Developing Countries Fail to Meet Climate Accord Deadline
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) says 139 countries failed to meet its January 31 deadline to pledge greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cuts as part of the Climate Accord. The Accord, which was agreed at the Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009, is not legally binding and...

Synthetic Biology Firm Demonstrates Bio-based Adipic Acid Production
Verdezyne says the process could lower adipic acid production costs by at least 20%....

Start-up Brings Algae-to-Oil Pilot Plant On-line
OriginOil (Los Angeles), a start-up company developing a process for converting algae into oil, says it has commissioned its pilot facility at its Los Angeles headquarters. The company says it now has an end-to-end algae-to-oil production facility in operation. “Until now we have been in pure research...

EU Agrees to Pump Billions of Dollars into CCS and Renewables
A committee representing European Union (EU) member states has accepted a European Commission proposal to direct funds raised from the region’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) into projects for carbon capture and storage (CCS), and renewable fuels and chemicals. The committee has agreed that income from...

U.S. Launches Climate Program Focused on CCS, Advanced Biofuels
President Obama today announced it will form a U.S. Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to develop a “comprehensive and coordinated federal strategy to speed the development and deployment of clean coal technologies.”   The task force will be co-chaired by officials...

ZeaChem Scales-up Biomass-to-acetic Acid Process
ZeaChem (Lakewood, CO), a bioprocessing firm, says it has successfully tested a fermentation process for manufacturing acetic acid from renewable biomass to a scale of 5,000 liters, up from laboratory scale of 0.5 liters. The production of acetic acid is the first process step in ZeaChem’s plan to...

Countries Reassert GHG Emission Cuts
Countries around the world have today reconfirmed the terms of their planned greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cuts agreed under the Climate Accord, which countries commited to at the December 2009 United Nations (UN) climate summit in Copenhagen. Under the terms of the Accord...

Algal Systems Less Efficient than Corn for Generating Fuels
Using algae for generating biomass energy is less efficient than using switchgrass, canola or corn, uses more water, and requires more inputs, according to a University of Virginia (Chartlottesville, VA) study published in a recent edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The research...

EU Brominated Flame Retardants Group Reports Emissions Cuts, Riles Environmental Group
Emissions from the plants of European brominated flame retardant producers and users dropped “significantly” in 2009, as a direct result of a voluntary industry program, according to manufacturers group, the European Brominated Flame Retardant Industry (EBFRIP; Brussels). The reductions are due...

SEC Moves to Require Climate Risk Disclosure
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted today to require publicly listed companies in the U.S to disclose risks related to climate change. The "interpretive release" will guidance to companies as to what must be disclosed, SEC says. Regulatory, business and actual climate risk are...