The United States is putting forward laws to limit carbon pollution from new power plants which some are suggesting could effectively rule out new coal plants in the USA.

Under proposals for the first Clean Air Act standard from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any new coal and natural gas power plants will have to take into account their greenhouse gas emissions before they are built.

Previously President Obama has taken the flak from some Republic politicians for his “war on coal”. Critics of this week’s development suggest the EPA rules will increase American electricity bills.

But senior Democratic Senator Tom Carper has defended the proposals as “a step in the right direction” to curb “harmful emissions” while others claim new rules will help US businesses increase their “competitiveness”.

Small and medium-sized businesses are creating more ‘green jobs’, according to a new EU survey. According to a Eurobarometer survey on ‘SMEs, resource efficiency and green markets’, green jobs are largely created in SMEs as opposed to large firms.

In 2012, one in eight employees of small and medium-sized firms had a green job or almost 13% of all SME jobs. Whereas in large firms, it was only one in 33, around 3% of all large company jobs.

More than a third (37%) of EU SMEs have at least one full or part-time green employee, suggested the survey, which also predicts this figure will rise by a rate of 35% in the next 2 years.

Antonio Tajani, the European Commission’s Vice-President who is responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship said: “I am happy to see that SMEs are taking on this huge untapped potential which will pay off with more innovation, more competitive SMEs and more jobs.”

But he added there is still a lot of work to do: “Only very few European SMEs extend their green business to foreign markets. Knowing that the EU makes up roughly one third of the world market for environmental industries this reveals a huge potential for SMEs to grow.”

Mexico could follow the UK’s example and become the second country in the world to introduce national climate change laws.

The environmental charity WWF is urging Mexico’s Congress to adopt the first version of the Mexican Climate Change Law at a vote expected to take place tomorrow.

Some companies in the country’s steel and coal sectors are opposing the law but WWF is appealing to Mexican politicians to back the proposed legislation.

The charity said in a statement: “On 29th March the final word is in the hands of the members of Congress from all political parties who need to demonstrate Mexicans and the world their conviction and determination through the approval of an ambitious Law.”

Builders and big business are praising the Government for “holding its nerve” on new reforms of the planning system.

Yesterday the Department for Communities and Local Government brought out its new policy framework, which changes the way developers get permission for building projects.

“Development that is sustainable should go ahead, without delay – a presumption in favour of sustainable development that is the basis for every plan and every decision,” stated Planning Minister Greg Clark in the foreword.

The reform was touted as a way of cutting back on red tape to stimulate growth, as well as letting local communities “back into planning” by “dismantling the unaccountable regional apparatus and introducing neighbourhood planning”.

John Cridland, Director-General of the CBI which represents thousands of UK businesses said: “Future generations will be thankful that the Government has held its nerve on this. Having a presumption in favour of sustainable development gets the balance right between supporting jobs and growth and serving the interests of the environment and society.

“The new framework hands the responsibility back to local communities to decide where new homes, businesses and infrastructure to support them should be built.

“So the onus is on local authorities to work with people and businesses in their area to develop suitable plans as quickly as possible.”

He added it is “not an invitation to concrete over Britain, as some would have us believe.”

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the UK’s largest trade association in the building sector, echoed the view that “the Government appears to have stuck to its guns”.

However it warned the demand for houses is set to rise in the next five years and the country urgently needs enough space for new housing.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said: “The NPPF is a step in the right direction but in order to build more homes local planning authorities must allocate sufficient financially viable land for the construction of new homes.”

Some experts suggested environmentalists would be pleased with the shape of the new planning rules.

“Ecologists will welcome the clear statement that local planning authorities should not identify new sites for peat extraction or extensions to existing sites,” said John Box, at environmental consultancy Atkins.

He said the “real test” of new rules will depend on its interpretation by developers and planners.

Nevertheless campaigners still had reservations about “confusing and contradictory information” in the document, which has been shrunk from a thousand pages to roughly a hundred.

Friends of the Earth’s Policy and Campaigns Director Craig Bennett said: “Ministers must make it crystal clear that the new planning system will encourage the low-carbon infrastructure and affordable homes our nation needs – and prevent poor quality developments that waste water and increases our reliance on expensive fossil fuels.”

The Government’s roadmap for Carbon Capture and Storage will be launched over Easter, Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced yesterday.

Mr Davey told Parliament in a written statement he will also launch the £1billion programme meant to help the new technology become cost effective during the Commons’ recess.

The Government will hope this can jump-start confidence in the new technology after the prominent collapse of the Longannet CCS project at the Fife power station last autumn, which had originally been earmarked to get the Government’s billion pound pot.

The new CCS Commercialisation Programme will focus on reducing the cost of CCS so it can come to the market in the 2020s, said the Energy Secretary.

Mr Davey said: “CCS has the potential to be one of the most cost effective technologies for decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors, as well as a significant green growth opportunity.

“I believe that we now have one of the best CCS packages offered by any country in the world.”

A new UK centre for research into carbon emissions and climate modelling opens today. The Centre for Carbon Measurement will be based at The National Physical Laboratory in London.

The Centre will work on producing reliable climate data to help UK policy makers in areas such as meeting emissions reduction targets through clean energy generation, international regulations and schemes for carbon trading and monitoring, as well as developing low carbon technology.

Jane Burston, the leader of the Centre said: “Key to our success is demonstrating to the right people how carbon measurement can improve business practices, promote low carbon innovation and support mitigation and adaptation to climate change – including agreeing global targets and standards.”

BP will begin exploring an oil well at North Uist off the coast of the Shetland Islands after winning permission from DECC late yesterday.

The British oil explorer, which was plunged into controversy after the blowout at its Gulf of Mexico well in 2010, said safety had been an “absolute priority” when it was submitting plans for approval.

A BP statement said: “Ensuring our activities are managed safely and responsibly is our absolute priority – we have been exploring West of Shetland since the early 1970s and have safely produced over 800 million barrels of oil from the area.

“Ongoing analysis will be conducted to ensure that a potential blowout rate is at no time created that exceeds the rating of the subsea capping system. The maximum blowout rate is therefore limited to 75,000 barrels per day.”

A blowout happens when there is a build up of pressure under equipment which can lead to the uncontrolled release of oil or gas from the well.

Safety was firmly on Government’s agenda when considering whether to grant permission for the well, according to Energy Minister Charles Hendry.

He said: “Before giving consent, my Department has very carefully scrutinised BP’s plans and their emergency response measures to ensure their operations are conducted to the highest possible standards.”

But environmental groups expressed concern over the new deepwater drilling activities, with some claiming BP should be investing in clean technology in Scotland instead.

Green charity Greenpeace is predicting a “hammer” blow for the environment in tomorrow’s Budget.

The gloomy forecast from the campaign group warns planning reforms could “drop important provisions protecting local green space” and wants these reforms to be scrapped.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace said: “The Chancellor appears determined to wield an ideological hammer against the protection of our valuable countryside and the UK’s globally admired push to slash its carbon emissions.”

Despite last year’s surprise Budget ‘raid’ on the North Sea which hit some fields with tax at 80%, Greenpeace also critises “expected tax breaks” for the oil industry which it says will continue a “long trend of major reduction in taxes since 1983″.

Media reports have been hinting at financial help from the Treasury for the North Sea, in particular for decommissioning oil fields and to support so-called ‘marginal’ fields where the profit margins are relatively small.

The charity is further concerned “key” policy areas will be missed out in the Budget, as it says the Chancellor is not expected to mention the Green Investment Bank, Green Deal funding or fuel poverty.

The Treasury would not comment on the Budget before it is announced.

President Barack Obama should press for a global carbon tax, a Nobel Prize-winning Harvard economist has told ELN.

Professor Eric S. Maskin from the Department of Economics at Harvard University suggested America should even adopt a carbon tax, like Europe has, to “set a good example” to the rest of the world.

The comments come as Professor Maskin and 25 other American economists yesterday wrote to President Obama urging him to support the EU’s decision to include the aviation industry in its low carbon scheme.

The signatories include five nobel prize winners, from universities such as Harvard, Stanford and Columbia.

The letter says: “Addressing emissions in this sector by negotiating a global pricing system through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would send an important signal that carbon pricing is an effective way to correct a major market failure-the growing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”

Professor Maskin told ELN in an email: “Either pushing for a cap-and-trade scheme or a straight carbon tax in the US would be a welcome response from the president. It would be even better if he pushed for a global scheme.”

The leading economist denied the EU’s scheme was pointless and suggested if America picked up its own emissions policy, others would follow suit.

He said: “I do not agree that without a global policy, the EU’s scheme is pointless – if the US joined the scheme, then a significant fraction of world emissions would be covered. More importantly, the US would be setting a good example for the rest of the world (notably, China). And so ultimately getting the global policy would become more likely.”

Some American and Canadian airlines have kicked up a fuss over the EU ETS, challenging their legality but last December EU courts ruled in favour of the emissions policy.

X-Men star Famke Janssen is taking on a new role – not in a Hollywood film but as a Water Ambassador for an NGO, the Green Cross International.

The Dutch-born actress, who has previously served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, will help promote awareness about water conservation around the world.

Ms Janssen said: “Water is the source of all life but I fear it will be the source of future conflicts if we do not act now to conserve the planet’s reservoirs of water and find ways to share it fairly among all people.”

Green Cross work includes providing safe drinking water and sanitation. Its president, Alexander Likhotal, said Ms Janssen’s support “will help shift people’s attitudes towards better preservation and sharing of this
most valuable of natural resources.”