Tag: Geographic North America

Webinar: American Carbon Registry and California Early Action Offset Projects

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has approved the American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, as an Early Action Offset Program Registry (EAOP) as well as an Offset Project Registry (OPR) for the California Cap-and-Trade Program.  Please join ACR and guest speaker Greg Mayeur from ARB for this webinar to learn more about California Early Action Offset Projects. Topics include:  
  • Review of ARB-approved Early Action Quantification Methodologies & key differences from the ARB Compliance Offset Protocols
  • Process for Early Action Offset Project listing and verification
  • Issuance of Early Action Offset Credits  
  • Steps required to transition Early Action Offset Credits to ARB Offset Credits    
Please direct any questions regarding webinar registration to Paul Burman at [email protected].
 
 
 

 

 
Read more about the event here.
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Ecosystems for Water and Energy: 13th Annual American Ecological Engineering Society Meeting

The 13th Annual American Ecological Society meeting focuses on the theme of Ecosystems for Water and Energy. As the complexities of the problems affecting world growth and sustainability are uncovered, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is impossible to consider water or energy in isolation from each other. It takes energy to treat polluted waters and producing and transferring energy frequently requires a clean source of water. More researchers and engineers are exploring and even implementing ecologically-engineered solutions that concurrently address both water and energy problems. For example, biomass production for bioenergy has the potential to either improve of degrade water quality – depending on agricultural practices. Anaerobic digestion has the potential to be combined with ecosystems, such as treatment wetlands and algal ponds, to both produce clean energy and reclaim wastewaters.

Hosted by Michigan State University. 10-12 June, 2013. East Lansing MI, USA.

Learn more here.

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2013 Navigating the American Carbon World

Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) is the largest and most comprehensive gathering for information and discussion around climate change policy and carbon markets. Happening April 16-18 in San Francisco, NACW will take an in-depth look at California’s historic cap-and-trade program, including discussions on market structure, revenue allocation, legal issues and forecasts. The conference will also delve into other established and emerging carbon markets around the world and potential linkages. And, NACW will provide a platform for discussing offsets and offset supply, U.S. federal policies, and business leadership.

In its 11th consecutive year, NACW is once again being anticipated as the year’s best networking event for the climate change policy and carbon community.  It has consistently attracted the largest crowd of representatives from business, government, environmental groups and academia.  For NACW 2013, delegates will have the opportunity to network and schedule meetings with each other through a special conference social networking community.
 
Key reasons to attend:
  • Expand your network of peers, identify opportunities for collaboration, and gain leads for the strategic growth of your organization
  • Get in-depth information, updates and analysis on the California cap-and-trade program, including market structure, forecasts, linkages, legal issues, impacts of U.S. federal programs and offsets and offset supply
  • Gain actionable insights from leading climate change policy and carbon market experts and prepare your organization for the enforcement of California’s declining emissions cap
  • Get a comprehensive understanding of current and developing international climate policies and carbon markets and linkage between markets , including California and Quebec
  • Visit the NACW exhibit hall to find the right tools, resources and partnerships that will help your organization gain competitive advantage
  • Pre-conference workshops offer education and training opportunities for attendees that need an introduction or refresher course on key carbon market topics
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Navigating the American Carbon World

Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) is the largest and most comprehensive gathering for information and discussion around climate change policy and carbon markets. Happening April 16-18 in San Francisco, NACW will take an in-depth look at California’s historic cap-and-trade program, including discussions on market structure, revenue allocation, legal issues and forecasts. The conference will also delve into other established and emerging carbon markets around the world and potential linkages. And, NACW will provide a platform for discussing offsets and offset supply, U.S. federal policies, and business leadership.

In its 11th consecutive year, NACW is once again being anticipated as the year’s best networking event for the climate change policy and carbon community.   It has consistently attracted the largest crowd of representatives from business, government, environmental groups and academia.   For NACW 2013, delegates will have the opportunity to network and schedule meetings with each other through a special conference social networking community.

Key reasons to attend:

  • Expand your network of peers, identify opportunities for collaboration, and gain leads for the strategic growth of your organization
  • Get in-depth information, updates and analysis on the California cap-and-trade program, including market structure, forecasts, linkages, legal issues, impacts of U.S. federal programs and offsets and offset supply
  • Gain actionable insights from leading climate change policy and carbon market experts and prepare your organization for the enforcement of California’s declining emissions cap
  • Get a comprehensive understanding of current and developing international climate policies and carbon markets and linkage between markets , including California and Quebec
  • Visit the NACW exhibit hall to find the right tools, resources and partnerships that will help your organization gain competitive advantage
  • Pre-conference workshops offer education and training opportunities for attendees that need an introduction or refresher course on key carbon market topics

See more details about the conference here

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Emerging Conservation Leadership Models Webinar

Today more than ever, conservation practitioners find themselves leading in increasingly complex political and social situations.  In this webinar Kinship Faculty member and 2007 Kinship Fellow Christine Ageton will explore some of the emerging leadership models that are addressing this need and use a real life case study faced by 2007 Fellow Gaya Sriskanthan to see how leadership theory is applied in real time.

Kinship Conservation Fellows
Emerging Conservation Leadership Models

A conversation about emerging leadership frameworks for conservation using the UN-REDD Programme as a case study.

FEATURING:
Christine Ageton (Kinship Faculty & 2007 Fellow), Senior Director of the Fellowship and Alumni Program at Business Alliance for Local LIving Economies (BALLE).

Gaya Sriskanthan, Consultant for the UN-REDD Programme on Stakeholder Engagement.

March 12, 2013, 1:00 p.m Central
(11:00 a.m. Pacific; 2:00 p.m. Eastern)

Read more about the event and register here  .  
 

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Tackling Climate Change: Pricing Carbon to Achieve Mitigation

Turn Down the Heat, a recent report on the latest climate science prepared for the World Bank, underscores that if no concerted action is undertaken now the world could very likely warm by 4 degrees C by the end of this century. This will have a devastating impact on the climate, pose a threat to economic prosperity and will roll back decades of hard earned progress in development.  

 
Action on climate change is urgently needed. Implementing policy that leads to a price on carbon is part of the solution to mitigating climate change. The World Bank’s Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR) brings together the major economies critical to reducing global carbon emissions to collectively explore and implement cost effective and innovative approaches to greenhouse gas mitigation, including domestic emissions trading schemes, new carbon crediting instruments, and carbon taxes.  
 
Within just two years, PMR participating countries are making significant progress and their policy proposals are among the next generation of carbon pricing tools. To learn more about their activities, the PMR Secretariat is pleased to invite you to:
Pricing Carbon to Achieve Mitigation
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
2:30pm to 5:30pm (reception to follow)
World Bank’s Preston Auditorium
Washington, DC  
 
Join us as some of the fastest growing economies share information on the status of their domestic actions and the role of carbon pricing instruments in pursuing their low carbon development objectives. A panel of representatives from countries and regions that are pursuing domestic emissions trading schemes, as well as private entity representatives, will share their views on challenges and opportunities in using market based solutions to foster scaled up climate mitigation action. A draft agenda is attached.
 
Please register by sending your name, title and organization to us by email to the [email protected] by March 8, 2013.
 
We look forward to welcoming you soon to the World Bank.  
The PMR Secretariat  
 
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Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment

Twenty years after the Convention on Biological Diversity was fi rst drafted, the world continues to see unprecedented loss of species. The implications are largely unknown, but the European Commission estimates that by 2050, economic loss due to loss of ecosystem services will amount to 19 trillion USD.

Compounding the challenge are the silos in which the conservation community and the public and private sectors driving development operate. To better integrate conservation science into planning processes, science and practice need to come together to build capacity in the fi eld of impact assessment.

The aim of this symposium is to bring together practitioners working at the cutting edge with both policy makers responsible for shaping IA frameworks and scientists committed to finding practical ways forward.

The timing could not be better! A growing number of biodiversity initiatives are aimed at creating communities of practice, ranging from cross-sector initiatives across industries to biodiversity working groups comprised of multilateral fi nancial institutions and Equator Principles banks. The challenge is to better understand how to assess biodiversity values, identify dependence on—and impacts to—ecosystem services, design better mitigation strategies following the mitigation hierarchy, effectively monitor changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services over time, and implement adaptive management to manage uncertainties over the long term.

Symposium themes

  • Baselines and data collection
  • Biodiversity risk assessment
  • Biodiversity and extractives
  • Biodiversity and agriculture
  • Net positive impact
  • Forecasting and offset design
  • Monitoring and adaptive management
  • Identification and valuation of ecosystem services
  • Engaging communities on biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • GIS and landscape analysis
  • Planning and regional strategies

See the preliminary agenda here

Visit the IAIA website here

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State of Watershed Payments 2012 Launch Event

Please join us for the DC launch of Charting New Waters: State of Watershed Payments 2012, a new report from Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace. The report was released on January 17, 2013 and is available here.
 
The launch event, will be co-hosted by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility.
 
State of Watershed Payments 2012 – Launch
January 24, 2013 – 4 to 6 pm  
1818 H Street, NW, Room MC13-121  
Washington, DC 20433    
Reception to follow
 
A presentation of report findings will be complemented by a high-level panel discussion from international leaders in investments in watershed services, including:
 
Gustavo Fonseca, Head, Natural Resources, Global Environment Facility
                                  (Introductions)  
Michael Jenkins, President and CEO, Forest Trends (Moderator)
 
Genevieve Bennett, Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace
                                    (Report Author and Presenter)  
 
Panelists:  
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru (invited)
Jaime Cavelier, Senior Biodiversity Specialist, Global Environment
                                Facility
Stephen Petron, VP & Director of Natural Resources, CH2M Hill
Marta Echavarria, Co-Founder, EcoDecisií³n, and Report Contributor  
Peter Dewees, Forests Adviser for the World Bank and Manager of the
                                 Program on Forests.
                                 
****************  
 
Charting New Waters: State of Watershed Payments 2012 tracks the size, scope, and direction of innovative financing mechanisms for water resource protection around the world and provides detailed design and project analysis for policy-makers, project developers, investors, and other natural resource managers.  
 
The report uncovers new developments around the world: from building bridges to carbon markets, to financing the switch to agriculture that deliver both long-term water and food security, to innovative mechanisms like groundwater offsets or water quality trading systems. Preliminary data indicates that active watershed payment programs around the world have nearly doubled since 2008.
 
Please RSVP to Christine Lanser, [email protected].  
(Please provide name, title, organization, phone number and email address.)  
 
Thank you to our supporters: Swiss Development Corporation, the World Bank, Profor, Global Environment Facility, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Grantham Foundation.  
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A One-Track Mind: DC Doha Debrief

A One-Track Mind: DC Doha Debrief

Overview of the event: Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, McGuireWoods LLP and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) are again hosting the DC Doha Debrief – a panel event exploring post-COP18 scenarios for new market mechanisms, climate finance, REDD+ and private sector market engagement.


IETA’s President and CEO Dirk Forrister will headline a panel of DC-metro area experts who attended or closely tracked the UNFCCC’s 18th Conference of Parties – and will describe their expectations for the 2013 marketplace through this lens. The panel will be followed by a cocktail reception hosted by law firm McGuireWoods LLP.  
       
Topics: Now that the UNFCCC climate negotiations train is traveling on a single track, talks leave the station in 2013 with a handful of strides in tow – while pushing several key decisions further down the line. This second annual exclusive debrief for DC’s dedicated carbon wonks will examine 2013 prospects for new market mechanisms, climate finance, REDD+ and private sector engagement in light of COP18 outcomes.

Panel:  


• Dirk Forrister, Chief Executive, International Emissions Trading Association
• Bob Dixon, GEF Team Leader, Climate Change and Chemicals
• Paul Bodnar, Office of Global Climate Change, US Department of State
• Katherine Blue, Managing Director, Climate Change & Sustainability at KPMG
• Zubair Zakir, Global Carbon Director at The CarbonNeutral Company; Chair, CMIA voluntary markets working group


Moderator: Kate Hamilton, Director, Ecosystem Marketplace      

When: January 23rd, 2013; Panel from 4:30-5:45PM; Reception to follow
Where: Washington, DC Offices of McGuireWoods LLP (2001 K Street N.W., Suite 400)
Who: Attendance by invitation only
RSVP: By 5PM EST, January 18th – email name and organization/company to Sarah Laughlin ([email protected])  

CONTACT:

Molly Peters-Stanley

Manager | Carbon Program | Ecosystem Marketplace
1050 Potomac Street NW, Washington DC 20007 USA
Office: (202) 298 3005 | Cell: (501) 413 7798 | Skype: molly.ps
 
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ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012

ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 is an international collaboration of three dynamic communities – A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES), the Ecosystem Markets Conference, and the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP). The conference will provide an open forum to share experiences and state-of-the-art methods, tools, and processes for assessing and incorporating ecosystem services into public and private decisions. The focus of the conference will be to link science, practice, institutions and resource sustainable decision making by bringing together ecosystem services communities from around the United States and the globe.

 
ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 will bring together leaders in government, NGOs, academia, tribal organizations, and the private sector to advance the use of ecosystem services science and practice in conservation, restoration, resource management, and development decisions. To facilitate discussion, a variety of presentation methods including, organized sessions, world café discussions, town hall meetings, oral and poster presentations, and hands-on workshops will be incorporated into the conference structure. Topics and themes from previous ACES, Ecosystem Markets, and ESP events will be integrated to provide the most comprehensive event on the ecosystem services.

 

More information here.
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Ecosystem Mitigation Banking Seminar

Over the past 25 years, ecological and environmental banking has played an increasingly significant role in federal, state and local regulatory programs throughout the county.  Its growth in popularity stems from its rise in use and favor by government agencies as a means of streamlining the impact-related permitting process by using banks that have already been vetted through the regulatory approval process to compensate for unavoidable environmental impacts resulting from permitted activities.  
 
The banking industry faces many of the same legal hurdles as those faced by more traditional forms of real estate development. However, given the nature of the asset and the additional regulatory scrutiny and requirements, the industry has also developed its own unique set of legal issues, challenges and solutions.  
 
The goal of this seminar is both to inform attorneys, regulatory staff, land trusts and private developers of existing ecological and environmental banking markets and to discuss and debate the many legal, regulatory and practical matters that should be considered when developing banking opportunities.    

Join Program Co-Chairs J.P. Fougerousse, a member of the Real Estate Practice Group at Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP, and Brian T. Normanly, PWS, a Portfolio Manager with Timbervest LLC. They lead this outstanding faculty:  

  • Ray O. Acton, CPA of Sellers Richardson Holman & West LLP
  • Elizabeth H. Bergquist of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
  • Wayne E. Flowers of Lewis Longman & Walker PA
  • Doug Lashley of GreenVest LLC
  • Robert J. Proutt, Jr., of Hunton & Williams LLP
  • Rhodes Robinson, CEP, PWS of Environmental Services, Inc.
  • Pamela L. Sunderland of Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia
  • Kevin A. Thomas of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
  • Charles Thompson of Eco-Capital Advisors LLC
  • John T. Vermont, PWS, CE of Wetland & Ecological Consultants LLC
  • Randy Wilgis of Environmental Banc & Exchange LLC
  • Shawn Wilkerson of Wildlands Engineering, Inc.
  • Cynthia J. Wood of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Thank you to the Lunch Sponsors Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP, Timbervest LLC and Wetlands & Ecological Consultants LLC.  
Thank you to the exhibit Sponsor GERA – Georgia Environmental Restoration Association
 
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Carbon Forum North America 2012

Carbon Forum North America 2012 — taking place at the Marriott Metro Center in downtown Washington, DC on October 1-2, 2012—has firmly established itself as the place to go to keep abreast of the latest thinking and developments in the North American carbon space—for both carbon policy wonks and market-players alike.
 
From the first California auction to the establishment of a functional North American market through the Western Climate Initiative; from the advancement of RGGI’s 2012 review to progress within NA2050; from innovative climate finance to emerging carbon markets; from an exciting election season to the buildup preceding a new round of rejuvenated international climate talks; and from new regulatory developments at the EPA to the latest legal developments in the courts, Carbon Forum North America on October 1-2 will give market participants the best carbon coverage at the best time. Join your colleagues at CFNA for the most comprehensive carbon market analysis, the latest policy developments, and the best legal coverage in the North American carbon, climate, and clean energy space!
 
Carbon Forum North America —IETA’s flagship North American event—will be one of the best opportunities of the year to network with the North American and global carbon markets, browse exhibits showcasing the work of leading companies, and learn what you need to know about this rapidly evolving space.

Learn more about the event here

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EcoSummit 2012 – Ecological Sustainability

EcoSummit 2012 will bring together the world’s most respected minds in ecological science to discuss restoring the planet’s ecosystems. Come hear Pulitzer Prize winners E.O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, Kyoto Prize winner Simon Levin, Stockholm Water Prize laureates Sven Jí¸rgensen and William Mitsch, and many others in the first conference ever linking the Ecological Society of America (ESA), The International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) and the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER).
 
We expect 1500 to 1600 delegates from 75 countries to come to Columbus, Ohio, USA, for EcoSummit 2012 to hear 10 plenary presentations from the world’s premier ecologists and environmental scientists and practitioners, and 600 invited presentations in 65 symposia from around the world, and to participate in 21 forums and workshops on practical issues related to improving our environment. In addition, there are another 850 general sessions and poster presentations during EcoSummit 2012.
 
The symposia, general sessions, posters, and workshops cover a wide variety of ecological topics, over the entire week of the conference in parallel sessions including:
  • ecological restoration and ecological engineering
  • estimating ecosystem services
  • global change issues including climate change effects and the future of food security
  • lake, wetland, river, forest and agro-ecosystem management
  • corporate involvement in the environment
  • sustainable economics and business practices
 
Ecosystems such as streams, rivers, inland and coastal wetlands, grasslands, and forests provide numerous services that fundamentally support human health and well-being. This international conference will explore innovative science-based strategies that are socially and culturally acceptable to create, manage, and restore these ecosystems, ensuring that society has access to all these ecosystem services. Our aim is to provide a high-profile platform for dialogue among researchers, planners and decision-makers to develop a better understanding of the complex nature of ecological systems and the means to protect and enhance their services.

Read more about the event here

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ClimateWeek NYC – Doha and beyond: the future of international climate policy

Bloomberg New Energy Finance and The Climate Group are hosting an exclusive discussion with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and other special guests on the future of international climate policy.

 
Bloomberg New Energy Finance & The Climate Group
 
For the fourth consecutive year, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and The Climate Group will join forces to host a special breakfast roundtable event as part of the annual ClimateWeek NYC program in New York.
 
This year’s session will feature Dr. Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard and World Bank VP for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte, and will take place on Tuesday, September 25 at 8:00 a.m. at the Bloomberg offices on Lexington Avenue.
 
The official invitation and event description is attached – feel free to call or email with any questions.
 
There is no charge to attend, though we ask that you RSVP as soon as possible in order to confirm your place.

Read more about the event and register here

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National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration 2013 / Call for Abstracts

ANNOUNCING Call for Abstracts – Due November 1st, 2012  

 
Call for Abstracts – Due Nov.1st, 2012  
All individuals interested in ecosystem restoration on both the large-scale and small-scale level are invited to submit an abstract for oral or poster presentation at NCER ’13. Abstracts will be published electronically online in the conference book of abstracts, as we strive to keep NCER as environmentally responsible as possible.
 
NCER 2013 Programmatic Themes and Topics are outlined on the conference web site. However, don’t feel limited to these areas – we want to capture emerging topics and new ideas critical to Ecosystem Restoration.For more information on formatting your abstract, submission instructions and topics for consideration,  visit the Call for Abstracts section of the NCER ’13 web site.
 
Important Deadlines to Remember:  
11-1-12    Deadline to Submit Abstracts  
3-1-13     Presenter Selections Announced
4-2-13     Early Bird Registration Deadline
4-2-13     Deadline for Presenters to Register  
6-1-13     Regular Registration Deadline
Abstract Submission Deadline: November 1st      
   
 
What is NCER?
NCER is a national conference on ecosystem restoration presenting state-of-the art science and engineering, planning and policy in a partnership environment.
One of the country’s largest meetings on Ecosystem Restoration, NCER is only held every two years, and meets near large scale restoration programs including but not limited to the Missouri and Mississippi River Basins, the Louisiana Coastal Area, the Everglades, San Francisco Bay/Delta, Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes and Puget Sound, to name a few.
 
NCER 2013 will be held July 29 – August 2 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center just outside Chicago, IL. Owned by the City/Villages of Schaumburg, the Renaissance has ample space to accommodate all of our meeting, poster and exhibit requirements quite comfortably. We hope you will make plans to attend this innovative and interactive conference which will attract more than 500 participants and feature presentations on every aspect of Ecosystem Restoration.  

Who Should Attend NCER
A premier gathering of ecosystem restoration professionals from across the country, NCER is a collaborative effort and we invite you to join us and be part of the discussion!
NCER brings together scientists, engineers, managers, and policy makers who are actively involved in and/or affected by all aspects of ecosystem restoration. This includes:  
• federal, state, and local agency personnel
• tribal governments
• water resource engineers & managers  
• environmental consultants  
• environmental policy managers  
• ecologists and hydrologists
• modelers    
• NGO’s  
• students and academic researchers  
• environmental interest groups    
 
Benefits of Attending
Attendees will hear from a diverse group of experts on numerous critical restoration subjects. Here’s a glimpse at a handful of the hundreds of topics covered at NCER:  
 
– Planning and Designing for Climate Change Impact
– Benefit Analysis and Project Justification
– Integrating Conservation Planning Methods
– Planning and Valuating Ecosystem Services
– Invasive Species Management
– Nutrient Reduction in Urban Estuaries
– Comparing Ecological Benefit Methods
– Adaptive Management and much, much more!  
 
NCER also features optional Technical Training Field trips where attendees visit restoration programs underway or already completed in the Great Lakes Region. They’ll see first-hand how to plan ecologically and economically for future restoration projects.
Licensed engineers may also earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) toward their license re-certification.  
Be sure to put NCER 2013 in your TRAVEL BUDGET for 2013 and make plans to join us!    
 
Executive Steering Committee
Conference Co-Chairs:  
• Andy Buchsbaum, Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Office
• Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator (Great Lakes), US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
• Don Scavia, Graham Family Professor of Environmental Sustainability, University of Michigan
Conference Committee Chairs:
• Robert Daoust, ARCADIS US, Inc., Chair, Program Committee  
• Cassondra Thomas, Cardno ENTRIX, Inc., Chair, Sponsorship Committee
• Miki Fujitsubo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chair, Field Trip Committee
• Cheryl Ulrich, Weston Solutions, Past Program Chair and SER Liaision
 
 
QUESTIONS?  
 
Beth Miller-Tipton, CMP, CGMP    
Conference Coordinator
University of Florida | IFAS
Office of Conferences & Institutes  
PO Box 110750
Bldg. 639 Mowry Rd.  
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750| USA  
PH 352-392-5930
FAX  352-392-9734  
 
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5th Annual International ESP Conference

The Ecosystem Services Partnership invites you to the 5th annual ESP conference. Don’t miss your chance to interact and exchange ideas with practitioners, educators, policy-makers, researchers, and many others. Be part of working-groups producing outcomes ranging from journal articles, white papers, book chapters (if enough we can put together a book out of this conference), grant proposals, database structures, websites, and much more. This Portland conference is being organised jointly with the International Association of Landscape Ecology (IALE) and A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES).

More information here.
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VCS Webminar: Wetlands Restoration and Conservation Requirements

VCS will host a webinar to discuss newly released draft requirements for crediting Wetlands Restoration and Conservation (WRC) activities.
 
Wednesday, 13 June  
 
11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT)
 
The WRC draft requirements are the first ever for methodologies that credit the greenhouse gases removed by wetlands, including mangroves, freshwater tidal coastal wetlands, salt marshes, sea grasses and floodplains.
The draft requirements, incorporated directly into the VCS AFOLU Requirements document, are open for public comment until 23 June 2012.
 
 
Comments or questions may be submitted to [email protected].
 

 

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The Offsets Component of California Cap-and-Trade for the Electric Power Industry

The Climate Action Reserve invites you to attend a half-day workshop on using carbon offsets by companies in the electric power sector for compliance with California’s cap-and-trade program. The workshop will feature an introduction to the Reserve program and the role of offsets under the California cap-and-trade regulation. It will include presentations by the Climate Action Reserve, Pacific Gas & Electric, as well as Evolution Markets, a broker of offset credits, to provide insight into the market for compliance offsets and allowances. It will be useful for regulated entities, specifically from the electric power sector, to learn about how to most cost-effectively meet their compliance obligations under the cap and trade rule. This workshop is free, and open to the public, however you must register in advance.  
 

To register, please go to http://events.climateactionreserve.org  

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2012 Yale Conservation Finance Camp

 The 6th annual Yale Conservation Finance Camp will be held at Yale University, Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 8, 2012. The course offers the latest information on a wide range of innovative conservation finance tools, including new sources of philanthropic funds, public capital and private investment, as well as a framework for analyzing and packaging them. The camp is focused on useful, hands-on tools for conservation practitioners and board members, foundation leaders, private investors and graduate students. This highly interactive course is limited to 20 participants. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis. For further information and a participant application please contact Amy Badner at [email protected] or visit the camp webpage. 4-8 June 2012. New Haven, CT.  

Related Links
Get details here.
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North America’s Energy Future: Powering a Low-carbon Economy for 2030 and Beyond

Organized by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC), this public forum will bring together experts to discuss, inter alia: progress made in fostering renewable electricity markets in Canada, Mexico and the US since the CEC’s 2007 report on the subject, and its future through 2030; challenges and barriers affecting the use of renewable energy in North America; and how renewable energy projects can be promoted in remote communities.  

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Water Rights and Trading Regional Summits 2012

Water rights trading and water resource development are emerging markets that are creating abundant business opportunities. However, these new markets are not always easily understood. WestWater Research and American Water Intelligence are coming together to provide information and direction to water trading and development opportunities through a series of thought-provoking, regional conferences.  

 
These events will be the premier forum for leaders from Wall Street to the water sector to provide valuable insight on:
  • Investing and financing water development projects in the US
  • Are water rights a good investment?
  • Pricing, trading and other market fundamentals
  • Legal and regulatory risk management in water deals
  • Native American water rights in an era of water marketing
  • Environmental water markets and mitigating water development
  • Making business sense of the water development sector
 
Water is a critical component of our economic future, and the western US has many issues relating to water supply, development and management projects, environmental regulations, and expanding populations. All of these issues also offer political and financial challenges, as well as investment opportunities.

More information here.

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Navigating the American Carbon World 2012

The event features the most forward-thinking minds that are driving action to address global climate change. And, because of the depth and diversity of its delegates, who represent business, NGOs, academia and government agencies, it is known as the single best place for networking and collaborating. NACW 2012 will take place April 10-12 in San Francisco and will present a detailed look at California’s cap-and-trade program and other types of mitigation, as well as current and potential linkages between state-level, regional and international carbon markets and sub-national REDD programs. The event is hosted by the Climate Action Reserve.

Click here for more information

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RFF First Wednesday Webinar: Green Infrastructure

12:45 – 2:00 p.m.

A light lunch will be provided starting at 12:30 p.m.
 
Registration for in-person attendance is required. To RSVP for this event, please visit RFF’s event registration page.
 
This event will also be webcast live starting at 12:45 p.m. Join the webcast at rff.org/live.
 
About the Event
Nature provides a wealth of ecological services: forests store carbon and clean the air; rivers provide water for drinking and harbor animal species; and wetlands purify stormwater and serve as buffers against floods. Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing that this “green infrastructure” can be a cost-effective supplement or substitute for the “gray infrastructure”—pipes, dams, levees, treatment plants—traditionally used to control flooding, purify and store water, and reduce urban stormwater runoff.
 
At this First Wednesday Seminar, sponsored by RFF’s Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth, panelists will explore what “green infrastructure” means and describe how to evaluate the costs and benefits of land-use options for reducing flood damages. They will also discuss the challenges of convincing stakeholders that natural systems can provide infrastructure services and complement public projects. RFF experts will describe a case study evaluating flood abatement options in a Wisconsin watershed, and provide some lessons learned from working to implement a payment for environmental services program in the Florida Everglades.
 
Moderator:
Lynn Scarlett, Co-Director, RFF Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth
 
Panelists:
Margaret Walls, Research Director and Thomas J. Klutznick Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future
“The Role of Land Use Policies in Minimizing Flood Damage”
Len Shabman, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future
“A Green Infrastructure Contribution to Everglades Restoration”  

More information here.

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Green Infrastructure: Using Natural Landscapes for Flood Mitigation and Water Quality Improvements

Nature provides a wealth of ecological services: forests store carbon and clean the air; rivers provide water for drinking and harbor animal species; and wetlands purify stormwater and serve as buffers against floods. Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing that this “green infrastructure” can be a cost-effective supplement or substitute for the “gray infrastructure”—pipes, dams, levees, treatment plants—traditionally used to control flooding, purify and store water, and reduce urban stormwater runoff.

At this First Wednesday Seminar, sponsored by  RFF’s Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth, panelists will explore what “green infrastructure” means and describe how to evaluate the costs and benefits of land-use options for reducing flood damages. They will also discuss the challenges of convincing stakeholders that natural systems can provide infrastructure services and complement public projects. RFF experts will describe a case study evaluating flood abatement options in a Wisconsin watershed, and provide some lessons learned from working to implement a payment for environmental services program in the Florida Everglades.

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Webinar: Introduction to Ecosystem Services

WHEN:  March 29, 2012  | 12:00PM

WHERE:  Online webinar
COST:  Free
ORGANIZER:  CBEY
 
Featuring Yale alumna Katherine Hamilton, Managing Director at Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace.
This is the first edition of the three-part webinar series, “Nature’s Returns: Investing in Ecosystem Services”. Featured presenter Katherine Hamilton ’06 M.E.M, Managing Director at Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, will provide a primer on Ecosystem Services before taking questions from the audience.
 
The Center for Business and the Environment at Yale (CBEY) is pleased to announce a special series of webinars on investing in the services provided by nature — so called ecosystem services. The benefits that human populations gain from healthy and functioning ecosystems are vast, yet traditionally difficult to quantify in financial terms. Clean drinking water filtered by forests, carbon stored in plants or soil, crop pollination by wild insects, and pharmaceutical uses of plants are just a few examples of services we usually receive for free. However, a recent wave of efforts to monetize the value of Ecosystem Services presents an opportunity to both protect these assets and bring their worth onto the market. Public and private funds exist to help attach cash flows to the public benefits provided by landowners that responsibly manage their land. Currently, conservationists and investors alike are moving into this space in hopes of achieving a win-win for the economy and the environment.
So, what do Ecosystem Services projects look like? Who are the practitioners involved and what skills are most important in terms of getting into the profession? What obstacles and opportunities does this field face? These questions and more (including those from the audience) will be addressed.

More information here.

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Introduction to Ecosystem Services (Webinar)

WHEN:  March 29, 2012  | 12:00PM

WHERE:  Online webinar
COST:  Free
ORGANIZER:  CBEY
 
Featuring Yale alumna Katherine Hamilton, Managing Director at Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace.
This is the first edition of the three-part webinar series, “Nature’s Returns: Investing in Ecosystem Services”. Featured presenter Katherine Hamilton ’06 M.E.M, Managing Director at Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, will provide a primer on Ecosystem Services before taking questions from the audience.
 
The Center for Business and the Environment at Yale (CBEY) is pleased to announce a special series of webinars on investing in the services provided by nature — so called ecosystem services. The benefits that human populations gain from healthy and functioning ecosystems are vast, yet traditionally difficult to quantify in financial terms. Clean drinking water filtered by forests, carbon stored in plants or soil, crop pollination by wild insects, and pharmaceutical uses of plants are just a few examples of services we usually receive for free. However, a recent wave of efforts to monetize the value of Ecosystem Services presents an opportunity to both protect these assets and bring their worth onto the market. Public and private funds exist to help attach cash flows to the public benefits provided by landowners that responsibly manage their land. Currently, conservationists and investors alike are moving into this space in hopes of achieving a win-win for the economy and the environment.
So, what do Ecosystem Services projects look like? Who are the practitioners involved and what skills are most important in terms of getting into the profession? What obstacles and opportunities does this field face? These questions and more (including those from the audience) will be addressed.

More information here.

 

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AWRA Spring Specialty Conference on GIS and Water Resources

We are living through a remarkable period of advancement in information technology — in just a few years we have learned to take for granted the massive computing resources for geospatial searches provided by the major internet search engines. Every type of work in Water Resources is impacted by these new developments as new sources of data and new tools come online; but, standards for data quality, statistical reliability (uncertainty), and metadata standards are still trying to catch up. We look forward to sharing experiences in New Orleans; meeting others who deal with the same challenges at every level of detail on the wide array of information and technologies that will help us meet the water resources challenges of the new century.

More information here.

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Update on Key Elements of California’s Compliance Carbon Offset Market

 Description: California’s cap-and-trade program will launch in 2013. What is the role of carbon offsets? What project types are eligible to generate early action and compliance offsets? What new offset types will be approved? What is the role of forest carbon and REDD?

Join Winrock International’s American Carbon Registry (ACR) as we host speaker Rajinder Sahota from the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to provide an overview of the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade regulation as well as updates on the development of key elements of the carbon offset market.  
 
Ms. Sahota will feature the status and timeline for significant milestones including ARB approval of Offset Project Registries and Verifiers, ARB review and adoption of new compliance offset protocols, and California harmonization & linkages with WCI jurisdictions. Click here to register for the webinar now.

California is the first U.S. state to approve an economy-wide cap-and-trade program, which will create the second largest carbon market in the world behind the European Union. Cap-and-trade is the cornerstone of AB32, California’s historic climate change law that mandates a reduction in carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Beginning in 2013, the state’s largest sources of GHG emissions will be required to meet the regulatory  caps or purchase allowances or offsets.  
 
The regulation includes requirements for entities to be approved by ARB as Offset Project Registries (OPRs) for the California compliance program. OPRs will oversee the registration and issuance of California-eligible offsets, developed in uncapped sectors using ARB-approved compliance offset protocols or early action protocols. The projection for the use of offsets in the three compliance periods 2013- 2020 is 200 million tons at an estimated value over $5 billion.
 
ACR will provide an update on its preparations to apply to serve as an ARB approved Offset Project Registry as well as other recent relevant developments.

Click here to RSVP for the webinar or go to http://bit.ly/CAAB32.

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Carbon Forum North America 2012

Following the successful inaugural edition of Carbon Forum North America, IETA is pleased to announce the sequel: Carbon Forum North America 2012. CFNA 2012 will take place at the Marriott Metro Center in downtown Washington, DC on March 1-2, 2012.

Next year’s Carbon Forum North America will be IETA’s 2012 flagship event in North America. This conference and exhibition will focus on North American government policies impacting carbon markets and carbon compliance.

Carbon Forum North America 2011 convincingly demonstrated the business community’s continued support for market-based mechanisms to address climate change. More than 450 representatives from business, government, multilateral development organizations, think tanks and NGOs attended CFNA 2011, including many of North America’s foremost experts in carbon markets and climate policy. Senator Lieberman, California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols, Department of Energy Assistant Secretary David Sandalow, Congressmen Collin Peterson and John Garamendi, Resources for the Future President Phil Sharp, and Bipartisan Policy Center President Jason Grumet were among more than 80 high level speakers and keynote presenters.

CFNA 2012 will provide an opportunity to network with the key players in North American and global carbon markets, hear from a variety of experts on subjects ranging from pricing expectations in the California market to the market implications of EPA’s upcoming greenhouse gas regulations, and browse an exhibit floor showcasing the work of leading companies in North American carbon markets.

For more information please contact:

Ben McCarthy, Program Manager
      [email protected]

For sponsorship opportunities please contact:

David Hunter, U.S. Director
      [email protected]

Katie Sullivan, Canadian Director
      [email protected]

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