UN human rights chief hails new pact to protect Africa's displaced

The United Nations human rights chief today welcomed a new treaty to protect and assist those uprooted from their homes due to conflict and natural disasters in Africa, which accounts for nearly half of the world's 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

UN agency concerned over forced returns of asylum-seekers from central Iraq

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today expressed its concern that some European nations have recently been forcibly returning asylum-seekers from central Iraq – which has witnessed serious human rights violations and continuing insecurity.

Intruiguing, but much too late

Just days ahead of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday next week, David Miliband will on Monday deliver a speech at the IISS in London, entitled “EU Foreign Policy After Lisbon”.

Will he make a subtle candidacy bid for the EU Foreign Minister role to be created under Lisbon?

Who knows - but one thing is for sure - this speech should have come not in October 2009, just weeks before the Treaty is due to come into force, but in Spring 2008 when Parliament was voting on whether or not to ratify it, and nobody had the foggiest what EU foreign policy would look like under Lisbon. Or better still even earlier, when the Treaty was still being written and negotiated, so that citizens could actually take an interest and find out what was being decided in their name. Instead, Miliband will next week present us with a fait accompli.

American belief in global warming plummets

Scepticism in the US that there is solid evidence for climate change is growing

Tough luck Sarko

Interesting to note that, according to German daily Sueddeutsche today, France is apparently unhappy with the fact that the new EU Foreign Minister will also be a Vice-President of the European Commission, fearing ‘indirect’ Commission control over European Security and Defence Policy.

No doubt this is not disconnected from the news that Britain’s David Miliband is apparently now in the frame to take this impressive new title, to be created under the Lisbon Treaty (though his chances seem pretty slim).

This is the second time in as many weeks that strong proponents of the Treaty, most of whom weren’t remotely interested in letting the public have a proper debate on the content while it was still being negotiated, have raised objections now that it is all but implemented.

Last week it was Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies complaining that the post of EU President to be created under Lisbon is undemocratic (correct). And now France is suddenly raising objections about the dangers of letting the supranational Commission get its hands on security and defence policy, which has always in the past been the sole remit of the ‘intergovernmental’ side of things in the European Council.

This is one of the more controversial things about the Treaty - as we have been arguing for a long time, the UK has been against giving the Commission a role in foreign policy since 1992 and initially opposed this ‘double-hatting’ of the EU Foreign Minister with the Commission.

Thing is, it’s a bit late for the French government and indeed anyone else who was desperate to push this Treaty through to start complaining now about its implications. The EU Foreign Minister will, like the EU President, be appointed by a qualified majority vote in the European Council, probably before the year is out.

Aggreko’s Rupert Soames: Churchill’s grandson brings light to Africa

Chief executive of Scottish generator-hire company Aggreko provides power – from Kenya to Glastonbury
Tim Webb
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 October 2009
For the only time during the interview, Rupert Soames, chief executive of heavy-duty generator rental firm Aggreko, seems genuinely lost for words.
It’s a bit like one of those awkward Desert Island Discs moments on Radio 4, when the interviewee becomes uncomfortable if the questions get too personal, that passes only when the next disc is introduced.
Soames has veered off from talking about Aggreko to try to explain his obvious and genuine fascination with Africa, where hundreds of millions of people – and their governments – rely on his company to keep the lights on.
After a long pause, he finds the phrase he’s looking for: “It’s the potential of the place. The size … People have to struggle with really difficult issues – many of their own making, many of other people’s making.”
A quick look at his family tree provides an obvious explanation for his passion. His father was Lord Soames, the last governor of what was then Rhodesia and the man responsible for the British-run elections that brought Robert Mugabe to power in 1980. This is how his “romantic attachment” to the continent began, he suggests, but you could say it was already in his blood: 45 years ago, his maternal grandfather, Winston Churchill, was a staunch but ultimately failed defender of Britain’s vast African colonies.
Meeting the convivial Soames, who has a Churchillian turn of phrase to match his ancestry, it is impossible to escape the spectre of history or politics. On his office walls are framed loan notes issued after the Great Crash of 1929. Even some of his expressions seem to belong to a different era, and he is fond of quoting Evelyn Waugh’s 1938 novel, Scoop, about a foreign correspondent covering a war in Africa.
Like his grandfather, who, appropriately, first came to public attention with his exploits as a reporter covering colonial wars, he does not beat around the bush. In Africa, Soames declares, “solar is about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike”.
His argument was that peak demand for electricity in Africa occurs after the sun has gone down, between 9pm and midnight. Solar can only help meet this in conjunction with hydro-electricty, which provides much of Africa’s power.
But when the rains fail – as they are doing more and more often – the dams dry up and cannot generate electricity. Because most developing countries have limited back-up power generation, governments have to get the likes of Aggreko to ship in large mobile generators to provide temporary power. When renewables like solar or hydro aren’t working, Soames comes calling – often literally.
Blackouts
Kenya is a good example. After the rains failed this summer and its hydro plants ground to a halt, the government paid Aggreko to rent 290MW of generating capacity for a year to help limit the waves of power cuts. If the rains come next year, Aggreko will pack up its kit and leave. If they fail again, the generators will probably stay, he says.
In Africa, where Aggreko does most of its business, the number of blackouts is rising as countries’ crumbling energy infrastructure fails to keep pace with economic growth.
Soames quotes a World Bank report that estimates African businesses lose 56 days of production each year owing to power shortages, or more than one in five working days. This is good for Aggreko and its business is booming, with shares hitting an all-time high this week. But its diesel- and gas-powered generators operate at higher costs than hydro power and many larger conventional fossil fuel plants, pushing up the price of electricity for the utilities.
Nevertheless, keeping the lights on is a political imperative. “In developing countries, power is right up the hierarchy. In most developing countries, people take whether the lights are on or not as an indicator of good or bad government. The politicians know this and we would hardly do a contract where the energy minister or prime minister is not involved in some way.”
This can make Aggreko’s business unpredictable and often the company has to respond swiftly. “They say rush rush, hurry hurry, rush. Often we are dealing with customers who have absolutely horrific political issues to deal with,” he says.
Sometimes the state-owned utilities miss their payments, which calls for some shuttle diplomacy. “You don’t get a payment for two or three months and we go down and protest and beg and sit outside the minister’s office, and say please, pretty please, pay us,” he says. “Then a wodge of money will come.”
In six years of running the international operation of Aggreko, no one has refused to pay outright or seized Aggreko’s equipment, although Soames expects something of the sort to happen sooner or later.
The nature of Aggreko’s business often brings it into conflict zones or countries still trying to rebuild their infrastructure after a war. One of Aggreko’s generators took a direct hit in Iraq recently. “We have been shelled before, but to actually get one through the front of the generator was a little closer than we would have liked. We often deal in places which are very dangerous.”
Aggreko, based in Dumbarton in Scotland, has a fleet of power generators that, combined, could provide almost a tenth of Britain’s peak electricity demand. Not all of its equipment is deployed in developing countries: it shipped generators out to the US last year after hurricanes Gustav and Ike wrecked existing plants.
Problems
While the international business is growing, the company makes two-thirds of its revenue from renting equipment to supply electricity for organised events, such as the Glastonbury music festival or the Olympic Games in Beijing.
While Soames knows a thing or two about power cuts in Africa, he worries that Britain could suffer from similar problems in a few years unless the government makes investing in new power plants viable for companies. He also believes low-carbon generation such as clean coal are not yet ready to replace the existing clapped-out gas and coal power plants built in the 1960s.
“We have to be realistic: the technologies that people would love to imagine are going to lead to a very high proportion of energy generation coming from renewables are not at a stage where they can be deployed at a large scale globally,” he warns. “We have to understand what is the art of the possible.”
Does that mean that Soames – in the footsteps of his brother Nicholas, the former Tory minister of state for the armed forces – is itching to get into politics, to knock a few heads together? “One Soames is enough,” he growls.

Two nuclear power stations and five wind farms to be considered by controversial new planning body

Campaigners fear two new nuclear power stations and five wind farms will go ahead after applications were submitted to a powerful new Government body set up to push through controversial projects.

By Louise Gray, Environment CorrespondentPublished: 7:30AM BST 22 Oct 2009
The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was formed to speed up the planning process amid fears major developments were getting bogged down in local protests.
Today (Thurs) the IPC announced its first projects including applications from French firm EDF for two new nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C as well as five wind farms and a major biomass plant.

However the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) fear the projects will be railroaded through by the new body without considering local fears.
The IPC was set up earlier this month to look at planning applications for developments “of national importance” such as power stations and roads. Although councils will give evidence and there will be local consultation, the IPC will make the ultimate decision based on plans set out by the Government in National Policy Statements.
Fiona Howie, Head of Planning and Regions at the CPRE, said the Government has already made clear it favours nuclear.
“A huge amount will depend on the [forthcoming] National Policy Statement. If they say yes to nuclear then it will be very very difficult for the IPC to refuse them,” she said.
She said the CPRE remain concerned that the IPC will override the opinion of the local community.
“Whilst we recognise national good versus local concerns, our worry is will anyone be able to influence anything once the NPS is set out?” she asked.
But Sir Michael Pitt, Chair of the IPC, emphasised that the public will be able to take part in the process.
“The projects we are highlighting today raise important issues for the nation and for local communities and we want the public to have confidence that their views will be heard. In every case there will be an opportunity for an open floor hearing as part of the IPC examination process.”

Car scrappage scheme sparks switch to greener vehicles

Manfacturers see rise in demand for smaller, fuel-efficient cars
Adam Vaughan
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 October 2009 13.32 BST

The government’s car scrappage scheme has had a surprisingly positive environmental effect. Motorists buying new cars through the scheme, that was introduced at this year’s budget, are opting for greener and smaller models than the average new car buyer, industry figures reveal.
When the UK scrappage scheme began in May it was roundly criticised by environmental campaigners and commentators for not enforcing fuel efficiency standards for new cars bought through the scheme. But figures released by the car manufacturers’ trade association SMMT this week show the scheme has had a surprising green halo, with new cars bought through it emitting 10.9% less (16g/km CO2) than the average new car.
Scrappage buyers were also three times more likely than average to buy the smallest class of car - “minis” such as the Smart Fortwo - and a third more cars bought through the scheme were larger “superminis” such as the Hyundai i10. New cars bought through the scheme had average CO2 emissions of 131.1g/km CO2, 27.4% below the average CO2 (181.9g/km CO2) of the scrapped cars.
By 2015, average emissions across European fleets will have to emit less than 130g/km CO2 under EU law. The UK was recently criticised by transport campaigners for lagging behind other European countries such as Portugal, Italy and Spain on average CO2 levels from new cars.
The SMMT figures cover 80% of the 178,253 cars registered between May and September through the scheme, which has been warmly welcomed by the industry. Paul Everitt, SMMT’s chief executive, said, “Since launching, the scrappage incentive scheme has provided a welcome boost to new car registrations. Not only is it helping to reduce average CO2 emissions, but it is putting safer vehicles on our roads.”
But environmental campaigners warned the emissions cuts were simply incidental. Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth’s transport campaigner, said: “We’re pleased that people are buying less polluting new cars, but we mustn’t be fooled into thinking that this was a deliberate aim of the scrappage scheme. Ministers must do far more to encourage low-carbon development and take tough action to ensure that greener cars are bought and driven. And the motor industry, which has consistently opposed tough measures to tackle climate change, must be forced to get serious about cutting emissions.”
The switch to greener cars as a result of the UK scrappage scheme echoes the pattern set by the US “cash-for-clunkers” scheme, which saw SUVs and pick-up trucks account for 83% of the most-traded cars. The US administration claimed new cars bought through the programme were 63% less polluting than the old ones, though campaigners criticised it as an costly method of reducing carbon emissions.
The SMMT data follows preliminary analysis by experts earlier this year that suggested scrappage buyers were switching to smaller and more efficient cars

Outlook from solar companies disappoints investors

Reuters, Thursday October 22 2009
* SunPower disappoints with lowered outlook
* Akeena takes advantage of lower panel costs
* MEMC to acquire commercial solar financier SunEdison
(Adds executive comments)
By Poornima Gupta and Laura Isensee
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. solar companies SunPower Corp and Akeena Solar Inc on Thursday posted results that topped Wall Street estimates, but offered little hope the market for the renewable energy source would rebound this year.
The two companies said the solar sector was seeing a slow improvement, but also admitted the industry has yet to overcome the oversupply problems that have driven prices for panels down by about 50 percent in the past 12 months.
“The industry is seeing a much more balanced picture in demand and supply,” said SunPower’s chief executive, Tom Werner, in an interview.
SunPower, which posted lower net income and trimmed its full-year earnings forecast to the low end of its previous range, said the financing environment for solar projects was improving, and the average selling price fell less than 10 percent during the third quarter.
The company’s forecast narrowed in part because some of its large-scale projects have moved into the early part of 2010, Werner said in an interview.
“The good news there is that we’re still sold out and we go in with a very strong pipeline into 2010,” Werner said, adding that the company is “better positioned” for the first quarter of 2010 than it was for the first quarter in 2009.
Werner also told reporters during a conference call he saw residential demand strengthening in all markets, but still expected average selling prices of panels to weaken in the fourth quarter.
SunPower shares tumbled 13 percent to $29.05 following the results in extended trade after closing at $33.30 on the Nasdaq. ID:nN19401993
Demand for systems that turn sunlight into electricity has taken a hit because of the global financial crisis and an oversupply of cells and modules caused by a cutback in Spanish subsidies.
Investors are also now fretting over how much and when Germany’s government will cut aid to its solar industry, the world’s top market.
Werner said SunPower has always prepared for a decline in solar aid in Germany but noted that Germany is a “great market” even with a change in the country’s subsidy.
MEMC Electronic Materials Inc, which produces silicon wafers that are a key component in solar cells, swung to a larger-than-expected quarterly loss but said it saw sequential increase in demand.
MEMC said it expected nearly flat revenues during the fourth quarter as compared to the third — an outlook executives at the company said was conservative given the uncertainty over pricing.
The company’s shares fell nearly 2 percent in after-market trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
MEMC also announced it plans to acquire privately held SunEdison, which designs, installs and finances solar systems for commercial customers. ID:nN2251354
Smaller solar power systems maker Akeena Solar Inc posted a narrower-than-expected third-quarter loss as it took advantage of lower panel prices and cheaper installation costs.
But shares of the company closed down nearly 2 percent after it said that installation results in the fourth quarter would likely be similar to those in the third quarter.
Akeena said net sales for the quarter fell 27 percent to $7.7 million, reflecting decline in commercial revenue due to the tight credit market and overall economic conditions. ID:nBNG480161
(Reporting by Poornima Gupta, Laura Isensee in Los Angeles, Matt Daily in New York and Arundhati Ramanathan in Bangalore; Editing by Bernard Orr, Phil Berlowitz)

China and India agree to cooperate on climate change policy

Countries will coordinate efforts on renewable energy and research into the effects of climate change in the Himalayas
Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 October 2009 16.33 BST
China and India have signed a pact to coordinate their approach to climate negotiations and some domestic policies.
The world’s two most populous nations signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday ahead of back-to-back summits between their leaders and US president Barack Obama next month.
The two nations will also form a joint working group that will meet once a year to coordinate policies. And they will cooperate on renewable energy and research into the effects of climate change on Himalayan glaciers.
But the timing of the announcement highlights the importance of maintaining at least a show of unity on the climate issue, despite heightened tensions between the two nations. China and India are among the leaders of the G77 bloc of developing nations, who have consistently argued that they should not be obliged to set internationally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gases because richer nations have a far greater historical responsibility for the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
But with China now the world’s biggest emitter and India the fourth, one of the central goals of the Copenhagen summit is to find a formula that encourages these nations to make verifiable commitments to tackle climate change while leaving room for their economies to develop. The United States hopes to make progress towards a breakthrough when Obama meets China’s president Hu Jintao in Beijing on November 16-17 and then plays host to India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh at the White House on November 24.
But many inside these Asian nations are wary of efforts to make emerging economies break ranks. Earlier this week, the Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh was castigated by the local media and opposition parties for supposedly considering a softening of India’s negotiating position.
Ramesh has since clarified there is no change in Indian policy or its alliance with other developing nations. At the signing ceremony for the memorandum yesterday, he stressed: “There is no difference between the Indian and Chinese negotiating positions and we are discussing further what the two countries should be doing for a successful outcome at Copenhagen.”
New Delhi has also sought reassurance from Beijing that China will not sign a bilateral deal with the US that runs contrary to G77 goals. At the signing ceremony, Xie Zhenhua, China’s vice-chairman of National Development and Reform Commission and the country’s top climate change negotiator, tried to soothe such concerns: “We regard India as a sincere, devoted friend and the MoU [memorandum of understanding] on climate change will take our cooperation on the issue to a new high.”
Indian and Chinese climate campaigners welcomed the show of solidarity. “This is a good sign that developing nations are sticking together despite pressure from developed nations,” said Siddharth Pathak, climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace India. “They will not allow themselves to bullied by other countries.”
Shirish Sinha, the head of the climate change programme at WWF India said the two nations faced common challenges in ensuring energy security and reducing poverty that set them apart from wealthier economies.
“It is largely in the interests of both countries given the pressure coming on them to take action, to really come together,” he said. Despite the apparent hardening of positions and the lack of time before Copenhagen, climate negotiators said they had not given up hope of a positive outcome.”
“I think the Copenhagen talks will eventually come up with something. So many people have been working on it for such a long time, and the whole world is watching, there will be something,” said Liu Bin a climate expert at Tsinghua University and Chinese negotiator.
“I am getting a little more hopeful,” said Chung Rae-Kwon, the climate change ambassador for South Korea. “I think we are getting progress in finding an agreement.”
South Korea has proposed a compromise under which developing nations would register domestic actions to slow the growth of emissions. Although these targets would not be internationally binding, they would be subject to outside verification.
It is unclear, however, whether a suitable formula can be found in time to persuade India, China and the United States to sign up at Copenhagen. Preparatory talks last month in Bangkok ended in acrimonious squabbles.
“Time is running out,” said Yang Fuqiang, the director of the climate change and energy programme of WWF China. “It’s possible that all we will get at Copenhagen is a political declaration and an agreement to extend the process.”
A key to any agreement is for the US Senate to ratify a climate bill before the country’s negotiators go to Copenhagen. Former vice-president Al Gore, who is spearheading efforts to get a bill passed, told an audience in Beijing yesterday that he was confident of success, but he cautioned against over-expectation.
He said any global pact reached in Copenhagen was bound to disappoint many people, but it would be a step forward that could be strengthened at a later date once the business community received a signal that they would have to change their ways. “I choose to be optimistic,” he said.