News

• Canada promises renewable cash

  01 February 2007

  Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and three of his cabinet colleagues announced three major climate change initiatives in January, committing some C$2 billion (US$1.7 billion) for rebates for home energy efficiency measures, renewables and clean energy research.

• California to brake transport fuel emissions

  01 February 2007

  California is to establish a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) to reduce the carbon intensity of vehicle fuels by at least 10% by 2020, compared with current levels. Fuel providers will be able to use emissions trading to meet their compliance targets.

• Broader, deeper – and less risky?

  01 February 2007

  Hurricane Katrina helped whip up the catastrophe bond ­market in more ways than one. Donald Thorpe looks at how the market is evolving

• The Chicago school

  01 February 2007

  The Chicago Climate Exchange blazed a trail for greenhouse gas emissions trading when many in the US were indifferent. But has its voluntary approach outlived its usefulness? Ray Pospisil reports

• Putting shareholders first

  01 February 2007

  In early February, just after this issue of Environmental Finance went to press, the world's leading climate scientists were due to meet in Paris to put the finishing touches to the 4th Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

• Coal powers on

  01 February 2007

  Janet Gellici reviews the myriad of environmental and market pressures faced by the US coal industry, and its electric utility customers

• Carbon without compulsion

  01 February 2007

  Interest in using the carbon market to offset greenhouse gas emissions has soared. But the market's dramatic growth raises questions of credibility and transparency. Christopher Cundy reports

• Setting the stage for Phase II

  01 February 2007

  The European Commission has stuck to its guns in tightening up emissions targets for Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The onus is now on the member states, says Alyssa Gilbert

• Corporate climate action accelerates

  01 February 2007

  A Slew of corporate initiatives to tackle climate change have been announced in recent weeks – with environmentalists even claiming a shift in position by climate change bête noire ExxonMobil – in response to growing public concern around the issue.

• UK stirs up carbon offset market

  01 February 2007

  Leading carbon offset providers have blasted UK government proposals for a voluntary carbon offset standard that would exclude verified emission reductions (VERs) generated by non-Kyoto projects and have criticised the inclusion of allowances (EUAs) from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in the plans.