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US: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been criticised for supporting the Keystone XL pipeline. Zuckerberg’s immigration reform campaign Fwd.us, has run TV ads in several US states praising conservatives for pushing the pipeline’s approval. Billionaire and founder of the Tesla Motors electric car company Elon Musk has withdrawn his funding of Fwd.us. (LA Times)
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Flickr: jdlasica)
China: The trade dispute between the EU and China over solar panel duties escalated yesterday as China warned that EU plans to apply a 47% import tax on cheap Chinese products “seriously harm” bilateral trade. The EU claims Chinese made panels are heavily subsidised by the government making them cheaper than those made in Europe.
The dispute is the largest of 31 EU trade investigations involving China and affecting €21bn of imported solar products. There are fears among solar project developers that the levy’s June introduction will drive up prices and seriously damage their business model. (Reuters)
Norway: A Norwegian company is set to develop the world’s first CO2 capture technology for cement factories. Aker Solutions will begin testing at a facility in Brevik and hopes to develop a solution that can be rolled out across Europe. Greenhouse gases from cement production are estimated at around 5% of the all the world’s emissions. (Reuters)
Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has downplayed the emissions that result from the country’s oil sands claiming they amount to “almost nothing globally”. He also said the Keystone XL pipeline “absolutely needs to go ahead” and would offer tremendous benefits to the US. (Calgary Herald)
US: New rules for the US fracking industry on federal land have been given mixed reviews by the industry and environmental groups alike. The American Petroleum Institute described the regulations as “confusing” while the Sierra Club said it was “alarmed and disappointed” by them. The rules require more transparency from the industry on the chemicals they use in the fracking process. (Financial Times)