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The next chapter
01 October 2008Reto Ringger, founder and chief executive of SAM Group, is stepping down after 13 years at the helm. He talks to Mark Nicholls about building a pioneer of sustainability investing – and his next steps
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When it comes to the crunch…
01 October 2008With financial markets reeling, and the global economy spluttering, fears are growing over the outlook for the environmental technology sector. But, argues Ian Simm, even a worldwide slump is unlikely to completely reverse its fortunes
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Smooth, if cheap, start to first US carbon market
01 October 2008Prices for the inaugural auction in the first mandatory US carbon dioxide emissions trading scheme were at the low end of pre-auction expectations and below futures contract prices, but demand was strong and all available allowances were sold.
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Looming US?climate legislation boosts CDP response
01 October 2008Anticipation of climate change regulation in the US is driving major US companies to voluntarily disclose their risks and mitigation strategies, but there is concern that underlying economic woes could steal some of the momentum from climate change initiatives.
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Investors demand SEC acts on oil and gas climate risk
01 October 2008Investors are calling on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to force oil and gas companies to disclose climate change risks, as the SEC considers proposals to modernise reporting standards.
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Hopes dim for quick fix for US clean air rule
01 October 2008Hopes for a 'quick fix' to reinstate limits on emissions from power plants in the eastern US appeared dashed in late September. However, efforts are continuing to rebuild the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), after it was unexpectedly struck down by judges in July, throwing utility emissions control plans, and the US emissions markets, into turmoil.
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Congressional bickering stalls PTC, again
01 October 2008Prospects for extending production tax credits (PTC) for renewable energy before they expire are faltering, following the failure last month of the US Senate and House of Representatives to compromise on proposed legislation.
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Dow Jones, CCX launch carbon indexes
01 October 2008Dow Jones and the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) have launched two carbon indexes, the first in a planned series. The two indexes will be based on futures contracts listed on the CCX's European sister, the European Climate Exchange. One will be based on EU allowance (EUA) futures, the other calculated from certified emission reduction (CER) futures prices.
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Markets in meltdown
01 October 2008Just when it seems that it can't get any worse, it does. A financial sector that has been staggering under the weight of hundreds of billions of dollars of bad assets for over a year seems on the verge of collapse. At the end of last month, banks were falling like ninepins, while US policy-makers were struggling to come up with a sensible and timely response to stop the rot.
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IFC to measure portfolio's carbon footprint
01 October 2008The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering the introduction of 'carbon accounting' across its lending and investment portfolio, in an effort to understand its climate exposures better. While the IFC is not planning to disclose or set targets for the carbon-intensity of its investments, the move is likely to increase pressure on the development bank, the private sector arm of the World Bank, to decarbonise its lending.