A place to share all your Environmental Gists and Issues. Adding our voice to better the lots of our future environments. Give a thought to what it would look like if we do not generate waste at all. That's definitely not possible, but we can do much more to reduce our waste generation by considering use of recyclable items at every spheres of life. Environmental Impact Assessment of every phase of development is as important as the project in progress.
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Monday, 19 December 2016
FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY RESIDENCE TO ENJOY 30 FREE CHANNELS AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES DIGITAL SWITCH OVER
The federal government has announced that residence of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja will enjoy 30 free channels with the launch of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in broadcasting in Abuja on Thursday 22nd December.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced this in Abuja, on Monday, during the tour of key facilities of Pinnacle Communication Limited, the signal distribution for the Abuja DSO.
He noted that over 450,000 Set-Top Boxes have been provided for the flag-off.
“We are impressed by the speed, commitment and passion of Pinnacle to this project and we have come here to ensure that no stone is left un-turned to ensure smooth Digital Switch Over in Abuja on Thursday,” he said.
“It’s a revolution in the broadcasting ecosystem as far as Nigeria is concerned because not only are we going to have better clarity and audio but the average resident of FCT who is in possession of our Set-Top Box will have 30 free channels from news, entertainment, music. This is going to open a new vista for content,” he said.
The Minister expressed confidence that within three years of the digital transition, one million jobs will be created in the development of television content, technical services, software development, as well as the installation and repair of Set-Top Boxes for over 24 million TV households, among others.
The Minister said even though the Digital Switch Over will not take place in one fell swoop across the country, the Federal Government remains resolute in its commitment to meeting the 2017 deadline for the DSO.
Also speaking at the Call Centre of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), he said the government is equally concerned about customers’ satisfaction, which informed the setting up of the Call Centre where subscribers can call to make inquiries or complaints for prompt response.
Alhaji Mohammed, who was accompanied by the NBC Director General, Mallam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, and the Chairman of DIGITEAM Nigeria, Mr. Edward Amana, inspected facilities at the Monitoring Room, Transmission Station and the Call Centre.
Sunday, 18 December 2016
TOWN PLANNING LAWS CAN BE USED TO MANAGE CLIMATE CHANGE - AYADE
Prof. Ben Ayade, a lawyer and Governor of Cross River State is a Professor of Environmental Sciences. He had led a delegation of some governors from Africa to participate in a Climate Change Summit in Paris, France. He was privileged to be the only African governor that spoke at the summit.
He discussed how to combat climate change through environmental laws and legislations as well as the global effects of climate change in this interview.
Excerpts:
By Onozore Dania
What is your view on the state of our Environmental laws?
Our environmental laws governing and regulating the impact of human activities on the environment are still developing, like other human activities, there is always a room for improvement.
Mind you environmental law covers a broad spectrum of activities which include air, water, land, flora or fauna. It includes laws that relate to the protection of animals,the conservation and preservation of forests and plants.
How can the campaign for environmental protection work through appropriate legal frame works?
We can do this through our town planning laws. For example, in Cross River today, we are ensuring that for every single house, you must have a minimum of four trees on each side of the house to ensure that there is a full interaction between the plants and the residents in the house. Therefore, public campaign by way of advocacy, by way of doing it physically, by way of laws, by way of legislations, by way of radios, adverts, physical door to door campaigns are all the things you do to sharpen the consciousness of the ordinary man to the realities of climate Change. And of course, they also must have some posters that must show them the risks and incidental implications of climate change. I do know that where I grew up, most of the streams that we used to play in as little children have all dried up. Those are the effects of climate change because all the water sheds have all gone. These are the things we must distill down to the grassroots for them to appreciate that this climate change is real, it is not a theory, it is not academic, it is real.
Governor Ben Ayade
As a lawyer, what makes you engage in the campaign for the environment, environ-mental protection and climate change?
I actually feel that I am living out my dream, I am giving back to humanity. First of all, I am a Professor of Environmental Science and I do realize that the issue of climate change is real and Nigeria is affected seriously. I also understand that global problems are like environmental issues, even though global in nature, the solutions are local. And so, in my own little way as governor of Cross River State that has 58 percent of the entire forest cover of Nigeria, I owe Nigeria and indeed all Africa the responsibility of demonstrating that indeed, we can actually reverse the cataclysmic effects of climate change and instead of speaking, I am doing the working, talking. So, I talk it and I do it.
How can the common man on the street contribute to protecting the environment and ozone layer against climate change?
The immediate one is afforestation and of course training them to be able to prohibit or reduce or attenuate deforestation. When you are deforesting, because most communities are dependent on their forest resources for their means of livelihood and the issue of absolute conservation means that you are dislocating the communities from their dependence on the forests. The critical thing to do now, is forest management as opposed to conservation. So when it comes to forest management, it allows the community to harvest from the forest in a sustainable manner. So you take such trees that are old, tired and are of no value while replacing them with the young ones. It is completely different from conservation where it is absolute ban of some sort. And for the rural poor and for the general public to add value to the climate change, they must start from keeping their small nurseries, planting their own trees and ensuring that they live in green economy.
Saturday, 17 December 2016
TROUBLING STORIES OF AJAOKUTA STEEL PLANT,
The Ambassador of Russia to Nigeria, Mr Nikolay Udovichenko, in this interview, speaks on the relationship between his host and home countries and Russia’s alleged move to influence the just concluded presidential election in the United States.
What is the trade volume between Russia and Nigeria?
The trade volume between Russia and Nigeria may not be too substantial – about $500 million. But we should bear in mind that there is no oil and gas share in it. Not accidentally that while trade volumes between Nigeria and other countries decreased sharply this year, trade statistics between our countries stay at the same level or even become slightly higher. In our trade relations, we are focusing on sharing technologies, modern solutions, supplying agric products to ensure Nigeria’s self-sufficiency.
Meanwhile, we would like to promote cooperation in the sphere of power supply. Our giant companies such as Gazprom, Rosatom, Lukoil are ready to work with Nigerian partners on mutually beneficial conditions. In this regard, I would like to specifically emphasize Gazprom, which is keen on developing more active ties with Nigeria.
Nikolay Udovichenko
It is obvious that the local market has a great potential for increasing bilateral cooperation. For Nigeria investments in the domestic gas supply will have a huge multiplier effect on GDP, create new jobs. Gazprom is ready to develop joint projects across the gas chain in Nigeria and is looking forward to seeing the long-term policies for gas industry put in place. In this respect, the average Russian investor is encouraged by the New National Gas Policy drafted by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its “Nigeria-first” approach.
So, cooperation in gas market between Gazprom and NNPC may greatly benefit Nigeria. We hope that the companies will pass from purchases of spot gas to utilization of all opportunities that Gazprom possesses as global gas market leader.
All these questions of bilateral relations were discussed during the regular session of the Russian-Nigerian Bi-national Commission, which took place in November in Abuja. During this session, Russian and Nigerian parties reached a number of agreements in various sectors. Following this meeting, in particulars, delegation from Edo State has already visited Krasnodar, one of the most developed agric regions of Russia, where they held talks with poultry and mes processing plants, milk and other agric companies, discussed issues related to the development of the Nigerian agricultural sector.
I am sure that prospects of our bilateral relations will benefit both countries and definitely result in increasing our trade volume in future.
Apart from energy you talked about are there other areas where the Russian government would like to improve in these bilateral relations?
I have already mentioned the agricultural sector which is considered the cornerstone of Nigeria’s diversification policy. Russia is ready to supply foods as well as develop local production of agric products, processing equipment and machinery.
One of the important issues that was also discussed during the Bi-national Commission session is resumption of aluminum production, which was established with the assistance of the Russian company,
Rusal, at the Alscon plant in Akwa Ibom State. In fact, it was a very helpful development for Nigeria’s economy – it received a new aluminium industry, many people found jobs, a power plant supplied the local community with electricity. But as a result of inexplicable court decision, this production was stopped a few years ago, and up till date, the company has not been allowed to resume operations. Nigerian authorities promised they would examine the possibilities to resolve this issue for the benefit of all parties involved. Of course, we have also confirmed our readiness to participate in reviving Ajaokuta Steel Plant and developing the machinery-building industry.
There are many other spheres where we have big potentials. I’d like to stress once again that the embassy has a firm intention to bring business and investors from our countries together in order to discuss different options of cooperation. I can say for sure that if such giant Russian companies asGazprom, Rusal succeed in Nigeria, it will be a very positive signal for other Russian enterprises.
Recent bombings by Avengers of Niger Delta, have they, in any way, affected any Russian company? Or will Russian companies think twice before bringing more business here?
Directly, these events have not affected Russian companies. But, of course, all emergency situations negatively impact on investment climate. Obviously, any investor seeks safe haven and wants the security his investments guaranteed, although the key task when entering a new market is to find a reliable partner in the country. The embassy maintains contacts with Russian companies – we consult them about current situation, prospects of cooperation, possible risks and, certainly, do our best to create better conditions for cooperation. In any case, we wish acceptable and long-lasting settlement in Niger Delta to be reached as soon as possible, because business doesn’t like waiting too long.
How many Nigerians benefited from different education and training programs in Russia over the last two years?
First of all, I would like to mention the scholarship that the Russian government is granting to Nigerian citizens. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education we worked outan absolutely transparent system of selection based on personal interviews with each aspirant and conducted by a joint selection committee. Under this program, about100 aspirants from Nigeria depart for Russia each year for higher education in the spheres most needed by the Nigerian society. We also provide short term training courses for the law enforcement and security forces staff. Each year dozens of Nigerian policemen raise professional level in training centers of the Ministry of Interior of Russia. I hope we will be able to increase the number ofparticipants of such programs.
What is the procedure of visa issuance and how many visas are given to Nigerians?
First of all, we are trying to make this procedure as clear as possible and ease it where possible. For example, this year, we lifted requirement to presentNDLEA certificates when applying for the Russian visa. In fact, the only criterion is to go through personal interview. If we see that applicants can clearly explain why they want to go to Russia and their purposes are frank and legitimatelike studies, work, business, then they will have no problem to receive visa. Coming back to the number of visas given to Nigerians, we issue up to 2,000 visas every year.
There are some allegations that Russia is selling drones to the Nigerian government to fight Niger Delta Avengers. Is that true?
I tell you frankly that there were no supplies of drones from Russia, which could be used for such purposes. We are in close cooperation with the Nigerian government on the issue of some military supplies, but it’s not about drones.
What was Russia’s contribution to the just concluded election in the US?
I doubt that there was any Russian contribution to the outcome of the US election. Another matter is that somebody wanted Russia to be involved in the campaign. The name of our country was used to blame one of the candidates, but if anybody mentioned Russia in this context, it didn’t mean that was true. That’s why many allegations we heard from different corners are not reliable. Finally, I am sure these speculations had no impact on the choice of American people. Russia was ready to work with any president elected during the US election.
Could I guess, firm Russian position on key issues of international agenda, including Syria crisis settlement, resulted in the fact that its name was mentioned in media more often.
Friday, 16 December 2016
INSIDE PHOTOS OF ZAHRA'S WEDDING AS THE PRESIDENT TURNS 74
Thursday, 15 December 2016
BOI TRAINS 976 NYSC CORP MEMBERS UNDER ITS N2B GEF SCHEME
The Bank of Industry (BoI) has commenced a nationwide capacity building programme for 976 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members under its N2 billion Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF) scheme.
The fund, an initiative of the bank in partnership with the NYSC, was launched on Oct. 5, 2015, to address the high rate of youth unemployment in the country. During the inauguration of the second edition of the GEF scheme on Thursday in Lagos, Mr Waheed Olagunju, BoI Acting Managing-Director, said that the programme would harness youth resourcefulness for economic development.
Olagunju said that the success recorded in the first phase of the scheme reinforced the bank’s commitment to youth empowerment. He noted that N439.8 million was approved for 260 of the 976 participants in the first phase, while N194.4 million had been disbursed for execution of 140 projects.
“These young Nigerians have not only taken themselves out of the job market, but have become employers of labour creating, 560 direct jobs and over 2000 indirect jobs,” Olagunju said. He also noted that the training, holding simultaneously in seven centres across the country, had been extended to four days, adding that the participants’ business plans would be developed during training.
Olagunju said that the 10 business consultants involved in the training had been tasked with handholding the participants through the early stage of their business to ensure sustainability. According to him, the programme will encourage youth entrepreneurship, close entrepreneurship capacity gap, deepen financial inclusion by de-risking corps members for loans and ensure sustainability of businesses through mentorship.
Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, advised the youths to be different and creative, tenacious and embrace values that would lead to economic growth of the country. "I know that this country will be great and its greatness lies in the youth: Your efforts are part of nation building; make them count and do not be the missing link,” Awosika said.
Brig-Gen. Sule Kazaure, NYSC Director-General, urged the corps members to ensure the sustainability of the training and called for supervision of the programme to achieve its objective. The director-general appealed to the BoI to expedite action in processing loan requests after training.
He said that delay in doing this and release of funds to some beneficiaries in the previous batches of the scheme led to their withdrawal from the programme. Kazaure urged other organisations to emulate the BoI through partnership with NYSC for provision of training and seed capital that would turn corps members into job creators.
Mr Godswill Okpeku, a participant, said that the training would boost his knowledge and position him for financial assistance that would aid the business growth. "My dream is to invest in aquaculture because agriculture is the path to prosperity: Despite recession, people must surely eat; I see myself meeting that need and also providing job in the process,” he said.
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
EX-ABUJA MINISTER BALA MOHAMMED'S SUIT AGAINST EFCC ADJOURNED
Ex-Abuja Minister Bala Mohammed’s suit against EFCC adjourned as the substantive case in the alleged violation of fundamental rights filed by Bala Mohammed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been adjourned until January 26.
The case, which was adjourned at the last sitting on Wednesday before Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of an FCT High Court, could not go on.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the date of adjournment was at the instance of all the counsel.
Mr. Mohammed, former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had been in the custody of the EFCC since October 21 following petitions against him from members of the public. The former minister filed a motion on Notice on November 16 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf for enforcement of his fundamental rights which he claimed the EFCC had violated.
Mr. Baba-Yusuf on November 29 granted him bail, adding that the bail was granted according to the Provisions of Sections 165 and 158 (b) of the Administration of Justice Act 2015.
The judge held “the right to bail includes the right to fair hearing’’.
The judge also held that the applicant had met the bail conditions given to him by the EFCC, but EFCC failed to verify it.
Mr. Baba-Yusuf adopted the bail condition given by the EFCC as an administrative bail. He granted him bail without any amount; two sureties of the rank of directors in the Federal Civil Service, who must have certified landed properties in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. He also ordered that the applicant should deposit his international passport in the court.
(NAN)
The case, which was adjourned at the last sitting on Wednesday before Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of an FCT High Court, could not go on.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the date of adjournment was at the instance of all the counsel.
Mr. Mohammed, former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had been in the custody of the EFCC since October 21 following petitions against him from members of the public. The former minister filed a motion on Notice on November 16 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf for enforcement of his fundamental rights which he claimed the EFCC had violated.
Mr. Baba-Yusuf on November 29 granted him bail, adding that the bail was granted according to the Provisions of Sections 165 and 158 (b) of the Administration of Justice Act 2015.
The judge held “the right to bail includes the right to fair hearing’’.
The judge also held that the applicant had met the bail conditions given to him by the EFCC, but EFCC failed to verify it.
Mr. Baba-Yusuf adopted the bail condition given by the EFCC as an administrative bail. He granted him bail without any amount; two sureties of the rank of directors in the Federal Civil Service, who must have certified landed properties in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. He also ordered that the applicant should deposit his international passport in the court.
(NAN)
NNPC KNOWS NOT HOW MANY OIL BLOCK NIGERIA HAS - COO
NNPC doesn’t know how many oil blocks Nigeria has. The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation set tongues wagging when he revealed to the House of Representatives that he did not know the number of oil blocks Nigeria has.
Bello Rabiu appeared before the House committee investigating the controversial Malabu oil deal and OPL 245 on Tuesday afternoon. After telling the committee that the NNPC was not directly involved in the controversial deal, Mr. Rabiu was asked to give details of Nigeria’s oil fields.
Razak Atunwa, the chairman of the committee, said he posed the question because he believed it would help lawmakers to determine Nigeria’s oil revenue prospects amidst the lingering financial crisis. "I don’t know the answer to that question,” Mr. Rabiu said.
Mr. Rabiu said statistics about oil prospecting licences and oil mining licences were not kept with the NNPC, but the Department of Petroleum Resources and directed lawmakers to contact the department for the information.
Mr. Rabiu also told the committee that the NNPC Act gave the Minister of Petroleum the absolute power to exercise discretion on award of oil licences.
“The NNPC Act, even till today, clearly stated that the minister can award oil exploration licences at his discretion,” Mr. Rabiu said.
The licence for the OPL 245 oil field was awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. in April 1998 by a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete. The oil firm was later traced to the minister.
Bello Rabiu appeared before the House committee investigating the controversial Malabu oil deal and OPL 245 on Tuesday afternoon. After telling the committee that the NNPC was not directly involved in the controversial deal, Mr. Rabiu was asked to give details of Nigeria’s oil fields.
Razak Atunwa, the chairman of the committee, said he posed the question because he believed it would help lawmakers to determine Nigeria’s oil revenue prospects amidst the lingering financial crisis. "I don’t know the answer to that question,” Mr. Rabiu said.
Mr. Rabiu said statistics about oil prospecting licences and oil mining licences were not kept with the NNPC, but the Department of Petroleum Resources and directed lawmakers to contact the department for the information.
Mr. Rabiu also told the committee that the NNPC Act gave the Minister of Petroleum the absolute power to exercise discretion on award of oil licences.
“The NNPC Act, even till today, clearly stated that the minister can award oil exploration licences at his discretion,” Mr. Rabiu said.
The licence for the OPL 245 oil field was awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. in April 1998 by a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete. The oil firm was later traced to the minister.
Tuesday, 13 December 2016
CARBON TAX RELATED TYPES OF TAXES: EMISSIONS TAXES AND ENERGY TAXES
Emissions Taxes and Energy Taxes
Two other types of taxes that are related to carbon taxes are emissions taxes and energy taxes.
An Emissions Tax on GHG emissions requires individual emitters to pay a fee, charge or tax for every tonne of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere while,
An Energy Tax is charged directly on the energy commodities.
In terms of mitigating climate change, a carbon tax, which is levied according to the carbon content of fuels, is not a perfect substitute for a tax on CO2 emissions. For example, a carbon tax encourages reduced use of hydrocarbon fuels, but it does not provide an incentive to mitigate or improve mitigation technologies, e.g. carbon capture and storage.
Energy taxes increase the price of energy uniformly, regardless of the emissions produced by the energy source (Fisher et al.., 1996, p. 416). An ad valorem energy tax is levied according to the energy content of a fuel or the value of an energy product, which may or may not be consistent with the emitted amounts of green house gases and their respective global warming potentials.
Studies indicate that to reduce emissions by a certain amount, ad valorem energy taxes would be more costly than carbon taxes. However, although CO2 emissions are an externality, using energy services may result in other negative externalities, e.g., air pollution. If these other externalities are accounted for, an energy tax may be more efficient than a carbon tax alone.
Fee and Dividend is another type of tax, where the money collected from the tax is returned equitably to all households, effectively taxing carbon emitters and rebating those that burn less carbon.
Two other types of taxes that are related to carbon taxes are emissions taxes and energy taxes.
An Emissions Tax on GHG emissions requires individual emitters to pay a fee, charge or tax for every tonne of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere while,
An Energy Tax is charged directly on the energy commodities.
In terms of mitigating climate change, a carbon tax, which is levied according to the carbon content of fuels, is not a perfect substitute for a tax on CO2 emissions. For example, a carbon tax encourages reduced use of hydrocarbon fuels, but it does not provide an incentive to mitigate or improve mitigation technologies, e.g. carbon capture and storage.
Energy taxes increase the price of energy uniformly, regardless of the emissions produced by the energy source (Fisher et al.., 1996, p. 416). An ad valorem energy tax is levied according to the energy content of a fuel or the value of an energy product, which may or may not be consistent with the emitted amounts of green house gases and their respective global warming potentials.
Studies indicate that to reduce emissions by a certain amount, ad valorem energy taxes would be more costly than carbon taxes. However, although CO2 emissions are an externality, using energy services may result in other negative externalities, e.g., air pollution. If these other externalities are accounted for, an energy tax may be more efficient than a carbon tax alone.
Fee and Dividend is another type of tax, where the money collected from the tax is returned equitably to all households, effectively taxing carbon emitters and rebating those that burn less carbon.
Sunday, 11 December 2016
CARBON LEAKAGE
Carbon leakage is the effect that regulation of emissions in one country/sector has on the emissions in other countries/sectors that are not subject to the same regulation.
Leakage effects can be both negative (i.e. increasing the effectiveness of reducing overall emissions) and positive (reducing the effectiveness of reducing overall emissions). Negative leakages, which are desirable, are usually referred to as "spill-over".
According to Goldemberg et al.. (1996, p.28), short-term leakage effects need to be judged against leakage effects in the long-term. A policy that, for example, saw a carbon taxes set only in developed countries might lead to leakage of emissions to developing countries.
However, a desirable negative leakage could occur due to a lowering in demands of coal, oil, and gas from the developed countries and thus the world prices. This will lead to developing countries being able to afford more of any hydrocarbon fuel type, thus being able to substitute more oil or gas for coal, in effect lowering their national emissions. In the long-run, however, if the transfer of less polluting technologies is delayed, this substitution by income effects might have no long-term benefit.
Carbon leakage is central to the discussion on climate policy, given the confluence of issues that are currently being debated, including the 2030 Energy and Climate Framework and the review of the EU carbon leakage list by 2014.
Friday, 9 December 2016
SOCIAL COST OF CARBON (SCC)
In economics, comparing impacts over time requires a discount rate. This rate determines the weight placed on impacts occurring at different times.
The impact of the extra tonne of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere must then be converted to the equivalent impacts when the tonne of carbon dioxide was emitted.
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is the marginal cost of emitting one extra tonne of carbon (as carbon dioxide) at any point in time.
To calculate the SCC, the atmospheric residence time of carbon dioxide must be estimated, along with an estimate of the impacts of climate change.
According to economic theory:
a) if SCC estimates were complete and markets perfect, a carbon tax should be set equal to the SCC.
b) Emission permits would also have a value equal to the SCC. In reality, however, markets are not perfect, and SCC estimates are not complete (Yohe et al.., 2007:823).
An amount of CO2 pollution is measured by the weight (mass) of the pollution. Sometimes this is measured directly as the weight of the carbon dioxide molecules. This is called a tonne of carbon dioxide and is abbreviated "tCO2".
Alternatively, the pollution's weight can be measured by adding up only the weight of the carbon atoms in the pollution, ignoring the oxygen atoms;
This is called a tonne of carbon and is abbreviated "tC".
Estimates of the dollar cost of carbon dioxide pollution is given per tonne, either carbon, $X/tC,
or carbon dioxide, $X/tCO2.
One tC is roughly equivalent to 3.7 tCO2.
Estimates of the SCC are highly uncertain. Yohe et al. (2007:813) summarized the literature on SCC estimates:
Peer-reviewed estimates of the SCC for 2005 had an average value of $43/tC ($12/tCO2) with a standard deviation of $83/tC.
The wide range of estimates is explained mostly by underlying uncertainties in the science of climate change (e.g., the climate sensitivity, which is a measure of the amount of global warming expected for a doubling in the atmospheric concentration of CO_2).
Different choices of discount rate, different valuations of economic and non-economic impacts, treatment of equity, and how potential catastrophic impacts are estimated.
Other estimates of the SCC spanned at least three orders of magnitude, from less than $1/tC to over $1,500/tC.
The true SCC is expected to increase over time.
The rate of increase will very likely be 2 to 4% per year. A recent meta-analysis of the literature on the estimates of the social costs of carbon, however, finds evidence of publication bias in favor of larger estimates.
The US federal government, based on Executive Order 12866 and the findings of an interagency working group, has had an official estimate of the SCC since 2010. It was $36/tC02 in 2015 (about $132/tC).
In 2014, the Department of Energy factored in that cost when promulgating regulations on standards for commercial refrigeration equipment. Industry groups sued over the issue. In 2016 the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rules.
The impact of the extra tonne of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere must then be converted to the equivalent impacts when the tonne of carbon dioxide was emitted.
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is the marginal cost of emitting one extra tonne of carbon (as carbon dioxide) at any point in time.
To calculate the SCC, the atmospheric residence time of carbon dioxide must be estimated, along with an estimate of the impacts of climate change.
According to economic theory:
a) if SCC estimates were complete and markets perfect, a carbon tax should be set equal to the SCC.
b) Emission permits would also have a value equal to the SCC. In reality, however, markets are not perfect, and SCC estimates are not complete (Yohe et al.., 2007:823).
An amount of CO2 pollution is measured by the weight (mass) of the pollution. Sometimes this is measured directly as the weight of the carbon dioxide molecules. This is called a tonne of carbon dioxide and is abbreviated "tCO2".
Alternatively, the pollution's weight can be measured by adding up only the weight of the carbon atoms in the pollution, ignoring the oxygen atoms;
This is called a tonne of carbon and is abbreviated "tC".
Estimates of the dollar cost of carbon dioxide pollution is given per tonne, either carbon, $X/tC,
or carbon dioxide, $X/tCO2.
One tC is roughly equivalent to 3.7 tCO2.
Estimates of the SCC are highly uncertain. Yohe et al. (2007:813) summarized the literature on SCC estimates:
Peer-reviewed estimates of the SCC for 2005 had an average value of $43/tC ($12/tCO2) with a standard deviation of $83/tC.
The wide range of estimates is explained mostly by underlying uncertainties in the science of climate change (e.g., the climate sensitivity, which is a measure of the amount of global warming expected for a doubling in the atmospheric concentration of CO_2).
Different choices of discount rate, different valuations of economic and non-economic impacts, treatment of equity, and how potential catastrophic impacts are estimated.
Other estimates of the SCC spanned at least three orders of magnitude, from less than $1/tC to over $1,500/tC.
The true SCC is expected to increase over time.
The rate of increase will very likely be 2 to 4% per year. A recent meta-analysis of the literature on the estimates of the social costs of carbon, however, finds evidence of publication bias in favor of larger estimates.
The US federal government, based on Executive Order 12866 and the findings of an interagency working group, has had an official estimate of the SCC since 2010. It was $36/tC02 in 2015 (about $132/tC).
In 2014, the Department of Energy factored in that cost when promulgating regulations on standards for commercial refrigeration equipment. Industry groups sued over the issue. In 2016 the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rules.
Thursday, 8 December 2016
RESISTING CARBON TAX IS CONTRIBUTING TO GLOBAL WARMING
Worldwide, 27 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are produced by human activity annually. The physical effect of CO2 in the atmosphere can be measured as a change in the Earth-atmosphere system's energy balance-the radiative forcing of CO2. Carbon taxes are one of the policies available to governments to reduce GHG emissions.
In the Kyoto Protocol (an international treaty), CO2 emissions are regulated along with other GHGs. Different GHGs have different physical properties: the global warming potential is an internationally accepted scale of equivalence for other greenhouse gases in units of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The scientific consensus is that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of global warming, and that carbon dioxide is the most important of the anthropogenic GHGs.
A number of countries have implemented carbon taxes or energy taxes that are related to carbon content. Most environmentally related taxes with implications for greenhouse gas emissions in OECD countries are levied on energy products and motor vehicles, rather than on CO_2 emissions directly.
Opposition to increased environmental regulation such as carbon taxes often centers on concerns that firms might relocate and/or people might lose their jobs. It has been argued, however, that carbon taxes are more efficient than direct regulation and may even lead to higher employment. Many large users of carbon resources in electricity generation, such as the United States, Russia, and China, are resisting carbon taxation.
In the Kyoto Protocol (an international treaty), CO2 emissions are regulated along with other GHGs. Different GHGs have different physical properties: the global warming potential is an internationally accepted scale of equivalence for other greenhouse gases in units of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The scientific consensus is that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of global warming, and that carbon dioxide is the most important of the anthropogenic GHGs.
A number of countries have implemented carbon taxes or energy taxes that are related to carbon content. Most environmentally related taxes with implications for greenhouse gas emissions in OECD countries are levied on energy products and motor vehicles, rather than on CO_2 emissions directly.
Opposition to increased environmental regulation such as carbon taxes often centers on concerns that firms might relocate and/or people might lose their jobs. It has been argued, however, that carbon taxes are more efficient than direct regulation and may even lead to higher employment. Many large users of carbon resources in electricity generation, such as the United States, Russia, and China, are resisting carbon taxation.
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
CARBON TAX ECONOMIC THEORY
David Gordon Wilson first proposed a carbon tax in 1973. In economic theory, pollution is considered to be of negative effect (negative externality) on a party not directly involved in a transaction, resulting in to market failure.
A carbon tax is also an indirect tax—a tax on a transaction—as opposed to a direct tax, which taxes income. A carbon tax is called a price instrument , since it sets a price for carbon dioxide emissions.
Economic Theory of Carbon Tax
“Economists like to argue, about climate change as much as anything else. But on the biggest issue of all they nod in agreement, whatever their political persuasion. The best way to tackle climate change, they insist, is through a Global Carbon Tax.”— The Economist, 28 November 2015
A carbon tax is a form of pollution tax. Pollution taxes are often grouped with two other economic policy instruments: Tradable pollution permits/credits and subsidies. These three environmental economic policy instruments are built upon a foundation of a command and control regulation.
The difference is that classic command-penalty regulations stipulate, through performance or prescriptive standards, what each polluter is required to do to be in compliance with the law. Command and control regulation is not considered an economic instrument as it is typically enforced by narrower means such as stop or control order, though it may include an administrative monetary penalty in site-specific regulations.
The instrumental distinction between a tax and a command-and-control regulation is determined by the enacted legislative names, and whether they contain "tax" as a defined term within the Act, for example British Columbia's Carbon Tax Act versus Alberta's Specified Gas Emitters Regulations, Alta Reg 139/2007.
Prices of hydrocarbon fuels are expected to continue increasing as more countries industrialize and add to the demand on fuel supplies. In addition to creating incentives for energy conservation, a carbon tax would put renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal on a more competitive footing, stimulating their growth.
A carbon tax is also an indirect tax—a tax on a transaction—as opposed to a direct tax, which taxes income. A carbon tax is called a price instrument , since it sets a price for carbon dioxide emissions.
Economic Theory of Carbon Tax
“Economists like to argue, about climate change as much as anything else. But on the biggest issue of all they nod in agreement, whatever their political persuasion. The best way to tackle climate change, they insist, is through a Global Carbon Tax.”— The Economist, 28 November 2015
A carbon tax is a form of pollution tax. Pollution taxes are often grouped with two other economic policy instruments: Tradable pollution permits/credits and subsidies. These three environmental economic policy instruments are built upon a foundation of a command and control regulation.
The difference is that classic command-penalty regulations stipulate, through performance or prescriptive standards, what each polluter is required to do to be in compliance with the law. Command and control regulation is not considered an economic instrument as it is typically enforced by narrower means such as stop or control order, though it may include an administrative monetary penalty in site-specific regulations.
The instrumental distinction between a tax and a command-and-control regulation is determined by the enacted legislative names, and whether they contain "tax" as a defined term within the Act, for example British Columbia's Carbon Tax Act versus Alberta's Specified Gas Emitters Regulations, Alta Reg 139/2007.
Prices of hydrocarbon fuels are expected to continue increasing as more countries industrialize and add to the demand on fuel supplies. In addition to creating incentives for energy conservation, a carbon tax would put renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal on a more competitive footing, stimulating their growth.
Tuesday, 6 December 2016
CARBON TAX
Carbon tax is a levied tax on carbon content of hydrocarbon fuel like coal, petroleum and natural gas from everyday use. Combustion of hydrocabon release Carbon Dioxide (CO_2).
Emission of CO (Carbon Monoxide), a heat trapping "GreenHouseGas" GHG released during fossil fuel combustion has negatively impacted the climate resulting to global warming.
There is definitely a correlation between the combustion rate and the carbon content of both CO_2 and CO released as they are on the increase.
Emission tax can however be levied on the fossil fuels carbon content. Carbon tax offers social and economic benefits.
1) It increases revenue without altering the economy while
2) Simultaneously promoting objectives of the Climate Change Policy.
Emission of CO (Carbon Monoxide), a heat trapping "GreenHouseGas" GHG released during fossil fuel combustion has negatively impacted the climate resulting to global warming.
There is definitely a correlation between the combustion rate and the carbon content of both CO_2 and CO released as they are on the increase.
Emission tax can however be levied on the fossil fuels carbon content. Carbon tax offers social and economic benefits.
1) It increases revenue without altering the economy while
2) Simultaneously promoting objectives of the Climate Change Policy.
Monday, 5 December 2016
2016 DOCUMENTARY ON CLIMATE CHANGE "BEFORE THE FLOOD"
Leonardo DiCaprio came out with "Before The Flood" a documentary on Climate Change that took an incredible three-year journey with his co-creator and director Fisher Stevens on a tour across the globe documenting environmental impact of climate change and humanity's ability to reverse what maybe the most catastrophic problem man kind has ever faced.
Also filming how interconnected the world's weather is and at urgent breakng point. Discussing carbon tax issue and remediation.
Sunday, 4 December 2016
CUSTOMERS HAIR RIPPED OFF AT THE SALOON
Hairdresser Rips Off Her Customers Hair From The Lady’s Head After Her Boyfriend Ranaway To Escape Paying For It. Below is the picture of the lady.
The incident happened at the Rich and Famous hair Salon in Zimbabwe, and according to reports, the victim, identified as Nothando, had gone to the salon with her boyfriend, who left when she was getting her hair done.
He allegedly promised to come back and pay for the hair, but never showed up again. Nothando reportedly tried escaping, but her plot was foiled as she was caught and the weave was cut by the hairdresser identified as Pamela. She also got a beating from the hairdressers.
The incident happened at the Rich and Famous hair Salon in Zimbabwe, and according to reports, the victim, identified as Nothando, had gone to the salon with her boyfriend, who left when she was getting her hair done.
He allegedly promised to come back and pay for the hair, but never showed up again. Nothando reportedly tried escaping, but her plot was foiled as she was caught and the weave was cut by the hairdresser identified as Pamela. She also got a beating from the hairdressers.
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