News

• Investors offer tips to US firms on disclosing climate risks, opportunities

  03 March 2011

  Providing quality disclosure on climate change risks and opportunities is no easy task, but a report by Ceres aims to let companies know exactly what information investors are looking for in the US.

• Commission seeks input on raising €100bn of 'project bonds'

  03 March 2011

  The European Commission has launched a public consultation to find the best way of encouraging the private sector to plug the €100 billion ($139 billion) shortfall needed to update Europe's outdated energy infrastructure via 'project bonds'.

• China still top dog but global renewables in 'flux' – E&Y

  02 March 2011

  China is still the most attractive market for renewables investment, despite facing significant supply chain challenges, while continued economic pressure has put the wider global renewables market "in a state of flux", according to analysis by Ernst & Young.

• US set to outpace Canadian sustainable business spend

  02 March 2011

  Canadian businesses are increasing spending on sustainability, but growth rates are still trailing their counterparts south of the border.

• Commission disappoints with response to EUA scandal

  01 March 2011

  The European Commission has proposed a raft of measures to improve security in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in the wake of the theft of around 4 million EU allowances (EUAs) that has slowed the spot market to a crawl. But market participants and lawyers have slammed the measures as inadequate and overdue.

• Obama's plan to start a US-wide trade in clean energy credits?

  24 February 2011

  US President Barack Obama's proposed federal clean energy standard (CES) would allow utilities to trade credits on a national level to lower compliance costs, according to a White House report.

• US Democrats to fight cuts to clean energy support

  24 February 2011

  US Senate Democrats are pushing back against an attempt to gut funding for clean energy by Republicans in the House of Representatives, in a battle over the budget which is bringing the government close to a shut-down.

• Tougher EU climate target would boost EU's GDP by $842bn

  24 February 2011

  An increase in the EU's target to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 30% by 2020 would boost its economy and cut unemployment, according to a report commissioned by the German government

• EIB ups lending to renewables, energy efficiency

  24 February 2011

  Climate loans made up 30% of the European Investment Bank's (EIB's) lending in the EU last year, with the development bank financing €20.5 billion ($28.2 billion) of projects involving renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transport, forestry, innovation and climate adaptation.

• Renewables 'green rush' costs California utilities $6 billion

  24 February 2011

  California's investor-owned utilities have committed to renewable energy contracts worth $6 billion in excess of the price of natural gas-generated electricity because of a "green rush" to meet the state's renewable targets, according to a utilities watchdog report published last week.