Cap and Share Newsletter - 4 January 2008 - Number 1

[willhoward*died March 17t]

Dear all.

Excuse me for using the feasta mailing list for this - we have some work to do to get our own mailing list up to date. Also please excuse me if you get this newsletter a couple of times!.

Will Howard

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4 January 2008 - Cap and Share Newsletter 1

Dear Friends,

First, my apologies for not having emailed everyone much earlier, and a resolution to send out regular emails in 2008.

A small but growing core of us have been working steadily during 2007 to develop the cap-and-share proposal (called cap-and-dividend in the US by Peter Barnes).

We have a long way to go, but we know of no other proposal that can sustain popular support for a rising and eventually very high carbon price over the decades it will take to change to clean energy and stabilise the global climate.

Further, we are taking seriously the message from Jim Hansen that we will have to go back to at least 350 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere.
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Hansen_says_that_CO2_levels_already_10%25_too_high

January Weekend
At our meeting 18-20 January at Schumacher College we will be considering, along with many other issues, the economic incentives needed for sequestering carbon using technologies such as biochar. There are still places for a few people at the weekend - here's the full agenda:
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Agenda_for_Feasta_-_Cap_and_Share_Weekend_18_-_20_January_2008

Ireland
The greatest progress is being made in Ireland. Comhar (Sustainable Development Council Ireland) has announced the appointment of AEA Energy & Environment as consultants on how the cap-and-share mechanism can be used to cut greenhouse gasses in Ireland in those sectors which are excluded from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, such as the transport and households. The study will inform the Irish Government of cap-and-share's feasibility with it's first part being completed by March and and any ensuing econometrics analysis by July. We will be campaigning for the Irish budget in December 2008 to propose cap-and-share measures.
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Comhar_annouce_major_study_of_cap-and-share_potential_in_Ireland
http://www.capandshare.org/ireland/index.html

UK Acceptability Research
Cap and Share has received some initial funding for scoping research on the acceptability to the public, companies and government of a cap-and-share mechanism for achieving deep cuts in GHGs. This work will be carried out from January and February, and we would be pleased to liaise with anyone interested in it or doing similar research.

USA
Mike Sandler of Carbon Share ( http://www.carbonshare.org ) and Peter Barnes of Tomales Bay Institute ( http://onthecommons.org ) are both promoting a version of cap-and-share called cap-and-dividend by Peter. There's a lot of good materials on their websites and at:
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
These include a video and mp3 from Peter.

France
Caroline Whyte and her team have translated the basic C&S information into french.
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Cap_and_Share_Francais

Canada
Mike Sutherland has been exploring organising a conference:
http://www.capandshare.org/wiki/index.php?title=Canada

How you can help

1. Simply get in contact and let us know what's going on in your part of the world. You can reach me on info {at} capandshare.org ( replace " { at } " with @ )
2. Give us your views on a Cap and Share conference in, say October or November 2008 - perhaps we can use Skype and YouTube over the internet to have an international conference without the plane flights!
3. Let us know if you have time and/or expertise and would like to help.
4. Send on this newsletter to anyone who might also be interested


That's all for now. I'll send the next email after the Schumacher meeting later this month to let people know what happened.

Best wishes for 2008

Will Howard

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Dr Will Howard
www.capandshare.org
+44 (0) 7854 239099