US Agriculture and Transport Secretaries Tom Vilsack and Ray LaHood signed up to the Farm to Fly project after a successful first run from 2010-2012. The US Federal Aviation Authority has a target to use 1 billion gallons of biofuels every year by 2018. (USDA)
Investment: Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) reports investment in clean energy hit a four-year low in the last quarter. It was down 22% compared to the same period last year to $40.6bn. “For investment in clean energy to play its role in stemming the growth in world emissions, we would need to see investment levels at least double by 2020, rather than fall,” said Michael Liebrich, CEO of BNEF.
UK: Two petitions calling on the UK government not to cut climate change from the school curriculum for under 14s were handed into the Department for Education yesterday. More than 65,000 signatures were gathered against the plan to remove it from the Geography curriculum, and move it into science only. (BBC)
Representatives of People and Planet with pupils from Warriner School (Source: Flickr/UKYCC)