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...]
The hidden trigger of Paris: why the climate battle will now be taken to the courts
What will happen if the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement are not achieved? Most people assume that since the agreement is non-binding, failure to reach the targets will necessitate new political action, writes Lucas Bergkamp, Partner at the Brussels-based law firm Hunton & Williams LL.P. But according to Bergkamp, what is likely to happen is that climate activists will instead turn to the judiciary to enforce the treaty. This, he … [Read more...]
EUenergy: the Energy Union now has an App to back it up
Energy Post and Shell introduce: the EUenergy App. When it comes to EU energy policy, no one needs to waste time anymore arguing about the facts. With this app, you will have them at your fingertips. … [Read more...]
Gas galore – Europe to become “dumping” market for global gas supplies
From Australia to the US, from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, new projects are being planned to bring natural gas to the European market. This supports the EU’s goal to create a competitive integrated European gas market. But will there be enough demand for all that gas, Energy Post’s editor-in-chief Karel Beckman wonders? And what role do our policymakers want gas to play in the low-carbon economy? … [Read more...]
What the EU did in Paris – and what it should do next
A “lifeline” for the planet that “will steer the world towards a global clean energy transition”, was how European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hailed the Paris agreement. He also claimed it to be “a success for the European Union” itself. But the EU must now demonstrate that aspiration can be turned into achievement through action rather than words, writes Professor Sam Adelman of the University of Warwick. … [Read more...]
Paris climate deal: not a simple end to fossil fuels
The historic agreement on climate change reached in Paris a week ago is not a simple death knell for fossil fuels. Rather, it puts renewed focus on carbon capture and storage, throws a gauntlet down to the transport sector, and raises formidable governance as well as cost challenges for developing and developed countries alike. This is in addition to necessitating changes to electricity market design and grid infrastructure to accommodate more … [Read more...]
Vieuws Briefing on COP21: what Paris means for Europe
The EU is unlikely to change its commitment to 40% CO2-reduction by 2030, notes journalist Hughes Belin in this Vieuws video, in which he discusses the implications of the Paris climate agreement for the European energy sector. … [Read more...]
Buying Vattenfall’s lignite business could be a risky bet
Vattenfall is currently looking for a buyer for its German lignite assets. However, any potential investor faces a high risk that they will find themselves forced to wind down the business before earning back their investment, write Julian Schwartzkopff and Sabrina Schulz of international environmental organisation E3G. In this article, a shortened version of their new report Vattenfall’s Lignite Business – a Risky Bet for Investors, they explain … [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. “A whole new economy will be created.” What this means for fossil fuels is uncertain. Although the term decarbonisation has been replaced by a much vaguer “emissions neutrality”,  few believe that a 2 … [Read more...]
German grid operator can handle 70% wind, solar before storage needed
Reneweconomy.com The company responsible for more than one-third of Germany’s electricity grid says there is no issue absorbing high levels of variable renewable energy such as wind and solar, and grids could absorb up to 70 per cent penetration without the need for storage, writes Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com. … [Read more...]
COP21: a deal is in the making
As we enter the second week of the world’s 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 won’t solve the climate problem. We need massive structural changes in our energy and transportation systems. … [Read more...]
Why Nordstream 2 risks failure
The Nordstream 2 gas pipeline that Gazprom and a number of major European energy companies, have agreed to build, faces formidable political, legal and economic obstacles that may make the project undeliverable, writes Alan Riley, professor at City Law School in London and nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. According to Riley, the overarching problem Gazprom and its partners Shell, Engie, Wintershall, OMV … [Read more...]
Energiewende is easily affordable – if we don’t go 100% renewable
Researchers from Fraunhofer ISE have published a new report investigating the net cost of Germany’s energy transition. The good news is that the German government’s current goals are likely to be affordable. The bad news is that 100 percent renewable energy is less so, writes Craig Morris of the website German Energy Transition. … [Read more...]
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