UK Highlights – Queen’s Speech, Barrages and Butterflies
The Green Investment Bank, electricity market reform and proposals for the water industry all made it into the Queen’s Speech on May 9, and environmental groups and business leaders are pressing for further details on Government plans. A proposed tidal barrage across the Severn estuary, the Government’s commitment to green growth and the UK’s springtime weather has also made the headlines.
Secretary Chu’s Remarks at the Clean Energy Ministerial Opening Session, as prepared for delivery
April 25, 2012 – 9:03am
I would like to thank Secretary of State Davey and the United Kingdom for hosting the third Clean Energy Ministerial, and thank everyone here for traveling to join us and for participating in this important forum.
Today, we have an extraordinary responsibility and opportunity: a responsibility to confront our shared energy and climate challenges, and an opportunity to do this by advancing clean energy technologies that can save consumers money, promote economic growth, strengthen energy security, and expand access to energy. Read more 
Earth Day Photo Contest Winner: Act Green, Plant Green
Congratulations to Ever Alonzo who won the U.S. Embassy’s 2012 Earth Day Facebook Photo Contest. The photo, titled “Act Green, Plant Green,” won the public vote by a large margin. The well-deserved prize is an Amazon Kindle with accompanying Solar Powered Charger.
Description: ”Many mass-produced vegetables travel thousands of miles before arriving at the grocery store, and must be packaged in man-made materials such as plastic and cardboard. Growing your own vegetable garden is an easy way to benefit the environment by reducing the carbon emissions and waste created by shipping and packaging. Also growing your own vegetables is chemical free and it’s healthy, nutritious and fresh.” (Ever Alonzo)
UK highlights – clean energy, green growth and climate science
London is set to host the Clean Energy Ministerial amid debate in UK politics over the direction of green policy and the cost of environmental measures to families and businesses. The Coalition Government has made announcements on fracking, investment in climate science, the green deal and EU emissions targets, and MPs have called on the government for greater clarity on the “outsourcing” of carbon emissions abroad.
Free April 27 London Screening of Sundance Film Festival documentary “Chasing Ice” with Q & A
INVITATION: You are cordially invited to a special screening of the award-winning documentary ‘Chasing Ice’ and a Q & A with the film’s director, Jeff Orlowski. This event is being sponsored by the U.S. Embassy as part of the first-ever Sundance Festival in London.
Earth Day is Fast Approaching!
April 22 is Earth Day, a day intended for reflection on the immeasurable value and beauty of the Earth’s diverse ecosystems and natural environment. To catalyze global activities on the issue, Earth Day Network (EDN) developed its “A Billion Acts of Green” campaign as the theme for Earth Day 2011, and is continuing it for Earth Day 2012. From switching off a light to planting a tree, each “act of green” by groups or individuals brings us closer to a more sustainable future.
Great Lakes Wind; Rio+20; Power Plant Standards; Clean Water Act; New York, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia Energy Efficiency Efforts; Earth Day; and Other U.S. News
Last week, President Obama called for an end to $4 billion in U.S. oil and gas subsidies, instead using that money to “double-down on investments in clean energy technologies… investments in wind power and solar power and biofuels, investments in fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and energy-efficient homes and buildings.” I, therefore, begin this week’s blog entry with the recently signed Great Lakes Wind Agreement, which streamlines procedures for offshore wind development in several Midwestern states. Watch the President’s full video address below. Other U.S. Government highlights this week include recent sustainable development efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in preparation for Rio+20. There are also newly proposed carbon emissions standards by the EPA for power plants, the approval of E15 blended gasoline for the U.S., and national recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. I discuss efforts to improve energy efficiency in federal buildings and at state and local levels in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Georgia. I finish with advances in science on biofuels, hydrogen fuel cell technology, and the creation of a $5 million DOE supercomputer institute.
Smithsonian Ocean Portal and New App
The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and more than 20 collaborating organizations launched an Ocean Portal – a unique, interactive online experience that inspires awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the world’s oceans. The State Department collaborated this month with the Smithsonian Institution to create a mobile application featuring content from the National Museum of Natural History’s critically acclaimed Ocean Hall. Available for download on Android, iPhone, and HTML4 systems. Watch the video below for more information on what the Amazing Read more
UK/US State Visit; Obama Energy Agenda; America Doubles Renewable Energy Capacity; Wind up 27%; Nevada Solar; Ohio’s Green Button; New China Tariff
Broadly covered by news outlets last week, President Obama hosted Prime Minister Cameron for a state visit to Washington, DC. During the joint press conference, the President praised US/UK efforts toward improving maternal health and preventable deaths of children in Africa, and the increased support for the Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Today is World Water Day. March 24 is World TB Day.
I will post separate blog entries describing U.S. and partner country efforts in both of these efforts. Covered in this week’s U.S. government news are the President’s campaign for an All-of-the-Above energy strategy and a progress report from six federal agencies showing significant gains in U.S. renewable and clean energy over the last three years. President Obama visited four states to showcase such energy efforts, and the U.S. Energy Information Agency’s (USEIA) opened a web portal showing state renewable energy portfolios. I provide specific examples from Wisconsin and Oregon of initiatives at the state and local level. Finally, there is a discussion of a new tariff on Chinese solar panels, Energy Star’s twenty year anniversary, a bacteria-engineered source for biofuel, scientific efforts to locate dark matter in space, and a light-hearted video showing how the White House prepared the Prime Minister’s state dinner.
All-of-the-Above Approach to Energy. The White House released a new energy agenda for gasoline in America. It reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil and increases fuel efficiency standards for light trucks and passenger vehicles. In his weekly video address, the President called for continued investment in new clean energy technologies. “We’ve got to develop every source of American energy,” said the President, “not just oil and gas, but wind power and solar power, nuclear power, biofuels.” Watch the address below. Read more
UK/US Space Weather Collaboration; $1 Billion Clean Vehicle Challenge; 2012 Energy Innovation Summit; Cal, Wisc, Okla Initiatives; Other U.S. Gov’t News
As many media outlets have begun reporting on an upswing in solar flares striking the Earth’s magnetic field possibly causing damage to global communications and electric grids, I begin this week by highlighting US/UK collaboration on space weather. You will also find highlights on a Senate bill that if passed would create a national clean energy standard, a $1 billion White House program to spur deployment of clean vehicles to local communities, and an Energy Department Electric Vehicle challenge. There is a video of Energy Secretary Chu having a fireside chat with Bill Gates during the 2012 Energy Innovation Summit, and examples of new clean technology start-ups in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and California. I finish with ozone pollution research, wildlife and wetland preservation efforts, U.S. collaboration with Mexico and the Caribbean on hurricane preparedness, and a new USAID/OXFAM partnership seeking to empower women on health issues.