News

• Bankers call on EU to back green standards and investment

  04 March 2010

  The EU should lead a global effort to develop green banking standards, said Blaise Desbordes, director of sustainable development at Caisse de Dépôts, a French public investment bank, at a conference in Brussels this week.

• Private equity investors urged to step up on climate change

  04 March 2010

  Private equity investors are the target of a guide on the risks and opportunities posed by climate change, issued this week by the London-based Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC).

• S&P survey reveals credit risks from carbon ignored

  04 March 2010

  Less than half of major European companies are fully integrating carbon exposures into corporate financial decisions, according to a survey by ratings agency Standard & Poors (S&P), despite the imminent impact of a more stringent phase of Europe's emissions trading scheme.

• Deloitte boosts carbon practice with dcarbon8 buy

  04 March 2010

  Professional services firm Deloitte has acquired specialist consultancy dcarbon8 for an undisclosed sum.

• Clean Air 'fix' does little for allowance markets

  01 March 2010

  A legislative fix for the embattled Clean Air Inter­state Rule (CAIR) programme has been introduced in the US Senate, but vague language and doubts about the bill's prospects mean uncertainty continues to swirl around the likely value of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) allowances.

• Climate talks inch forward

  01 March 2010

  Efforts are under way to rebuild momentum in the international climate negotiations, after more than 100 countries expressed support for the Copenhagen Accord and with an extra meeting scheduled for next month.

• US biofuels industry applauds RFS rule

  01 March 2010

  The embattled ethanol industry got a major boost from the US government in February with the publication of the final Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) rule, which clarifies biofuels targets, and which is expected to encourage investment in the sector.

• WestLB unveils lending policy on coal-fired power plants

  01 March 2010

  WestLB, one of the largest lenders to the energy sector, has published what is understood to be a first-of-its-kind environmental policy for private sector lending to coal-fired power plants – requiring that they be ready to fit carbon capture and storage equipment and meet high efficiency standards.

• Obama to up renewables funding, cut fossil subsidies

  01 March 2010

  Clean energy was a winner in US President Barack Obama's proposed budget, with major funding increases despite his pledge to control spending.

• Swedish tech group makes $150m move on Tricorona

  01 March 2010

  Swedish energy and environmental technology firm Opcon has announced an all-share offer for emissions-reduction project developer Tricorona.