The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a series of documents that will be discussed by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and technical Advice (SBSTA) at its 38th session, taking place in Bonn, Germany. The documents relate to methodological issues related to the Kyoto Protocol, the new market-based mechanism, emissions from international transport, the UNFCCC reporting guidelines, high-carbon reservoirs, and a framework for various approaches.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) released its “Annual Management Plan 2013” outlining the EEA work programme which will address a broad range of issues including: air quality and noise; air pollutant emissions; climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; energy; and transport.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a report detailing how the Nordic region can become carbon-neutral by 2050. The report, titled “Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives: Pathways to a Carbon Neutral Energy Future,” is IEA’s first regional edition of its flagship publication series “Energy Technology Perspectives.”
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 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 Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the German international cooperation agency (GIZ) are helping Costa Rica’s coffee, waste management and public transport sectors prepare Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), with the coffee NAMA first to be completed by end of 2012 and implemented in 2013.
The study covers both developed and developing countries, paying special attention to barriers to low-carbon, climate resilient (LCR) infrastructure in low-income nations due to basic banking services, lack of non-bank financial services, weak risk management capacity, and limited availability of long-term funding.