Sara Stefanini provides a written summary of our panel discussion held on Thursday March 17th 2022. Itâs a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights (potential for bioenergy, hard-to-abate sectors, sustainability, policy needs). Those highlights include the need to scale bioenergy up from around 50 EJ today to 150 EJ by 2050; the importance of carbon … [Read more...]
Energy Charter Treaty: four ways to amend it and enable green investments
The European Green Deal (EGD) aims to mobilise at least âŹ1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade. But the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) in its current form - designed to protect cross-border investments, enabling those whose energy projects have been shut down to sue nations â is causing fierce debate. The ECT protects all investment alike, but the result has been fossil (and nuclear) investors suing nations that have curtailed … [Read more...]
UNEP 2021 Emissions Gap report: only 11 countries have net-zero targets enshrined in law
Zeke Hausfather at Carbon Brief summarises the UNEP 2021 Emissions Gap report, released last week. It explores the impact of the net-zero emissions pledges of nations, and the âgapâ between them and the Paris targets. As COP26 gets started, 136 countries either have some form of commitment to a net-zero target or are considering it. Of those, 49 plus the EU have a firm net-zero commitment. But only 11 countries have targets enshrined in law. … [Read more...]
CEPP incentives and penalties: current design could undermine U.S. clean energy growth
The Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) is a key part of President Bidenâs energy and climate plans. It will steer utilities towards clean energy with incentives and penalties, and is still being designed. Severin Borenstein and James Bushnell at the Energy Institute at Haas, Steve Cicala at Tufts University and Ryan Kellogg at the University of Chicago warn that current proposals will allow utilities to game the system, resulting in … [Read more...]
Donât let high gas prices stop the EU ETS from doing its real job
The EU ETS carbon price reached a high of over âŹ60 per tonne in September. Some are arguing that its role in the current gas price crisis is a reason why it should be reined in. But Milan Elkerbout at CEPS Policy Insights explains that the EUA (European Union Allowance) has multiple purposes. It is an incentive to invest in low-carbon solutions such as renewables, efficiencies and new methods. The sooner we pass the cost hurdle of integrating … [Read more...]
Energy-efficient and affordable housing will increase public support for the Green Deal
Energy poverty â the inability to afford basic household energy needs â affects up to one-third of U.S and European households. The energy transition can be part of the solution, says Clare Taylor. Targeted energy-efficient retrofits and newbuilds for low-income households will cut bills and improve living conditions. This will not only cut emissions, but get the beneficiaries behind wider climate change policies like the Green Deals in Europe … [Read more...]
New rules for EU green bonds to raise âŹ350bn/yr, but no decision on nuclear and gas
The EU needs âŹ350bn/year from private investors to fill the Green Dealâs funding gap. The rules for the new green bonds that companies can issue to raise money are supposed to set a âgold standardâ, ensure thereâs no greenwashing, and make Europe the best place to invest your money sustainably. Benjamin Wehrmann at CLEW summarises the new strategy that was presented on 6th July, and has gathered reactions. Particular attention is paid to … [Read more...]
Climate Neutral Cities can be the key to winning public support for the European Green Deal
The EC is currently considering a mission proposal to achieve â100 climate neutral cities by 2030 â by and for the citizensâ. Arguing for its endorsement and the proposed umbrella governance, Simon Skillings and Eleonora Moro at E3G explain why cities are an ideal laboratory for tackling the big unanswered question: which European Green Deal (EGD) pathways will win genuine public support. No one should doubt that the EGD will be disruptive. So … [Read more...]
Coal Phase-Out in Central Europe: cooperation is better than law suits
On Monday (February 22nd 2021) the Czech government announced their intention to file a lawsuit in the EU Court of Justice against Polandâs plan to âexpand the miningâ at Turow, saying it can endanger the drinking water for up to 30,000 people living in the Liberec Region. Frank Umbach at EUCERS argues such a lawsuit sets a dangerous precedent that could stand in the way of regional cooperation and achieving the EUâs climate goals. Instead, the … [Read more...]
EU Buildings Renovations: get ready for minimum energy performance standards (MEPS)
To meet Europeâs 2030 climate targets the buildings sector must cut its emissions by 60%. That means annual renovations need to jump by an order of magnitude; at the moment itâs crawling at 1% per year. Worse, standard renovations save very little energy, just 9% in homes and 16% in commercial buildings. Itâs the deep renovations that cut energy by 60% or more, but thatâs only happening to under 0.3% of the stock. Louise Sunderland at RAP … [Read more...]
Carbon Border Adjustments: can the EU create a mechanism that is fair?
The proposed EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is meant to control imports of high-carbon goods from places that are not bound by Europeâs rising de-carbonisation rules. The obvious targets are commodities like steel, aluminium and cement. But it could be extended to all EU imports, including agricultural products. Michel Colombier at IDDRI warns that the EU is in danger of not listening nearly enough to its trading partners. He … [Read more...]
EU Taxonomy: Gas as a transition fuel needs Green Deal support too
PGE Group is Poland's largest energy company. Its transformation plan targets a 50% share from renewable generation and an 85% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. By 2050 it intends to have net zero CO2 emissions and provide 100% green energy to its customers. As with all nations around the world, and certainly in the EU, successful transitions depend on capital flows to the right sectors, signposted by policies and support. What does and does … [Read more...]
The dangers of using Climate Policy as a Social Justice tool
Cap-and-trade has been criticised in California for allowing big emitters to pay their way out of reducing emissions and cause pollution. Itâs become a social justice issue as poorer communities tend to be located near where the pollution is being created. James Bushnell at the Energy Institute at Haas warns that such clashes are being caused by the mistaken view that climate policy should be a major tool for reducing inequality. In fact, some … [Read more...]
The top Clean Energy developments of 2020
The world is still a long way off the pathway to meeting our emissions goals. But 2020 saw a number of major steps in the right direction. Laurie Stone at RMI presents a list of what has been achieved and which trends and new policy commitments are pointing us towards a much needed faster transition. They include coalâs decline, wind and solarâs growing competitiveness (even compared to gas), the promise of green hydrogen, bans on gas/petrol … [Read more...]
Europeâs Deep Buildings Renovations need to quadruple
The European Green Deal must grasp the opportunity to kick-start buildings renovations, says Thibaud VoĂŻta at the IFRI Center for Energy & Climate, summarising his report âThe Renovation Wave: A Make or Break for the European Green Dealâ. A lot of European buildings are old, and progress is slow. Stiffer regulations have helped, and household energy efficiency has risen by 30% since 2000. But the number of deep building renovations completed … [Read more...]
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