Word: carbons
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...chaotic U.N. climate-change talks in Copenhagen - especially those who belonged to the U.S. delegation - singled out China as the main reason the summit nearly collapsed. Chinese diplomats fought hard against any form of emissions regulation, even though their country is now the world's No. 1 national carbon emitter, and will emit far more carbon in the future than any other. In Washington, opponents of carbon cap-and-trade also point to China, which is unlikely to take on a carbon cap of its own, and wonder why the U.S. should have to restrain its emissions. (See pictures...
...study published in the March 8 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that the carbon equation isn't as straightforward as we might think. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University synthesized carbon emissions and trade patterns and found that more than one-third of CO2 emissions related to the consumption of goods and services in developed countries are actually emitted outside their national borders. Rich nations are essentially outsourcing some of their carbon emissions to developing nations through global trade - by importing goods and services from abroad - thereby shrinking their carbon...
Next, Europeans need to appreciate that ideals alone don't bring you respect. You have to win others to your side. The reality of that hit home - or should have done - at Copenhagen. Europe had done much of the running on global climate-change policy, setting carbon-reduction targets, introducing the first markets in which carbon could be traded, leading the way on exploiting greener energy sources. European leaders arrived in the Danish capital giving the impression that setting an example would be enough to persuade others into making concessions. But the conference took a different turn. A group...
...Chinese companies sometimes start out as carbon copies of successful overseas ventures. But replication doesn't happen overnight. Take Ctrip, the market leader for online travel reservations. The company, founded in 1999, initially hoped to be an instant Chinese version of Expedia but soon realized that rushing to provide the same features of the U.S. travel website - which offers package tours, hotel reservations, plane tickets, rental-car reservations and cruises, among other services - was a reckless, if not impossible, task. Instead, it focused on mastering one service before adding another. (See pictures of Chinese investment in Africa...
According to Costanza, we need different institutions for managing natural capital because of its "public good" aspects. For example, there are systems of payments for ecosystem services, such as compensating farmers who plant trees for carbon sequestration. These could be embedded in common asset trusts, set up to assign property rights to the community rather than private hands. Those who damage ecosystem services would be charged, while those whose land produces services could be paid. Economic incentives can encourage people to preserve natural assets. For example, in Costa Rica U.S. pharmaceutical companies are paying landowners to conserve their properties - essentially...