WWF - Smarter Energy Resources

WWF's Highlights from IPCC Renewable Energy Report

2011-05-10

This short factsheet expresses WWF's analysis of findings from the new IPCC Special Report Renewable Energy Sources And Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN). It highlights a few key facts that are important to understand the new IPCC report. Facts and figures are either from the negotiated Summary For Policymakers (SPM) or the underlying detailed full report and its Technical Summary.

Heliosthana, A Mediterranean Sustainable Energy Country

2010-06-02

Heliosthana, whose six basic steps are immediately applicable in many Mediterranean countries, is built upon realistic solutions that pave the way towards 100% renewable energy.

Fossil fuels are finite, there is an insecurity of energy supply and prices are unstable and destabilising. In addition climate change and nature loss is at our doors, so finding tangible and immediate solutions is critical. Heliosthana provides this by describing a decade-long harmonious transition towards a sustainable energy system that respects people and the planet, while sustaining a balanced economic and social development.

In 2020 Heliosthana combines low energy intensity (20% less than in 2010) with a promising share of renewable energy (20% of primary energy supply). Part of the renewable electricity is exported to neighbouring countries. Education, R&D and healthcare have benefited from the money saved due to reduced investments in fossil fuels.

The Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) has set a target of 20 Gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2020 and the Desertec Industrial Initiative talks about a potential 400 bn EUR investment in renewables in Northern Africa. WWF supports sustainable energy development in the Mediterranean region, however in order to be effective, the MSP still needs to take bold steps to move towards a solar region.

China, Norway and Offshore Wind Development

2010-03-29

"China, Norway and Offshore Wind Development", a study published by WWF Norway, outlines the status of offshore wind power development in China and looks at how the Norwegian offshore industry can contribute to speed it up.

Today China is the world's fastest growing market for renewable energy. China's annual offshore wind energy generation potential is 11,000 TWh, similar to that of the North Sea. The study estimates that in the next decade China will install 30 GW of offshore wind energy generation capacity. This could mitigate 1.3 billion tons of CO2 over the 20 year asset lifetime (more than the total Norwegian emissions forecast over the same period).

To unleash China's potential and speed up development of offshore wind energy production, however, bridges must to be built between stakeholders with the relevant experience and the best available technology and policy makers and project developers in China.

This study puts forward possible ways for future cooperation between China and Norway - a country with a world leading offshore industry cluster - in order to leverage mutual strengths to upscale and commercialize offshore wind technology for the global market.

A blueprint for a climate friendly cement industry

2008-12-02

G8 Climate Scorecards 2008

2008-07-03

New research examines the climate performance of G8 nations and five emerging economies, and reveals the G8 countries are lagging behind in the race against climate change.

The G8 Climate Scorecards 2008, a report by Ecofys, an independent consultancy, was commissioned jointly by environmental organization WWF and international financial services provider Allianz.

The scorecards rank the G8 countries according to nine quantitative indicators, such as comparing past emission trends since 1990 and progress against the country's Kyoto target. They also score performance on three specific policy areas, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and development of carbon markets.

Decarbonizing Japan - Summary of proposal for emission trading scheme

2008-03-13

SUMMARY VERSION
WWF report showing how setting up a domestic emissions trading scheme (ETS) could turn Japan into a credible leader in the global fight against climate change and bring massive benefits for the country's flagging economy.

Decarbonizing Japan - A Proposal for Domestic Emissions Trading Scheme

2008-03-13

WWF report showing how setting up a domestic emissions trading scheme (ETS) could turn Japan into a credible leader in the global fight against climate change and bring massive benefits for the country's flagging economy.

A Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards - Making Sense of the Voluntary Carbon Market

2008-03-10

The Gold Standard for carbon offsets has come out on top after research which, for the first time, rates voluntary offset standards according to clear quality criteria.

This report discusses the role of the voluntary carbon market and provides an overview of the most important currently available carbon offset standards. It compares the following standards side-by-side, outlining the most pertinent aspects of each:
• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
• Gold Standard (GS)
• Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS)
• VER+
• The Voluntary Offset Standard (VOS)
• Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
• The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS)
• Plan Vivo System
• ISO 14064-2
• WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol for Project Accounting

The report is meant to be a comprehensive reference. To maximize the readability and transparency of the report, we distinguish between the following types of information:
• Background information describes principles and mechanisms of the offset market in general. This report uses the CDM as the baseline standard against which all the other standards are compared. It also includes an explanation of the CDM project cycle and the main actors involved in CDM offset projects. The information in these sections is presented as objectively as possible and with minimal editorializing. The appendices include further background information. Background information appears in black.
• Standard Comparisons and Summaries include specific information about each standard as well as comparison tables. The information in these sections is presented as objectively as possible and with minimal editorializing. Standard comparisons and descriptions are titled in blue or on a blue background.
• Authors' Comments are sections where the authors express their opinions and value judgments. Editorial comments and opinions about each standard can be found at the end of the standard description. In their brief comments, the authors focus on what they consider the main strengths and weaknesses of each standard. Editorial comments are indicated by a vertical bar on the left.

An evaluation of the CDM and options for improvement

2007-11-29

One out of five emission reductions credits sold under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) lack environmental integrity, according to a WWF report.

The report — Is the CDM fulfilling its environmental and sustainable development objectives? — suggests that 20% of emission reductions certified under the initiative may have happened even without CDM financing.

WWF proposes a series of improvements that the CDM's Executive Board should implement to strengthen the credibility of the CDM. These include strengthening the project methodologies, and increasing the controls and transparency of the verifying organizations.

WWF G8 Climate Change Scorecards 2007

2007-06-04

The WWF Climate Scorecards report provides a comparable snapshot of the current situation of climate policies and measures across G8 countries, covering recent and expected emissions, and key activities by G8 governments in response to climate change. New up-to-date information is also provided on the climate actions of the world's largest emerging economies – Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

The US and Canada are deep in the red in WWF's Climate Scorecards, which evaluate and rate each of the G8 countries' performance on climate change. The bottom ranking goes a long way to explaining US attempts to block progress at the G8 towards new UN climate negotiations aimed at stopping dangerous climate change.

Making Energy-Efficiency Happen: From Potential to Reality

2007-05-29

Despite the enormous potential of energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the planet from dangerous climate change, too many existing efficiency policies and measures in the G8 industrialized countries are ineffective.

The global conservation organization shows in its report 'Making Energy Efficiency happen: From Potential to Reality' what each of the G8 plus 5 countries can do to save energy and the climate while promoting their energy security with sustainable economic growth.

WWF's recommendations specifically focus on the building, transport and power sectors. For the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany has suggested a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency in each sector by 2020 compared to 2005.

The WWF report shows that G8 plus 5 countries have even greater energy efficiency potentials in these sectors and that endorsing these targets is technically and economically feasible for all countries. It estimates the efficiency potential for the transport sector at 25-50 per cent, for the building sector at 30-45 per cent, and for the power sector at 4-45 per cent by the year 2030, depending on the country.

The recommended measures include standard setting, labelling for energy efficiency, fiscal instruments such as subsidies or tax credits, and a CO2 or energy tax. Increased energy conservation would result in cost savings, an increase in energy security, and provide new business opportunities and increased employment.

The WWF report reveals that the five developing countries analysed — Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa — all have some efficiency policies in place already but show a large scope for improvement as well.

Brazilian sustainable electricity agenda 2020

2007-05-23

To ensure Brazil continues to play a positive role in this area, WWF-Brazil, in cooperation with
a coalition of associations of clean energy producers and dealers, environmental groups, and
consumers, commissioned a survey to researchers from Unicamp (State University of Campinas)
and the International Energy Initiative.

The result of this survey is presented in this report, which makes an ambitious – though realistic – analysis of Brazil's energy potential in order to fulfill the country's power requirements by 2020 with fewer impacts and lower carbon emissions. This study is part of an international initiative called 'PowerSwitch!', which is being implemented by the WWF network in over 16 countries.

Climate Solutions: WWF's Vision for 2050

2007-05-15

Climate Solutions: WWF's Vision for 2050, a report by the global conservation organization, shows that the world has more than enough sustainable energy and technology to curb climate change, but key decisions need to be made now.

WWF's Climate Solutions report shows how the world can limit its heat-trapping emissions with known technologies and policy changes, using only sustainable, environmentally friendly energy sources.

"The question for leaders and governments everywhere is how to rein in dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide emissions without stunting development and reducing living standards," said James Leape, WWF International's Director General. "The Climate Solutions report shows not only that this can be done, it shows how we can do it. We have a small window of time in which we can plant the seeds of change, and that is the next five years. We cannot afford to waste them.

"This is not something that governments can put off until the future. Governments in power now have a unique opportunity, a duty, to do something big for the future of the planet. If they fail, generations to come will have to live with the compromises and hardships caused by their inability to act."

Princeton University's Professor Robert Socolow, who in his work with Professor Stephen Pacala developed the climate stabilization wedges used in the WWF study, endorsed the Climate Solutions report.

"The WWF study provides a much needed integration of climate change mitigation within a comprehensive framework of environmental stewardship," he said.

Overview over the WWF Climate Solutions Report

Climate Solutions is the report of WWF's Energy Task Force which was set up in December 2005. More than 100 scientists and experts contributed their knowledge.

The task force set out to answer the question: "Is it technically possible to meet the growing global demand for energy using clean and sustainable energy sources and technologies that will protect the global climate?"

It began by reviewing 25 different commercially available sustainable energy sources or technologies and ranking them. From this process, three groupings emerged: those technologies with clear benefits, those with some negative but mostly positive impacts, and those where the negatives clearly outweighed the positives.

Those technologies found to have more benefits than negative impacts were then run through the newly designed WWF Climate Solutions model.

The findings were clear and had a note of hope: the model showed, with a high degree of probability (i.e. greater than 90 per cent), that known energy sources and proven technologies could be harnessed between now and 2050 to meet a projected doubling in global demand for energy while at the same time achieving the necessary significant drop (about 60-80 per cent) in carbon dioxide emissions to prevent dangerous climate change.

The model shows for the first time that this is technically and industrially feasible. It also shows that measures must be taken within five years to bring about a reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions within the next ten years.

The report identifies six key solutions to the problem of meeting global energy demand without damaging the global climate:

• Improving energy efficiency.
• Stopping forest loss.
• Accelerating the development of low-emissions technologies.
• Developing flexible fuels.
• Replacing high-carbon coal with low-carbon gas.
• Equipping fossil-fuel plants with carbon capture and storage technology.

For further information:
Moira O'Brien-Malone, Head of Press
WWF International
mobrien@wwfint.org
+41 22 364 9550

Martin Hiller
WWF Climate Change Communications
mhiller@wwfint.org
+41 79 347 2256

Russia: energy policies and carbon markets

2007-04-22

Russia: risks, responsibilities and opportunities in future carbon and energy markets.
Russia's importance for international energy and climate policies.
A report prepared by WWF and Allianz

PowerSwitch in Argentina - WWF energy scenario for the Argentinian power sector

2006-10-23

Saving energy is key to solving Argentina's climate and energy crisis. Findings of the FSVA PowerSwitch report, evaluating the potential for electric energy savings in the power and natural gas sectors of Argentina. Here you find both the summary brochure in English and Spansih, and the full report in Spanish.

Clean Power In Brazil Means up to $15 billion Cost Savings

2006-09-14

Brazil's power sector could avoid up to US 15 billion in energy investments and create 8 million new jobs, while stabilising its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that contribute to global warming to 2004 levels by 2020, according to a report released by WWF-Brazil.

The report, called 'Sustainable Electricity Agenda 2020', identifies feasible ways to substantially reduce the need to build new large-scale power infrastructure by dramatically cutting energy waste, promoting technological innovation and increasing the share of renewable energy up to 80 per cent of the total power supply. "Today, Brazil is a reference for international negotiations regarding renewable energy and climate change, and we have to guarantee that this role continues to be performed by the country in the future", said Denise Hamú, CEO of WWF-Brazil. "If the decisions taken regarding the electricity sector are misplaced, Brazil will find itself opposed to international climate change action and Kyoto Protocol." "This study tables a constructive proposal to eradicate the phantasm of the blackout and minimize the socio-environmental conflicts in the evolution of the Brazilian electricity matrix in a cheap and intelligent way", added Leonardo Lacerda, Conservation Director for WWF-Brazil.

According to the environmental group, with aggressive policies for reducing power waste both at the production and consumption level and stimulating investment in new renewable energy, such as biomass, wind, small hydropower and solar thermal power, Brazil could cut by 38% the projected power demand growth by 2020. This will result in savings of USD 15 billion for consumers by the year 2020, the equivalent of two and a half times the 2006 budget of Lula's Programme against Hunger (Programma Fome Zero), or the combined GDP of Bolivia and Paraguay for 2005. "For the Brazilian people, cutting energy waste is more cost-effective than constructing new hydropower or coal fired thermoelectric plants. Brazil has made a great effort towards energy conservation during the 2001 power rationing, but has already forgotten the good lessons learned", reminded Gilberto Januzzi, the author's report author from the University of Campinas (State of São Paulo).

By implementing this blueprint for a climate-safe power sector, Brazil could stabilize its climate altering emissions at a level close to that of 2004. Between 2004-2020, the country could achieved cumulated CO2 emissions savings of 413 million tonnes. This is higher that the CO2 emission avoided by Pro-Alcohol Programme over the last 25 years. "In the international carbon market, the sales of these 413 million tonnes of carbon dioxide could generate an revenue of US$2 billion", said Giulio Volpi, Co-ordinator of the WWF Climate Change Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. "This is the kind of proposal that Brazil should consider persue to both ripe the benefits of the international carbon market and reaffirm its leadership role in the global fight to climate change" concluded Volpi.

To realize this potential, WWF Brazil calls on the government to adopt a clean energy plan to mainstream energy efficiency and new renewable energy sources in the power planning process. Priority actions include the approval of a energy efficiency plan with timebound quantifiable targets, the launch of the second phase of the National Renewable Electricity Programme (Proinfa II) and of the National Solar Thermal Programme.

Report: No energy security without climate security

2006-07-11

WWF urges the G8 nations to embark on a serious global 'CLIMATE AND ENERGY SECURITY PLAN' akin in dimension to the Marhsall Plan after the second World War.

Stormy Europe - the power sector and extreme weather

2006-03-02

Following a European winter of extreme cold and heavy snow, a WWF report says that there's more risk of severe storms and extreme weather in future winters as a result of climate change unless CO₂ emissions are reduced dramatically.

The report - Stormy Europe - summarizes recent scientific findings on future storm activity across western and central Europe. The countries included in the analysis are the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Italy.

Stormy Europe Report – Methodology & References

2006-03-02

WWF PowerSwitch! scenarios for a clean energy future

2005-11-28

Melting glaciers, violent weather, severe droughts, warming oceans, species moving to cooler habitats: these are the ominous signs of climate change.

It will be extremely difficult to keep global warming below 2ºC because of massive growth in energy demand worldwide – but it is possible. This is the challenging goal of WWF's Climate Change Programme.

The PowerSwitch! campaign zeros in on the biggest climate polluter: the coal-burning power sector. The goal of the PowerSwitch! campaign is to get governments to cut CO2 pollution produced by coal power stations and thereby force a switch to cleaner, more efficient power.

To prove that a switch from coal to clean is possible, WWF has produced PowerSwitch! scenarios for countries and regions around the world.