The UK is in a strong position to lead efforts on developing an international carbon border adjustment mechanism

A ‘carbon border adjustment mechanism’ on imported goods from polluting factories overseas could help to address the thorny issue of carbon leakage, argues Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation in the June issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. It’s not a tax, it’s just an adjustment mechanism Cheap imports of … Continue reading The UK is in a strong position to lead efforts on developing an international carbon border adjustment mechanism →

Fossil fuel companies have access to an obscure legal tool – the investor-state dispute settlement – that could jeopardise worldwide efforts to protect the climate

If you do a search on the EiD website for the Energy Charter, you will see many posts that show the Energy Charter Treaty could undermine efforts of the Paris climate agreement. Rachel Thrasher, Law Lecturer and Researcher at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, Boston University; Blake Alexander Simmons, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in … Continue reading Fossil fuel companies have access to an obscure legal tool – the investor-state dispute settlement – that could jeopardise worldwide efforts to protect the climate →

Legal process under Energy Charter Treaty poses real threat to the Paris climate agreement

Jennifer Rankin writes on the Guardian website about the concerns being raised that lawsuits by fossil fuel companies allowed under the Energy Charter Treaty could threaten the decarbonisation needed under the Paris climate agreement. What are your views? Secretive court system poses threat to Paris climate deal, says whistleblower A secretive investor court system … Continue reading Legal process under Energy Charter Treaty poses real threat to the Paris climate agreement →

New report on cutting emissions through fossil fuel subsidy reform and taxation

Earlier this month, the latest IPCC report gave its starkest climate warning yet. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, this must sound a "death knell" for fossil fuels, starting with an end to new production and with shifting fossil fuel subsidies into renewable energy. The dire message comes amidst some reasons for hope. We … Continue reading New report on cutting emissions through fossil fuel subsidy reform and taxation →

European governments often appear to champion low-carbon policies yet, in 2017, EU countries collectively spent US$87 billion subsidising the cost of fossil fuels

We all know that fossil fuels are still heavily subsidised but it is still a surprise to see the extent of them. Radek Stefanski, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of St Andrews discusses the subsides in an article on The Conversation website. With the President-elect for the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen … Continue reading European governments often appear to champion low-carbon policies yet, in 2017, EU countries collectively spent US$87 billion subsidising the cost of fossil fuels →

New IISD report on how to pay for an energy revolution

Catherine Benson Wahlén writes on the SDG Knowledge Hub website of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) about a new report from IISD that calls for policymakers to promote clean energy as part of fossil fuel reforms. IISD Report Showcases How Countries Implement Clean Energy Swaps The International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD) … Continue reading New IISD report on how to pay for an energy revolution →

Strong argument for removing subsidies for fossil fuels

With climate protests gaining momentum and with more and more pushing for a low carbon energy transition, there is definitely a need to re-think our entire approach to our energy systems. Instead of hoping market forces solve the climate crisis, the government needs to stop giving tax breaks to polluters, so argues Clive Lewis in … Continue reading Strong argument for removing subsidies for fossil fuels →

The energy transition needs to protect the vulnerable

Fossil fuel subsidies are a popular and pervasive tool for helping people across the world to have access to energy. This is an issue that needs to be addressed in our energy and climate policies. Benjamin Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Sussex and Jessica Jewell, Research Scholar at the International Institute … Continue reading The energy transition needs to protect the vulnerable →

Transferring fossil fuel subsidies to clean energy could yield major savings in dollars and GHG emissions

A new report from the Nordic Council of Ministers finds that redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward the clean energy transition could help climate vulnerable countries reap major savings while slashing greenhouse gas emissions. This is according to a study by the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and Gaia Consulting, “Making … Continue reading Transferring fossil fuel subsidies to clean energy could yield major savings in dollars and GHG emissions →

New research report tracking coal subsidies in Europe

We all have our concerns about the adverse effects of fossil fuel subsidies. Shelagh Whitley, Laurie van der Burg, Leah Worrall and Sejal Patel from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) write about their recent report reviewing coal subsidies. Cutting Europe's lifelines to coal: tracking subsidies in 10 countries This report reviews subsidies to coal … Continue reading New research report tracking coal subsidies in Europe →