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15 May: The earthquake which hit China this week is likely to cause up to $1 billion of insured property losses – the highest in the country to date, according to calculations by US catastrophe risk modelling firms. More...
15 May: Half of the world’s energy companies believe that there is a “real risk” of a bubble in the renewable technology sector, according to a KPMG report released this week. More...
15 May: A lack of trust and leadership are the biggest obstacles to overcome in negotiating a new international climate change agreement, UN climate change chief Yvo de Boer told Carbon Finance last week. More...
15 May: VeraSun Energy, one of the biggest US producers of ethanol, unveiled a $7.6 million profit in the first quarter this year, compared with a $312,000 loss a year before. More...
15 May: Eleven major Brazilian companies have committed to report their greenhouse gas emissions through a new voluntary registry. More...
15 May: ASN Bank has published figures on the carbon intensity of three of its funds, which were in aggregate 20% less intensive than the MSCI All-World Developed index. More...
8 May: The value of the global carbon market doubled last year, to $64 billion, the World Bank said yesterday in its annual State and Trends of the Carbon Market report. More...
8 May: The UK government refused today to bow to pressure from environmentalists and business leaders to use the money raised from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to fight climate change. More...
US clean-tech venture capital (VC) investments were up 18% to $571.6 million in the first quarter of 2008, bucking a gloomier trend for overall VC investment, according to an Ernst & Young report. More...
8 May: Nordic power bourse Nord Pool is planning to launch carbon indexes later this year, CEO Torger Lien said yesterday. More...
8 May: More than 1,400MW of new wind energy capacity, costing $3 billion, was installed in the US in the first quarter of 2008 – up from just 124MW in the same period of 2007, according to the American Wind Energy Association. More...
8 May: US private equity firm First Reserve has invested $300 million into a company planning to build four ethanol plants that will use barley rather than the more normal maize as the feedstock. More...
8 May: The latest issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including a special report on the carbon markets. More...
1 May: Biofuel policies have come under further attack for allegedly reducing supplies of crops and raising food prices, as the prospects of international trade conflict increased. More...
1 May: Generation Investment Management has attracted $683 million into its Climate Solutions Fund – making it one of the largest fund-raisings for a vehicle of its type. More...
1 May: Climate change economist Nicholas Stern yesterday called on developed countries to accept binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 80-90% below 1990 levels by 2050, with developing countries adopting targets by 2020. More...
1 May: Strong economic growth can go hand-in-hand with a low-carbon economy, agreed members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development yesterday. More...
1 May: The majority of North American finance executives expect to modify their business models in response to climate change, but more than half say they are unprepared to cope with the financial risks from current weather conditions, a survey has revealed.
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1 May: The International Finance Corporation is to produce the first ratings of how fund managers investing in emerging markets are integrating environmental, social and governance factors into decision making.
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1 May: German utility RWE has said climate change is the most important corporate responsibility issue facing the firm, which a leading supplier of electricity generated from fossil fuels and Europe’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide. More...
24 April: The European Commission intends to announce a package of measures next month to stimulate sustainable industrial development across the EU. More..
24 April: A long-talked-over plan to build a massive hydroelectric plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo was revived this week, as ministers, utilities and bankers gathered in London for a meeting convened by the World Energy Council. More..
24 April: Differences between the US and the EU overshadowed the third Major Economies Meeting, which closed in Paris on Friday, as leaders from the world’s major polluting countries failed to agree goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions. More..
24 April: Implementing a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade scheme in the US will only cost 0.03% of economic growth by 2030, according to a report by NGO Environmental Defense Fund. More..
24 April: US President George Bush yesterday called on Congress to extend current farm subsidies by another year, as it is unlikely to agree a new Farm Bill by the deadline of this Friday. More..
24 April: Merrill Lynch and ICF International have launched a carbon consultancy service aimed at businesses that want a carbon strategy but do not currently face regulations to reduce emissions. More..
17 April: The Asian Development Bank has named five clean energy private equity funds to which it is providing up to $100 million in seed financing. More...
17 April: European legislation could rule that biofuels must produce savings in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 35% over fossil fuels, according to a proposal contained in an interim report from an EU working group. More...
17 April: The recent poor share price performance of Econergy International has prompted at least two possible bids for the renewable energy and carbon project developer. More...
17 April: Investors are more aware of climate change than previously, but are failing to fully assess the risks it poses when the financial implications are not clear, according to the European investor body Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change. More...
17 April: Weather risk management service Storm Exchange is to acquire Weather Ventures, a Pennsylvania-based forecasting company, for an undisclosed sum. More...
17 April: The Carbon Disclosure Project and IBM are to survey companies with a good record on gathering and disclosing data on their carbon dioxide emissions, in order to produce a best practice guide. More...
17 April: The April issue of Carbon Finance is now available, including the latest on the 2007 verified emissions data from installations in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. More...
10 April: The World Bank has published revised proposals for two major new funds to help developing countries tackle climate change – including one that could help finance large-scale Clean Development Mechanism projects. More...
10 April: Insurer Aon Corporation has warned that the UK’s plan for a nuclear power renaissance must take into account risks of interruptions to the supply of uranium fuel. More...
10 April: The US is facing another busy hurricane season in 2008, according to researchers at Colorado State University, who have raised their forecast from their initial early December prediction. More...
10 April: Iberdrola has become the world’s largest owner of wind power capacity, according to the latest rankings from analysis firm Emerging Energy Research. More...
10 April: Brazilian ethanol prices reached a four-year low at the beginning of the harvest season for the feedstock sugar cane, which began this month. More...
10 April: The latest issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including a special section on the financing of nuclear power. More...
3 April: Around 1,000 representatives from around the world are in Bangkok this week for a UN meeting to discuss a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. More...
3 April: Carbon dioxide emissions from factories and power stations in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme rose slightly in 2007 compared with 2006, according to initial – and incomplete – data published by the European Commission. More...
3 April: Concerns about the potential for leakage of pressurised carbon dioxide from proposed carbon capture and storage facilities could be addressed by using the gas to supply algae farms, said Jeff Mettais, vice-president of international business development at algae technology company A2BE Carbon Capture. More...
3 April: UK communications firm Carbon International has been given the green-light to raise funds for its clients, and has completed its first fund-raising. More...
3 April: Texas retains its title as the state with the most installed wind power in the US, according to figures released yesterday by the American Wind Energy Association. More...
3 April: Putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions could transform the fortunes of the US biofuels market, according to a leading biodiesel supplier. More...
3 April: Hong Kong-based electricity generator China Light and Power has released its 2007 sustainability report. More...
27 March: Rajesh Kumar Sethi, the new chair of the Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board, told Carbon Finance that problems over the past year are “temporary phenomena” which will decline soon. More...
27 March: An increasing concern about the environment has been ranked in the top 10 strategic risks to business in a recent report from consultancy Ernst & Young. More...
27 March: UK-based carbon investment company Trading Emissions expects to be issued with 5 million carbon credits by the UN by the end of April 2009, from a contracted portfolio of 53 million – up 2 million in the last three months. More...
27 March: US investment bank JPMorgan has bought ClimateCare, one of the oldest carbon offset providers, to strengthen its carbon credit origination business. More...
27 March: Investment banks Merrill Lynch and Société Générale have both announced the launch of carbon indexes, following similar moves by Barclays Capital and UBS. More...
13 March: UN climate chief Yvo de Boer has warned that upcoming UN talks in Bangkok must reach agreement on a detailed work plan, if the world is to meet the Bali roadmap deadline of endorsing a new global pact at Copenhagen in 2009. More...
13 March: The European Parliament gave its backing today to plans to create a global fund to boost energy efficiency and renewable energy, but warned that its target budget of €100 million ($150 million) was “woefully inadequate”. More...
13 March: The European Investment Bank lent money to just one biofuel production project in 2007, despite examining more than 50 proposals. More...
13 March: The registry for Gold Standard voluntary emission reductions was formally launched on Tuesday, in the latest move to improve transparency in the burgeoning voluntary carbon market. More...
13 March: Vodafone Group's corporate responsible (CR) report has been voted the best published in 2007. More...
13 March: UBS has launched an index that aims to track stock market returns with a reduced carbon footprint. More...
13 March: The latest issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including a special focus on making money from efforts to combat climate change. More...
13 March: The March issue of Carbon Finance is now available, including the latest on the delayed distribution of allowances in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. More...
6 March: Leading investors have added their voices to the growing chorus of concern about the extension of key renewable energy tax breaks in the US. More...
6 March: The head of BP’s alternative energy division has denied rumours that the company is planning to divest its renewable energy business. More...
6 March: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development yesterday offered a stark warning that tackling global warming and other environmental hazards demands urgent action. More...
6 March: The consortium behind the much-criticised Sakhalin II oil and gas project in Russia has withdrawn applications for support from the US and UK export credit agencies, citing their drawn-out and uncertain timetable for decision making. More...
6 March: The European Commission’s target for biofuels to account for 10% of transportation fuels by 2020 is unlikely to cut greenhouse gas emissions greatly and should be reconsidered, according to a study presented to the European Parliament. More...
6 March: A decision by the UK government to delay the issuance of 2008 EU allowances until the EU’s Community Independent Transaction Log is linked to the UN’s International Transaction Log has added more fuel to an already-raging fire in the European emissions market over this year’s allocations. More...
6 March: Imperial Tobacco, the world’s fourth largest cigarette company, has published its fifth annual corporate responsibility review. More...
28 February: Clean energy investment in 2007 was higher than initial estimates, New Energy Finance has reported, marking the second upwards revision from the analysis company. More...
28 February: Oslo-based analysis company Point Carbon predicts that the global carbon market will grow by 56% this year compared with 2007, with 4.2 billion tonnes of carbon credits traded. More...
28 February: The European Commission’s review of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is “taking a fundamentally positive stance” towards the Clean Development Mechanism, the director of its climate change unit said Tuesday – and opened the door to a revision of proposed limits to carbon credit imports. More...
28 February: The concept of being carbon neutral will be “considered mainstream” in the US and European financial, media and retail sectors by 2012, and will create huge demand for carbon offsets, according to consultancy ICF International. More...
28 February: The world’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power station is to be built in Australia’s Victoria state at a cost of A$420 million. More...
28 February: Two wheat-based ethanol plants being planned in the UK are to be financed through an unusual approach aimed at private investors. More...
21 February: Almost 50 institutional investors signed up to a ‘climate risk action plan’ last week, which includes a promise to invest $10 billion in clean technology within two years. More...
21 February: US investment bank Merrill Lynch has joined an Indonesia-based avoided deforestation project, which is expected to generate 100 million tonnes of voluntary carbon credits over 30 years. More...
21 February: The drive for a low-carbon economy will create important opportunities for UK industry, but government needs to do more to ensure these opportunities are not wasted, according to surveys by consultancies Deloitte and KPMG. More...
21 February: Energy products brokerage TFS Energy has launched a ‘green finance’ division, which will focus on sourcing finance for renewable energy and emission reduction projects. More...
(from Bioenergy Business)21 February: The ineffectiveness and often near-invisibility of small bioenergy trade associations in the EU is holding back the sector, claimed the head of a renewables forum backed by Members of the European Parliament. More...
21 February: Risk Management Solutions has launched the first parametric index in Europe for assessing the insured losses from windstorms. More...
14 February: Wall Street financiers are effectively imposing a $50/tonne price of carbon dioxide on their investment decisions regarding new power generation in the US, according to the president of the World Research Institute. More...
14 February: London-based boutique merchant bank Climate Change Capital is understood to be talking to investors about a sustainability-oriented property fund, following the appointment of two senior property investment managers. More...
14 February: The shipping industry is unlikely to use market-based mechanisms to control air pollution, following a decision by an International Maritime Organization sub-committee last week. More...
14 February: Investor bodies in Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand have teamed up to publish voluntary climate change disclosure standards for electricity firms. More...
14 February: Dutch energy company Essent has begun testing coffee husks imported from Brazil as a fuel at its 1,200MW Amer power station. More...
14 February: Almost nine out of 10 corporate social responsibility reports produced by Global FT500 companies address climate change issues, according to a new study by reporting specialist Corporate Register. More...
14 February: New York-based law firm Chadbourne & Parke has launched a climate change practice, to be co-led by former governor George Pataki. More...
7 February: The US moved closer to a federal cap-and-trade emissions scheme this week, with Arizona senator John McCain emerging from ‘Super Tuesday’ as the likely Republican presidential candidate. More...
7 February: A convincing lead by US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain following yesterday’s primary votes could sound a death-knell for ethanol subsidies, if the Arizona senator goes on to win November’s election. More...
7 February: China’s worst winter weather for perhaps 50 years has damaged more than a million homes, killed more than 60 people and resulted in economic losses of $7.5 billion, according to the country's ministry of civil affairs. More...
7 February: Standard Life’s socially responsible investment funds will no longer invest in airline stocks, following an investor survey. More...
7 February: Socially responsible investment and ethical funds are often failing to invest in companies that tackle climate change, according to a report by Holden & Partners. More...
7 February: Business leaders across the globe believe climate change is an important consideration, but few appear to have taken significant action to cut company greenhouse gas emissions, according to a survey by consultancy McKinsey.
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7 February: UC Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium producer, has published its second corporate responsibility report, covering the period 2005-06. More...
31 January: Spiralling costs have led the US Department of Energy to restructure its financial support for the pioneering FutureGen Alliance’s coal-fired plant, the department announced yesterday. More...
31 January: The Japanese prime minister has promised to plough $40 billion into initiatives to research and develop environmental technologies, and to help developing countries to tackle climate change. More...
31 January: Dutch bank ING has said it will not finance a nuclear power project in Slovakia, which the country’s own nuclear regulator has said does not comply with modern safety standards. More...
31 January: Standard & Poor’s, CRISIL and KLD Research & Analytics have launched what they say is the first socially responsible investment index of Indian companies. More...
31 January: Computer chip manufacturer Intel has made the largest ever single purchase of renewable energy, 1.3 million MWh, representing the power consumption of its US facilities in one year. More...
31 January: Close to 400 companies have been delisted from the UN Global Compact for not reporting progress on their corporate responsibility initiatives. More...
31 January: A web-based exchange for trading US renewable fuel registration credits opened for business yesterday, with a claim of strong interest from financial organisations and trading businesses as well as from fuel firms. More...
24 January: The European Commission agreed on greenhouse gas emissions cuts from sectors not covered by its flagship emissions trading scheme. More...
24 January: The European Commission said that biofuels in the EU will have to provide a minimum 35% greenhouse gas saving over fossil fuels for them to count towards a new target for biofuels use. More...
24 January: European Commission proposals on the use of imported carbon credits in Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme risk hindering investment in emissions-reducing projects, warned market participants. More...
24 January: The European Commission has proposed financial incentives to stimulate carbon capture and storage investment, to help meet the EU’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. More...
24 January: JPMorgan Chase has come under pressure to refuse to provide a loan for the controversial Gilgel Gibe III hydropower dam in Ethiopia. More...
24 January: Canadian media company Corporate Knights and investment research firm Innovest Strategic Value Advisors have named their fourth annual Global 100 list of the most sustainable large corporations in the world. More...
17 January: Share prices of carbon-exposed UK power generators slipped yesterday, following proposals from the market regulator to claw back windfall profits from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. More...
17 January: The World Bank is mulling a large-scale “transformation fund” to mobilise financing to help mitigate climate change in developing countries. More...
17 January: The US wind energy sector installed 5,244MW of new capacity last year – investing $9 billion, and accounting for a third of all new power-producing capacity in the country in 2007. More...
17 January: The Royal Bank of Scotland has been urged to withdraw a loan that was used to finance Gazprom’s purchase of a majority share in the controversial Sakhalin II oil and gas project. More...
17 January: Four institutional investors have launched a study into the physical consequences of climate change on companies and their investors. More...
17 January: The European Commission’s ambassador to the US has launched a rare public attack on the country, for its failure to stop exports of subsidised biodiesel which are claimed to be killing off biodiesel producers in the EU. More...
17 January: The 100 largest companies in China are to be asked by an investor coalition to disclose how climate change is likely to impact their businesses. More...
10 January: New investment in clean energy companies and assets hit $117 billion last year, up 35% on 2006’s $86.5 billion, according to analysts New Energy Finance. More...
10 January: UK electricity and gas utility Scottish and Southern Energy has agreed to buy the renewables firm Airtricity for €1.8 billion ($2.6 billion). More...
10 January: The troubled EU link to the UN’s International Transaction Log and the European Commission’s review of its flagship emissions trading scheme will be the two main drivers of carbon prices this year, said traders and analysts. More...
10 January: Investment analysts at Citi have identified 24 companies that are set to benefit from the effect of climate change on water supplies. More...
10 January: Swiss investment bank UBS is to launch an index tracking prices in both the weather derivatives and global carbon markets. More...
(from Bioenergy Business)
10 January: Finding finance for biofuel plants in the US will become more difficult in the face of factors such as overcapacity and higher feedstock costs, according to a director of investment bank WestLB, which has just arranged $113 million of senior debt for a $195m ethanol project in Kansas. More...
21 December: US president George Bush has signed legislation that strengthens vehicle efficiency rules and increases biofuels use, but which lacks the renewable electricity standard for which environmentalists fought. More...
21 December: Carbon market participants have applauded the agreement of the ‘Bali Roadmap’ – but caution that the agreement is only the starting point of negotiations, and adds little certainty about the likely shape of a carbon market after 2012. More...
21 December: The European Commission put forward plans on Wednesday to reduce average car emissions to 130 grams per kilometre by 2012, but the proposal was criticised by environmentalists for pandering to the demands of the car industry. More...
21 December: Investment banks, research institutes and the City of London authority have collaborated to release a public collection of investment research relating to climate change, to help inform investors about the issue. More...
21 December: Investors have been warned to be cautious of unintended consequences when putting their money into technologies meant to address climate change. More...
21 December: The Dutch government plans to set up a panel of scientists from the Netherlands and Malaysia to monitor the long-term environmental effects of growing more oil palms as the source of oil for biodiesel production. More...
13 December: The December-January issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including the results of the magazine's eighth annual market survey. More...
13 December: The UN climate talks in Bali are heading for a typical 11th hour showdown, as the EU and US square off over the inclusion of emissions targets in a roadmap for the next round of climate negotiations. More...
13 December: California has negotiated an agreement requiring the Port of Los Angeles to reduce greenhouse gases related to ships, trains and trucks moving in and out of the port. More...
13 December: The likelihood of constraints on emissions of greenhouse gases across the US is now a significant factor in the credit assessment of electricity generating companies, says ratings agency Standard & Poor’s. More...
13 December: Investors in Asian equities face higher levels of climate risk than investors in other regions, according to new research commissioned by the International Finance Corporation. More...
13 December: Investors should consider companies in the water infrastructure sector as a safe bet, owing to a likely future scarcity in water supplies, according to a Merrill Lynch report published last week. More...
13 December: The European Commission’s expected unveiling in January of its energy and climate package could trigger a jump in the price of EU allowances up to €35, about 50% above current levels, according to a leading bank analyst. More...
13 December: Telecoms firm BT produced the best corporate social responsibility report in 2007, the UK-based Association of Chartered Accountants announced today. More...
6 December: UN climate talks in Bali are making encouraging progress, according to delegates – although they caution that the two-week meeting is not going to lead to agreement on a post-2012 climate regime. More...
6 December: For the first time, US climate legislation has passed out of committee and heads for a vote by the full Senate, where opponents promise “an enormous floor fight”. More...
6 December: The leaders of 150 global companies have called for a new UN climate change framework to replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, and called on this year’s UN climate change meeting in Bali to “make the tough decisions the world so urgently needs”. More...
6 December: By 2070, $35 trillion of global property will be at risk from coastal flooding, up from $3 trillion today, due to the combination of urbanisation and climate change. More...
6 December: UK-based carbon project developer Sindicatum Carbon Capital has launched a $600 million carbon fund. More...
6 December: China’s largest biodiesel company, Gushan Environmental Energy, plans to raise up to $250m by issuing shares in the US. More...
6 December: All Sweden’s state-owned companies will be obliged to produce an annual sustainability report using the Global Reporting Initiative’s most up-to-date standard, starting in 2009. More...
6 December: IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has released its first-ever triple-bottom-line annual report, entitled Creating Opportunity. More...
29 November: Venture capitalists speak about finding the “Google of clean technology”, but the search engine giant may itself be that sector-disrupting firm, after announcing plans to develop renewable power that is cheaper than coal – without subsidies. More...
29 November: A WWF-commissioned report has found that 20% of emissions reductions claimed through the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism would have been made regardless. More...
29 November: Four out of five businesses around the world want more regulation to drive their response to climate change, according to a survey by law firm Clifford Chance. More...
29 November: Environmental campaigners have warned that a sustainability certification system that has just been agreed for palm oil used for biofuels and other products fails to cover essential issues and could fail to gain credibility. More...
29 November: The US Federal Trade Commission is to develop guidelines for carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates, in light of growing consumer interest in these products. More...
29 November: Troubled emission reduction project developer AgCert is notifying other firms of potential patent infringements, in a bid for royalties to shore up its cashflows – even though the patent approval is still pending. More...
29 November: Investment consultancy Mercer is to carry out the first in-depth study of the degree to which emerging market fund managers are integrating sustainability considerations. More...
29 November: Click above to browse the latest job listings, including clean-technology and renewable energy investment analyst at a leading investment company, and CDM project manager at EEA Fund Management in Beijing. More...
22 November: A major environmental battle to stop the destruction of Indonesia’s tropical rain forests is finding recruits in the carbon market, with participants increasingly unwilling to trade greenhouse gas emission reduction credits from projects that may be linked to deforestation, say brokers and traders. More...
22 November: RWE plans to ramp up its investment in renewable power to at least €1 billion a year, through a new company that will also take over running the German utility’s existing renewable capacity. More...
22 November: Advance planning for new regulations helped reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in the US last year to below 10 million tons for the first time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. More...
22 November: The European Commission’s long-awaited renewable energy fund is slated for a launch in Bali next month, backed by an expected €100 million ($148 million) of public money, with hopes of up to €900 million in co-investment. More...
22 November: Investment company Babcock & Brown of Australia has offered to take full control of the struggling investment fund it set up to make investments in biofuels and other businesses. More...
22 November: Only one product out of more than 1,000 has passed a test to detect ‘greenwashing’ carried out by environmental marketing agency TerraChoice. More...
22 November: The latest issue of Carbon Finance is now available, including a preview of some of the issues to be discussed at the forthcoming UN climate change negotiations in Bali. More...
22 November: Click above to browse the latest job listings, including climate protection manager at GLS Bank and environmental specialist at First Environmental. More...
15 November: Solar power installations are set to grow 50% a year until 2010, Bank Sarasin will say in a report due out next week. More...
15 November: German car manufacturers are failing to follow the example of their French, Italian and Japanese rivals, opting to produce gas guzzlers instead of more environmentally-friendly vehicles. More...
15 November: China is on course to meet or exceed its target of sourcing 15% of its energy from renewables by 2020, according to research from the Worldwatch Institute. More...
15 November: E.ON is to double its investment in renewable power to €6 billion ($8.8 billion) by 2010. More...
15 November: China will ban foreign stakes of more than 49% in biofuel companies and soya bean and rapeseed crushers from 1 December in a move to shore up its energy security. More...
15 November: The latest issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including a special supplement previewing the UN climate change negotiations in Bali. More...
8 November: The world is failing to curb the growth in energy demand, leading to an increase in projected greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency has warned. More...
8 November: EcoSecurities, a leading developer of greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects, saw its share price dive 47% on Tuesday after announcing delays to its project pipeline that will cut revenues for the year. More...
8 November: A record 4,000MW of new wind energy generating capacity will be installed in the US by the end of 2007, thanks to a greater supply of turbines, a growing number of international players and new sources of financing, said an industry group. More...
8 November: The market for voluntary emission reductions has the potential for explosive growth in Asia, but this will only be achieved if there is a sharp increase in local demand, experts say. More...
8 November: OKQ8, a chain of Swedish filling stations, has postponed the launch of its Eco20 biodiesel because of concerns over the environmental effects of the palm oil-derived product. More...
1 November: More than 600 readers have already voted in Environmental Finance and Carbon Finance magazines' 2007 Annual Market Survey – the most closely watched survey of the leading participants in the carbon, US emissions, renewable energy finance and weather risk management markets. More...
1 November: South Africa has lagged other developing countries in gaining a foothold in the growing carbon market, but a government-backed company launched in London this week is hoping to redress the balance. More...
1 November: Carbon emissions trading schemes worldwide have launched a new partnership to collaborate on design issues and help build a global carbon market. More...
1 November: California’s Sun Microsystems has published its second corporate social responsibility report, highlighting its commitment to openness and transparency. More...
1 November: The European Parliament voted on 24 October to extend the deadline proposed by the European Commission to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by new cars in Europe. More...
25 October: Voting is open for Environmental Finance and Carbon Finance magazines' 2007 Annual Market Survey – the most closely watched survey of the leading participants in the carbon, US emissions, renewable energy finance and weather risk management markets. More...
25 October: The EU and Norway are expected to sign an agreement tomorrow that will link Oslo’s carbon dioxide emissions trading scheme with that run by the EU from the beginning of 2008, according to a spokesman for the Norwegian government. More...
25 October: The wildfires ravaging southern California could cost insurers between $900 million and $1.6 billion, warns Risk Management Solutions. More..
25 October: US venture capitalists invested a record $844 million in 61 clean-technology deals in the third quarter, according to figures from the National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers. More...
25 October: Considering environmental, social and governance issues in investment management does not lead to financial underperformance, according to a survey of academic and broker studies. More...
25 October: Australian and New Zealand businesses need to improve their level of disclosure on greenhouse gas emissions, says the 2007 Carbon Disclosure Report for the two countries. More...
18 October: The UK government came under attack yesterday for failing to ensure that its export credit agency performs tough enough environmental and social checks on the projects it subsidises. More...
18 October: Energy efficiency is crucial to fighting climate change, since controlling greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation is more difficult and expensive than limiting other pollutants, said a panel of industry experts. More...
London, 18 October: BT is to develop wind farms to generate some 25% of its existing UK electricity requirements by 2016. More...
18 October: Climate change is a ‘mega’ economic trend that will create significant opportunities for investors, for at least the next decade, according to Deutsche Bank’s asset management division. More...
18 October: There is little rationale for the huge subsidies given for the production and use of biofuels and the subsidies are not a cost-effective way of cutting fossil fuel use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to new studies. More...
18 October: Supplies of certified emission reductions during 2008 could be tighter than many expect and cause problems for those that have promised deliveries, according to market participants. More...
11 October: Dutch pension giants ABP and PGGM have become cornerstone investors in a novel renewable energy fund, which will invest in a portfolio of projects under development by a subsidiary of Dutch sustainable energy company Econcern. More...
11 October: UK finance minister Alistair Darling announced new policies and proposals this week aimed at further implementing the findings of the Stern Review on the economics of climate change. More...
11 October: American Electric Power, the nation’s largest coal generator, has settled a complaint by eight states and the Environmental Protection Agency by agreeing to cut pollution at 16 plants. More...
11 October: The approval process for hydrogen cars should be simplified to accelerate their arrival on the streets of Europe, the European Commission has said. More...
11 October: Merrill Lynch and Trucost have launched an index which tracks blue chip European companies with the best 'carbon footprints'. More...
11 October: The latest issue of Environmental Finance is now available, including a special supplement on the carbon market in Asia. More...
4 October: Bank of America and Citi are being asked to stop financing the coal industry, in a campaign launched this week by environmental activist group Rainforest Action Network. More...
4 October: US-based broker Evolution Markets is auctioning 245,982 sulphur dioxide allowances for 2015-2036, on behalf of an electricity generator. More...
4 October: The British Telecom Pension Scheme tops the league of corporate pension funds when it comes to responsible investment, according to a report by the UK Social Investment Forum. More...
4 October: The Spanish government has increased its target for the installation of solar electricity generation capacity from 400MW to 1,200MW by 2010. More...
4 October: Office Depot has slashed its electricity usage and transport emissions, according to its latest corporate citizenship report. More...
27 September: Fighting climate change can stimulate an economic “boom” for advanced and developing economies, said former US President Bill Clinton at the New York launch of the Carbon Disclosure Project. More...
27 September: Standard & Poor’s has accused European chemicals, mining and oil and gas companies of poor disclosure of environmental provisions and decommissioning costs. More...
27 September: Sales of Philips’ ‘green’ products such as energy efficient lighting and LCD televisions are set to double in the next five years, the company announced on Tuesday. More...
27 September: HSBC has launched a family of indexes, designed to give investors exposure to companies likely to benefit from climate change. More...
27 September: UK-based asset manager F&C is to launch a fund that will only invest in bonds issued by ethical companies. More...
20 September: A group of 22 US states, investment funds and environmental groups have petitioned the US Securities and Exchange Commission to require financial disclosure by corporations on climate risk. More...
20 September: The Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism needs to overcome “operational challenges” if it is to reach the scale needed to meet current emission reduction targets, according to the head of a leading project developer. More...
20 September: A booming US trade in voluntary carbon credits pushed Climate Exchange into profitability in the first six months of this year, the company reported on Wednesday. More...
20 September: Hoffman la Roche, Consolidated Edison and Scottish ice cream company Mackies were named yesterday as the winners of the inaugural FT / Citi Private Bank environmental awards. More...
20 September: Several large bioenergy companies have unveiled large cash injections, despite other firms putting projects on hold in response to what they claim are poor market conditions and problems in the worldwide equity and credit markets. More...
20 September: The US is on a diplomatic climate change charm offensive. But behind the charm, has anything changed? Mark Nicholls talks to its lead negotiator, Harlan Watson. More...
20 September: The September issue of Bioenergy Business is now available, including an in-depth article on efforts to dismantle barriers to international trade in biofuels. More...
13 September: The UK insurance sector today launched a new initiative to tackle climate change and encourage more climate-friendly behaviour among customers. More...
13 September: Shareholders have approved TXU Corp’s acquisition by a private equity group that has pledged to cancel coal plants and invest in clean energy. More...
13 September: Expansion Capital Partners has closed its Clean Technology Fund II at $103 million, surpassing its original goal of $60 million. More...
13 September: Institutional investors this week published guidelines to help electricity utilities report their climate change risks and opportunities. More...
13 September: London Climate Change Services has relaunched itself as the Carbon Markets Association, reflecting a broadened remit for the London-based trade association. More...
6 September: Venture capital and private equity investment
in the clean-tech sector is soaring and there is more money
available than good investment opportunities, according to
a report from New Energy Finance. More...
6 September: Four years after their launch, French
bank Société Générale has adopted the Equator Principles,
a set of voluntary guidelines meant to ensure banks only make
loans to projects that meet environmental and social standards.
More...
6 September: A coalition of Australian businesses including
BP Australia and Rio Tinto have called for the urgent introduction
of a low-emission technology strategy to accompany a proposed
emissions trading scheme. More...
6 September: Dutch bank ABN Amro has teamed up with
the World Bank to launch an investment product that will fund
sustainable development and poverty alleviation. More...
6 September: The latest issue of Environmental Finance
is now available, including the results of our inaugural Environmental
Finance Awards.
More...
6 September: The International Emissions Trading
Association is seeking a new president and CEO to replace
Andrei Marcu. More...
6 September: EcoSecurities, a leading developer of
Clean Development Mechanism projects, is hosting a high-level
summit in Rio de Janeiro on 19-20 September, which it hopes
will generate ideas and proposals for discussion at the upcoming
UN climate change negotiations in Bali.
More...
6 September: US automotive giant Ford Motor
Company published its eighth sustainability report last month,
including a detailed analysis of material business issues
such as climate change, human rights, mobility and vehicle
safety. More...
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