News

• Clean energy award offers $3m for SMEs and NGOs

  19 August 2011

  The Zayed Future Energy Prize – the world's largest award for renewable and sustainable energy – will give $3 million to small and medium–sized enterprises (SMEs) and NGOs in the 2012 competition.

• Wind power 'cheaper than gas' in Brazil

  19 August 2011

  Generating power from the wind in Brazil is less costly than using natural gas or hydro, according to the results of a government tender to supply electricity this week.

• Brazil forestry fund eyes $350m

  18 August 2011

  A Brazilian firm is launching a fund that aims to help meet the booming demand for timber while delivering high returns for institutional investors.

• Smucker's climate risk vote is just the starter

  18 August 2011

  A shareholder resolution filed against JM Smucker could pave the way for other companies in the food and agricultural sector to disclose climate-related physical risks to their supply chains.

• Dutch weather risk cover for builders extended to UK

  18 August 2011

  UK building companies are being offered weather derivatives to cover financial losses in the event of cold or wet weather delaying construction projects.

• Corporate giants back WRI water project

  18 August 2011

  Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical and Coca-Cola are among a consortium of large US companies backing a World Resources Institute (WRI) initiative to help companies manage their water requirements and reduce the risk to their business of drought and flooding.

• Plastic Disclosure Project to launch next month

  17 August 2011

  An initiative designed to encourage companies to report on their plastics use and recycling is due to go live next month, with the completion of an online form allowing respondents to submit information on governance, strategy, and risks and opportunities around plastics use.

• Cat risk markets could cover oil spills

  17 August 2011

  As Shell battles the UK's worst oil spill for 10 years, one company is proposing that oil companies manage their spill risks by transferring them to capital markets, via catastrophe (cat) bonds.

• Veteran solar firm Evergreen files for bankruptcy

  16 August 2011

  Environmental technology pioneer Evergreen Solar has filed for bankruptcy and is seeking to sell assets to part repay creditors.

• Desalination investments seen averaging $2bn/yr

  16 August 2011

  Investment in seawater desalination is forecast to average $2 billion a year to 2015, with almost half of this expenditure going on components and materials, according to US market analysts The McIlvaine Company.