Great opinion piece in WSJ today, outlining why targeting methane could be the end-run to the current international paralysis:
…Unlike carbon dioxide, which remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, methane lasts only a decade but packs a powerful punch while it’s there.
Methane’s short life makes it especially interesting in the short run, given the pace of climate change. If we need to suppress temperature quickly in order to preserve glaciers, reducing methane can make an immediate impact. Compared to the massive requirements necessary to reduce CO2, cutting methane requires only modest investment. Where we stop methane emissions, cooling follows within a decade, not centuries. That could make the difference [...]
It’s The Methane, Stupid
Biofuels IPO Market Bouncing Back?
Codexis files for IPO – Will public equity market revive for biofuels?
From Biofuels Digest today:
In California, Codexis announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC relating to the proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. The shares of common stock to be sold in this offering are proposed to be sold by Codexis, Inc. and certain of its stockholders.
Credit Suisse Securities and Goldman Sachs will be acting as joint book-running managers, with RBC Capital Markets Corporation and Pacific Crest Securities LLC acting as co-managers for the offering. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but [...]
Why Did Copenhagen Fail?
An insider’s account of the Copenhagen talks:
Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations. The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful “deal” so western leaders would walk away carrying the blame. How do I know this? Because I was in the room and saw it happen.
China’s strategy was simple: block the open negotiations for two weeks, and then ensure that the closed-door deal made it look as if the west had failed the world’s poor once again. And sure enough, the aid [...]
Copenhagen agreement reached
Here’s the memo:
Today, following a multilateral meeting between President Obama, Premier Wen, Prime Minister Singh, and President Zuma (US, China, India and South Africa), a meaningful agreement was reached. It’s not sufficient to combat the threat of climate change but it’s an important first step.
We entered this negotiation at a time when there were significant differences between countries. Developed and developing countries have now agreed to listing their national actions and commitments, a finance mechanism, to set a mitigation target of two degrees celsius and to provide information on the implementation of their actions through national communications, with provisions for international consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines.
No country [...]
Massive fraud equals massive regulations…
…that tend to lock in older technologies, says yesterday’s Biofuels Digest, quoting me:
“We like the commitments that are a first step at Copenhagen. Our concern is how to encourage innovation to solve climate change in every human activity. Paradoxically, the lack of regulation in the US has helped foster healthy innovation, while in Europe, the need to avoid massive fraud has led to massive carbon trade regulations that tend to lock in older technologies. Funding innovation is relatively cheap and we must continuously beef that up. Any climate change regime must be designed with this in mind.” Riggs Eckelberry, CEO, OriginOil.
Story here.
10 Cleantech Projections for 2010
Here’s the list, full details here:
Private capital growth recovers, record fund year
Clean economies become the new space race
Electric cars take the back seat to smart mobility
Resource constraints beyond carbon rise to the fore
Commodity tradeoff debates intensify
Energy efficiency, driven by ICT, eclipses solar
Marketing suddenly matters
Buffett leads the super rich into cleantech
Acquisitions and consolidations accelerate
The rise of waste-to-energy, geothermal and aquaculture
(Hat tip to Mike Levin)
Riggs
OriginOil Made The Hot 50!
… a top global bioenergy company for the second year running, advancing from #45 to #42 despite a much larger field of 1,400 companies! (and the Selector panel voted us #38…)
Thanks for your support and active votes!
The list, which includes many of the top petroleum companies, is here: http://bit.ly/5xysAX
Algae companies comprise 13 out of the top 50… this is the rising segment!
Riggs