Later today the G-20 is expected to announce an agreement to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

There is no fixed date in the agreement for the phase out of fossil fuel subsidies but it is expected that such a move would greatly lower greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming.

Reuters estimated that the annual worldwide spending on fossil fuel subsidies is around $300 billion.

Fuel subsidies for coal and oil help keep prices low for consumers, which drives up demand. As the U.S. saw a couple years ago, when gas prices soared fuel use decreased, resulting in less emissions.

The G-20 met in Pittsburgh this week to discuss global economic issues.

The elimination in fossil fuel subsidies is a small step in global climate and energy talks for President Barack Obama. In December the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen will be much more substantial. The fact that the U.S. Senate might not vote on the energy and climate bill that passed the U.S. House by the December climate talks will likely affect President Obama’s ability to successfully negotiate with other countries on climate issues.

Congress has returned from summer vacation with much of the news coverage focusing on health care reform, but does anyone remember the clean energy and climate bill?

Shortly before the summer recess the Waxman-Markey bill, the largest and most progressive energy bill, passed the House of Representatives. The Senate has not passed, or even completed drafting its own version.

Politico reported that Senators are fighting about which committee will draft the legislation. Chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California believes her committee should have control over the legislation, while Sen. Max Baucus of Montana and Finance Committee Chairman believes his committee should draft the legislation. A quick turnaround of a Senate climate bill after the month-long recess is looking less and less likely.

Meanwhile the environmental advocacy group, Repower America has sent out action-response letters telling their members to send this letter to their Senators urging the them to support a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill within the year. Compromise and cooperation must ensue for the clean energy and climate bill to pass both chambers.

White roofs, aka cool roofs, have caught attention lately as an offbeat but relatively simple and effective strategy for reducing air conditioning costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The idea is simple: white reflects heat instead of absorbing it. It's also a favorite idea of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who said "when you're thinking of putting on a new roof, make it white" in his appearance last month on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (you can watch the video below).  Chu added that white roofs costs about the same as traditional black roofs and for those in a warm climate, a white roof can reduce air conditioning costs up to about 20 percent.

When Chu talks white roofs, he cites research from Art Rosenfeld, the commissioner of the California Energy Commission. Rosenfeld calculated that pervasive white roofs and white streets throughout the United States would create a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent to getting rid of all cars for 11 years. You can learn more about Rosenfeld and his passion for energy efficiency by watching the second video below.

The New York Times also covered cool roofs in White Roofs Catch On as Energy Cost Cutters.

"We come home on days when it’s over 100 degrees outside, and the house is at 80 degrees,” white roof owner Jon Waldrep of Sacremento, Calif., told The New York Times.  

According to research by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, nearly every state could see significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions if 80 percent of commerical buildings were converted to have white roofs, even if white roofs meant increased heating demands in winter. You can see how much each state would save in Imagining a Cool-Roof Nation.

So what do you think? Should commercial buildings switch to white roofs? What about for your home? If it meant significant savings in your air conditioning bills, would you choose a white (or lightly colored) roof the next time you need new shingles? Or would that be too much of a color clash? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Do you ride a bike to work a few days a week? Good for you. Guess what — you deserve more than a pat on the back! How does $20 a month sound?

If you use a bicycle for your work commute at least three days a week and if your employer participates in the program, you are eligible for an expense reimbursement of up to $20 per month. The credit is intended to help offset some of the costs of bicycle commuting, such as the purchase of a bike, bike lock, helmet, parking pass, maintenance and even shower facilities. Employers can choose to reimburse receipts, or offer monthly payments or vouchers.

So how do you get the credit? Ask your human resources department if your employer is set up to provide this benefit. If not, tell your employer you want it! Find other bicycle commuters in your workplace, and encourage them to ask for it, too.

Learn more through the League of American Bicyclists and the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Note: Though cyclists applaud this legislation — and have been working on the policy for ages — many folks criticized this year's $700 billion financial bailout plan to which it was attached. You can read more about that in Bicycle Commuter Tax Break is Bittersweet Victory for Measure's Sponsor.

Last month, we said that the state of Vermont had introduced a feed-in tariff (FIT) policy that will encourage home and business owners to set up small renewable energy systems. FIT policies allow small renewable energy producers to sell excess energy from their home or business to utility companies at guaranteed rates, shortening the return on investment. Now, The New York Times reports that FIT policies are spreading to other areas of the country.

Last week, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) approved a policy that will allow owners of solar, biogas and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generator systems to sell the energy they produce back to SMUD. The SMUD provides service to 1.4 million people. The Times article says that rates will “depend on the time of day the power is generated, ranging from a low of 5 or 6 cents a kilowatt-hour to 30 cents on a hot summer afternoon.” According to an SMUD report, the policy will cover systems up to 5 megawatts, with an entire program cap of 100 megawatts.

The Times article also states that Hawaii is now considering a similar policy.

Photo by Mountain/\Ash/Flickr

After a short break for the Fourth of July, Congress is back at work.

Shortly before the week-long break, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which included a cap-and-trade system and was the first U.S. bill to regulate greenhouse gases.

Today the Senate started working on its own version by holding a hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, heard testimony from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, among others.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on international trade issues and connections to global warming – the House bill increased trade regulations with countries that produce high numbers of global warming gases – and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will look at the effectiveness of the European Union’s cap-and-trade system.

Politico reported that any cap-and-trade legislation in the Senate bill is unlikely and that a floor vote will not happen before the long summer recess next month.   

The Car Allowance Rebate System, formerly known as the Cash-for-Clunkers bill, takes effect today, July 1.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law that pays consumers up to $4,500 in credit for trading in their cars or trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles. The $1 billion program is overseen by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Details of how the plan will be rolled out are still being discussed. The full release is expected by July 24, but cars purchased between July 1 and Nov. 1, 2009 (if the funds do not run out before that) will qualify.

Here are some requirements listed from the CARS program website:

• Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date.
• Only purchases or leases of new vehicles qualify.
• Generally, the vehicles you trade in must get 18 or fewer miles per gallon. You can check your current car's gas mileage estimate here.
• The new car being purchased must get a minimum of 22 miles per gallon and cannot exceed a price of $45,000.
• The vehicle you trade in must be drivable.
• Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in.
• The vehicle that you are trading in is required to be destroyed. Therefore, the value negotiated with the dealer for your trade-in is not likely to exceed its scrap value.

The CARS rebate does not count on top of the trade-in value of your vehicle. When you trade your car in, you do not need to do any paperwork with the government because the dealer will apply the credit when you buy the new vehicle.

The bill is designed for people with older, inefficient cars who are looking for new, more fuel-efficient cars. But there have been criticisms that the purpose of the bill is more for stimulating car sales than greening America’s fleet, since the gas mileage standard is just a 4 mpg increase.

Others, such as the Washington Post, are criticizing the bill for not providing enough money. The $1 billion of credits is only expected to increase car sales by 250,000 cars. Businessweek quoted Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of Edmunds, saying that the program will not help the auto industry because auto sales would need to increase by 3 million vehicles more to get them out of the bad situation they are in now. But most automakers and auto dealers support the program.

What do you think about the new program? If you qualify, what kind of car would you get? If you don’t qualify, what kind of car would you want to get? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.