21 - Monday 21st November
This archive of news stories on energy related topics came from RSS feeds from the most relevant government institution. These press releases date from 22nd November 2011 and no guarantee can be provided on the accuracy of these stories from the Green Deal Group. Click on the relevant links for more information and the corresponding article.
- Letter from Chris Huhne to The Guardian
Dear Sir,
Your article, “Rich Nations ‘give up’ on new climate treaty until 2020” (Monday 21st November), is a wholesale misrepresentation of the UK’s position. The UK would like to see a global treaty signed straight away but the reality is that some of the biggest economies, both developed and developing, are not yet ready. We aim at Durban to reach agreement on the need for a new treaty and to set out a timetable for its negotiation, concluding no later than 2015.
The UK and our EU partners are also ready to agree to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, as long as this is accompanied by a hard commitment from the other major economies to a comprehensive global legal framework and to complete negotiations on it as soon as possible.
This timeframe will of course have to be discussed in Durban, but we recognise that global emissions will need to be peaking by 2020 in order for dangerous temperature rises to be avoided.
I will be setting out the UK’s position in full in a speech at Imperial College in London on Thursday.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Huhne
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Mon 21st Nov 2011 5:09pm - Weatherwatch: Snow in Vancouver, forest fire in Nevada
A storm affected southern parts of Canada on Thursday last week as low pressure, centred over the Brooks region, and its associated fronts brought strong winds and heavy snow. The snow initially moved through central and northern British Columbia before spreading eastwards into Alberta. It caused widespread traffic disruption: hundreds of vehicles became stuck for several hours on the Coquihalla Highway following snow accumulations of 20cms to 30cms along some stretches of the road.
A state of emergency was declared on Friday in Nevada as a fast-moving fire engulfed over 800 hectares of forest and destroyed 25 homes. The fire started in Toiyabe National Forest in south-western Reno and was then spread rapidly by strong south-westerly winds, which gusted to around 48mph. Very dry conditions and low humidity also helped to spread the fires quickly,and thousands of people had to be evacuated.
More than 400mm of rain fell on Wednesday and Thursday in Taipei in north-east Taiwan. Rainfall totals over the two days were far more than would normally be expected: the average rainfall in Taipei for November is only around 65mm. The Council of Agriculture reported that the torrential rains have caused US$2.23m (£1.42m) of crop damage. The red bean crop was the worst affected with the rain damaging over 2,000 hectares of land. Over 900 hectares of rice paddies have also been ruined.
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Mon 21st Nov 2011 10:30pm - Eyewitness: Poultry Club national show 2011
Photographs from the Guardian Eyewitness series
Mon 21st Nov 2011 11:12am
