The “World EV Cities and Ecosystems” web portal provides information on electric vehicle (EV) policies and best practices from 16 cities worldwide, and aims to increase cooperation and information exchange between policy makers and practitioners.
A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) allocates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the energy sector, both direct and indirect, to energy users in order to understand demand-side trends driving energy-sector GHG emissions. The report found that 90% of the net increase in GHG emissions in the EU in 2010 was driven by energy production and consumption.
The Organization for American States (OAS) has announced the 14 recipients from ten Central American and Caribbean countries of US$50,000 grants from the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) to non-governmental organizations, community associations and academic institutions for community-based projects in clean energy, disaster resilience, sustainable transport and waste management.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released a report, titled “CO2 emissions performance of car manufacturers in 2011,” which shows that most cars manufactured in Europe have achieved 2012 emission reduction standards, with around 3.3% greater efficiency than new cars registered the previous year. the efficiency gains are largely due to a growing proportion of diesel vehicles, and a decrease in average engine and vehicle size, rather than through the use of alternative fuels.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting a five-year project to replace 100,000 gasoline-burning tricycles with energy efficient electric tricycles, or E-Trikes, in Metro Manilla and urban centers in the Philippines. The E-Trike project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 260,0000 tons annually and contribute to improved air quality. The project will also avoid US$100 million in fuel import costs, which will reduce dependency on foreign oil imports and increase driver income.
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Implementing Agreement on Bioenergy (IEA Bioenergy) newsletter notes that while bioenergy can contribute to Austria’s renewable energy targets, new technologies for transport fuels will need to be suported, while also discussing activities at the November Executive Committee meeting and Task 40 on Sustainable International Bioenergy Trade.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has launched the Green Meetings Calculator to help UN organizations reduce carbon emissions associated with air travel to meetings. The application identifies an optimal meeting location based on calculated carbon emissions, as well as other parameters, and identifies all possible city venues accessible by a direct or one-stop connecting flight.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP Risø Centre (URC) December’s newsletter includes stories on the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) project and electrification in Africa, including efforts within the Sustainable Energy For All Initiative (SE4ALL). The newsletter also features several stories on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), including capacity building projects in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region.
The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank report, which is based on analyses in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland and South Africa, finds that many of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures pay themselves back, while ambitious global action to reduce technology costs, scale up private sector financing, and provide climate financing is still required.
The UNFCCC Secretariat has achieved its aim of full climate neutrality by the end of 2012, through emission avoidance and reduction, plus an offsetting scheme using Adaptation Fund (AF) Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) for the remaining balance. The UNFCCC Secretariat encourages other UN agencies and intergovernmental organizations to do the same.