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Loading ...Brazil Updates Mandatory Energy Label for Air Conditioners
Saturday, August 1st, 2009Brazil recently adopted a new set of rules for conformity assessment and energy effficiency labeling for air conditioners. Among other things, National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro) Portaria 215, adopted on 23 July 2009 and published in the federal gazette on 27 July: extended the rules and compulsory labeling requirement (see sample […]
Update on Mexico’s Appliance Exchange Program
Monday, July 27th, 2009In January I posted about how Mexico has joined Brazil and Colombia in launching programs to get citizens to hand in their old refrigerators and/or air conditioners for newer, more efficient models. Now the Energy Secretariat (SENER) reports that as of 23 July nearly 71,000 appliances had been replaced under the program. The states with […]
Brazil Begins Awarding Building Efficiency Labels
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Earlier this year I posted about Brazil’s trailblazing initiative to provide energy efficiency labels for buildings. Well, the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro) has just announced that first five Brazilian buildings were given the labels in the form of steel plaques about the size of an A4 sheet of printing paper. […]
Linkages Between Trade and Climate Change / Vinculos entre el comercio y el cambio climático
Friday, June 26th, 2009From the World Trade Organization (WTO): WTO and UNEP launch a report explaining for the first time the connections between trade and climate change The world cannot continue with “business as usual” and there is a profound need for a successful conclusion to the current negotiations on both climate change and trade opening. The WTO/UNEP […]
Trends in Clean Energy Investment
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009From the UN Environment Programme (UNEP): Economic Crisis Hits EU and US Clean Energy As Emerging Economy Investments Rise 27% to $36 billion However Renewables Draw More Investment than Fossil-Fueled Energy Technologies in ’08 Geothermal Sees Fastest Growth – Wind Power Tops Overall Investment, Solar Posts Largest Gains $155 billion was invested in 2008 in […]
Caixa Creates Label for Sustainable Housing
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF, popularly known among Brazilians as simply “Caixa”), Latin America’s largest public bank, is already involved in promoting green building though its insistence on construction using certified wood and its concessionary financing for the installation of the solar panels and water heaters in Brazil’s recently announced “My House My Life” Program to […]
Argentina Sets Minimum Efficiency Levels for Refrigerators
Sunday, May 24th, 2009Argentina is one of the few Latin American nations (along with Brazil and Mexico) which has long (since 1999) had a mandatory energy efficiency labeling program for lighting and certain household appliances (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, water heaters). Even so, to date the mandatory labels have only been issued for refrigerators, […]
The Case for Greater Power Savings in Electronics
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009From the International Energy Agency (IEA): IEA expects energy use by new electronic devices to triple by 2030 but sees considerable room for more efficiency The International Energy Agency (IEA) calls on governments to urgently implement policies to make electronic devices such as televisions, laptops and mobile phones more energy-efficient. Presenting the new IEA publication […]
The 7th Round of REEEP Projects and LAC
Thursday, May 7th, 2009The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) recently announced that in its seventh funding round it will fund 49 new clean energy projects in 25 countries, including 12 involving nations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). REEEP is “an active, global public-private partnership that structures policy and regulatory initiatives for clean energy, and facilitates financing for […]
US & Mexico Increase Cooperation on Climate Change & Clean Energy
Thursday, April 16th, 2009From the White House: U.S.-MEXICO ANNOUNCE BILATERAL FRAMEWORK ON CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE President Obama and President Calderon today announced plans to strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation by establishing the US-Mexico Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change. During their first conversation in January 2009, then President-elect Obama and President Calderon discussed the […]