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Richard Branson War on Carbon Latest
Tuesday, 20 Feb, 2010
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SEE VIDEO OF BRANSON CARBON WAR ROOM LAUNCH: www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/blogs/richard-branson-declares-war-on-carbon
The Carbon War Room is looking for 10 cities to participate in a 30-month pilot program intended to provide both government and private sector the financial means to aggressively improve energy efficiency projects.
Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room ramped up its climate-change battle Wednesday in Vancouver with a call to civic governments to become global leaders in cutting fossil fuel emissions.
The global non-profit initiative was launched in August 2008 to help communities, businesses and financial institutions develop a common set of tools for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
War Room is calling the civic initiative “Green Capital — Global Challenge.”
Vancouver is “an obvious choice” of venue to stage the launch of the program, Branson told a War Room forum, which ran Monday to Wednesday in downtown Vancouver.
The forum attracted civic representatives from cities including Copenhagen, London, Portland, Atlanta and Chicago as well as financiers and industry leaders.
“Vancouver has actually walked the talk — or [in] this city should I say cycle the talk — reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels while the population has grown 30 per cent,” Branson said.
Investment in energy efficiency measures, such as upgraded heating and cooling systems, smart metering and improved building insulation can provide a positive return in a few years. But Branson believes efforts by local governments and businesses to achieve energy savings targets are frustrated by a lack of access to investment capital, and sees the 10-city initiative as a means of establishing mechanisms for a more dependable flow of money from financial institutions that are keen to invest in, or loan money for, green projects.
“It is a starting point for concerned and passionate civic business leaders to gain the knowledge and resources they need to reduce carbon emissions in their built environment, for improving the energy efficiency of developments."
“The Carbon War Room is looking to take carbon out of our cities and to get money in,” Branson said.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who played host to the Virgin Group founder last December in a media run-up to this week’s forum, announced that Vancouver will seek to be one of the 10 cities chosen to participate.
“The demand for cleaner energy, for reduced waste, for clean water and air and for safe food supply, all of these are attracting capital, and are collectively the emerging powerhouse in the world’s economy,” Robertson said. “Leadership is going to come from cities and it’s going to come from the mayors in those cities setting the tone."
“The cities, though, can’t do it on our own. That’s why it’s critical that we continue to foster partnership and collaboration with the private sector.”
Jose Maria Figueres, chairman of Carbon War Room and former president of Costa Rica, said the group wants to “create a new blueprint for the creation of jobs, driving economies and greener cities around the world.” He said cities that seek to participate will have to meet a number of conditions. Those include commitment to funding targets, establishing a “dedicated team” within government to focus on the challenge, and assembling a network of “administrative and funding partners.”
Valere Tjolle
Source: Vancouver Sun
And S Simpson
Valere Tjolle is editor of the 2010 Sustainable Tourism Report Suite details at:www.travelmole.com/stories/1141006.php
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