Coalition to Make Buildings Energy-Efficient

A coalition of 16 of the world’s biggest cities, five banks, one former president and companies and groups that modernize aging buildings on Wednesday pledged investments of billions of dollars to cut urban energy use and releases of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming. Under a plan developed through the William J. Clinton Foundation, participating banks would provide up to $1 billion each in loans that cities or private landlords would use to upgrade energy-hungry heating, cooling and lighting systems in older buildings.

The loans and interest would be paid back with savings accrued through reduced energy costs, organizers of the initiative said at a news conference in Manhattan. Typically, such upgrades can cut energy use and costs by 20 percent to 50 percent, they said. Many scientists consider making more efficient use of energy to be the best starting point for addressing global warming, particularly because there is a potential immediate financial payoff along with the long-term environmental benefit.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York said banks and corporations appeared to be grasping the importance of considering long-term environmental risks when making investments. “Major business and financial institutions increasingly understand that shrinking the world’s carbon footprint is a pro-growth strategy, indeed the only pro-growth strategy for the long term,” he said. Energy use in buildings accounts for about a third of global releases of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide. In densely populated older cities, like New York City and London, buildings are the dominant source of the gases.

Also yesterday, the National Academy of Sciences and the scientific academies of 12 other countries issued a joint statement calling on world leaders to address global warming by increasing energy efficiency, promoting a shift to less-polluting energy sources and intensifying research into new energy technologies that produce no emissions. “Increasing energy efficiency is a first crucial step toward solving the climate-energy problem,” the statement said.

“Climate change is a global problem that requires local action,” former President Bill Clinton said. “The businesses, banks and cities partnering with my foundation are addressing the issue of global warming because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s good for their bottom line.” “They’re going to save money, make money, create jobs and have a tremendous collective impact on climate change all at once,” he continued.

Dr. Wilbanks, who was also an author of one of the recent United Nations climate reports, said that “the greatest value of this initiative is that it jump-starts an inevitable global process of making buildings more energy-efficient.”

Published by ANDREW C. REVKIN AND PATRICK HEALY

IPCC Report Says Clean Energy Technologies Could Curb Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report last week concluding that the world community could slow and then reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) over the next several decades by exploiting cost-effective policies and current and emerging technologies. The IPCC report emphasizes energy efficiency across all sectors: in buildings, transportation, and industry. It also calls for greater use of solar energy in buildings and biofuels in vehicles. In terms of power generation, the report points to both mature and emerging renewable energy technologies and also suggests a shift to less carbon-intensive fossil fuels and the development of carbon capture and storage technologies. The report estimates that by 2030, another $20 trillion will be spent to upgrade global energy infrastructure, and investments to reduce GHGs would add at most a 10 percent premium to those investments.

See the press release from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and see the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC report (PDF 405 KB). The document is the last of three working group reports that will be compiled to form the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report, a follow-up to the Third Assessment Report, which was issued in 2001. The first working group report concluded that the Earth is definitely warming and recent temperature increases are very likely due to GHG emissions from human activities. The second working group report concluded that natural systems are already being affected by climate change, and predicted increasing droughts, floods, and wildfires, with potentially devastating impacts on some ecosystems and certain human societies. In Africa alone, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to an increase in water stress by 2020, while agricultural production and access to food is expected to be severely compromised in many African nations. Fresh water supplies in North America are also threatened by climate change, particularly in the West.

The three working group reports are currently available in summary form on the IPCC Web site, and the full Working Group I report is also available now. See the IPCC Web site and the UNEP press releases on the general impacts and the impacts on Africa and North America. A number of recent reports suggest their own approaches to reducing global GHG emissions. A report released in late February by the United Nations Foundation emphasizes fuel efficiency, building efficiency, biofuels, and carbon capture and storage. In late April, the National Commission on Energy Policy recommended a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions while suggesting fuel economy improvements, a national renewable energy requirement, extended tax credits for renewable energy sources, and other measures. The World Resources Institute (WRI) has its own approach, built on a Princeton University concept of "wedges." This approach breaks up the needed emissions reductions into 15 wedges, and provides a list of technologies—including energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies—for achieving each wedge. See the U.N. Foundation report and the press releases from the National Commission on Energy Policy and WRI.

Water Conservation

Top Ten Ways to Reduce Water Consumption

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. Step on your grass. If it springs back, when you lift your foot, it doesn't need water. So set your sprinklers for more days in between watering. Saves 750-1,500 gallons per month. Better yet, especially in times of drought, water with a hose.

2. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints. Saves 20 gallons per day for every leak stopped.

3. Don't run the hose while washing your car. Use a bucket of water and a quick hose rinse at the end. Saves 150 gallons each time. For a two-car family that's up to 1,200 gallons a month.

4. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.

5. Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. Saves 300 to 800 gallons per month.

6. Shorten your showers. Even a one or two minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.

7. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. Saves 150 gallons or more each time. At once a week, that's more than 600 gallons a month.

8. Don't use your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Saves 400 to 600 gallons per month.

9. Capture tap water. While you wait for hot water to come down the pipes, catch the flow in a watering can to use later on house plants or your garden. Saves 200 to 300 gallons per month.

10. Don't water the sidewalks, driveway or gutter. Adjust your sprinklers so that water lands on your lawn or garden where it belongs--and only there. Saves 500 gallons per month.