What Are We Waiting For?

The science on climate change is clear. Climate change is a fact. The new report from the IPCC comes out in 2013-2014, and unfortunately it will probably only reinforce the knowledge that already exists. The goal of limiting global temperature rise to a maximum of 2 ° C must be taken seriously.

As a Norwegian, I am proud that Norway is a leader in the fields of environment and development, but now we must take the lead on behalf of our children and grandchildren when it comes to climate. Otherwise what is the inheritance we leave behind? A pile of oil money that has little value when the weather is at its worst, with the consequent damage to nature, and people being displaced by floods, forest fires, droughts, and other disasters.

I live in Colorado and have particularly noticed the changes this summer, with over 10 forest fires. This is not crying wolf - this is ‘the wolf’ in the form of natural disasters on an unknown scale, all as a result of our failure to change course in time.

We have a small window of time to act now, but the fear of losing votes paralyzes politicians worldwide. Only cowardly politicians act against better knowledge. Now we need courage and fearlessness from politicians who are not just thinking of their own careers.

People must demand that politicians change course and immediately focus on renewable energy and other measures to reduce emissions of CO2. Living in denial is a disservice to ourselves that our children and grandchildren will not appreciate.

We must show the world that it is possible to manage an economy that is not dependent on oil, in spite of a higher cost in the initial phase. Germany has an energy consumption that is 70 percent renewable – Brazil as well. They are not perfect, but they demonstrate that the technology is there. We must demand that oil companies begin the process of replacing oil and gas with renewable energy.

We are committed to this if we are to take seriously the climate agreement that was "taken note of" in Copenhagen and then adopted at Cancun, Mexico in 2010, with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to a maximum of two degrees.

Anita Halvorssen

Adjunct Professor at DU Law

J.S.D., Columbia University, School of Law, New York (1999)
LL.M., Columbia University, School of Law (1988)
Law Degree, University of Oslo, Norway (1985)
Agronomist Degree, Agricultural Academy, Oslo, Norway (1978)

Dr. Halvorssen will be teaching a weekend course,

Sustainable Development and Trade this fall and 

Global Climate Change Law and Policy in the spring.

Solar Garden Mania

Xcel has initiated a new program that will boost the use of renewable energy in CO. The program follows the Colorado Community Solar Garden Act of 2010. The Act was intented to improve the use of solar installations by communities and mandated that the Public Utilities Commission include solar gardens into renewable energy plans.

Solar gardens are commercial-sized solar power systems. These gardens are capable of generating 10 kilowatts to 2 megawatts. The creation of solar gardens will enable those who cannot install solar panels onto their homes or businesses to lease a portion of a solar garden. Xcel is subsidizing the gardens under its “Solar Rewards Program.” In addition, developers will get rebates for installing the panels. The “Solar Rewards Program” was released on August 15^th and applied to gardens generating up to 500 kilowatts. Xcel is accepting applications for small scale gardens (between 501 kilowatts and 2 megawatts) until September 14^th through its "Solar Rewards Community Program."

Who will take advantage of the solar gardens? According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, only about a quarter of the nation’s rooftops are big enough and sunny enough for rooftop solar and not everyone can afford to install the solar panels. The rooftop solar gardens enable people to have access to solar energy through leasing the gardens.

“The Solar Rewards Community standard offer was designed for Colorado customers who could not, for various reasons, take advantage of other solar programs, because they were renting, lived in multi-family dwellings or did not have homes or businesses suitable for solar installations,” Xcel explains in a press release. “Customers are now able to purchase renewable energy through solar project developers from a community-based photovoltaic system.”

Xcel was flooded with so many applications for the large scale gardens it had to close the application window within 30 minutes of opening it. “The success of this initial offering and the fact that it subscribed so quickly clearly shows that this is a beneficial and desirable program for our Colorado customers,” commented Xcel subsidiary Public Service Co. of Colorado president and CEO, David Eves. “Solar Rewards Community makes solar energy available to a new, broad group of customers and we are pleased with the interest shown today.”

This is a great step for renewable energy in CO. Xcel provides its resources, knowledge and experience into the development of solar gardens. This enables Xcel consumers to become renewable electricity producers and users. This trend could serve to reduce communities' reliance on fossil fuels and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

 

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Tamiko Watanabe, Denver Law LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate, Awarded Program Certficates

Denver Law Environmental and Natural Resources Law LLM Graduate Tamiko Watanabe, center, is recognized by Don Smith, program  director, and Lucy Daberkow, assistant administrative director, for achieving two program certificates. 

Ms. Watanabe, who came to Denver from her home in Kyoto, Japan, has been hired as a legal assistant and will begin those responsibilities in September.

Mr. Smith said, "Kyoto, Japan, is known as the home of the Kyoto Protocol, the UN-based agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions.  It is also home to Tamiko, and she represented her home city well during her studies at Denver Law.  I will always remember Tamiko as a remarkably hard worker as well as for a thoughtful presentation that she gave to her fellow law students on the one year anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.  She reminded all of us, in that presentation, of the care with which humanity needs to consider the relationship of nature and our modern energy generating systems."

Ms. Daberkow said, "It has been a great pleasure to have Tamiko as a student and as a member of our graduate program community.  All of us learned a great deal from her while she was studying here.  We wish her all the best in her future career." 

Sturm College of Law Welcomes 2012-2013 Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Students: 14 Countries Represented



Lucy Daberkow, left, and Don Smith, right, welcome
new students to Denver Law's Environmental and
Natural Resources Graduate Program

Denver Law has welcomed its incoming 2012-2013 class in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Graduate Program (ENRL).  New students were introduced to Denver Law in an orientation program that featured Don Smith, program director, Lucy Daberkow, assistant administrative director, Ann Vessels, director of the externship program, and Kate Stoker, director of the writing clinic. 

"We always strive to have a diverse group of students, both in terms of the U.S. and internationally, and I am delighted that this year's group includes students from 14 countries," Mr. Smith said.  The countries are: Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the U.S.

The Denver Law ENRL LLM and Masters degree program is among the most diverse programs of its kind in the world, a point of particular interest for most students who apply to the Denver Law program.

Ms. Daberkow said, "Environmental, natural resources, and energy law in the 21st century raise issues and challenges within individual countries as well as across the world. Our wide curriculum of U.S.-focused and internationally-focused courses allows students to learn about a wide array of practices and helps prepare them for their future careers."

As a final part of the orientation program, Annie Oman, a current student and the program's student assistant, took the new students on a tour of some of Denver's best shopping areas. Helping our new students adjust to life in the US and at Denver Law is an important part of our jobs. Classes don't begin until next week!  

World's Most Efficient Solar Panel Developed

A North Carolina company, Semprius Inc., has developed the world's most efficient solar panel. The most efficient photovoltaic module previously converted 16% of sunlight into electricity with Spemprius' prototype converting 33.9%. The information is provided by two separate company press releases.

The prototype underwent testing and certification at the Instituto de Energia Solar in Spain and at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. During the previous tests, the Semprius prototype demonstrated a 32% energy conversion rate.

Even a small scale improvement like this makes a huge difference in returns on investment. This is especially true on large scale utility projects.

“This is a significant milestone for Semprius and the entire PV industry,” said Scott Burroughs, vice president of technology at Durham, N.C.-based Semprius. “For the first time we have been able to convert more than one third of the sun’s energy into usable electricity.”

The Semprius solar module magnifies the sunlight with mirrors and lenses before it hits the photovoltaic cells, creating concentrated photovoltaics.

Semprius developed its technology with support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) which is located in Golden, Colorado. 

London Strives for Gold in Environmental Planning for the Olympics

The United Nations Environmental Program dates the first environmentally conscientious Olympic Games to the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London is hoping to push the effort even further. This is the first host city to measure its carbon footprint from construction through the end of the Games.

David Stubbs, the head of sustainability for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games proudly discussed the development of the first global standard for sustainable event management, named ISO 20121. Additionally, the implementation of he Food Vision Program is the first to challenge the catering sector to look at sustainable sources including fair trade, M.S.C.-certified (Marine Stewardship Council-certified) fish and Farm Assured Red Tractor (a program which assures safety of food production).

The 2012 Olympic Games have transformed a large part of East London, the  Lea Valley site, which had been an industrial waste ground for centuries. The transformation included cleaning lead, arsenic and tar out of the soil. In addition to beating their 90% recycling goal by 8%, volunteers also helped restore the natural habitat and water flows along the River Lea.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said, "It's fantastic that so many volunteers have pulled together to help make our rivers and canals sparkle for London's summer like no other. The eyes of the world will be on the capital during the Games and thanks to this hard work, millions of people will be able to see our wonderful waterways at their best."

The 250 acres of parkland is the biggest urban park to be built in Europe for 150 years with 45 hectares of new wildlife habitat. Organizers created temporary structures that can be recycled after the games in addition to permanent structures that are to be incorporated into the park. The area is to be named The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and will be open to the public after the games.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Solar Energy Project Assists Affordable Housing in Denver

Last April, Namaste Solar Electric Inc  began installation of solar power systems in 387 affordable housing buildings in Denver. The $10 million solar power project is part of a 2.5 megawatt, 20 year power purchase signed by the Denver Housing Authority. This is one of the largest solar panel installations within the Denver metro area. Within those 387 buildings, 668 units will benefit from the solar power. Denver Housing Authority will buy the solar power at slightly less cost than what Xcel Energy Inc had been charging and the yearly rate increase will also be lower than Xcel's. The Denver Housing Authority’s project is partnered with Namaste Solar Electric Inc, of Boulder, Oakleaf Energy Partners and Enfinity America Corporation.

A similar solar power system installation in Denver was brokered by the Denver Public School system in 2010. However, heir two power-purchase agreements were only 1.8 and 1.2 megawatts in 16 and 12 schools respectively.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock stated: “The Denver Housing Authority continues to serve as an aggressive leader in revitalizing Denver’s inner-city communities. Developing smart, sustainable residential sites clearly makes them an outstanding example of the stewardship that makes us a leader in energy-conscious cities.”

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant