Obama beim Uno-Klimagipfel: Und nun zum Wetter

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Sep 242014

Luftangriffe auf den “Islamischen Staat”, Ebola-Epidemie, Ukraine-Krise: Beim Uno-Klimagipfel fällt es den Staats- und Regierungschefs schwer, sich auf das eigentliche Thema zu konzentrieren. US-Präsident Obama versucht es trotzdem. (…)

Bleibt abzuwarten, was aus New York 2014 folgt. “Die größte Massendemo für mehr Klimaschutz in der Geschichte und die vielen Zusagen von Politik und Industrie bringen nur etwas, wenn ihnen jetzt auch schnell konkrete Taten folgen”, sagt Alexander Ochs, Direktor für Klima und Energie beim Washingtoner Worldwatch Institute.

Ganzer Artikel [hier].

Kohle allein ist nicht genug – Umweltexperte Alexander Ochs über Barack Obamas klimapolitische Offensive

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Jun 042014

Von Walter Hämmerle

Wien/Washington. Timing entscheidet in der Politik oft über Erfolg und Misserfolg, vor allem wenn es um so umstrittene Fragen wie die Klimapolitik geht. Die Entscheidung der US-Umweltschutzbehörde EPA, den CO2-Ausstoß der Kohlekraftwerke zu beschneiden, hat sofort die Kritiker von Präsident Obama auf den Plan gerufen, die vor Milliardenkosten für Wirtschaft wie Bürger warnen. Zudem stehen im November die Midterm-Wahlen an, bei der die Demokraten auch die Mehrheit im Senat verlieren könnten.Dennoch ist der Umweltexperte Alexander Ochs überzeugt, dass “jetzt der richtige Zeitpunkt” für die Maßnahmen war. Der gebürtige Deutsche ist Direktor des Klima- und Energieprogramms der Washingtoner Denkfabrik “World Watch”, die sich mit Fragen einer nachhaltigen Wirtschafts- und Umweltpolitik beschäftigt. Die “Wiener Zeitung” sprach mit Ochs über Obamas Pläne.

“Wiener Zeitung”: Wie ehrgeizig ist die Ankündigung der EPA, die CO₂-Emissionen bis 2030 auf der Basis von 2005 um 30 Prozent zu kürzen?
Alexander Ochs: Da gibt es zwei Perspektiven: Zum einen ist es ein wichtiger nächster Schritt in Obamas Klimapolitik – der Erste bestand in den scharfen Flottenverbrauchsvorgaben für Fahrzeuge. Andererseits geht es nicht um den Gesamtausstoß, sondern nur um die Elektrizitätsproduktion, also rund 40 Prozent der amerikanischen Emissionen. Hinzu kommt, dass sich das Reduktionsziel auf die Basis des Jahres 2005 bezieht: Stand 2013 sind die CO2-Emissionen der amerikanischen Kraftwerke bereits um 10 Prozent gesunken, es fehlen also nur noch 20 Prozent bis 2030. Die EU-Klimaziele einer CO2-Reduktion um 40 Prozent bis 2030 sind deutlich ehrgeiziger, auch weil sie sich auf die Gesamtwirtschaft und das Jahr 1990 beziehen. Damals waren die Emissionen noch deutlich geringer.

[Here is a pdf of the full print version of the article. And here is the online version.]

Obamas neue Klima-Regeln: Doch noch kurz die Welt retten

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Jun 022014

Von Sebastian Fischer, Washington

Barack Obama wagt das Solo: Er diktiert Amerikas Kohlekraftwerken verbindliche CO2-Reduktionen, am Parlament vorbei. Dahinter steckt eine neue Regierungstaktik – und ein globaler Führungsanspruch.

Der Spruch stammt aus einer Zeit, zu der Barack Obama noch als Politik-Messias durchging: Seine Präsidentschaft werde bedeuten, dass “der Meeresspiegel weniger schnell steigt und unser Planet zu heilen beginnt”. So sagte es der Wahlkämpfer Obama im Jahr 2008. (…)

“Diese Ankündigung wurde von Umweltschützern sehnsüchtig erwartet”, sagt Alexander Ochs, Direktor für Klima und Energie beim Washingtoner Worldwatch Institute, SPIEGEL ONLINE. Für Obama sei das der Versuch, “klimapolitisch relevant zu bleiben”. Der Alleingang ohne Parlament erfolge “im Schulterschluss mit vielen Bundesstaaten und Gemeinden, die erste eklatante Auswirkungen des Klimawandels längst spüren”, so Ochs.

[Hier geht’s zum gesamten Artikel]

Latin America Enjoys Abundant Renewable Energy but Lacks Policies for Use

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Jun 182013

South and Central America could generate 100 percent of their electricity with renewable resources, a new study finds

By Lisa Friedman, Climatewire, picked up by Scientific American [here] and others

Latin America and the Caribbean could meet 100 percent of their electricity needs with renewable energy, a new Inter-American Development Bank study finds. From Mexico to Chile, countries already are producing higher levels of clean power, but the study notes the region still has a long way to go. Last year just 5.4 percent of the $244 trillion global renewable energy investment went to Latin America. But with Latin America’s economy expected to grow 3 percent annually, the study argues that the region will need to nearly double its installed power capacity to about 600 gigawatts by 2030 at a likely price tag of $430 billion.

The report, “Rethinking Our Energy Future,” will be released today at a Global Green Growth Forum meeting in Bogota, Colombia. It comes amid growing concern among energy experts that the region is not living up to its clean energy potential. (…)

Last week the Worldwatch Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., unveiled a Central America report also showing the region has the resources and the technical capacity to meet all its electricity needs with renewables. But, it argues, governments are undermining their own investments in geothermal, biomass, wind and solar with plans to increase imports of oil, coal and natural gas.

“Central America is at a crossroads,” Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy at the Worldwatch Institute, said in the study. According to the study, Latin America currently generates about 7 percent of the world’s total electricity production, but demand is skyrocketing as population levels rise and the region’s economy improves. By midcentury, Latin America’s power demand is expected to triple while carbon emissions from the power sector will double. Continue reading »

Pershing to Take Climate Post at DOE After Resigning as No. 2 U.S. Negotiator

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Jan 242013

Jonathan Pershing is resigning as a senior U.S. climate negotiator at the State Department and moving to the Energy Department to serve as a senior climate policy official, the State Department said Jan. 18. Pershing has been deputy special envoy for climate change at the State Department since March 2009, serving as the No. 2 U.S. climate negotiator under U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern and representing the United States at international climate change negotiations. (…)

It is possible that the position will not be continued or will be redesigned under the leadership of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), said Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy at the Worldwatch Institute. Kerry has been nominated by President Obama to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (…)

You can find the full BNA Daily Environment Report & BNA Daily Report for Executives [HERE].

Developing Countries Want Wealthier Ones To Increase Climate Finance Pledges in Doha

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Dec 032012

By Avery Fellow, Bloomberg Daily Environment Report, 3 December 2012

Developing countries are seeking increased pledges from wealthier countries for climate mitigation and adaptation financing at international climate negotiations in Doha, Qatar, observers of the talks said Nov. 30. The G77, or group of 77 developing countries within the United Nations, proposed at the 18th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-18) that developed countries raise $60 billion a year starting in 2013 for “medium-term” climate assistance as they scale up to offering $100 billion a year by 2020, observers said. (…)

Developed countries initially promised to direct at least 50 percent of pledged funds to climate adaptation, said Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy at the Worldwatch Institute. (…)

Ochs said he did not expect a global deal on climate finance in Doha. “I do not think in this negotiation round we will see a full agreement on how to bridge the gap between 2012 and 2020,” he said. “I’m hoping that countries fill the current gap … [and] individual countries start putting money on the table for 2012 to 2020. But I do not expect a global deal on the issue.” (…)

You can find the whole article [here].

Obama und Romney ignorieren die Klimafrage – Folgen der Erderwärmung spielen im US-Wahlkampf keine Rolle

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Nov 022012

Von Gregor Waschinski

Washington, 2. November (AFP) – Für einen kurzen Moment lenkte New Yorks Bürgermeister Michael Bloomberg die Aufmerksamkeit auf ein Thema von globaler Bedeutung, das im US-Wahlkampf bislang unterging. Nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm “Sandy” warnte er vor den Gefahren des Klimawandels – und rief zur Wahl von Präsident Barack Obama auf, weil dieser sich anders als Herausforderer Mitt Romney im Kampf gegen die Erderwärmung engagiere. Doch die Wähler sorgen sich stärker um die steigende Arbeitslosigkeit als um steigende Meeresspiegel. (…)

“Der Klimawandel hat im Wahlkampf so gut wie keine Rolle gespielt”, erklärt Alexander Ochs, Direktor des Klima- und Energieprogramms der Washingtoner Denkfabrik Worldwatch Institute. Die Gefechte der beiden Kandidaten in der Energiepolitik seien kaum mit dem Klimaproblem in Verbindung gebracht worden. “Es wurde wirtschaftspolitisch und mit dem Ziel der Energieunabhängigkeit argumentiert”, sagt er.

Ochs ist skeptisch, dass “Sandy” zu einem Umdenken in der US-Politik führen wird. Immerhin sei es nicht das erste verheerende Unwetter gewesen, das die USA heimgesucht habe. “Allein 2012 gab es vernichtende Stürme, Überschwemmungen, Waldbrände, und eine Jahrhundertdürre – alles Wetterphänomene, die mit dem Klimawandel in Verbindung gebracht werden”, sagt er.

Anfang Oktober rief ein Gruppe von Wissenschaftlern Romney und Obama in einem offenen Brief auf, sich in ihren drei Fernsehduellen auch mit den Herausforderungen des Klimawandels auseinanderzusetzen. Ihre Bitte wurde nicht erhört. Erstmals seit Ende der 80er Jahre bestritten die Kandidaten ihre TV-Debatten, ohne ein einziges Wort über die Klimapolitik zu verlieren.

Experts Assess Future of Renewable Energy in Central America

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Aug 302012

The Worldwatch Institute and the INCAE Business School host high-level workshop on energy access and renewable energy potential in Central America

WASHINGTON – August 30 – The Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) and the INCAE Business School’s Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) are co-hosting two workshops on “The Way Forward for Renewable Energy in Central America” in Managua, Nicaragua and Alajuela, Costa Rica tomorrow and on September 3, respectively. The participative dialogues aim to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences among a select group of experts from regional institutions, civil society organizations, energy sector companies, and government agencies. The workshops will focus on the role of renewable technologies in broadening access to modern energy services and achieving regional development goals.
(…)
“This project is a joint effort aimed at speeding the development of renewables in Central America,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program. “Key energy experts will gather in one room to discuss the region’s challenges and opportunities in embracing renewables, discussing state-of-the-art reforms as well as areas of local, national, and regional best practices.”

“It’s not just that all countries will need to contribute to mitigating and adapting to global climate change.” continued Ochs. “Central America can become a real leader on renewables, given the high price it pays for its current energy system—-some countries spend 10 percent or more of their GDP on importing fossil fuels. The region has also had exciting early experiences with adopting new, unconventional renewable technologies, including geothermal, solar, biomass, and wind technologies.”

The first workshop will take place at the INCAE Business School’s Managua campus from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, 2012. The second workshop will take place at the INCAE Business School’s Alajuela campus from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 3, 2012.

[You can find the full announcement HERE]

Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy

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Aug 292012

Global production of biofuels increased 17 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States, among other countries, are all factors behind the surge in production, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program for the website Vital Signs Online.

The United States and Brazil remain the two largest producers of ethanol. In 2010, the United States generated 49 billion liters, or 57 percent of global output, and Brazil produced 28 billion liters, or 33 percent of the total. Corn is the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol, and sugarcane is the dominant source of ethanol in Brazil.

“In the United States, the record production of biofuels is attributed in part to high oil prices, which encouraged several large fuel companies, including Sunoco, Valero, Flint Hills, and Murphy Oil, to enter the ethanol industry,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program. High oil prices were also a factor in Brazil, where every third car-owner drives a “flex-fuel” vehicle that can run on either fossil or bio-based fuels. Many Brazilian drivers have switched to sugarcane ethanol because it is cheaper than gasoline.

“Although the U.S. and Brazil are the world leaders in ethanol, the largest producer of biodiesel is the European Union, which generated 53 percent of all biodiesel in 2010,” said Ochs. “However, we may see some European countries switch from biodiesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than biodiesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel.”
(…)

[Find the full article HERE | The Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Sign Biofuels article can be found HERE]

Cambodia’s Hydro Plans Carry Steep Costs

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Aug 202012

By Lawrence Del Gigante, IPS News

A fisherman on the Si Phan Don riverine archipelago of the Mekong River. Credit: Courtesy of Suthep Kritsanavarin/Oxfam

NEW YORK, Aug 18 2012 (IPS) – The Cambodian government has committed to the construction of five dams along the Mekong River in order to meet a huge demand for electricity, but environmental groups warn that severe repercussions loom for this strategy. (…)

Hydroelectricity, even if a successful venture, will not solve the country’s electrification problems, other analysts say. “Right now it is relatively catastrophic, the power situation in the country,” Alexander Ochs, the director of climate and energy at the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, told IPS. Cambodia has one of the lowest electrification rates in Southeast Asia, estimated at only 24 percent, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The government aims to raise the national electrification rate to 70 percent by 2020, according to the ADB, by expanding the grid and sourcing more than half of the needed electricity from the Mekong River. A large complication is transmitting the electricity, with only the major cities and surrounding areas having access to power lines, meaning people in rural areas will not benefit from the hydro.

“The number of people that are really connected to a grid as we know it, a modern power service or energy line, in rural areas is as little as seven percent of the population. Overall, nationwide, it’s about 15 percent,” said Ochs. Biomass is very popular for heating and cooking, predominantly burning wood for fires and stoves. “Everything else comes from off-grid or micro-grid diesel generators and this is very inefficient and very costly, a very expensive, very dirty way to produce electricity,” said Ochs.

Currently, 91 percent of Cambodia’s power plants are fuelled by imported light diesel and heavy fuel oil, not including the diesel it takes to fuel stand-alone generators. “All of this happens in a country where you have incredible renewable energy potential. It has amazing potential for wind, very, very good potential for solar,” said Ochs. Importantly, the solar potential in Cambodia is very high where it’s needed, including in the populated areas, meaning solar technologies can be installed domestically, such as solar panels on the roofs of houses, according to Ochs.

Report finds ‘incredible’ renewable potential under the Dominican sun

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Jul 262012

Thursday, July 26, 2012 – Lisa Friedman, E&E reporter

The Dominican Republic has “extensive” solar and wind resources and will be able to meet the government’s ambitious renewable energy goals, a new study has found. Yet the Caribbean nation’s road map — among the first of its kind — cautions that while the Dominican Republic has made important strides in weaning itself off fossil fuels and reducing its carbon footprint, it still needs stronger domestic policies and international funding to succeed.

“I think the Dominican Republic has to be credited. It’s a developing country, and it has really gone through the paradigm change that I wish so many other countries would have already gone through,” said Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy at the Worldwatch Institute, which developed the study. “They have come a long way, and they have a long way to go,” Ochs said. But, he added, “I think the Dominican Republic can become a model country.”

Research shows that by strategically harnessing its wind and solar resources, the country can achieve its goals for a low-carbon energy future

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Jul 242012

International Business Times, 24 July 2012, 08:53 BST

According to a new report released by the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program, the Dominican Republic will benefit economically, socially, and environmentally if it relied more heavily on renewable energy sources and less on fossil fuels. The report, Roadmap to a Sustainable Energy System: Harnessing the Dominican Republic’s Wind and Solar Resources, assesses the Caribbean country’s wind and solar energy resources and provides a policy roadmap for how it can cost-effectively harness its renewable potential and reduce its dependence on energy imports.

“Developing a stable energy infrastructure that can withstand both fuel price fluctuations and looming natural disasters is extremely important for a country like the Dominican Republic,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program. “Installing a renewable energy system in a country that in some years spends ten percent or more of its GDP on the burning of foreign fossil fuels while having very strong domestic renewable resources is vital for its sustained—-and sustainable—-development.”

République Dominicaine: le programme Energie et Climat expose une nouvelle feuille de route

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Jul 232012

23/07/2012 11:37 (Par Jean-Charles BATENBAUM)

Un tout nouveau rapport du programme Energie et Climat du Worldwatch Institute, vient de démontrer que, si certaines mesures sont mises en places, les pays du monde tirerons des bénéfices économiques, sociaux et environnementaux d’un appui plus important sur des sources d’énergies renouvelables, et moins important sur les énergies fossiles.

Un tout nouveau rapport du programme “Energie et Climat” du Worldwatch Institute, vient de démontrer que, si certaines mesures sont mises en places, les pays du monde tirerons des bénéfices économiques, sociaux et environnementaux d’un appui plus important sur des sources d’énergies renouvelables, et moins important sur les énergies fossiles. Intitulé « Feuille de Route pour un Système Energétique Durable : Mobiliser les Ressources Solaires et Eoliennes de la République Dominicaine », l’étude montre qu’en mobilisant stratégiquement ses ressources d’énergie solaire et éolienne, le pays peut accomplir ses objectifs vers un future énergétique pauvre en carbone.

Alexander Ochs, le directeur du programme “Energie et Climat” du Worldwatch Institute, explique : « Développer une infrastructure énergétique stable, capable de résister non seulement à des fluctuations dans les prix des carburants, mais aussi à de potentielles catastrophes naturelles, est extrêmement important pour un pays comme la République Dominicaine (…) Installer un système énergétique renouvelable dans un pays qui a dépensé pendant des années 10% de son PIB en énergies fossiles, malgré un fort potentiel national en la matière, est tout simplement vital pour un développement soutenu – et soutenable. » Continue reading »

Un Nouveau Rapport Expose une Feuille de Route pour un Système Energétique Durable en République Dominicaine

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Jul 192012

Science & Environnement

Jeudi 19 Juillet 2012

Selon un nouveau rapport du programme “Energie et Climat” du Worldwatch Institute, publié aujourd’hui, si certaines mesures sont mises en places, les pays du monde tirerons des bénéfices économiques, sociaux et environnementaux d’un appui plus important sur des sources d’énergies renouvelables, et moins important sur les énergies fossiles. Le rapport, intitulé « Feuille de Route pour un Système Energétique Durable : Mobiliser les Ressources Solaires et Eoliennes de la République Dominicaine », évalue les ressources solaires et éoliennes de cet Etat des Caraïbes et fournit une feuille de route de politiques publiques, expliquant comment il peut mobiliser son potentiel énergétique renouvelable à moindre coût, et réduire sa dépendance vis-à-vis des importations énergétiques.« Développer une infrastructure énergétique stable, capable de résister non seulement à des fluctuations dans les prix des carburants, mais aussi à de potentielles catastrophes naturelles, est extrêmement important pour un pays comme la République Dominicaine », explique Alexander Ochs, le directeur du programme “Energie et Climat” du Worldwatch Institute. « Installer un système énergétique renouvelable dans un pays qui a dépensé pendant des années 10% de son PIB en énergies fossiles, malgré un fort potentiel national en la matière, est tout simplement vital pour un développement soutenu – et soutenable. »
Continue reading »

Energy Agency Looks to Natural Gas “Golden Age”

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May 302012

Wed, 30 May 2012 04:57 GMT, Source: Content Partner // Inter Press Service
By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, May 30 (IPS) – If a series of “golden rules” can be followed, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests, global natural gas usage could grow by more than 50 percent by 2035.The report, released on Tuesday, came under sharp criticism from environmental groups for charting a route to a “golden age” in the extraction and use of natural gas.
(…)
“We have an opportunity for natural gas to address the intermittency problems of renewable energy sources – it could become an ally of renewables,” Alexander Ochs, the director of the climate and energy programme at the Worldwatch Institute here in Washington, told IPS. Ochs also reviewed a draft of the IEA report.

Ochs says that there are a number of actors within the gas sector that will welcome the new IEA recommendations as a way of cutting down on the potential of a future environmental catastrophe that could lead to industry-damaging policy restrictions.

“The problem isn’t with this report. The problem is that if you don’t have good regulations in place, there go your opportunities,” he says. “And if you don’t have smart technologies in place, you lose this ally.”

Ochs does warn that the report underplays the potential use of renewables in the upcoming decades, however, by suggesting that green technologies other than hydro will only make up five percent of total energy demand in the next quarter century.

“I think the IEA could well be wrong in the numbers it’s using. Technically and economically, more than half of our electricity could come from renewables as early as 2030,” he says.

“But if gas sees a golden age and becomes cheap globally, it could get in the way of renewables. Then, rather than being an enabler, it becomes a deal breaker.”

US Electrical Energy Production Ripping US Water Supply

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May 172012

The Emergency Email & Wireless Network, http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=1686&z=34

Scientists, climatologists and energy experts share a growing concern: the need for water in the production of energy, especially in regions that are experiencing serious drought. Generating power – whether it be from fossil fuels or renewable energy sources – requires large amounts of water. How are the nation’s energy producers are facing this challenge?

Water is also used to cool fuel rods at nuclear plants and to generate steam to power turbines. The biofuel industry needs water for irrigation, fermentation and the production of ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy at the Worldwatch Institute, says that adds up to a lot of water. “Per megawatt hour, coal uses 500 to 1000 gallons of water for the production of just one megawatt hour of electricity,” said Ochs. “If we look at all the plants combined in the U.S., all the thermo-electric plants [powered by steam] in the US in 2008 alone, they drew 60 billion to 170 billion gallons of water, per year.”

Without water, most types of energy could not be produced. Even renewable energy, like geothermal and solar, use water to cool equipment and to clean the collector panels. Those requirements have led California, Massachusetts and several Midwestern states to halt the operations of some power plants.

“Places like the Midwest where water is a very scarce resource already today, a number of power plants have actually been halted, and this is actually true for across the United States,” said Ochs. (…)

[Please find the full article HERE]

US-WAHLKAMPF: Obamas Klimabilanz ist mau

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Apr 132012

Neue Technologie, neue Jobs: Vor vier Jahren setzte Präsident Obama noch auf die Green Economy. Der große Wurf ist ausgeblieben, es regiert der Benzinpreis.

VON Marlies Uken | 13. April 2012 | Die Zeit

Vor drei Wochen wagte er den Tabubruch. In Cushing im US-BundesstaatOklahoma, dem wichtigsten Umschlagplatz für Rohöl in Amerika, baute er sich vor einer Pipelinewand auf und gab bekannt, den südlichen Teil der umstrittenen Keystone-XL-Pipeline zu genehmigen. “Heute werde ich meine Verwaltung anweisen, die bürokratischen Hürden zu überwinden”, sagte er. “Dieses Projekt hat Priorität.” (…)

Allein im vergangenen Monat zogen die Benzinpreise um mehr als 30 Prozent an, inzwischen liegen sie bei knapp vier Dollar je Gallone. “Obwohl Obama inzwischen eine Position der Mitte eingenommen hat, versuchen die Republikaner, ihn im Wahlkampf als Gegner der heimischen Ölförderung und niedriger Ölpreise zu brandmarken”, sagt Alexander Ochs, Leiter der Klima- und Energieabteilung des Worldwatch Institute in Washington. Ochs hält das für einen irrsinnigen Versuch. Schließlich könne die Regierung nur über Subventionen auf die Ölpreise einwirken – und eigentlich wollten die Republikaner ja weniger Eingriff des Staates. “Doch wenn es um heimische Kohle, Öl und Gas geht, ist man auf beiden Augen blind.” (…)

“Die große Energiewende hat er nicht eingeleitet”, sagt Ochs. Beispiel Ökostrom: In Obamas Amtszeit ist der Ökostrom-Anteil an der Stromproduktion um etwa 27 Prozent gewachsen – nicht gerade viel, wenn man bedenkt, dass die grünen Energien in der Regel als Wachstumstreiber gelten und auf niedrigem, absoluten Niveau starten. 2010 lag der Grünstromanteil bei gerade einmal zehn Prozent (inklusive Wasserkraft) – Deutschland hat dagegen vergangenes Jahr die 20-Prozent-Marke gerissen. Ein Grund für das relativ geringe Wachstum ist das spottbillige Erdgas, mit dem die USA zurzeit die Märkte fluten. Für Versorger ist es weitaus attraktiver, in Gaskraftwerke zu investieren als in einen Windpark – auch weil es auf Bundesebene nicht gesetzlich garantierte Einspeisevergütungen wie etwa in Deutschland gibt. (…)

Lesen Sie den gesamten Artikel [hier] und auf Die Zeit Online.

Global energy intensity rising

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Sep 262011

Global energy intensity rising

Power/Alternative Energy

Posted:26 Sep 2011

According to the Worldwatch Institute, global energy intensity has been growing faster than the global economy for the past two years. Worldwatch observed that worldwide energy intensity grew 1.35 per cent last year, surpassing global economic growth. Unless economies all over the world shift to sustainable development, global energy intensity will keep on increasing. Energy intensity is total energy consumption divided by gross world product. Between 1981 and 2010, it decreased by about 20.5 per cent or 0.8 per cent annually. “During this period of decline, most developed countries restructured their economies, and energy-intensive heavy industries accounted for a shrinking share of production,” stated Haibing Ma, manager of Worldwatch’s China programme. “New technologies applied to energy production and consumption significantly improved efficiency in almost every aspect of the economy,” particularly during the surge of ‘knowledge-based economy’ from 1991 to 2000. Global economic productivity increased without parallel increases in energy use.

Global – Global production of bio-fuels increased 17% last year reaching 105 billion litres

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Aug 312011

THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS

31-08-2011

Global production of bio-fuels increased 17% in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. US and Brazil remain the world’s leading producers of ethanol US and Brazil remain the world’s leading producers of ethanol. High oil prices, a global economic rebound and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China and the US, among other countries, are all factors behind the surge in production, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute’s climate and energy program for the website Vital Signs Online.

The US and Brazil remain the two largest producers of ethanol. In 2010, the US generated 49 billion liters, or 57% of global output, and Brazil produced 28 billion liters, – 33% of the total. Corn is the primary feedstock for US ethanol, and sugarcane is the dominant source of ethanol in Brazil.

“In the US, the record production of bio-fuels is attributed in part to high oil prices, which encouraged several large fuel companies, including Sunoco, Valero, Flint Hills and Murphy Oil, to enter the ethanol industry” says Alexander Ochs, director of Worldwatch’s climate and energy program.

High oil prices were also a factor inBrazil, where every third car-owner drives a “flex-fuel” vehicle that can run on either fossil or bio-based fuels. Many Brazilian drivers have switched to sugarcane ethanol because it is cheaper than gasoline. “Although the US and Brazilare the world leaders in ethanol, the largest producer of bio-diesel is the European Union, which generated 53% of all bio-diesel in 2010,” says Ochs. “However, we may see some European countries switch from bio-diesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than bio-diesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel.”

Energie rinnovabili: a che punto è il mondo?

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Nov 142010

Intervista ad Alexander Ochs, direttore del Climate & Energy Program del Worldwatch Institute.

di Alessandra Viola

La domanda energetica mondiale nel 2030 può essere ridotta di un terzo semplicemente puntando sull’efficienza. E la metà della rimanente domanda potrà essere garantita dalle rinnovabili, con una diminuzione delle emissioni di gas serra pari al 52%. Ma a patto che modifichiamo il nostro stile di vita.

Vent’anni di tempo per dimezzare le emissioni globali di gas serra e provvedere alla metà del consume energetico mondiale con le rinnovabili. O sarà un disastro. Vent’anni per contenere il global warming entro livelli accettabili per il Pianeta, ma anche vent’anni per essere tutti un po’ più felici. Detta così sembra un’enormità, una cosa assurda o al meglio semplicemente un’utopia. Al Worldwatch Institute di Washington però fanno sul serio. E nello State of the World 2010, insieme al rapport Renewable Revolution, hanno messo a punto uno scenario future tutt’altro che campato in aria. Secondo le nostre proiezioni, che sono diverse da quelle elaborate dall’Agenzia internazionale per l’energia e che abitualmente si usano come scenario di riferimento- spiega Alexander Ochs, direttore del Climate & Energy Program del Worldwatch Institute- la domanda energetica mondiale nel 2030 può essere ridotta di un terzo semplicemente puntando sull’efficienza. E la metà della rimanente domanda energetica, sempre nel nostro scenario, potrà essere garantita dale rinnovabili con una diminuzione delle emissioni di gas serra pari al 52%. Naturalmente, a patto che introduciamo un efficace sistema di regolamentazione e modifichiamo il nostro stile di vita: se ognuno dei 6,8 miliardi di abitanti della Terra conducesse una vita simile a quella di un nordamericano medio, il Pianeta sarebbe già collassato.

[Read the full article published in Oxygen 11 (10/2010): “Green Power”]

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