Canada Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol
Canada’s environment minister Peter Kent has announced that the country is withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s only legally binding instrument set up in 1997 for curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Kent says Canada is invoking its legal right to withdraw. The move comes just one...

World Agrees Roadmap for Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, China and U.S. Join In
No one gave it a cat’s chance in hell of succeeding, but COP 17, the United Nations climate change summit held in Durban, South Africa at its close yesterday delivered a partial breakthrough by securing a legally binding requirement for countries by 2015 to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction...

International Year of Chemistry: Leaders See a 'Need for Speed' to Innovate
A new level of urgency is required to ensure that innovation in the chemical industry can deliver solutions to the world's most pressing issues in areas including food, clean water and energy, says Christian Jourquin, CEO of Solvay. Unlike the position of a few years ago, "there is a need for...

U.K. Government Offers Industry Relief on Energy Costs and R&D (update 2)
The U.K. government says it will provide a reported £250 million ($390 million) in tax relief and compensation to energy intensive companies faced with higher costs from its national carbon tax, and also extend its R&D tax credit to larger companies. The two areas of relief for industry were tabled...

EU Companies Require 'Quantum Leap' to Decouple Emissions from Economic Growth
If European companies in the four highest emitting sectors of utilities, materials, energy and industrials - including chemicals - achieved their current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets set to 2020, they would deliver an average annual emissions reduction of just 1.7%. This falls short of...

Sustainability: Focus Shifts from Cost Reduction to Profit Optimization
Thomas: Plastics from CO2. Lohec: Pragmatic approach. Van Beurden: Big in biofuel. Hawkins: Collaboration is key. Leading chemical makers continue to save costs through resource-efficiency programs, but they are also focusing increasingly on the development of sustainability-advantaged products. A new...

Energy Efficiency: Plenty of Low-Hanging Fruit Remains
Chemical companies still have a huge amount of energy efficiency improvements that they could introduce to save money, according to speakers featured in a webcast in the past few days by Chemical Week. Garrett Forsythe, global solutions architect/DuPont Sustainable Solutions told the audience that the...

IG Report Renews Debate Over EPA 'Endangerment Finding'
EPA officials have issued some clarifications about the September 28 Inspector General report that found the agency failed to meet certain peer review requirements in determining greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) endanger public health. EPA says some of the press reports and statements by certain lawmakers have...

Germany Votes to Reject Carbon Storage
The Bundesrat, the German parliament’s upper house, on Friday voted to block legislation that would have allowed the pilot-scale underground storage of compressed carbon dioxide ahead of a feasibility study in 2017. The German government must now introduce a revised version of the proposed law. The...

European Commission-Chemical Industry Relations Strengthen; Sustainability Is Common Goal (update with video)
European Commission vice president Antonio Tajani and Cefic president Georgio Squinzi, gave a joint press conference today to mark the opening of a four-day exhibition within the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels to celebrate the role of chemistry in society. Tajani and Squinzi told CW...