National subsidies and other forms of support for renewable energy and energy efficiency have seriously undermined the functioning of the EUâs Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), writes Arnold Mulder of the University of Groningen. His PhD research, supervised by professors Catrinus Jepma, Steven Brakman and Erik Dietzenbacher, shows that current efforts to reform the system and increase CO2 allowance prices will not work if this adverse policy … [Read more...]
National Parliaments should approve Paris Climate Agreement before it is a done deal
The European Commission is taking steps to have the Paris climate agreement ratified and signed at EU level, without involving the parliaments of the Member States. Although this may be formally acceptable, it is a bad idea, writes Lucas Bergkamp, Partner at the Brussels-based law firm Hunton & Williams: it will aggravate the EUâs âdemocratic deficitâ, weaken popular support for climate action and will leave intact key weaknesses in the … [Read more...]
Robert Johnston, CEO Eurasia Group: âTake a seat at the table and advocate for gasâ
The big question in the energy sector today is whether the world will move to a zero-carbon policy in which fossil fuels have no place, or a world in which natural gas is part of the solution, says Robert Johnston, CEO of US-based consulting firm Eurasia Group, in an interview with World Energy Focus. Johnston advises companies to âtake a seat at the policy table and advocate for gasâ to counter âgrowing demands to exclude natural gasâ. … [Read more...]
Renewable energy demand in Europe reaches record levels
The demand for renewable electricity in Europe based on Guarantees of Origin (GO) validated by the European EECS standard continued to grow in 2015. The growth is up more than 8% from 2014 and surpassed 340 TWh, reports ECOZH, a Norwegian renewable energy supplier. … [Read more...]
Why itâs so difficult to reduce CO2 emissions
There are a number of factors that make it systematically difficult to reduce CO2 emissions, writes Jilles van den Beukel, a geophysicist and former geoscientist for Shell. He argues that we should not approach the climate problem dogmatically but keep all options on the table, including drastic changes in lifestyle and geoengineering solutions. … [Read more...]
Interview Christoph Frei, Secretary General World Energy Council: âThe key message from Paris: be part of the innovation frontierâ
The key message of the Paris Climate Agreement is that the energy sector should be part of the drive towards renewable energy and part of the âinnovation frontierâ, says Christoph Frei, Secretary-General of the World Energy Council, the largest global network in the energy business, with member committees in over 90 countries. âThe long road from Paris is to build on the best technology, to develop and deploy innovation. If you are not on the … [Read more...]
What’s new about Paris: role of the private sector to become much more important
A lot has been said about how national climate efforts under the Paris Climate Agreement will usher in a new energy future, but few have noticed another important change that COP21 heralds: for the first time non-state actors will start playing a prominent role in climate action, write Rolf de Vos and Kornelis Blok of consultancy Ecofys. The Agreement contains a number of decisions that will give private actors a semi-official status in future … [Read more...]
We need to get serious about negative emissions – fast
The Paris agreement was a diplomatic triumph, but there is a distinct disconnect between the ambition and the action required to achieve that goal, writes Tim Kruger, James Martin Fellow, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. Kruger notes that to stabilise the climate, emissions need to fall to zero and we are nowhere close to that. In fact, we are almost certain to overshoot, which means that emissions will have to go negative at some … [Read more...]
Why the Paris climate deal is a win for energy companies
The historic climate deal signed in Paris on 12 December 2015 has been embraced by many campaigners as a turning point in the fight against climate change. But energy companies should also be rejoicing. The unanimously adopted agreement provides the certainty of a long-term goal with the flexibility of carbon markets, takes a significant step towards creating a global level playing field, and promises billions in new subsidies to drive business … [Read more...]
What Paris means for the energy sector: start of a whole new clean economy
As the UN climate talks in Paris are nearing completion, the implications for the energy sector are becoming clear. The 186 national action plans that will form the basis of an agreement really amount to clean energy investment plans, observers say. âA whole new economy will be created.â What this means for fossil fuels is uncertain. Although the term decarbonisation has been replaced by a much vaguer âemissions neutralityâ, Â few believe that a 2 … [Read more...]
COP21: a deal is in the making
As we enter the second week of the worldâs make-or-break UN climate conference, the elements of a new global climate agreement are falling into place. It will provide energy companies the world over with the certainty of a long-term climate goal and of a push from governments to make them pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. But it will also recognise that the world has changed since the Kyoto Protocol and that emerging economies like China … [Read more...]
Why corporate sustainability won’t solve climate change
In the run-up to the much-anticipated COP21 international climate summit in Paris, business leaders worldwide have shown substantial support for action on greenhouse gases, writes David L. Levy, Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Massachusetts Boston. But according to Levy, voluntary corporate efforts wonât solve the climate problem. We need massive structural changes in our energy and transportation systems. … [Read more...]
What Paris is likely to deliver
Prospects look bright for the Paris Climate Summit. The sole fact that this yearâs COP (Conference of the Parties) will start with the government leaders meeting instead of finishing with it, as was usual in the past, is promising, writes Rolf de Vos of Ecofys. According to De Vos, if the more than 80 world leaders who will gather in Paris, including Obama, Xi Jinping, Modi and Putin, will get the Summit off to a good start, the work of two … [Read more...]
Most countries need to at least double their efforts on climate
Developed nations need to double or triple their current efforts to limit global warming to a âsafeâ level of 2â°C, write Anita Talberg and Malte Meinshausen of the University of Melbourne. Thatâs the finding of a study published on 26 October in Nature Climate Change assessing countries' post-2020 climate pledges ahead of Decemberâs international climate summit in Paris. … [Read more...]
China announces national emission trading scheme – experts react
China will launch a national emission trading scheme. In a joint US-China climate statement, issued as part of President Xi Jinpingâs state visit to the United States, China said its new trading sytem will cover âkey industry sectors such as iron and steel, power generation, chemicals, building materials, paper-making, and nonferrous metalsâ. On The Conversation, four experts react to this news. "How interesting that China the communist country … [Read more...]