Can we call these guys “Carbon Criminals”?

Reuters, 29 May 2009 - Organized crime syndicates are eyeing the nascent forest carbon credit industry as a potentially lucrative new opportunity for fraud, an Interpol environmental crime official said on Friday.

Peter Younger is an environmental crimes specialist for Interpol, the world’s largest international police agency.  His organized crime fears are related to a U.N.-backed scheme called reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).

The purpose of REDD is aimed at unlocking potentially billions of dollars for developing countries that conserve and restore their forests.  In return for their conservation efforts, these countries would earn carbon credits that can be sold for profit to developed nations that need to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

“If you are going to trade any commodity on the open market, you are creating a profit and loss situation.  There will be fraudulent trading of carbon credits,” Younger told Reuters in an interview at a forestry conference in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali.  Younger goes further to say, “In future, if you are running a factory and you desperately need credits to offset your emissions, there will be someone who can make that happen for you.  Absolutely, organized crime will be involved.”

Younger calls on governments, multi-lateral bodies and NGOs (legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government) to realize the need for more involvement by law enforcement agencies in the development of REDD policies and in the fight against illegal logging and deforestation, which are responsible for about 20 percent of mankind’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Can You Win With Carbon Credits?

Realizing that he was the only law enforcement official at the conference, Younger also said, “Consider resourcing law enforcement efforts and not just relying on NGOs and other nice people to do it for you.”

Is the Problem Growing?

It is no secret that forests soak up and displace large amounts of carbon dioxide and REDD aims to reward governments and local communities for every ton of CO2 locked up by a forest over decades, equaling to a very large global cash flow concerning forest credits.

Rightfully, local communities should earn a share of REDD credit sales to pay for better health, education and alternative livelihoods that entice them to protect rather than cut down surrounding forests.

However, revenue-sharing policies have not been finalized and will differ for each country.  Some NGOs fear central and provincial governments might demand control of that money and severely limit the amount going to local communities.

“It starts with bribery or intimidation of officials that can impede your business.  Then if there is indigenous people involved, there’s threats and violence against those people.  There’s forged documents”, he added.  Younger also states, “In illegal logging for instance, there are companies that may have a lawful side of the business and this is the dirty laundry on the side”.

~ Sourced from the Thomson Reuters Carbon Markets Community - a free, gated online network for carbon market and climate policy professionals.

Background: UN-REDD Program

United Nations Secretary-General and Prime Minister of Norway Launch UN-REDD Program

(courtesy of United Nations Development Program)–>

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (third from left) poses for a group photo with Jens Stoltenberg (third from right), Prime Minister of Norway, and the other participants, following a joint press conference to launch a new initiative to reduce emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation.

The United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Program) is a collaboration between FAO, UNDP and UNEP.  A multi-donor trust fund was established in July 2008 that allows donors to pool resources and provides funding to activities towards this program.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the cutting down of forests is now contributing close to 20 per cent of the overall greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.  Forest degradation also makes a significant contribution to emissions from forest ecosystems.  Therefore there is an immediate need to make significant progress in reducing deforestation, forest degradation, and associated emission of greenhouse gases.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agenda item on “Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and approaches to stimulate action” was first introduced at the Conference of the Parties (COP11) in December 2005 by the governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, supported by eight other Parties.

Then skip forward, in response to a COP13 decision, requests from countries, and encouragement from donors, FAO, UNDP and UNEP have developed a collaborative REDD program.  The UN-REDD Program is aimed at tipping the economic balance in favour of sustainable management of forests so that their formidable economic, environmental and social goods and services benefit countries, communities and forest users while also contributing to important reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

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Yes, there is a way to charge virtually any hand-held electronic device using renewable energy sources.  It’s called a hybrid solar charger.  What makes it hybrid?  This means that even when the sun isn’t shining you can still use the charger.  Because, it also accepts power from a wall socket or even from your computer’s USB port.

So what else is so great about this solar charger?

• It has a high-capacity internal rechargeable battery that stores power for up to one year- charge your devices anytime, day or night when you need it most.  It has solar cells to charge its internal battery.

• You can add another cool word to your vocabulary:  eco-mobility

• You can be part of a carbon neutral process.  The company that made my charger has an arrangement so that for every 6 units manufactured, trees are planted to offset carbons emitted during manufacturing.

• Say you’re stuck in an airport or somewhere else without access to a wall socket.  Pull out your fully charged solar charger from your pocket or purse and charge that iPhone or Blackberry that’s out of juice.

• Don’t worry it’s nice looking too in it’s recyclable shell.  It even comes in recyclable packaging.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering why do I seem kinda passionate about this hand-held solar charger gadget. Well, I can charge it anywhere on Earth.   I can plug into the Sun and charge through its solar panels – it’s free and Green.  I can stick it to the electric companies (at least part of the time) by not having to plug everything into the wall socket.

Seriously, though.  I have a better reason than that.  Keep reading ….

It certainly helped me out yesterday.  I was riding a 4-wheeler on my dad’s land yesterday, and I got reckless and flipped it over.  Kinda embarrassing, right? To make things worse, I sprained my ankle during the wreck.  I was a couple miles from the nearest person.  No problem, I always carry my cell phone just in case I need it.  This time I need it worse than usual.

What happens to a cell phone when you really need it?  You guessed it, the battery was dead!

Now being a responsible adult, of course, I always carry a small emergency bag.   Man, I was really hoping there was some aspirin or something in there. But instead I found something even better.  Inside the bag was my Solio Magnesium solar battery charger (hover link and be sure to read the Screen Tip).

I’m sure you guessed already, I plugged that thing into my cell phone so I could call for some help.

I couldn’t ride the 4-wheeler anywhere.  The handle bars got bent up just enough that the front wheels wouldn’t turn straight.   I had to call for help because I wouldn’t have gotten very far by just riding around in circles.

Luckily, my retired mother was home when I called.  She’s in a wheel chair but she’s still able to drive quite a bit, thank goodness.  So, she came to the rescue.  Aren’t mom’s grand?

Oh, the 4-wheeler.  My dad went and got the 4-wheeler later for me.   No other major damage except the bent up handle bars.  I can straighten the handle bars.  And, turns out my ankle isn’t too bad.   So I can be out riding again soon (once it warms up anyway; it sure is cold around here right now).

A little trivia.  Who else uses the Solio?

• Our new U.S. President, Obama, like him or not, does have a Green initiative.Yes, he has a Solio, too.

• Dr. Ian Davis, Polar Challenge says, “I have used many other solar productsin the extremes of the Arctic but never have I used one as reliable andindestructible as the Solio”.

And, here’s a review and a video I found featuring Solio:

• “Solio awarded National Geographic’s ‘Best of Gear‘ “

•   “Humanitarian efforts video by Solio”

Solio goes to Uganda, Africa to support the Village Phone Program.  Click to play video:

• Here are some quotes from the video and from Solio:

More than half of the world’s people rely on kerosene, dung and crop waste for lighting and energy needs. Globally, indoor air pollution from these fuels causes 1.6 million deaths from pneumonia, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer.

At Better Energy Systems, we work to bring renewable energy into the mainstream.  We are happy you’ve joined our quest, and we congratulate you on taking a meaningful step on the path to sustainability.

Did you know…?

Over the next five years, we will import and use 2.5 billion chargers for hand-held electronics in the U.S. alone. These chargers - most of which end up in landfills - will create a total of 9 billion kilograms of CO2.  This is equivalent to the pollution created by five year’s worth of driving by 1.8 million American cars!

Replace all of your chargers with Solio!

Did you know…?

Over a twelve month period, 100,000 people charging their mobile phones would produce:

-172,500 pounds of CO2, enough to fill 6 million basketballs.

-412 pounds of sulphur dioxide (SO2) the cause of acid rain, enough to fill 3.6 million

ping pong balls. -Plug into the sun with Solio for free, clean energy!

By harnessing the power of the sun for everyday use, as opposed to getting your power from the power plants that the electric company uses, you are helping to reduce dependence on oil and gas.   A solar power charger helps make renewable technology and renewable energy accessible to everyone.

Renewable energy sources are important toward the goal of sustainable development.  That’s one reason I wanted to share with you these points about the solar battery charger.  It’s yet another way we can help the environment.   And this charger actually makes it convenient and useful to do your part to keep Earth green.

Heck, do you know anyone that doesn’t have some kind of portable, hand-held electronic device now days?  Do all your friends and colleagues a favor and get them over to this article so they can get the same benefit.   And look for the links at the bottom of this article and you can even bookmark this page to all your favorite social sites.   If you use Twitter, you can let all your followers know about this easy way to help themselves while also helping the environment.

To make it even better and cheaper for everyone, I found this coupon for you:

(10%  -Solio MAGNESIUM)

10% off on Solio Magnesium Products. Use Coupon Code SOLIOMAG

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Now, let’s put a favorable twist on our current economic climate.  Yes, people have lost jobs and businesses have failed due to our current global crisis.  Sad as it is, there are a few good things that can and will come as a result.  Let’s list a few less obvious ways that our current crisis can have a positive impact on sustainable development:

• Fewer sources of pollution due to industry slow-down of production operations
• That means fewer employees burning fuel on the way to work
• The industry plants themselves will use less energy because their operation is reduced
• These industries will be forced to find more efficient means of production and operation

I attended a meeting with a ranking official of one of the world’s top oilfield services companies yesterday.  In particular, he has charge of the United States and Mexico.  (A little insight: just one small office of this global corporation has been averaging between 4-6 million dollars in revenue each month of the year.  He recently laid-off 41 employees at this small office.)  Below are a few explanations he had for a slow down in his industry.  Bad news for his employees; good news for the environment.

• Drilling rigs accross the U.S. have gone from 2,000+ down to around 1,200.
• Predictions are that the number of drilling rigs will drop to around 700 in a few months.
• The bulk of oilfield production is natural gas, not oil.  And, gas production is slowing.
• As industry operations slow, they use less natural gas.
• Natural gas storage capacity is at about 95%.  So, no one wants to buy more natural gas.

What does all this mean?  As mentioned, storage capacity is almost maxed out.  Industry, the main consumer of natural gas, has slowed down.  Demand for natural gas is low.  So, those storage facilities have no where to send their supplies.  And, it doesn’t make much sense to produce the gas if there is nowhere to store it.

How is this good news for the environment, you ask?  Short answer: the affected industries will be forced to find ways to cut down on energy use.  Example, one of the many things the above-mentioned oilfield services executive suggested was that employees stop the engine of their trucks when just idling.  That act alone will save millions in his large corporation.   And, the oil industry will naturally turn to exploring alternative sources of energy, because they will want to keep their respective companies profitable.

Sounds over-simplified?  Maybe.  I have faith a lesson will be learned here.

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The effects of climate change on agricultural production go much deeper
than the impact of unusual weather.  However, that is the basis for many
of the problems that farmers are facing.  Some of the stressing facing
farmers: the pesky weather not only causes floods and droughts that can
affect an entire year of production, but predicting when these might occur
has become even more of a guessing game than in the past.

A warmer climate also means that pathogens -bacteria,
fungus, molds- and harmful insects that have been more
easily controlled in the past become more and more
problematic.  Out-of-season rains in the vegetable
growing areas of the world can cause massive outbreaks
of fungus problems.  By the same token, late
freezes can wipe out entire fruit crops and that stress can be seen in these
trees for years to come.

Unusually warm winters can cause rodent and insect populations to spike out
of control.  And, though an increase in the levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere can facilitate faster growth and more biomass production,
actually getting a crop to market is wildly complicated by these new
factors that emerge with each growing season.

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Yes, putting money in the right places will go a long way to helping with our present dire situation.  However, a shift in attitude and ideas must come along with it.  If we are to repair what has been broken, we need to look beyond simply throwing money at the problem.  Hopefully, our legislators will realize this also.

Before we get into Environment and Energy, let’s take a look at just how the stimulus plan can get our nation even further into debt:

National debt:

One thing about the president’s $790 billion stimulus package is certain: It will jack up the federal debt.

Whether or not it succeeds in producing jobs and taming the recession, tomorrow’s taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

Forecasters expect the 2009 deficit — for the budget year that began last Oct 1 — to hit $1.6 trillion including new stimulus and bank-bailout spending. That’s about three times last year’s shortfall.

The torrents of red ink are being fed by rising federal spending and falling tax revenues from hard-hit businesses and individuals.

The national debt — the sum of all annual budget deficits — stands at $10.7 trillion. Or about $36,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S.

Interest payments alone on the national debt will near $500 billion this year. It’s already the fourth-largest federal expenditure, after Medicare-Medicaid, Social Security and defense.

This will affect us all directly for years, as well as our children and possibly grandchildren, in higher taxes and probably reduced government services. It will also force continued government borrowing, increasingly from China, Japan, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other foreign creditors.

Now, let’s look at how the stimulus plan will affect the environment and energy; hopefully on a positive note: 

Environment:

The package includes $9.2 billion for environmental projects at the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. The money would be used to shutter abandoned mines on public lands, to help local governments protect drinking water supplies, and to erect energy-efficient visitor centers at wildlife refuges and national parks.

The Interior Department estimates that its portion of the work would generate about 100,000 jobs over the next two years.

Yet the plan will only make a dent in the backlog of cleanups facing the EPA and the long list of chores at the country’s national parks, refuges and other public lands. It would be more like a down payment.

When it comes to national parks, the plan sets aside $735 million for road repairs and maintenance. But that’s a fraction of the $9 billion worth of work waiting for funding.

At EPA, the payout is $7.2 billion. The bulk of the money will help local communities and states repair and improve drinking water systems and fund projects that protect bays, rivers and other waterways used as sources of drinking water.

The rest of EPA’s cut — $800 million — will be used to clean up leaky gasoline storage tanks and the nation’s hazardous waste sites.

Energy:

Homeowners looking to save energy, makers of solar panels and wind turbines and companies hoping to bring the electric grid into the computer age all stand to reap major benefits.

The package contains more than $42 billion in energy-related investments from tax credits to homeowners to loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and direct government grants for makers of wind turbines and next-generation batteries.

There’s a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 for the purchase of a highly efficient residential air conditioners, heat pumps or furnaces. The credit also can be used by homeowners to replace leaky windows or put more insulation into the attic. About $300 million would go for rebates to get people to buy efficient appliances.

The package includes $20 billion aimed at “green” jobs to make wind turbines, solar panels and improve energy efficiency in schools and federal buildings. It includes $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects as well as tax breaks or direct grants covering 30 percent of wind and solar energy investments. Another $5 billion is marked to help low-income homeowners make energy improvements.

About $11 billion goes to modernize and expand the nation’s electric power grid and $2 billion to spur research into batteries for future electric cars.

Below is good news that legislators might have their minds in the “right place”.  They seem to realize that education should be a major part of the plan to steer our national economy back on course.

Schools:

A main goal of education spending in the stimulus bill is to help keep teachers on the job.

Nearly 600,000 jobs in elementary and secondary schools could be eliminated by state budget cuts over the next three years, according to a study released this past week by the University of Washington. Fewer teachers means higher class sizes, something that districts are scrambling to prevent.

The stimulus sets up a $54 billion fund to help prevent or restore state budget cuts, of which $39 billion must go toward kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education. In addition, about $8 billion of the fund could be used for other priorities, including modernization and renovation of schools and colleges, though how much is unclear, because Congress decided not to specify a dollar figure.

The Education Department will distribute the money as quickly as it can over the next couple of years.

And it adds $25 billion extra to No Child Left Behind and special education programs, which help pay teacher salaries, among other things.

This money may go out much more slowly; states have five years to spend the dollars, and they have a history of spending them slowly. In fact, states don’t spend all the money; they return nearly $100 million to the federal treasury every year.

The stimulus bill also includes more than $4 billion for the Head Start and Early Head Start early education programs and for child care programs.

Higher Education:

The maximum Pell Grant, which helps the lowest-income students attend college, would increase from $4,731 currently to $5,350 starting July 1 and $5,550 in 2010-2011. That would cover three-quarters of the average cost of a four-year college. An extra 800,000 students, or about 7 million, would now get Pell funding.

The stimulus also increases the tuition tax credit to $2,500 and makes it 40 percent refundable, so families who don’t earn enough to pay income tax could still get up to $1,000 in extra tuition help.

Computer expenses will now be an allowable expense for 529 college savings plans.
(Note: It’s about time. For several years, computer-access has been a necessary part of many college courses. When I was at Texas Tech University beginning in 1996, you received your assignments through e-mail.)

The final package cut $6 billion the House wanted to spend to kick-start building projects on college campuses. But parts of the $54 billion state stabilization fund — with $39 billion set aside for education — can be used for modernizing facilities.

There’s also an estimated $15 billion for scientific research, much of which will go to universities. Funding for the National Institutes of Health includes $1.5 billion set aside for university research facilities.

Altogether, the package spends an estimated $32 billion on higher education

Quoted material excerpted from Yahoo News.

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You know that Twitter isn’t exactly a direct influence on Green Issues.  But, there are lots of users on Twitter that are involved in the Sustainable Development movement to varying degrees.

But, do you think a turbo-fast growing social haven with fresh infusions of venture capital can be a forum for Earth-conscious users?  The answer is a big, yes.

I use Twitter for letting people know about recent posts to this site.  My followers see the post, they let their followers know about the post, those people tell others, the cycle can go on and on.  So, yes, you can also use your Twitter account to educate others about topics such as: climate change, alternative energy, green power, etc.

Their service is a very useful, warm, inviting environment.  It’s more personal than a lot of the other social sites.  It’s almost like texting on your cell phone to all of your friends and colleagues at once.  Twitter keeps things quick, simple and friendly.  If you aren’t a user already, get started by looking at http://Twitter.com/tommylinsley and see for yourself the warm nature involved.  Next step:  start using the service today.

Twitter keeps getting bigger.  I don’t think I know anyone that’s not on Twitter.  If you’re not a user, you should really consider getting in.  Actually, not only can you find others that share your views, but it’s also a great place to develop a relationship with potential customers for your business.

Basically, it is a great place to develop relationships.  This is the key point to remember about Twitter.

* See the link below to find out more about Twitter’s latest growth opportunity. *

Tweet this: Twitter rakes in $35 million in new VC funding - San Jose Mercury News.

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Unfortunately, this is what our global environment
has seen in some recent years.  Preparedness is a key component of
sustainable development, but this is complicated by climate change.
The whole point is that you don’t know what could happen because
“normal” simply doesn’t apply anymore.

Preparedness scenarios become a problematic situation particularly for
folks who didn’t think to have a tornado escape plan for their trailer
park in January.  Springtime used to be the “normal” time of year to
expect tornado activity.   Preparedness may need some revision in Oregon,
USA, as its citizens are becoming acquainted with the sort of fire seasons
that Californians can now only dream about.

Then, ask the folks in sunny Los Angeles who wrecked their cars trying to
navigate a freak blizzard or truckers that got stuck in the mountains
during an early August white out.

Prepare to be amazed as chaotic weather becomes even more violent and
dangerous as our Earth tries to adjust itself in the wake of this fever
that mankind seems to have caused for her.

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Green cleaning is an easy, basic habit you can adopt to do your part in
sustainable development.  Cleaning your home is something you do already.
So, simply changing the products that you already use to clean with really
doesn’t amount to any extra work on your part.  Imagine having a positive
impact without any extra work.

There are many products on the market today and so many websites that you
can visit in order to get tips and tricks on how to clean using natural
products.  It would be irresponsible to continue to use the old, toxic
products to clean because you’re actually damaging instead of helping to
save the environment.  Actually, you could be saving yourself more money
due to the fact that Green cleaning is less expensive. You can go to the
store and look for the products that have the bold word green printed on
them and read the label to see if they are green cleaning products.

Once you find these products, compare the prices of them with the prices
of the regular cleaning products that you have been using.  You will be
surprised at the difference you will save by going green. There are
probably products on the shelf that clean just as good as your basic
non-green products but you just were not informed.  Not sure which products
to use?  There is so much information on the Internet in order to tell
people that it is easy to get into Green cleaning and they should take
advantage of all the information that is available.

If you have a chance to do your part in helping to clean up the environment
and make the earth healthy again, then basic, Green cleaning is an easy way
to give you that chance. Throw away all of your non-green cleaning supplies
the correct way and research on all of the other substances you can use
that will still have the same affect in keeping your home really clean and
smelling fresh but with an extra additive called giving. By doing this,
you are giving to the environment the stability that it so desperately needs.

The following are some Green cleaning products that I know are good:

The Natural Basin, Tub and Tile Cleaner

The Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner

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Unfortunately, Florida (USA) which suffers flooding from tropical storms
that just refuse to dissipate or move elsewhere is, quite simply, not a
good investment for the future.  That’s a real tragedy for the millions of
people who enjoy this sun-drenched peninsula for its beaches and unique
wildlife.  But, if one really wanted to prepare for the worst, a more
northerly location well away from overflowing oceans might be a duller but
safer bet.

While some locations seem to sink.  There are others that seem to simply
get drier and drier due to climate change.  These conditions seem especially
disconcerting for inhabitants of Perth in Australia where their underground
water seems to be drying up faster than could be imagined.

Another problem are is Lake Chad in Africa, which could almost be considered
dried up.  Once one of the largest lakes in the world.  That lake’s size has diminished
by approximately 95% since a survey done about 50 years ago.

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Solar energy is the light and the heat from the sun. Solar energy is free
and its supplies are unlimited. What’s so great about it: there is no air
and water pollution caused by using solar energy. But, there is still some
impacts on the environment although indirect.

Photovoltaic cells used to convert sunlight into electricity uses silicon
and also produce some waste materials by way of production by-products.
Also, there are large solar thermal farms; these farms can also be harmful
to the environment by harming ecosystems if not properly managed.

Some Good Uses of Solar Energy

We can use this energy to heat our homes, cook our food;
it can even be used to disinfect certain items.

Solar energy can be used in many different ways. It can be
used in agriculture. Greenhouses (no, nothing to do with greenhouse gas) convert
solar light to heat to be maximized in enhancing the growth of plants and
crops. Fact: greenhouses have been around since the Roman times and
modern greenhouses were built in Europe in 16th century. Greenhouses are
still an important part of horticulture today.

Daylight systems can be used to maximize the energy released by the sun.
It is used to provide interior illumination replacing the artificial
lighting. Daylight systems include sawtooth roofs, light shelf, skylights,
and light tubes. Properly implemented daylight systems can reduce
lighting-related energy consumption by 25 percent.

Solar energy can also be developed into solar thermal technologies which
can be used for water heating, space heating, space cooling and process
heat generation.  Further, this energy can also be used to distill water and
make saline or brackish water potable or drinkable.

SODIS (solar water disinfection) involves exposing water-filled plastic
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to sunlight. One obvious drawback
is that this process take extra time, since the exposure time varies on the
weather conditions. It requires a minimum of six hours, or up to two days
during days with overcast conditions. Currently, there are two million
people in developing countries that use SODIS for their daily drinking
water needs.

As we all know, sunlight can be converted into electricity using
photovoltaics or PV.  PV has been mainly used to power small and
medium-sized things like a calculator powered by a single solar cell. To
take things further, though, there are homes powered by photovoltaics.
Using solar energy for water and space heating is the most widely used
application of solar energy while ventilation and solar air heating is
also growing in popularity.

Yet another good use of solar energy, we can use solar furnaces employing
a huge array of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy into a small space
and produce very high temperatures. Solar furnaces are also called “solar
cookers”.  A solar cooker can also be used to cook food.

Any downside to solar energy?

With all the benefits of using solar energy, there is still a downside for
this alternative energy source. It does not work during night time. Don’t
worry, there are remedies for this shortcoming. How about solar energy
stations. The cost of setting up solar stations is expensive, but the
benefit of using solar energy when accumulated is an offsetting factor.

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