Planet Ark

Berlin and Paris have agreed to support a European Commission proposed deal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new cars. The goal is to limit CO2 emissions from new cars to an average of 120 grams per kilometer from 2012.

The Guardian

The world’s first complete demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will begin next week at a coal-fired power station in Germany.

Built alongside the 1,600MW Schwarze Pumpe power plant in north Germany, the demonstration experiment will capture up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, compress it and bury it 3,000m below the surface of the depleted Altmark gas field, about 200km from the site.

Germany’s 40% reduction target for CO2 emissions will not be met if it continues to build coal-burning power plants, says an environmental group.

“Germany will use part of the proceeds it gets from selling carbon permits to industry from 2008 to help support the fight against climate change in developing nations, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said.”

“Germany is the world’s sixth largest emitter of greenhouses gases, builds some of the fastest and most polluting cars on the road, rejects speed limits to cut CO2 and is replacing its nuclear power with coal-burning plants.”

Many countries around the world are striving towards a lighter footprint. The publication “The Hot Topic: How To Tackle Global Warming And Still Keep The Lights On,” by Sir David King, the British Government’s chief science adviser, and academic Gabrielle Walker looks at some success stories around the world including Japan, France, Germany, Britain, Austin (Texas), Newcastle (UK) and Western Cape province (South Africa).