Category News

Started the 26th of November and ending the 7th of December, COP18, the 18th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is being held this year in DOHA, Qatar.

Back in 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the UNFCCC, to cooperatively consider what they could do to limit average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and to cope with whatever impacts were, by then, inevitable.

The Kyoto Protocol, defined during COP3 in Kyoto, and entered into force in 2005, legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ends in 2012.

At COP17 in Durban, governments of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol decided for a second commitment period, from 2013 onwards, which could last 5 or 8 years.

In the last years, emissions of developing economies have doubled, becoming higher than those of developed countries. The urgency of coming to a new global agreement has been repeated many times this year by IEA, World Bank, PWC and many others, waiting for the publication of the fifth IPCC’s report. In fact, if we want to limit global warming to +2°C, we need to act now.

DOHA’s delegates need to work very hard during these two weeks, in order to sort out the three folowing main items:

• Kyoto Protocol: define the continuation until 2020 and probably its phase out, shifting the carbon market into a new agreement
• Long-term Cooperation Agreements, LCA: probably end the work, keeping what is good (Green Climate Fund and Technology Executive Committee) shifting it into the new agreement
• Ad-hoc Working Group on Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, ADP: main discussion item, set-up a strong path and working program until 2015, conveying issues like GCF, TEC, global carbon market, adaptation fund, etc.

The future agreement, based on ADP, needs to overcome distinctions between developing and developed economies (Annex I and non Annex I), if we really want to have some hope to meet the 2°C target (many think that we already missed this target).

Two weeks of very important work for the +10.000 delegates.

Sources: unfccc.int “DOHA Climate Change Conference”, David Hone “Expectations for COP18 in DOHA”, Carlo Carraro “AAA cercasi nuova architettura politica per il clima”.

On Friday 16/11/2012, the Italian National Authority for the Emissions Trading Directive has published on its web site the deliberation n.27/2012, which establish the obligation for the Italian ETS plants to present the emissions monitoring plan in the new EU format for the period 2013-2020.

The Italian plants have time untill January 31st 2013 to fill in the excel template and sumbit it to the ETS committee. Some more days are needed to decide for the ‘opt-out’ plants, which are still waiting a final decision for their ‘exclusion’ from the standard obligations.

Untill the 31st of december 2012, the monitoring of emissions continues as of deliberation 14/2009 as modified by 14/2010.

For more information about the EU monitoring dispositions and templates: EU ETS monitoring

MR Energy Systems will be present at Ecomondo, Rimini, Wed 7-Fri 9 November 2012,inside the VEGA area (Science and Tech pole of Venezia), STAND A4, Hall B7 D7 “sustainable city”, close to gate ‘EST’.

The agenda of events where MR Energy will take part:

November 7 – Green Economy States General of the Green Economy (as GBC Italia delegate)

November 8 – Green Economy States General of the Green Economy (as GBC Italia delegate)

November 7 – h 17.00: “THE INNOVATION SOFA”,Mauro Roglieri, CEO MR Energy, “The Green R-Evolution”

Download the hall map with indication of Stand A4 to find us.

Visit the exibition web-site

For more info write to: info@mrenergy.it

Recorded in the Antenna 3 Studios in Padova, the episode of the talk show ‘Parlare d’Abitare’, talking about living, has been transmitted in the past days by ADA Channel, a digital TV channel specializing in building industry. Franco Frison, Secretary of the National Council of Architects, Mauro Roglieri, as Executive Officer of Green Building Council Italia and Igino Zanandrea director of the AT&T Associates, discuss with the presenter, Cristina Catarinicchia, the ways to develop or re-qualify our territory making sure it becomes more sustainable, and how to ensure that results are measured.

International Policies are strong drivers to this change, and EU is allocating important economic resources exactly with the aim of obtaining quick and relevant results in terms of sustainable development of buildings and territory. Tools as those developed by Green Building Council Italia, but also training and education, specific competences are absolutely necessary to stay in line with these changes and market transformation, and be the first movers in the market. Enjoy the video (in Italian).

If you don’t manage to see the video, please click here.

Last Friday, 21st september 2012, during a seminar in Porto Marghera about Green Economy, Sustainability and Energy Management, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Venice, Rai3 interviewed us about the ‘Network contract’ we’re seeking to elaborate with a partner company.

Check the video scrubbing at min. 9’26”:

http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-a9e0f06d-ee66-4226-8fcc-7691d48faabc-tgr.html#p=0

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

The European Commission has adopted this summer the new regulations on monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and on verification and accreditation of verifiers under the EU Emissions Trading System, that will rule the third trading period of the EU ETS starting in January 2013.

The Italian ETS committee has approved the list of plants that fall within the scope of the Emissions Trading Directive, including the pre-allocation of free allowances (subject to EC review).

Operators of ETS plants will be asked in the coming months, to submit further documentation to align with the new regulation.

The Ministry of Environment invests 9 million euros for the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Porto Marghera and the Certosa Island. The agreement, signed on the 29th of December 2010, includes a number of measures among which an industrial initiative in Porto Marghera (“Marghera Ecodistretto”), and the sustainable renovation of the Certosa Island (natural park and touristic venue) in Venice.

Source: www.minambiente.it

The contribution of the Environmental Ministry to the growth plan being discussed in these days by the Government after the summer holidays, has been published last week on the Ministry official website.

The framework described in the document is quite comprehensive and confirms the effort to put Italy back in track with the decarbonization of the economy addressed by several EU Directives. Various policies are already in place, but suffered in the past months of many delays in their actuation, due to conflicts of competences between different Governmental departments.The current technical Government could effectively help to solve several impasses.

For more information about the contribution (in Italian): http://www.minambiente.it/home_it/showitem.html?item=/documenti/comunicati/comunicato_0438.html&lang=it

MR Energy Systems, as a member of GBC Italia, is particularly glad to announce this event which will take place in Venice this coming Friday 22nd of June 2012. The important international event with the participation of international institutions as UNESCO and World GBC, and an exceptional speaker as Rick Fedrizzi, president of U.S. GBC and  chair of World GBC.

The event intends to present the ambitious development of a protocol for the sustainability of Historic Building, where Italy (GBC Italia) will play a leadership role in the international context. The protocol has the aim of merging two very important concepts: the LEED® sustainability criteria on one side, and the enormous Italian knowledge of restoration and conservation of historic heritage. An innovative standard, with the aim of facilitating the culture of sustainability in the built environment, and the conservation and protection of values and culture. A tool which will make the dialogue between operators and public authorities easier and more measurable.

The registration to the event is free of charge until the end of available places.

Click here to register to the event