Local News

• International panel to review BCA’s green plans (Business Times via Wildsingapore) - The Building and Construction Authority has invited five international experts to review its green building plans and recommend new directions for Singapore’s green building efforts.
• Can a green F1 ever exist? (Straits Times Blogs)- The environment takes a backseat during the F1 Grand Prix and the total carbon footprint of the event from fuel consumption, equipment transportation, lightings to air travelling is mind-boggling.
• Asia’s first carbon hub: Hong Kong closing in on Singapore (Straits Times via Wildsingapore) - Hong Kong is catching up with Singapore to be Asia’s first carbon trading hub, with its recent establishment of the legal framework to allow projects that could sell their reductions in carbon emissions, and its close location to China where a large proportion of carbon projects are.
• Biggest hike in 8 years (Today) - SP Services announced the biggest jump in electricity tariffs since the market began opening up in 2001, and consumers are expected to pay an average of 21.5% more on their monthly electricity bill.
• Are you being green washed? (Straits Times via Wildsingapore) - The trend of greenwashing can be found in Singapore. A check of about 50 necessities which claimed to be environmentally friendly, found that 1 in 4 claims was dubious and could not be proven.
• Going green: Firms can do a lot more (Straits Times via Wildsingapore)- A survey by Spire Research and Consulting showed that 8 in 10 companies surveyed in Singapore have adopted environmental conservation measures, but their green measures are still skin-deep and they need to put in more effort to be truly eco-friendly.

Global News

• First U.S. greenhouse cap-and-trade market opens (Yahoo! News UK) - Ten states in the U.S. Northeast have started the country’s first cap-and-trade market on greenhouse gas emissions to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants. The states conducted their first auction of permits to emit CO2 to utilities and investors, and plan to spend the money raised from the auctions on improving energy efficiency and alternative energy.
• Companies’ Carbon Offset Strategies, Practices Detailed in New Report (GreenBiz)- A study called Carbon Offsetting Trends Survey 2008 was conducted by EcoSecurities and ClimateBiz, and sampled 65 companies across industries on their carbon offset strategies. The study showed that multinational corporations are addressing their carbon footprints and only 23% have not yet developed a carbon offset strategy.

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