News

• Econcern finds buyers for some assets

  01 July 2009

  Bankrupt Dutch sustainable energy company Econcern has managed to find buyers for parts of its business, saving the jobs of up to 600 of its 1,100 employees.

• ADB's new energy policy draws fire

  01 July 2009

  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to double its clean energy investments to $2 billion from 2013. However, it is to maintain its support for coal-fired generation and some large-scale hydro plants, drawing criticism from environmentalists.

• UK's Brown calls for $100 billion a year climate fund

  01 July 2009

  UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for $100 billion a year to be put aside by 2020 to help developing countries to fight climate change – the first leader of an industrialised country to put a figure on the table.

• Amendments likely as US Senate mulls cap and trade

  01 July 2009

  The battle to create a US federal greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programme now shifts to the Senate, with observers predicting "significant modifications" from the version passed in a close 26 June vote in the House of Representatives.

• Investment rebounds, but remains anaemic

  01 July 2009

  Investment in clean energy and in clean-technology venture capital rebounded in the second quarter from the dismal levels of the first three months of the year, but remains below earlier highs, according to analysts.

• VAT fraud fears roil carbon market

  01 July 2009

  Suspicions of value-added tax (VAT) fraud in the EU emissions market triggered a dramatic drop-off in trading volumes and prompted the French and Dutch governments to change their taxation policies.

• EcoSecurities bidding war fails to ignite

  01 July 2009

  A bidding war for London-listed carbon project developer EcoSecurities has failed to take off, with the two competitors instead joining forces.

• UK government faces judicial review over sustainability at RBS

  01 July 2009

  Three environmental NGOs have taken legal action against the UK government over its decision to bail out RBS without imposing environmental criteria on the bank's financing practices. This comes as a European investor coalition put forward proposals for governments to become more active shareholders in the banks they took stakes in as the financial crisis hit last year.

• Wheb launches sister asset manager

  01 July 2009

  Wheb Ventures has launched a sister company to invest in listed equities set to benefit from their exposure to three 'megatrends' – water, climate change and demographic change.

• New indexes to track green commodities, sustainability leaders

  01 July 2009

  Four index providers have announced new products focused on environmental commodities and companies that address environmental issues or show class-leading efforts on sustainability reporting.