Top Stories

International palm oil strategy falters as producers question emission cuts.—reliability high.
"The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an initiative of companies and campaigners, is divided over the need to control carbon emissions and could break up within days, insiders say. . . . The RSPO was established to set and enforce environmental standards for palm oil production, but has run into trouble after palm plantation companies in Indonesia and Malaysia blocked efforts to curb their greenhouse gas emissions." If the group can't agree to include GHG emissions in sustainability criteria most of the environmental NGOs involved will leave and the world will be left without a credible way of certifying sustainable palm oil. From The Guardian. [Continuing the drumbeat of bad news for palm oil users. Many well-known brands are exposed as the negative environmental impacts of palm oil production get wider publicity.]

EU can cut CO₂ by 30 percent by 2020 at no cost: report.—reliability high.
"The European Union can cut carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 at almost no cost, according to a report by climate consultancy firm Ecofys. . . . By replacing all energy equipment at the end of its life with low-carbon technologies, the 27-nation bloc could halve its greenhouse gas emissions within two decades, the report found." From Reuters. Access report here.

Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains

Tata envisioning big sales of Indica Vista EV?—reliability medium.
"Could it be that Tata is expecting to move lots of Indica Vista EVs when they bring them to the market, beginning with Norway later this year? If the tea leaves are being read properly, then yes. A short press release from the American offices of the South Korean battery maker Energy Innovation Group Ltd. (EIG) announces that they will supply their lithium polymer cells to Miljøbil Grenland AS, the Indian giant's Norwegian subsidiary until 2012." See Autoblog Green.

Solyndra signs huge lease.—reliability high.
Solyndra has signed a deal to rent 506,000 square feet near its current offices in Fremont, California, marking the Bay Area's biggest lease this year. The facility will support the new solar panel manufacturing plant being built nearby. From Mercury News. [Another rust-to-green story and good news for Fremont, where the big GM-Toyota joint venture car plant is scheduled to close in March.]

Toyota: We agree with U.S. Chamber of Commerce.—reliability high.
Officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told Politico that in private conversations the car company had been supportive of its campaign against a proposed law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From The Guardian. Politico interview here.

Novartis completes largest solar investment.—reliability high.
Novartis has completed a 5-acre, $7million, 1MW solar PV unit near its Vacaville biopharmaceutical site in California, which will supply 20% of the manufacturing facility’s electrical needs. See NewNet.

Wal-Mart's not-so secret green weapon.—reliability medium.
About GreenWERCS system which Wal-Mart will use to analyze products and identify chemical risks across a broad spectrum instead of looking at each chemical individually. From Green Chemicals blog. WERCS site.

Government and Regulation

New Ruling Opens Door for Increased Shareholder Activism on Climate.—reliability high.
"Investor advocates are hailing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decision Tuesday that will make it easier for shareholders to request climate change risk disclosure from public companies." From GreenBiz. SEC bulletin here.

Italian climate investments – only for the brave.—reliability high.
Another take on the results of Deutsche Bank's recent report on climate policies around the world. "If you are looking for investment opportunities related to climate change, don’t put Italy on top of your list. It is highly unclear which kind of legislation Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's country intends to adopt on climate, just as it has 'issues around enforcement'." "China and Germany are countries where investors face a low risk." From COP-15 site. [Search GreenBase to see more.]

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