Search

The article reports on a white paper issued by the China State Council concerning climate change. The paper reveals the commitment of the Council to energy saving and emission reductions. It notes that the ongoing industrialization process and the coal-dominated energy mix in China pose complexities on the goal of controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

The article focuses on the changes to the British energy planning system that is being proposed in the Planning White Paper 2007 to address climate change and energy security. The document highlights that since 2003, there has been growing evidence and calls to mitigate man-made climate change. It notes that the government plans to support tidal and offshore wind energy. It cites the reaction of environmentalists and proponents of nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS) to the paper.

The article discusses highlights of a symposium conducted by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). During the symposium, the Roadmap Green Papers were launched by New South Wales minister for climate change Verity Firth. In Firth's speech during the symposium, she acknowledged the central role that chemical engineers will play in meeting the demands for energy and water of the society. The importance of energy efficiency in driving improvements in the short term was discussed by Jim McIlvenny, president of Dow Chemical.

The article focuses on the criticism issued to the plan of the Australian Labor government to launch a carbon emission trading scheme in 2010. Climate change minister Penny Wong issued a Green Paper explained the tax credits to be given to heavy carbon industries. However, the scientific community claims that such liberal allowances could undermine the effectiveness of carbon trading.