News

• Solar ITC seen safe from possible US tax overhaul

  12 December 2012

  Financing for the US solar sector would tighten without the federal investment tax credit (ITC), but the incentive appears safe through 2016 even if the US embarks on a major overhaul of the federal tax code, according to solar advocates.

• First Climate to shut carbon desk

  11 December 2012

  A leading German carbon company is closing its sales and trading desk, Environmental Finance has learned.

• UK energy purchase plan could give boost to renewables projects

  11 December 2012

  The UK Government Procurement Service has launched an energy purchase plan which could see it buying renewable energy worth £750 million ($1.2 billion) per year directly from power generators within five years.

• Four in five 'mainstream' fund managers consider ESG factors – Aviva

  11 December 2012

  More than 80% of "mainstream fund managers" consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when they invest, as most of them believe a company's ESG performance is linked to investment returns, according to insurance giant Aviva.

• First global climate index for asset owners reveals 'crisis of transparency'

  11 December 2012

  A large proportion of the world's biggest investors have buried "their heads in the sand" when it comes to climate change, a lobby group claimed today as it launched the first global index for asset owners focusing on the issue.

• Doha 'landmark' compensation agreement points to widening rich-poor gap

  11 December 2012

  A "landmark" agreement to look into a system for compensating developing countries for disasters and damage reached at the UN climate talks in Doha risks widening the divide between rich and poor nations, it was warned today.

• RBS launches £200m carbon reduction fund

  10 December 2012

  The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has launched a fund to offer low-cost loans to help UK businesses reduce their emissions and become more energy efficient.

• Doha climate talks extend Kyoto, chart path to 2015 deal

  10 December 2012

  The UN climate talks in Doha ended on Saturday with agreement on a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol as well as a work plan for a new international framework – amid criticism of a lack of urgency from NGOs.

• Business fears over energy and resource costs hit three-year high – PwC

  10 December 2012

  The number of business leaders worried that energy and resource costs pose a threat to growth has hit a three-year high, PwC has suggested.

• Green Investment Bank hires chief risk officer

  07 December 2012

  The UK's Green Investment Bank (GIB) has appointed Peter Knott as chief risk officer.