News

• More than $20bn on the table for carbon capture and storage

  01 March 2009

  Governments worldwide have set aside more than $20 billion for carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants, according to a report from consultancy Emerging Energy Research (EER). This includes $11.6 billion in funding promised by the EU and $3.5 billion earmarked in President Barack Obama's stimulus package.

• UK opposition considers biodiversity trading

  01 March 2009

  The UK's Conservative opposition party could introduce a biodiversity trading or banking scheme if elected, in a bid to halt the decline in biodiversity.

• Accor under fire for links with controversial logging firm

  26 February 2009

  An NGO is calling for French hotel group Accor to end its involvement in a Malaysian hotel project owned by controversial logging firm Interhill.

• VCs launch renewables, clean-tech group

  26 February 2009

  The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) has set up an energy, environment and technology group to help promote the role of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) in renewable energy and clean technology.

• Climate change raises spectre of insurance market failure

  26 February 2009

  Climate change increases the possibility of the failure of insurance markets, according to a Chartered Insurance Institute report, which cites the need for better measures of market robustness.

• UK government steps into carbon neutrality minefield

  26 February 2009

  The UK has proposed a definition of "carbon neutrality" in an effort to help standardise the term and reduce consumer confusion around its use. But experts warn that too strict a definition could hinder more than help.

• Recession sends climate down the corporate agenda – EIU

  26 February 2009

  Many global businesses foresee putting climate change action on the back burner as the recession continues to bite, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Firms will embrace energy efficiency measures in a bid to cut costs, the researchers found, but many plan to delay more ambitious action.

• Cat bond market set to bounce back

  26 February 2009

  French insurance company Scor sold a $200 million catastrophe (cat) bond last week, ending the six-month hiatus in cat bond issuance caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the general malaise in financial markets.

• Certifier UL approves use of petrol pumps for 15% ethanol

  25 February 2009

  After strong objections from the US ethanol lobby, a major product safety certification organisation has reversed course and agreed that standard petrol pumps can dispense safely petrol mixed with up to 15% ethanol.

• RiskMetrics acquires Innovest for $16 million

  19 February 2009

  Financial research and advisory firm RiskMetrics is to buy Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) research company.