Tag Archives: data
Carbon Market Data Grows Emissions Database
Author: Faye Kilburn Source: Inside Market Data | 13 Jun 2013 European carbon market research and data vendor Carbon Market Data has added new data covering carbon emissions reduction projects to its European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) database, to provide carbon traders, brokers and research functions within financial institutions with more granular information on the carbon emissions of countries in Europe. The EU ETS scheme , which is designed to tackle climate change, requires organizations that consume commodities , such as factories, power stations and energy providers, and other carbon-emitting industries such as pharmaceuticals, airlines, food and drinks manufacturers and hospitals — all of which are allocated carbon allowances each year — to monitor and report their CO2 emissions and return leftover emission allowances to their governments. Carbon Market Data aggregates all information generated by the scheme and published by the EU — including CO2 verified emissions and distributed allowances for each company — into a single database. In recent weeks, the vendor has updated the information it holds on emission-reduction projects developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which operates in tandem with the EU ETS to reflective the most recent data issued by the UN. This information includes details of the type of projects being operated-for example, whether the project is a Joint Implementation (JI) between industrialized countries or a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project, which focuses on sustainable development in emerging economies; the country of origin of the project; the greenhouse gas reductions the project delivers, as well as data on the number of carbon credits or offsets issued to the countries involved by the UN in return for a reduction of atmospheric carbon emissions through the project. “The United Nations initiative collects data on new emission projects being developed by companies around the globe and publishes information, which we have added to the database,” says Cédric Bleuez, managing director at Carbon Market Data. Core users of this information are carbon traders and brokers who want more information about the sustainability profile of a company they are looking to invest in. Earlier this month, Carbon Market Data published emissions rankings of companies involved in the EU ETS scheme, and an accompanying report, following the release of verified emissions reports by the EU at the beginning of April. German electric utilities company RWE, Swedish power company Vattenfall and electric utility service provider E.ON were the three biggest CO2 emitters of the EU ETS scheme during 2012. “We found that the companies with the biggest capitalization are usually biggest emitters… and usually those having the biggest surplus of carbon allowances are steel makers and producers, while those with the biggest shortage of allowances are power producers,” Bleuez says. This data allows fund managers, carbon traders and brokers, analysts and M&A advisors to assess the business risks and opportunities associated with investing in a particular company, and to manage their exposure to carbon risk. The rankings and analysis are free to download in PDF format from Carbon Market Data’s website , and may be of interest to research professionals and analysts trying to understand the how companies’ shortage and surplus of carbon credits impact the price of carbon and stocks in the market, he adds. Continue reading
Open Data + Agriculture Can Transform How Farmers Respond to Looming Crises
April 26, 2013 In Uganda, a team used the Ureport system to gather real-time data and track the spread of banana bacterial wilt. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Open data combined with agricultural knowledge, remote sensing, and mapping can support advice and early warnings for farmers. That information can be critical to protecting crops from pests and extreme weather, increasing yields, monitoring water supplies, and anticipating changes brought on by climate change. The G8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture will explore opportunities for open data and knowledge sharing, particularly in Africa. Across Uganda’s banana plantations, a devastating infection has been attacking the fruit, killing off entire crops and threatening food security. There are prevention methods to keep banana bacterial wilt (BBW) at bay, but the government faced a challenge: how to pinpoint the most vulnerable regions of the country and get prevention and treatment information into the hands of growers. A team from the World Bank found an answer in open data built and spread by ICTs – information and communication technologies. The project tapped into a system called Ureport – a network of 190,000+ volunteers across Uganda who use mobile technology to report on various issues of interest to UNICEF. Within days, the team was able to leverage Ureport to raise awareness, visualize the spread of the bacteria, and disseminate symptom descriptions and treatment options. More than 52,000 U-reporters either provided information about BBW, requested information, or both via SMS over the five days this spring. “What Ureport made possible was not only information dissemination or data gathering, but a nationwide conversation focused on a critical issue for Ugandans,” Lyudmila Bujoreanu, a World Bank ICT policy specialist, writes in a blog post describing the quick response in Uganda. It also provided an example of fast data collection through ICTs that can help decision makers visualize crises as they develop and show them where and how best to respond. Similar data has been feeding into open data collections that today are using history, scientific knowledge, mapping, remote sensing, and real-time data collection to inform decisions and provide agriculture advice and warnings around the globe. Exploring open data opportunities for agriculture On April 29-30, the G8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture will bring together U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte, and experts in the field to explore more opportunities for open data and knowledge sharing that can help farmers and governments in Africa and around the globe protect their crops from pests and extreme weather, increase their yields, monitor water supplies, and anticipate changes brought on by climate change. “We are already seeing the immense benefits of open data across the globe, but no more so than in Africa, and, specifically, agriculture data provides some of the most promise,” said Chris Vein, senior manager for ICT at the World Bank. “Imagine creating the ability for farmers to use open data to understand what crops grow best where, or what prices can be expected after harvest, or how best to solve weather, blight or other challenges to yield. Open data combined with other tools such as cellular phones can do just that,” Vein said. “Through the World Bank’s Open Development work, we are helping countries understand the potential value of their data, unlock that value by letting entrepreneurs inside and outside government use it, and create the tools necessary to empower citizens.” The expansion of open data on global agriculture is being built, in part, around a global strategy led by the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and other foundations and organizations. The strategy, which aims to improve agricultural and rural statistics, starts with a minimum set of core data that countries will collect to meet current and emerging demands and improve agricultural sustainability. Country-level agricultural data collection practices and standards are still developing in many regions. For example, just two of 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are considered to have high standards in data collection, according to the FAO. Organizations such as the Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB) and the African Development Bank are working now to build up that capacity by improving national statistical systems and creating information technology platforms for African countries to convert or store their data for future access. Other groups are putting open agriculture data to use in analyses and visualizations, often using geographic information systems, that can help practitioners target areas in need. For example: The Agriculture Market Information System, created by the G20 and supported by the World Bank, uses open data to monitor and analyze key markets for wheat, maize, rice and soybeans. Its information helped inform responses and decisions during the 2012 drought. Members of the agriculture research consortium CGIAR, supported by the Bank, also host a trove of open data, maps, and data visualizations. The Arab Spatial Development and Food Security Atlas, for example, maps land degradation, irrigated land, crop value, and other data across the Arab region. The Food Security Portal tracks price volatility, and HarvestChoice maps a series of agriculture indicators. The World Bank’s Open Data Initiative provides access to the Bank’s vast and constantly growing datasets of key development indicators and visualizations, including data relevant to agriculture, such as changes in rainfall and climate change risk. The conference will be streamed live online April 29 and 30 through the G8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture website and on the World Bank’s ICT site. Continue reading
