CO2 World Cup - Carbon Neutral Cities

Carbon Neutral Cities
1	Masdar 50.000, Abu Dhabi	2009	Abu Dhabi aims to build first carbon-neutral city NPR, 2008-05-06
2	Dongtan 25.000, China	2010	China envisions environmentally friendly eco-city USA Today, 2007-02-15
3	"Green City" 700.000, Jordan	2013	Carbon-neutral city planned for Jordan The National, 2008-05-15
4	Ashton Hayes 1.000, UK	2013	Aiming to be England's first carbon neutral village Going Carbon Neutral, 2007-07-06
5	Wellington 180.000, New Zealand	?	Wellington city is on its way to becoming the first capital city in the world to be carbon neutral Wellington City Council, 2007-06-08
6	Woodstock 6.200, USA	2017	Expected to make the town carbon neutral within 10 years Daily Freeman, 2007-06-17
7	Ballard 18.000, USA	?	Ballard to become the first carbon neutral community in the nation Sustainable Ballard, 2006-08-28
8	Maribyrnong 63.000, Australia	2020	Maribyrnong council commits to become carbon neutral by 2020 Maribyrnong Council, 2007-04-19
9	Melbourne 57.000, Australia	2020	Zero net emissions by 2020 strategy ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
10	Soenderborg 76.000, Denmark	2029	Soenderborg wants to become co2 neutral Jydske Vestkysten, 2007-06-15
11	Austin 710.000, USA	?	Austin climate protection plan Austin Chronicle, 2007-03-09

Carbon Permits Sell for Minimum Before New Jersey Exits RGGI - Bloomberg

Carbon-dioxide emissions allowances in the U.S. Northeast were auctioned for $1.89, the minimum allowable bid, as New Jersey prepared to exit the 10-state regional program. The quarterly auction sold 27.3 million, or 63 percent, of the available 43 million allowances, the fifth-lowest since the program began in 2008, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative said today on its website. The results bolster New Jersey’s decision to exit RGGI at the end of the year, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. Republican Governor Chris Christie in May called RGGI “a failure” because permits that were initially projected to cost $20 to $30 never sold for more than $3.51. “Climate change is real, but RGGI is not working,” Hajna said in an e-mail. “Today’s auction results affirm the fact that supply of allowances continues to outweigh demand.” The auction, held Dec. 7, generated $51.5 million for the states from power producers. Each allowance gives a company the right to emit one ton of carbon dioxide in a cap-and-trade program that includes the six New England states, New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Maryland.

Biggest Polluters Hold Up Agreement at UN Global Warming Talks

China, the U.S. and India, the three biggest polluters, maintained resistance to a time line leading to the next agreement on global warming, threatening efforts to keep alive the only limits on fossil fuel emissions. European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said she hasn’t yet won backing for her demand for a “road map” pointing to the next climate agreement because some nations are holding back support. She indicated that China and India remained a block. Last night, the U.S. said it won’t agree to begin talks for a legally-binding deal. “The responsibility lies very, very heavily on the shoulders of those big ones that are not giving in,” Hedegaard said at a news conference in Durban, South Africa. “I’m concerned about the pace. There isn’t much time left. If there is no further movement from what I have seen at four o’clock in the morning, there will be no deal.” Two weeks of climate talks led by the United Nations are due to end today. Divisions are deepening between envoys from more than 190 countries about how to limit fossil-fuel emissions after restrictions in the Kyoto Protocol expire next year.

EIB May Have Already Started NER-300 Carbon Sales, Orbeo Says

The European Investment Bank may have already started sales of the first 2013 carbon permits, boosting supply as prices trade near record-low levels, said an analyst at Orbeo. “The EIB could have started already, I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Emmanuel Fages, an analyst in Paris at Orbeo, an emissions trading venture. “This is the only window to achieve their mandate.” He said he had no direct knowledge that sales had started. Solvay SA (SOLB) is buying the 50 percent of Orbeo it doesn’t already own from Societe Generale SA. The European Union’s regulatory arm last week said it has transferred carbon permits from a 2.3 billion-euro ($3.1 billion) reserve to the EIB, saying that sales of the allowances may last until the end of 2013. The 27-nation EU decided in 2008 to use proceeds from the sale of 300 million post-2012 permits from the reserve for new entrants to the bloc’s cap-and-trade program to encourage renewable energy and carbon capture technologies. The first tranche of 200 million permits has to be sold by Oct. 2, 2012, and the remaining allowances may be sold later than the originally planned end-2012 deadline, according to the EU.