News

• Climate change worsens natural catastrophe rate – Munich Re

  01 February 2010

  Losses from natural catastrophes were dramatically lower in 2009 than the previous year, owing mainly to a benign North American hurricane season, according to Munich Re.

• German ministers reach consensus on solar tariff cuts

  01 February 2010

  Key German government ministers have agreed to make double-digit cuts to solar feed-in tariffs (FITs), to the dismay of the German solar industry.

• Japanese investors tapped for green bonds

  01 February 2010

  Nikko Asset Management is to launch a fund this month offering Japanese retail investors exposure to 'green' bonds issued by the World Bank.

• Australian real estate funds lead green rankings

  01 February 2010

  Australian property firms and funds top a new index measuring green policies and implementation, released last month.

• US sulphur emissions continue their fall

  01 February 2010

  US sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions have continued their sharp decline, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• Carbon markets lobby group appoints new director

  01 February 2010

  The Carbon Markets & Investors Association (CMIA) has appointed Miles Austin as its new director, effective on 1 February.

• Analysts predict upwards path for carbon in 2010

  01 February 2010

  Carbon prices in the EU Emissions Trading Sch eme (ETS) could rise as high as €20 ($29) a tonne of carbon dioxide (t CO2) equivalent later this year, as analysts predict no return to the heavy selling of EU allowances (EUAs) by industrial emitters seen last year.

• Funds digest

  01 February 2010

  DB and Masdar clean-tech fund raises $265m; Proark closes European renewables fund at €101m; ATP to launch €1bn climate fund; Alstom and Schneider collaborate on €70m VC fund; Banks seed European energy efficiency fund with €95m; ECP makes first close on renewables fund

• People moves

  01 February 2010

  Earth Capital Partners (ECP) has hired a threestrong team to advise on agriculture, forestry and biodiversity investments, with a particular focus on investing in Latin America.

• US adds record-breaking wind capacity in 2009

  28 January 2010

  Almost 10GW of wind energy capacity was added last year in the US, according to figures from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), breaking all records – and despite the global economic strife in 2009.