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TOP STORY
India pegs Mar. 2019 as potential start date for pilot carbon market mechanism
India is aiming to launch a pilot carbon market mechanism for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the waste sector by March of next year, according to official documents.
ASIA PACIFIC
INTERVIEW: NZ minister wants focus on domestic emission cuts, not international credits
Countries should prioritise domestic emissions reductions over international credits, according to New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister James Shaw.
South Korea curbs fossil fuel output to battle pollution
South Korea on Wednesday for the first time ordered selected coal- and oil-fired plants to briefly cut output in a bid to reduce air pollution – a move set to become a more regular occurrence impacting CO2 levels next year when the government imposes mandatory rules.
AMERICAS
US environmental groups spar over incorporating GOP in future climate policy push
Green group leaders are debating the efficacy of including Republicans in future climate policy efforts and resisting Trump administration environmental rollbacks after Democrats retook control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s US midterms.
California to retire 4.3 mln carbon units for La Paloma to hit 100% compliance
California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) will retire future vintage allowances next year to meet the uncovered carbon obligations of the La Paloma generating station during the 2015-2017 period, pending approval of the regulator’s proposed amendments, officials said.
EMEA
EU Market: EUAs rise 6% on auction strength as relief rally extends to 4th day
EUAs stretched their relief rally to a fourth day on Wednesday as another strong auction helped push prices above €18 and key technical resistance to further bolster bulls’ confidence.
Enel advances hedging over Q3 as sales inch higher
Italian utility Enel advanced its hedging over the third quarter while it sold more power, it said in financial results on Wednesday, representing a slightly bearish signal for carbon.
ICYM: US MIDTERM ELECTIONS
*Includes multiple updates to stories included in Tuesday’s CPD*
Voters again reject Washington state carbon tax initiative
Voters have again rejected a ballot initiative that would have introduced a carbon tax in Washington, marking the latest setback in the Evergreen State’s ongoing attempts to put a price on GHGs.
California elects Brown’s successor, Democrats flip Maine governor
California voters elected Democrat Gavin Newsom as their next governor, while Democrats flipped one of the eight gubernatorial races in the RGGI states during Tuesday’s US midterm elections.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Governor goals – Tuesday’s US midterm election (see Carbon Pulse’s coverage here, here, and here) saw several Democratic gubernatorial candidates win who had previously set out ambitious clean energy goals. Among these were Colorado’s Jared Polis and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, who each proposed 100% Renewable Portfolio Standards by 2040 and 2050 respectively. In the case of Colorado, enshrining a 100% RPS by 2040 target into law would beat out California and Hawaii’s 100% by 2045 RPS goals for the fastest route to power sector carbon neutrality in the country. In New Mexico, Governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham’s plan calls for 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2040, while Maine’s Janet Mills also endorsed 100% clean energy goal by 2050. (Utility Dive, Climate Home)
Committee changes – Democrats regaining control of the US House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterms also means that they will now head up committees in the lower legislative chamber. New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone is expected to become the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over the EPA, Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC). Pallone has also criticised the Trump administration’s currently-shelved plan to bail out struggling coal and nuclear plants, and he could move to subpoena records from DOE and other agencies showing how those plans were crafted. In other committee moves, Arizona Democrat Raul Grijalva will run the National Resources Committee, while Texas Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson will head the Science Committee (Politico, Utility Dive).
We can do it! (3 years late) – Germany can reach its 2020 GHG reduction target with a delay of three years by taking 9 GW of lignite-fired power plant capacity offline by 2023 without endangering power supply security, according to a study by Aurora Energy Research, commissioned by gas industry lobby association Zukunft Erdgas. By the time Germany shuts down its last nuclear power plant, the country’s total CO2 emissions can be reduced by about 40% compared to 1990 if lignite power plants are taken offline, while increasing less CO2-intensive hard coal and gas-fired generation. This would lead to additional costs of 0.4 cent per kilowatt hour at most, compared to a business-as-usual scenario. According to Aurora Energy Research, shutting up to 9 GW of lignite capacity is possible using the existing gas plant fleet. (Clean Energy Wire)
Webinars a poppin’ – US offset registry Climate Action Reserve (CAR) will host a series of webinars in the coming days and weeks, starting with Achieving Corporate Climate Action with Carbon Offsets on Thursday. In the following week, CAR will host webinars on its draft US Forest Project Protocol Version 5 on Nov. 14 and New Opportunities for Emission Reduction Projects on Nov. 15. CAR will wrap up the month by introducing the features and requirements of the recently adopted Nitrogen Management Project Protocol Version 2.0 on Nov. 28.
Snow shortage – The amount of snow that accumulates across Europe is “already dramatically decreasing,” a new study has found. Research published in Geophysical Research Letters showed that average and maximum snow depths have decreased around 12% and 11% per decade since 1951, respectively. The authors added these trends, which have accelerated since the 1980s, have significant implications for the availability of freshwater in spring. (Carbon Brief)
Teach them – Corinda State High School in Brisbane has become Australia’s first school to be verified under the nation’s National Carbon Offset Scheme. Achieving carbon neutrality for 2017 included buying 996 VCUs from a grouped wind farm project spanning three Indian states. Consultants Pangolin bought and retired the offsets on behalf of the school.
And finally… Kids nowadays – Initial plans by a few Australian students to ditch school on Nov. 28-30 to protest lack of climate change action outside state parliament is growing to a nationwide movement, the Guardian reports. Students in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Hobart, the Whitsundays, Lismore, the Gold Coast, Albury-Wodonga and the Sunshine Coast are among those planning to participate.
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