News

• Business backs offset standard

  01 December 2007

  Business groups have launched the second version of a standard designed to boost the credibility of the voluntary carbon market – but a leading environmental group has slammed it as full of loopholes.

• Costs add latest hurdle for US offshore wind

  01 December 2007

  While beachfront residents in the US continue to fight planned offshore wind farms, cost has emerged as another barrier to getting the country's first offshore project operating.

• REC tops Sarasin solar ranking

  01 December 2007

  Bank Sarasin has produced a global ranking of the top solar photovoltaics (PV) firms, placing the Norwegian company REC at the top of the class.

• People moves this month

  01 December 2007

  ALEX VAN DER VELDEN, the executive director of FairPensions, is leaving the UK-based charity to take up a new post at Dutch pensions giant PGGM. He will be joining PGGM – which provides pensions for healthcare workers, and has €88 billion under management – as head of its responsible investment portfolio.

• Businesses demand climate action

  01 December 2007

  Tackling climate change is essential for economic growth, according to the leaders of 150 global companies. "As business leaders, it is our belief that the benefits of strong early action on climate change outweigh the costs of not acting," they say.

• UNDP calls for low-carbon fund

  01 December 2007

  The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has called for the creation of a fund to manage the expected $25 billion–50 ­billion annual investment in low-carbon energy projects to mitigate climate change in developing countries.

• US still top for bio­fuel investors – E&Y

  01 December 2007

  The US remains the most attractive country for biofuel investments despite a slow-down caused by factors such as high feedstock prices, over-capacity and distribution difficulties, according to the consultancy Ernst & Young.

• EIB mulling ecosystem, biodiversity fund

  01 December 2007

  The European Investment Bank (EIB) is assessing market interest in an ecosystem and biodiversity fund, with hopes of helping to raise money into such a vehicle in 2008.

• Morgan Stanley sees $1 trillion clean energy market

  01 November 2007

  The worldwide market for clean energy could reach $500 million by 2020 and $1 trillion by 2030, estimates investment bank Morgan Stanley.

• Committee jousting delays action on US energy bill

  01 November 2007

  A procedural dispute is delaying action on energy bills that have been passed by the US Senate and House of Representatives, and which must be reconciled between the two chambers.